Understanding.
She understood him. She got it. She knew what was happening in the clearing. She had felt it, and when she looked at Roger, she let him know that things weren't as simple as they might initially seem. After all, something had led her to the clearing, some force, some call. Like the invisible cord that drew Roger there, heightening his urges and desires, she had been brought there too.
The door opened and the captain came in. He carried two cups of coffee, and he set one down in front of Roger. The captain hitched his pants and took the seat on the opposite side of the table. He didn't speak right away. He blew lightly on his coffee, then took a tentative sip, his mouth making a little slurping noise. Roger drank from his own cup. The coffee was hot and black and gave his body a little jolt. He hadn't slept all night. He needed it.
"Roger," the captain said, "we've got ourselves a mess here."
"Yes, sir."
"I know there are some extenuating circumstances relating to what happened out there on your property. Isn't that right?"
"Sir?"
The Captain smiled. He looked tired, too. "There were some weird things going on."
"Yes, sir."
"But in this county, in our justice system, 'the devil made me do it' doesn't really work as a defense. Do you follow what I'm saying?"
Roger thought about it for a moment. "You're saying no one's going to believe me about the clearing."
"Some people will believe you," the captain said. "Some people already do."
The lady cop, Roger thought. He was right. She believed him.
"But a few people believing you doesn't help in a court of law."
"Yes, sir."
"I think it would be best if you got out in front of this a little bit," the captain said. "Tell me your story now in the form of an official statement, the whole truth and nothing but the truth, and I'll make a recommendation to the prosecutor that you be treated with a certain amount of care. We'll get you the help you need."
"You mean I'm going to the loony bin."
"It's not like that anymore, Roger. They have pretty nice hospitals where they can help people like you. You might...it's possible they might even let you out someday."
"Will my house still be there?" Roger said.
The captain shook his head. "It might be best to put that up for sale and be done with it. Or better yet, just forget about that land and that house. They're probably not much good for anything anymore."
It hurt Roger to hear those words. If he didn't have the house, if he didn't have anything to go back to...
But why would he want to be there at all? If he went back now, or even years later, he'd be more alone than ever before. No wife would have anything to do with him. Ever. And he had done awful things out there, even if they weren't completely his fault, he knew they were awful, awful things. He hadn't wanted to do them, and he didn't want to do them again.
And now the Captain seemed to understand, just a little, and was offering a way out.
"What do you want me to say?" Roger said.
"Just tell me what happened," the Captain said. "Starting with Mr. Bolton and Margie Todd."
"Is he going to go to jail, too?"
"We're going to do everything we can to get him there," the captain said.
That made Roger feel better. He didn't want to be the only one. He didn't want to suffer alone.
"Okay," Roger said. "One day, Mr. Bolton came to my house..."
CHAPTER FORTY-NINE
Diana ran into Deborah in the hallway outside her mother's room. Deborah wore a big smile and an extra set of bracelets that jangled as she talked.
"What a treat," she said. "Two days in a row. And you're lucky. We're having a good day today. Your mom's wide awake and alert."
Diana smiled. She didn't have the energy to speak, and she knew if she stayed for any length of time, she'd fall asleep in the chair next to her mom's bed. She was so tired that the prospect of giving herself over to sleep didn't worry her. She didn't know if the visions would stop now. She didn't know what the future held. She had no job, no lover, and not much of a life. But she still had a mother. And at least she'd done something to change the lives of others.
Her mom smiled when she came in.
"Hi, Mom." Diana moved over to the bed and squeezed her mom's hand. "Do you know who I am, Mom? Do you recognize me?"
Her mom's smile grew wider. "You're my daughter," she said.
"That's right, Mom. I'm your daughter. And I'll stay as long as you need me."
About the Author
David Jack Bell is the author of The Condemned, which was released by Delirium Books in 2008. His short fiction has appeared in or is forthcoming from Cemetery Dance, Western Humanities Review, Backwards City Review, and many other journals. He is an Assistant Professor of English at Western Kentucky University in Bowling Green, Kentucky where he lives with his wife, Molly McCaffrey. You can visit his official website at www.davidjackbell.com.