After Life (22 page)

He turned into . . . he is the most horrible, ugly . . .

She brought her hands to her face.

Dr. Beezly? Burt Peters exclaimed. He looked at Greg Daniels, who

shook his head in disbelief.

Maybe I should phone the doctor and see what happened Lee suggested. He

was supposed to visit her today and examine her eyes.

Good idea, Burt replied.

I've got his phone number here, Greg said, and pulled a small pad out of

his back pocket. He flipped it open and showed Lee the number.

Thanks. Lee lifted the receiver and punched out the numbers. Dr.

Beezly answered the phone himself. Where was his receptionist? Lee

wondered.

Doctor's office, he said.

Dr. Beezly, it's Lee Overstreet.

Oh, hello, how are you? I was going to phone you later when I knew you

would be home.

The police and I are with Jessie now, Lee said quickly.

The police?

Yes. She's hysterical; she claims she was almost raped.

Oh no. I'll be right there. Give her some warm tea and try to keep her

calm.

But, Doctor, she- I'm on my way, the doctor said, and hung up. Lee

turned to the police.

He's coming over, he said.

NOO! Jessie cried. I don't want him here. NOO!

Easy, Jess. Why are you blaming the doctor? What did he do?

He turned into him! she cried.

Inf him? Who?

Satan, she repeated.

Satan? You mean, the devil tried to rape you? he asked, unable to

cloak his amazement.

Yes, yes. She nodded emphatically. Lee looked up at the patrolman.

Just rest here a few moments, Jess. I'll put up some water for tea. You

should get something warm in you.

He started to get up, but she reached out to seize his wrist.

Don't let him near me again, Lee, she pleaded.

Please.

No one will come near you, Jess. I promise. There are two big,

strapping policemen standing right here.

That's right, ma'am, Greg said. No one's gonna hurt you now.

Jessie relaxed, and Lee pulled away gently and stood up.

I'll just get you some tea, he repeated. Burt Peters nodded to indicate

they would stay by her side. Lee hurried into the kitchen to put up the

water. By the time he returned with the cup on a tray, Jessie had

drifted into sleep.

Maybe you just oughta let her rest, Burt suggested.

Just then they heard Dr. Beezly pull into the driveway.

Let's talk to him, Lee said, and put the tray on the table. They

greeted the doctor on the porch.

What happened here? he asked.

I phoned Jessie and she was hysterical, claiming she had almost been

raped. Said, in fact, that she might have been. She wasn't sure.

Oh boy. Dr. Beezly nodded at the policemen, who nodded back.

I phoned the police immediately and started for home.

We found her right out here, facedown in the grass.

It's my fault, Dr. Beezly said. I should never have left her alone

afterward.

What happened? Lee demanded.

I examined her and we talked and I told her I was afraid there was

nothing I could do to help her regain her sight.

We shouldn't have gotten her hopes up in the first place, Lee chastised.

Dr. Beezly nodded.

You're right, Lee. It's mostly my fault, my damn arrogance. It's just

that sometimes even the best of our profession miss things or misjudge

things. And some times people's conditions change and there's room for

a new evaluation or treatment.

Anyway, he continued, she did take it badly. I tried letting her down

carefully, but she is a very perceptive and intelligent woman and saw

right through my euphemisms. There's no fooling Jessie.

That's for sure, Lee said.

I thought she would be all right, even though she began relating some of

these hallucinations she's been having lately . . . hearing someone

digging up coffins, strange footsteps in the night, laughter in the wind

. . .

I was going to tell you that I wanted to prescribe some tranquilizers

for a while.

Might not be a bad idea, Lee said, nodding. Those hallucinations have

been getting worse and worse.

Yes. When I left her, I thought she would be alright until you returned

at least. She was calmer, but it's hard to tell what's going on in the

mind of someone like Jessie Hows she doing now she's fallen asleep on

the couch Lee said she didn't hurt herself in anyway did she I'd feel

just terrible No. Just a few minor scrapes, Lee said.

Y could look at her, Dr. Beezly suggested, and turned toward the

doorway.

No, I don't think you should go in there just yet. She might go right

back into it.

Dr. Beezly looked surprised.

Did she say something bad about me? Am I part of her hallucinations

now?

She said you turned into a creature and that creature tried to rape her,

Lee reported.

Oh my. Dr. Beezly shook his head. I am sorry.

Probably because I was the last one to see her before she went into it,

he mused aloud. He dug into his jacket pocket and produced a bottle of

pills. These are some mild tranquilizers. They will keep her calm and

relaxed until she passes through this hysteria. Give her one every four

hours, four times a day. If she has a particularly bad night, you can

give her one during the night, he added.

Lee took the pills.

Thank you, he said.

I'm really sorry I left her alone. I should have realized the doctor

repeated, and shook his head.

I don't suppose anyone could anticipate something like this, Lee said.

I'll see her as soon as you think it will be okay to do so, Dr. Beezly

offered.

Thank you, Doctor. After shaking the doctor's hand, Lee and the two

policemen watched him go back to his car.

He feels real bad, Greg said.

Dr. Beezly hates to lose a patient or make mistakes.

That's for sure Burt said.

can't imagine anyone calling him Satan, Greg said, shaking his head. Dr.

Beezly waved and drove off.

No, Burt agreed. Funny, though, he added just before Lee began to turn

back to the house.

What is? Lee asked.

That night we came by to pick up Tony Benson when he fell out of his

truck drunk . . .

Yes?

He claimed he had come to kill Satan. That's what he was mumbling.

He came here? To kill Satan? Lee asked.

That's what he was saying.

The man was dead drunk, Greg said. How can you even repeat what he

said?

Burt shrugged.

He mentioned it to a few people before he came here, Burt said. I was

just thinking that maybe some one said something to your wife and

planted it in her mind.

I don't know, Lee said. Maybe.

Sorry you had some trouble, Mr. Overstreet, Greg said. But we're glad

it wasn't anything more serious.

Yes, thanks. I appreciate how fast you two responded, Lee added, and

they started away. Lee looked out toward the cemetery for a moment and

then hurried in to care for Jessie.

She was a great deal calmer after she awoke again.

Lee reheated the tea and spoon-fed her a cup. Her emotional episode had

left her quite exhausted, however, and he let her remain on the sofa. He

sat by her side while she dozed on and off. Whenever she woke, she did

so with a jerk and he had to reassure her he was at her side and

everything was all right. He made her another cup of tea and some toast

and jam and tried to get her to eat a little, but she claimed she was

still too nervous to hold anything down. All she would do was sip tea.

. He fingered the bottle of tranquilizers in his pocket and wondered

how he would get her to take any. He would have to sneak them into her

food for a while, he thought.

She became terrified again when he told her Dr. Beezly had returned and

had spoken to him and the police.

'-Just relax, Jess. He's gone. Now just take your time and tell me

again what you think happened. He came to examine you, right?

Yes, she said, pulling herself into a sitting position.

She swallowed some tea and continued. I came out here to wait for him,

to listen for his car, only I never heard him drive up. Suddenly he was

at the door. It was as if he had been here all the time.

Maybe he had come earlier, Jess. Maybe he was upstairs with Mr. Carter.

Her face froze, her arm stiffening so that the cup remained a few inches

from her lips, and she nodded, a smile of realization forming.

Yes, she said in a whisper. That's it. That's why I hear the shuffling

sound. He is often upstairs with Mr. Carter. Don't you see, Lee?

See what, Jess? What are you talking about?

He and Mr. Carter . . . they're doing something in the graveyard . .

. digging up graves.

Oh, come on, Jess. Listen to me. Listen to me! he demanded, seizing

her free hand. Dr. Beezly was here.

He examined you, right?

He started to.

And he saw there was nothing he could do for you, and when he told you

so, you became upset, right? Isn't that true, Jess?

No, she said, shaking her head. I never really believed he could do

anything. You knew that.

I'm sure you hoped, Jess. You had to have hoped. It would only be

natural. Jess, you've been having many hallucinations. This isn't the

first time.

Hallucinations? You don't believe me? You don't believe he tried to

rape me!

Jess . . .

You don't! she screamed, and put the cup down quickly. Then she got

off the sofa.

Jess . . .

No, she said, holding her hand out to keep him away.

You believe him. They've gotten to you. You've done something, she

said in a cold whisper, and they've gotten to you.

Jess, please. . .

Keep away from me, Lee. You believe him. You do, she said, shaking her

head and backing up. She turned and made her way out of the living room

and down the corridor toward the bedroom.

Lee lowered his head. What was he going to do?

She was out of control. All this had gone too far. He checked the

time. He either had to call the school and have his basketball practice

canceled or get someone to stay with Jessie. Their next game was

tomorrow night.

Damn bad time for all this to happen, he thought. Not that there would

have ever been a good time. He decided to try Tracy Baker. He didn't

have to go too far into an explanation before she understood.

I'll be right there, Lee. It's no problem, really.

Thanks, Tracy. I appreciate it.

Don't worry. She's going to be all right, Tracy assured him. After he

spoke to her, he went to the bedroom and looked in on Jessie. She was

lying down, her hand on her forehead.

Honey, he began, I'm sorry. You have to appreciate how hard it is for

anyone to believe your story.

You're an intelligent woman. You can see that, can't you?

Yes, she said, but she sounded defeated. It's all right, Lee. I'll be

all right.

Sure you will. He sat on the bed and took her hand into his. He patted

it reassuringly. Once we move out of here and- It won't matter where we

go in this town anymore, Lee. He knows I know. I resisted him. I

realize that now. Do you know what he offered me? He offered me

restored sight, she said.

He stared down at her. That made sense; it made perfect sense she would

hallucinate such a thing.

That was the deal for me not exposing him--restored sight.

How can you expose him, Jess?

I'm the only one here who can see him, see who he truly is. I don't

know why. It's just something that happened, some power I gained. The

voices I hear are not imaginary, Lee. She turned her head toward him.

They're the voices of the dead. I heard them the first night we moved

in here and I've heard them on and off ever since.

All right, Jess, he said, relenting. Suppose I believe you. What are