Kill Her Again (A Thriller) (8 page)

Pope reached over and flicked a switch at the top of the box. The LEDs came on and the ball began to spin, its tiny mirrors reflecting the light across Evan’s face.

Evan stared at it, eyes shining, and Anna thought he might be showing just a hint of a smile.

Pope flicked the switch again, turning it off. “They sell these in the gift shop downstairs,” he said. “Pretty neat, huh? After we’re done here today, you can take it with you.”

“Really?”

“Definitely. But first we’re gonna use it for a little experiment. Is that okay with you?”

Evan shrugged. “I guess.” He paused, working something over in his head. “Are you a doctor?”

“Not really,” Pope said. “I’m a hypnotherapist. A hypnotist. Do you know what that is?”

Evan thought about this a moment. “You mean like Kaa?”

“Kaa?”

“From
The Jungle Book.
He’s a snake.”

“Ahhh, right,” Pope said. “The one who put Mowgli in a trance and tried to swallow him. My son used to watch that movie. But what you see in cartoons isn’t quite the same as real life. There’s nothing scary about hypnosis. It doesn’t hurt. It’s just a way to help you relax, so you don’t feel all tight inside. You understand?”

Evan nodded. “I think so. . . .”

“Let me show you,” Pope said, then took the box from the boy’s hands and patted the bed again. “Lie down for a minute.”

Evan hesitated, then did as he was told, but his body looked stiff and uncomfortable.

“That’s good,” Pope said, then held the box up.

He hit the switch again and the ball began to rotate, light flickering across Evan’s face.

“Now all you have to do is watch and keep watching—don’t look away. Pretty easy, huh?”

“Uh-huh.”

Anna watched also, suddenly aware that those mirrors reminded her of something, but she wasn’t sure what.

Something from the crime scene?

“Now just let your body sink into the bed,” Pope said. “Let your arms and legs get really, really loose. Can you do that?”

“Yes,” Evan said again, keeping his gaze on the spinning ball.

“Good. Now pretend you’re sinking deeper and deeper into the mattress, like you’re on your own little private elevator and it’s taking you down, down, down. . . .” He paused. “Can you feel it?”

“Uh-huh,” Evan said, and blinked a couple of times. They were slow, lazy blinks, as if he was having trouble concentrating.

“It’s okay to close your eyes if you want to.”

Evan fought his drooping eyelids for a moment, then finally closed them.

“That’s good; keep letting your muscles relax. And as the elevator finally stops, its doors open and all you see are beautiful white clouds. You feel your body starting to float now, as they carry you away.” Pope stopped the spinning ball and quietly set it aside. “Are you floating?”

“Yes,” Evan said, his voice soft. Barely a whisper.

“Attaboy, you’re doing great. Keep lying there for a minute, okay? Just let your body float.”

“. . . Okay.”

Pope waited a moment. Then he said, “I’m gonna count backwards now. And as I do, you’ll feel more relaxed than you’ve ever felt before. Are you ready?”

“Uh-huh.”

“Okay. Five . . . think about your feet; let all of the tightness in them drain away. Four . . . now your legs are relaxing, the muscles loosening up, melting into those clouds. Three . . . concentrate on your stomach and arms now; let the tension go. Two . . . loosen your shoulders, your neck, your head. And one . . . just let yourself float away. . . .”

Pope gently took hold of Evan’s right wrist and raised his arm slightly. “When I let go, relax your arm and let it float, like it’s on its own separate cloud. Okay?”

“Okay.”

To Anna’s amazement, when Pope released the arm, it stayed in place. Just seemed to be floating.

Pope waited another moment, then turned to Anna. “He’s under.”

“That quick?”

“Kids are more receptive than adults. Better imaginations. More open-minded.”

“Except for the arm, he looks like he’s sleeping.”

“He can hear everything we’re saying, right, Evan?”

“Uh-huh,” Evan murmured.

“All we’re dealing with here is an altered state of consciousness. If you’ve ever meditated, you’ve pretty much put yourself into a hypnotic state.”

“I’m not really a whole grains and falafel kind of girl,” Anna said.

Pope smiled. “Okay, how about this? You ever fall asleep watching Leno?”

“Sure.”

“You know that feeling when you first start to drift off? You’re still aware of what’s he’s saying, you may even be laughing at his jokes, but you feel removed from the whole thing—like you’re detached from the real world?”

Anna stiffened. Pope had just described what had happened to her in Royer’s car, and at the crime scene this morning—what had been happening to her with increasing frequency ever since she woke up in the hospital.

Detached from the real world.

Even when those awful images flooded her brain, she was always vaguely aware of what was going on around her, as if she were trapped between dueling realities.

“Did I say something wrong?”

She was suddenly aware that Pope was staring at her with those intense eyes. She may as well have been standing there naked.

She felt flustered. “No, not at all.”

“You sure? You lost a little color for a moment there.”

Covering her discomfort with a dismissive flick of the wrist, she said, “Let’s concentrate on Evan.”

Pope nodded and turned back to the boy. “What do you say, Evan? Shall we concentrate on you?”

Evan kept his eyes closed. “Okay.”

“Good. Go ahead and let your arm float back down again.”

Evan lowered his arm.

“Now what we’re gonna do,” Pope said, “is help you remember some stuff. If you start to feel uncomfortable, if your body starts to get tight again, just let me know. And don’t worry, Agent McBride will be here the whole time, okay?”

“Okay.”

“Good,” Pope said, then looked up at Anna as if asking her for permission to continue.

Still slightly flustered, Anna had to wonder: Was this really the only way to proceed? Was putting Evan in a trance and risking further trauma truly worth it? Or was it one of those choices you’d look back on with regret?

None of these questions could be answered, of course. Not by her. Not with her history. Not the shape she was in.

Detached from the real world.

The way things were going, she figured she was probably one vision away from basket case.

Yet despite her reluctance, she quietly nodded.

10

“
SO YOU LIKE
cartoons, huh?”

“Uh-huh.”

“My cousin Jake and I used to watch a show called
Mr. Peabody and Sherman.
You heard of it?”

“It’s on Cartoon Network. Me and Kimmie watch it every time.”

“Then you know about Mr. Peabody’s Wayback Machine.”

“Uh-huh.”

“Well, what I want you to do now is pretend that
you’ve
got a Wayback Machine. But instead of a big one like Mr. Peabody’s, yours looks just like a TV remote and you’re holding it in your hand. Okay?”

“Okay.”

“Take a look at it and pay close attention to the buttons. The red one takes you back a hundred years, the green one goes back about ten, but the big blue one is the one that takes you back to yesterday. You see it?”

“Uh-huh.”

“Go ahead and give the blue button a push.”

“Okay.”

“Now the room is starting to spin—spinning around and around and making your stomach tickle—but in a good way, like the merry-go-round at the playground. Can you feel it?”

A laugh. “It feels funny.”

“I’ll bet it does. But don’t worry, it’s not going to spin very long, because you don’t have far to go. And now it’s slowing down, and when it stops completely, you’ll be back at home, yesterday afternoon, right after school, and you’ll feel relaxed and comfortable.” A pause. “Has it stopped yet?”

“Uh-huh.”

“And where are you now?”

“In the kitchen. Mommy made frosted grams.”

“Is your mom there with you?”

“Un-unh. She’s getting ready for work. She told me to put some on a plate and get glasses of milk for me and Kimmie and Tammy. We’re playing Donkey Kong Barrel Blast.”

“I know Kimmie’s your sister, but who’s Tammy?”

“She watches us while Mommy’s at work. She’s in high school.”

“I see. Is it just the four of you in the house? Or is anyone else there?”

“Just me and Kimmie and Tammy.”

“Okay. What time does your mom usually go to work?”

“Right before
Batman and Friends.
But we’re not gonna watch, ’cuz Tammy wants to play Donkey Kong instead.”

“Then let’s go forward a little. Look down at your remote again and find the yellow button. The yellow one takes you forward in time, but not too far, just a little skip. You see it?”

“Uh-huh.”

“Go ahead and press it once.”

“Okay.”

“Now after a quick spin, just a few hours have passed and
Batman and Friends
has been over for a while. It’s around dinnertime and your mom is at work. Where are you now?”

A pause. “In my room.”

“And what are you doing there?”

“Talking to Tammy.”

“What about?”

“She says she’s got a secret she doesn’t want Kimmie to hear.”

“What kind of secret?”

“I dunno. She won’t tell me. She says it’s a surprise. But she’s gonna have to break the rules and she doesn’t want Kimmie to cry.”

“What rules?”

“When Mommy’s at work, we’re not supposed to leave the house. But Tammy says we have to.”

“Why? Where does she want to go?”

“To the rec center. She says there’s somebody there she wants us to meet.”

“Who?”

“I dunno. But we’re not supposed to leave and Kimmie’s gonna cry, so Tammy says we have to pretend we’re gonna meet Mommy. We’re not supposed to lie, either, but Tammy says it’s okay if it’s for something good.”

“How far away is the rec center?”

“Far. It’s over by Kmart. But Tammy’s gonna drive us. She’s got her license and everything.”

“Okay. You’re doing great, Evan. Now I want you to look down at your remote again, give the yellow button a press, and take another little jump forward until you’re at the rec center. Can you do that for me?”

“Uh-huh.”

“Good. So where are you now?”

“In the gym, watching the big kids play basketball. Tammy bought us Slurpees.”

“Is she there?”

“No. She went to find her friend. She says he’s late.”

“Do you know her friend’s name?”

“She called him Rick.”

“Is he one of the high school boys?”

“No. Tammy say he’s older.”

“Older, huh? How much older?”

“I dunno. But I wish they’d hurry up because Kimmie’s almost finished with her Slurpee and she wants to know where Mommy is.”

“Okay, let’s go forward again. Push the yellow button and jump ahead a little.”

“Okay.”

“Where are you now?”

“At McDonald’s. Rick took us there in his Mustang.”

“He drives a Mustang, huh? What color is it?”

“Black. With an orange flame on the side. It’s really cool.”

“Are you inside McDonald’s or out in the car?”

“In the car.”

“Are Kimmie and Tammy there, too?”

“No, they went to get burgers and fries.”

“So it’s just you and Rick, then, huh? What does he look like?”

“Tall. Really tall. With black hair and a ring in his eyebrow and a tattoo of a dragon on his neck. Him and Tammy were holding hands and kissing and stuff, but he looks like he should be her uncle or something.”

“Is he Tammy’s boyfriend?”

“I dunno; I guess so.”

“Okay. So what are you and Rick doing right now?”

“Talking.”

“What about?”

“All kinds of stuff. Baseball, video games . . .”

“Anything else?”

“He says he’s been wanting to see me and Kimmie for a really long time.”

“Oh? Has he told you why?”

“Yeah, but I think he might be playing a joke or something. Like April fools.”