Dead Cold Mysteries Box Set #3: Books 9-12 (A Dead Cold Box Set), Blake Banner [reading in the dark TXT] 📗

gazed out at the green lawn with the white figures. “Things happen that only I understand. I think that’s the same for everybody, but not everybody realizes it. That’s what makes me special.”

“There were no girls?”

“Everybody else thought there were. That’s the way they saw it. But when I was doing it…” He stared at me a moment, like he wasn’t sure if I knew what ‘doing it’ was. He glanced at Dehan. “You know, when I was helping her to understand, and get away from Samuel? There were no girls then. It was just me and Mom, and she was so relieved that I could help her.”

“I bet she was.”

“She told me she was. But then the problem came up with the girls. Seems every time I helped her, one of them girls got hurt. I don’t know how that happened. And it was the same in London, so there was something going on. I’m trying to help Dr. Fenshaw figure it out. That’s why I asked Dr. Fenshaw to help me.”

Dehan said, “I guess your Mom was a nurse.”

“Of course. That’s why it was always nurses. It goes back to them. Or I couldn’t have helped her. She never was able to help me. When Samuel came for us, in the dark, she could never help me. But I was able to help her. With my mind. I have a special mind. That was how I discovered the doors.”

I raised an eyebrow. “The Doors or Don McLean?”

He stared at me, blinking. Then he laughed. “You don’t understand. The doors in my mind. If I go through the doors, I can go to other places, and other people. So when he was hurting her, I could go through the door in my mind, and go inside her and stop the pain. Stop her from hurting. There were steps you have to follow. The most important one is to still the heart until he’s finished. But she could never help me to still my heart. Only I can do that. That’s why I had to go away. Cause nobody liked me doing that.”

“What about Don McLean?”

“That’s Samuel. He goes away and he comes back singing. That’s how you know he’s going to hurt you. He goes to see the boys, drinking whiskey and rye, and then he comes back singing, this’ll be the day that you die. That’s when I have to go through the doors. I don’t like talking about this.”

I glanced at Dehan, thinking I had seen all I needed to see, but before I could stand up, he started talking again.

“I had a sneaky way of getting out through the doors before he started hitting me. The belt was no good for me. He said that. It didn’t make me cry. That was because I’d gone through the door. So he used the buckle, ’cause that didn’t make me cry but it made Simon bleed.

“And while he was giving Simon the buckle, I could sneak through the door and go to help Mom. Cause she was always right there, on the floor. And I’d get to her before he did, through the door to get inside her and help her. Then he’d put his thing in her, but he said that was dangerous because it might make another little shit like Simon. So when he was finished, he would do things to stop that happening, like punch her. That’s why I had to take out her womb. Only till he’d finished beating her. First you still the heart, then you stop the seeing, by making the eyes dark, then take out the womb, so there are no more shits like Simon. Then you bring her to understanding, that it’s the song that’s warning her. When she hears the song, she has to do something to protect Simon. But it never works. It’s always a girl that gets hurt. That’s why I asked Dr. Fenshaw to help. I think he’s helping, but we’re still working on that one.”

I nodded. The shadows were growing long across the lawns. Up on the chimney, a blackbird had started its long, evening song. I wondered if it was the same one, following me around Britain. I said, “I’m sure he is, Simon. I’m sure things are getting better. Do you get many visitors?”

“No, never. Except the man, once. But I’m not allowed to talk about that.”

“The man? You mean Samuel?”

“No. Samuel is dead. Dr. Fenshaw told me Samuel is dead. The man was from the government. He told me I mustn’t ever talk about him, or what we discussed.”

I smiled, then gave a small laugh. “I bet that surprised you, right?”

He nodded cautiously.

I went on, “Not just getting the visit, which was unexpected, but that he should ask you all the same questions as Dr. Fenshaw, and then tell you it’s secret! Right? That doesn’t make much sense, does it?”

He shook his head. “Didn’t make no sense to me. But Dr. Fenshaw said it was OK.”

“Can you remember his name?”

“Peters. Dr. Peters.”

“OK, Simon, thank you very much. You have been very helpful to us. One last question before we leave you in peace. If I show you a photograph of Dr. Peters, would you recognize him?”

“Of course.”

I pulled out my wallet and saw Dehan frowning at me. I pulled out the photograph I’d had printed at the hotel and showed it to Simon. He nodded. “Yeah, that’s Dr. Peters. I don’t know why he said the things he did.”

“Well, Simon. Sometimes people are too careful, but I can tell you that you no longer have to keep that a secret. You can tell anybody you like. I’m sure Dr. Fenshaw will say the same thing. You never told him about Dr. Peters’ secret questions, did you?”

He shook his head. “He told me not to.”