After Dark (33 page)

    He owed it not only to his mother
to remember, but he owed it to himself.

    "What's she like?" Will
asked, as he stood with his mother in the middle of his bedroom.' 'I mean
you've already met her and talked to her, so what do you think?"

    "Dr. Agee seems like a very
nice person. She told me that she has two sons of her own, so she's very understanding
about my feelings as well as yours."

    "Johnny Mack said that she's
the best there is. She's got a Ph.D. and everything."

    "That's right. She's a licensed
professional counselor who is certified in clinical hypnosis."

    "And it's all right with her
that you and Johnny Mack be there in the room with me?"

    "Yes, she has no problem with
our being there."

    "Then, come on." Will pulled
away from Lane and headed toward the door. "Let's get this show on the
road." He forced a smile, as much to shore up his own courage as to
convince his mother that he could handle the situation.

    Lane followed him out into the upstairs
hallway, where Johnny Mack waited for them.

    "Ready?" his father asked.

    "Yeah, I'm ready."

    But he wasn't ready. Not really.
The frightened kid inside him wanted to bolt and run back into his room,
lock the door and refuse to ever resurface. But he couldn't chicken
out. Not when so much depended on him remembering what had happened the
day Kent was murdered.

    His parents stood side by side,
each watching him intently. What were they expecting to happen? Did they
dunk he would fall apart before their very eyes? Or were they just worried,
as afraid for him as he was for himself?

    "Hey, you two, stop acting as
if it's the end of the world." He managed a couple of lame chuckles.

    "If at any time during the
session with Dr. Agee you feel like you want to stop, just say so."
Johnny Mack's big hand hovered above Will's shoulder. "Don't push yourself
to remember if the memories aren't there."

    Will knew his father wanted to touch
him, to grip his shoulder and assure him that he was there, that he was going
to be there for him from now on. Whatever Johnny Mack had done in the past,
whatever sins he had committed, he wasn't the man Kent had described.

    "He's right, Will.
We"-Lane glanced at Johnny Mack-"don't want you to do anything
you don't want to do."

    "Listen, you two, I'm okay with
this hypnosis thing. It's what I want… to remember everything about that
day. This could be the only way we'll ever know the truth about what happened."

    Johnny Mack nodded. Lane grasped
Will's hand. Together, the three of them went downstairs and into the
den where a petite brunette of about forty immediately rose from the
sofa and came forward with a warm smile on her face. So, tins was the famous
Dr. Agee, Will thought. She looked more like somebody's mom dressed up
for church in her pretty beige suit. Her brown hair was styled in a neat,
short cut, and her blue eyes were bright and friendly.

    She held out her hand. "Hello,
Will, I'm Nola Agee."

    "Hi." Will shook her hand.

    "Before we begin, is there anything
you'd like to ask me, anything you want to discuss?" Dr. Agee asked.

    "I'm not sure," Will admitted.
"Mama and Johnny Mack have pretty much filled me in on everything,
except… well…"

    "Whatever your concerns are,
don't be afraid to bring them up."

    "I guess I'm just wondering
if… if you think this will work. Can you really hypnotize me and make me
remember?"

    "Why don't we sit down,"
the doctor suggested. "Then I'll explain what we're going to do and
what we might expect. Okay?"

    "Yeah, sure."

    Nola Agee glanced at his parents,
who both seemed pretty uptight. "Mr. Cahill, why don't you and Ms. Graham
take the chairs over by the window; that way you can observe what's happening
without being in the way."

    He almost laughed when he saw how
quickly his mother and Johnny Mack obeyed the doctor. Heck, they were scared,
too, and wanted this mumbo-jumbo hypnosis to work as much as he did.

    "Will, why don't you sit on the
sofa?" Dr. Agee inclined her head in that direction. "You
don't have to lie down unless you'd like to."

    "I think I'll just sit."

    Once everyone else was seated,
the doctor placed herself in a straight-back chair directly in front of
Will. "Hypnosis is a method of communication that induces a trance
or trancelike state. Our goal is to narrow your focus to such an extent
that your mind will be relatively free of any distractions. However,
you should be able to hear my voice and possibly even the ringing of the
telephone. I'll have you focus on an object, and then I'll ask you to relax
as I guide you into the trance."

    "All right." Sounded simple
enough to him, but what if-"What happens if I don't go into a trance?"

    Dr. Agee smiled. "Don't worry
about it. Some patients can't be hypnotized, while others go into a deep
trance. But for the most part, patients tend to simply go into a meditative
state."

    "Okay. I'm ready." As ready
as he would ever be. His belly cramped, but he dismissed the pain, knowing
it was just a symptom of his nervousness. "Go ahead and… well, do your
thing."

    "Try to relax," she said.
"Try to free your mind of fear and worry and thoughts of any
kind."

    "Big order there, doc,"
Will joked.

    She laughed. "I know this
isn't easy for you, Will, but try."

    He tried. God, how he tried. Relax,
you numbskull. Relax. How hard can it be?

    Dr. Agee rose from her chair,
strolled across the wide plank floor and flipped the wall switches, shutting
off the overhead light and turning on the large ceiling fan at low speed.
Although a modicum of daylight peeked through the slats in the oak plantation
blinds covering the windows, for the most part soft shadows enveloped
the room.

    "Listen to the gentle hum of
the ceiling fan," the doctor told him. "Look up and concentrate
on the rotation. Around and around."

    Her voice was soft, calm and soothing.
He lifted his gaze to stare at the revolving oak blades and listened to
the barely discernible drone of the fan's motor.

    "Keep looking at the
fan," she told him. "Relax. Free your mind. You're warm. You're comfortable.
You're safe. And you're getting just a little drowsy."

    "Uh-huh." She was right.
He felt everything she had mentioned. Warm. Comfortable. Safe. And
drowsy.

    He continued staring at the fan
as it whirled around and around. His eyelids grew heavy. He felt as if he
were floating on a soft, gray cloud. He closed his eyes. Breathe deeply.
Feel yourself relaxing. Feel yourself drifting off to sleep."

    Lane grabbed Johnny Mack's hand,
and the two exchanged a concerned glance. Originally she had been opposed
to doing anything that might help Will remember what had happened the
day Kent was murdered. She had been so afraid that Will would recall having
struck the fatal blows that ended Kent's life. But now that she understood
how tormented Will had been not knowing the truth, she prayed that this
trained professional Johnny Mack had flown in from Chicago would be able
to help her son regain his memory.

    "Will?" Dr. Agee asked.

    "Yes?"

    "Are you comfortable?"

    "Yes."

    "I'd like for you to think
back a few weeks to the day that you and Lillie Mae were in the backyard.
Do you remember that afternoon?"

    "Yes."

    "Tell me what's happening.
What are you and Lillie Mae doing?"

    Lane tightened her grip on Johnny
Mack's hand. He scooted to the edge of his chair, close enough so that he
could reach over and drape his arm around her shoulders. If ever she had
needed him, she needed him now. Whatever happens, he'll be here to help
Will. Together, we'll take care of our son.

    "I was practicing," Will
said. "Lillie Mae was pitching the ball to me so I could practice
my hitting."

    "That's right, you had your baseball
bat with you in the yard, didn't you?"

    "Yeah, I did."

    "Were you and Lillie Mae alone?"

    Will nodded. "Mama had gone
down to the Herald - Grandmother had fired a couple of reporters, and
Mama wanted to talk to the managing editor and see what had happened,
find out why those people had been let go."

    "So your mother wasn't at home;
she wasn't in the yard with you and Lillie Mae?"

    "No, she wasn't here."

    "While Lillie Mae was helping
you practice that day, did someone stop by to see you? Did you have a visitor?"

    "I don't know." Will began
to squirm, obviously disturbed by the question. He inclined his head
to the left and then to the right.

    "Breathe deeply. Stay calm and
relaxed," Dr. Agee coached. "You're comfortable and safe."

    Will's agitation lifted, and once
again he said, "I don't know if we had a visitor."

    "Picture yourself and Lillie
Mae in the backyard. See the grass and trees. Feel the sunshine."

    Will sighed.

    The doctor continued. "Maybe
you and Lillie Mae were laughing and talking, and then someone came into
the backyard and you stopped laughing and talking."

    "Kent was drunk and
angry." Will's shoulders lifted tensely. He knotted his hands into
fists. A pained expression pinched his face. "Ever since he got
that letter from Sharon Hickman, he's been mad and mean and"-Will
gasped for air-"and Mama had forbidden him to come to the house.
She'd told him to leave us alone."

    "Relax, Will," Dr. Agee said.
"You're safe. Lillie Mae is safe. Kent can't hurt you."

    "He can hurt us," Will cried.
"He hurt Lillie Mae. ^e… she told him to leave, that if he didn't go
she'd call the police. But he wouldn't leave. He was so hateful. He called
Mama all kinds of ugly names, and then he told me that Johnny Mack Cahill
was a worthless, white trash bastard, that I was the spawn of the devil
and he was sorry he'd ever thought I was his child. Sorry that he'd ever been
good to me, that he wished I'd never been born! He just kept spouting off
all tins garbage about my real father."

    Lane moaned softly.

    Johnny Mack tightened his embrace.
Keep on holding me, she silendy pleaded. Whatever you do, don't let go of
me. I can't make it without you. I need you. Will needs you.

    "You said that Kent hurt Lillie
Mae," the doctor prompted. "How did he hurt her?"

    "When he wouldn't leave, she
told me to go in the house. But when we started toward the door, he tried
to stop us. He hit Lillie Mae so hard that she fell to the ground. I had to
stop him."

    Lane's breathing halted for a
split second. Waiting. Uncertain. Afraid. Praying silently.

    Will groaned with anger. "I-I
took my baseball bat and hit him across his back and knocked him down. While
he was lying on the patio moaning and cursing, I helped Lillie Mae get up.
Then I told Kent that I wanted him to leave us alone and if he didn't, I'd
kill him."

    Lane bit down on her bottom lip to
stifle her cries. And Johnny Mack kept on holding her.

    "Do you remember what you did
next?" Dr. Agee asked.

    "I helped Lillie Mae to her
room," Will said. "I was afraid she'd broken an arm or leg when
she fell-She told me to lock the doors and call the police."

    "But you didn't call the police,
did you, Will?"

    "No, I didn't. I went back outside
to see if Kent had left."

    "And was he gone?"

    "No, he was still there. On
the ground, where I'd left him. But he wasn't moaning and cursing. He
wasn't moving. There was blood all over the place. Lots of blood. Kent
was… he was dead. Somebody had smashed in his head. God, it was awful!"

    "That's enough," Lane
cried as she jerked free of Johnny Mack's hold and jumped to her feet.
"Please, that's enough."

    Johnny Mack got up, grabbed her and
pressed her face against his chest. She clung to him, shaking uncontrollably.

    ''There was somebody else in the
yard," Will continued, apparendy oblivious to Lane's outburst.
"I saw the shrubbery shivering. Somebody was hiding in the shrubbery."

    "What shrubbery?" Dr.
Agee asked.

    "The shrubbery between our
yard and Grandmother's yard. Somebody was crying." Will began rubbing
his hands together. "I think it was me. I was crying."

    "It's all right, Will. It's all
right to cry."

    Tears pooled in Will's eyes, and several
drops trickled down his cheek. "I hated him! I hated him so much because
he was so mean to Mama and me. But I didn't want him dead. I didn't!"

    Will shivered as tears streamed
down his face. Dr. Agee stood and motioned to Lane and Johnny Mack to come
forward. Then she spoke quietly to Will.

    "You can stop now, Will. You
don't have to remember anymore. Do you hear me? You can bring your mind
back to the present where you're safe and what happened to Kent is in the
past."

    Will took a deep, cleansing breath
and glowered at the doctor. "I didn't kill him. I didn't kill
Kent."

    Lane rushed to her son and took
him into her arms. Johnny Mack encompassed both of them in his embrace.

    A hushed stillness settled over
the old house. The clock in the foyer struck the half hour. Lane pushed
back the jet black strands of Will's hair that had fallen across his forehead.
Her baby boy. Almost a man and yet still so much a child. He was safe, here
in his room, in the home that had housed generations of Nobles. Glancing
around the room, lit only from the light coming through the door from the
hallway, she smiled as she remembered how they had redecorated this room
together shortly before Will's thirteenth birthday. Will had changed the
theme from a boy's room, with a toy box still stationed beneath the windows,
to a teenager's room, with posters on the walls and copies of Playboy magazine
hidden under the bed.

    Today's session with Dr. Agee had
revealed little more new information, yet Will had remembered enough
to bring two extremely important facts to light. One: he hadn't killed
Kent. And two: he had seen someone hiding in the shrubbery. But if Will
had seen the murderer, undoubtedly the murderer hadn't seen him. Otherwise,
Will's life would be in danger.

    A second session was inevitable.
And even then, it was possible Will wouldn't remember, and more sessions
would be required to help him regain his complete memory. But knowing
Will hadn't bludgeoned Kent to death was enough for now.

    After kissing Will's cheek and tucking
the sheet around him, Lane tiptoed out of his room, but left the door
slightly ajar.

    "Is he finally asleep?"
Johnny Mack asked.

    "Yes, finally." Lane
sighed. "I think everyone's asleep except you and me. Lillie Mae
might still be awake, even though she usually goes to bed early and rises
early. We've all been a bit on edge since Will's session with Dr.
Agee."

    "Quinn went to bed over an hour
ago, right after he returned from his dinner date with Nola."

    "They certainly did take a
liking to each other, didn't they?"

    "I've yet to meet a woman who
could resist Quinn Cortez once he pours on the charm."

    "Something you two have in common."

    "If I'm so damn charming, why
couldn't I persuade you to eat any dinner?" He caressed her cheek
with the back of his hand. "You haven't had a bite since breakfast."

    "I suppose I've been too keyed
up to eat." She stood on tiptoe, stretched up and draped her arms around
Johnny Mack's neck. How wonderful to have him here, within arm's reach,
at her beck and call. "Knowing that Will didn't kill Kent-"

    "I want to believe as much as
you do that what Will remembered today is exacdy what happened, but Dr.
Agee explained that it's possible for a patient to have a false memory,
that there's no guarantee that things remembered under hypnosis are a
hundred percent accurate."

    "Please, don't play devil's advocate,"
Lane said. "Not now. Not tonight. Not when I know in my heart that
what Will remembered is true. He didn't kill Kent."

    "I agree. I don't think he
did. But that poses another problem. We all know that Will probably saw the
killer, and sooner or later, he's going to remember who it is. For your
sake, we need for it to be sooner. Before you go to trial. I think we should
take

    Dr. Agee's advice and try another
session as soon as Will is willing to…"

    "All right. As soon as Will is
willing."

    "Okay, now that we have that
settled, young lady, I'm taking you downstairs, and you're going to
eat." Johnny Mack placed his hands on either side of her waist.
"Even if I have to force feed you."

    Lane rubbed her body seductively
against his. She had never thought of herself as the aggressive or brazen
type, but this man-and only this man- brought out the hussy in her. Today had
turned out to be a very good day, and she wanted to celebrate. Celebrate
the beginning of a breakthrough for Will. Celebrate Johnny Mack's return.
Celebrate her awakening as a woman. Hell, she just wanted to celebrate
being alive and in love. "I'd rather feed another appetite, wouldn't
you?"

    Johnny Mack groaned. "Ah, honey,
you don't play fair." He disengaged her arms from around his neck,
clasped her shoulders and shoved her back a couple of feet. "As
much as I want to indulge in some hanky-panky, I'm not going to take you
to my room and make mad, passionate love to you all night."

    "You're not?"

    "No. Not until you've
eaten."

    "Good grief." Lane threw
up her hands in exasperation. "I give in." She grabbed his
wrist and tugged. "Come on. Let's raid the refrigerator."

    Thirty minutes later, they cleaned
off the kitchen table, dumped their glasses, plates and silverware into
the sink and returned the leftover ham, potato salad and Lemon Ice Box
pie to the refrigerator. Lane watched while Johnny Mack squirted detergent
into the sink and sprayed water over the dirty utensils.

    "That's what I like to
see," Lane said. "A man who's handy around the house."

    Glancing over his shoulder, Johnny
Mack blessed her with one of his breath-robbing smiles. "Oh, honey,
you have no idea just how handy I can be."