“Memory flashes?” Eric asked.
“She may recall certain things outside of the session itself.” The psychiatrist tapped his right temple. “Once the window is opened…”
There’s no closing it. Mia looked at Eric and found his gaze on her. She hoped the tightness she felt in her lungs wasn’t communicated on her features. It would be so easy to change her mind and retreat. But she thought of the rotting corpse that had been pulled from the water. She also thought of Rebecca Macfarlane. Whatever she remembered couldn’t be worse than what those poor women had gone through. Sounding much braver than she felt, she asked, “How do we start?”
Dr. Wilhelm indicated a folder on his desk. “I received your medical records from your physician. You had a recent examination while you were hospitalized earlier this week and appear to be in excellent health. You’ve also signed the necessary waivers. Considering the urgency of Agent Macfarlane’s investigation, there’s no reason we can’t start now.”
“Let’s do it,” Mia said firmly, tamping down her anxiety.
He stood from behind his desk. “I’ll go prepare the syringe. I’m going to try a relatively light dosage today and gauge its effect.”
Once the psychiatrist had left the office, Mia stood and wandered over to the picture window. Jets taking off from the naval base were visible in the hazy afternoon sky, and she could hear their thunderlike roar. She felt Eric’s presence behind her.
“Are you all right?” he asked.
She turned to face him, her heart skipping a beat as she realized his closeness. Mia smiled weakly up at him. “I guess I hadn’t anticipated needles.”
Despite her attempt at humor, he remained serious. “You don’t have to do this—”
“I do,” she replied. “And you need me to.”
He stared at her, his intense, moss-green eyes searching hers.
“Thank you,” he said, touching her upper arm. His fingers on her bare skin sent a tingle racing through her. He dropped his hand as they heard Dr. Wilhelm return.
“Once the drug is administered, we’ll give it a little time to take effect and then we’ll begin with some mind relaxation techniques,” he said as he indicated the couch. Mia blanched at the small hypodermic needle he held. She’d never quite gotten past her childish fear of them.
She returned to where she’d been seated. Looking purposely away, she felt him tie the rubber tubing around her right biceps and then the sharp prick of the needle in the inside of her forearm.
“Why don’t you lie down and close your eyes? Focus on slow, deep breathing.” Dr. Wilhelm dimmed the lights in the room, then went over to lower the window blinds, choking out the bright afternoon sunlight. “Imagine you’re sitting in a theater, all alone, facing a blank, white screen.”
Smoothing down her sleeveless linen blouse over her cropped khakis, Mia settled herself on the couch. She felt a little foolish. Eric stood silently with his arms crossed over his chest, his features strained.
She gave him a final look, took a breath and closed her eyes.
“I’m sorry.”
Eric glanced at her from behind the steering wheel. “Don’t be. Dr. Wilhelm said it could take a few sessions to know if it’s going to work. The good news is that you responded to the hypnosis. Not everyone does.”
It was true; she had fallen under the psychiatrist’s hypnotic suggestions. Mia had felt herself relaxing, being slowly drawn backward to the moment of her disappearance. It had all seemed so real. She recalled hearing the echo of her own footsteps on the concrete floor of the parking garage, the cheerful chirp of her car’s key fob as she unlocked the door. She had been hungry and thinking about what to have for dinner as she slid into the driver’s seat. But at that precise moment, the screen inside her head went blank. Dr. Wilhelm had taken her through that critical time span using various approaches, hoping she might recall seeing her abductor. None of them had worked. Her memory seemed to stop at the moment she closed the car door. He had mentioned the possibility of using a higher concentration of the drug during their next session, as a way to get past what he had called a trauma block.
“How are you feeling?” Eric asked.
Mia touched the injection site on her arm, which was a little sore. “I’m fine. No headache or dizziness.”
“I want you to call me if that changes.”
They were headed over the bridge toward San Marco. The late afternoon sun sat lower in the sky and cast golden dapples of light across the omnipresent river. It was slow going since they were caught in the Friday rush hour, with traffic inching along. She glanced at Eric’s profile and thought again of the brief moment they seemed to have shared inside the psychiatrist’s office. There was no denying she felt an attraction to him. Mia realized it only complicated her situation.
“I’m going back to work next week,” she announced.
“Don’t you think it’s a little soon?”
“You sound like my editor.” She tucked her hair behind one ear as she gazed out the window. “I asked for the abduction story back. He said no.”
“Smart man.”
Mia looked at him. “The no is temporary. No as in not yet. He wants me to handle smaller assignments for a while, but I’m hoping to convince him otherwise.”
“I’m being honest with you, Mia. Your name on those articles already attracted this guy’s attention once. Putting yourself back out there like that…” He shook his head. “It would be rare for someone like this to go after the same person twice, but he could see it as a challenge. It’s just not a good idea.”
His cell phone rang. Mia lapsed into silence, hearing only Eric’s side of the conversation. Still, it was pretty clear what they were talking about. She felt her stomach clench as she thought of Pauline Berger.
“The M.E. made the identification through dental records,” he said. “Two of the teeth were missing, however.”
Mia closed her eyes, feeling a coldness creep over her despite the warm sun beating down on her through the windshield. She realized she’d referred to the investigation as an abduction case a few moments earlier. That had now officially changed.
A short time later, they pulled in front of her apartment building. Will’s convertible was gone, although the third-floor tenant appeared to be at home judging by her Toyota Prius in the driveway.
“Wait there. I’ll walk you up.” Eric exited the vehicle. He went around to the passenger side and opened the door for her. It was something he’d done at the Naval Air Station, as well. Normally, she would scoff at such old-fashioned behavior, but it seemed to suit him as if it were second nature, something ingrained in his DNA. Mia was reminded of his family tree. She imagined private prep schools and cotillions, an Ivy League college education. It was a vast difference from her own background.
As they went up the steps to the building’s second floor, she asked, “Are you going to speak with Pauline Berger’s family?”
“Agent Vartran is on his way to see them, along with Detective Boyet and Detective Scofield.”
At the top of the stairs, he took her keys and unlocked the door, pushing it open for her and then handing them back. “I’ll pick you up at four-thirty tomorrow?”
Mia nodded, entering