THE WOMAN BEFORE

Chapter 29

     CONOR LOOKS UP from his coffee and places the spoon on the saucer, bringing the rim close to his mouth. He takes a dutiful sip and says, “Play that again.”

     He’s been listening to the audio transcripts of John Parker in Flynn’s office. From the little Flynn has told him, Parker is Isla’s friend and has been obsessed with her for a very long time. He knows that obsession can be fatally dangerous if not curbed, but this case is nothing he’s ever seen. Now he’s convinced Isla might be in grave danger. The only problem is, he has no idea where to begin looking for her.

     “I did what you suggested. I bought her a necklace instead of telling her my love for her on her birthday.”

     “That’s great, Parker. How did she react?”

     “She was excited. Could you believe she kissed me?”

     “She did?”

     “Yes. She even said she loves me, Doc. She loves me.” Parker giggles.

     “I’m afraid it’s not the love you’re thinking. She loves you in a different way.”

     “You don’t know that for sure. Maybe there’s a chance for me to win her heart and tell her the truth.”

     Flynn sighs. “We’ve talked about this. You’re not going to do that. You don’t know how she will take it. It might ruin your cordial relationship with her. She won’t see you as a brother anymore.”

     There’s a loud bang. “I don’t want her to see me as a brother! I love her for crying out loud.”

     The clomping of feet echoes.

     “I know, Parker. That’s why you can’t tell her. If you love her that much, you’d want her to be happy even without you. She’s in love with someone else. They’re dating. Telling her your feelings can jeopardize everything we’ve worked so hard for.”

      There’s a long pause.

     “What’s funny, Parker?”

     “We’re doing a road trip tonight. I promised to take her to see the world and she agreed to it. Do you realize it’s going to be only me and her?”

     “I hope you’re not thinking of it.”

    Parker scoffs. “I am, Doc. I’m thinking of kidnapping her and taking her to the cabin I bought for us. It will be only us.”

     “This is your one-time chance to prove that you can control your obsession. You’re not going to kidnap her. You’ll go on the road trip as promised and bring her back safe and sound.”

     “I can’t do that. And I don’t want to postpone it. She’s looking forward to it.”

     “You can. Think about everything I’ve told you. Your obsession with her is an illusion. She doesn’t see you as a lover.”

     “I don’t believe that.”

     “Yes, you do, Parker. If you care about her, you’ll go on the road trip and bring her back safe—like the big brother you are to her.”

     Flynn pauses the tape and looks at Conor. “Now do you understand why I said Isla might be in grave danger?”

     Conor slowly bobs his head.

     Flynn brings out a photo of the necklace Parker had given him years back. He thrusts it forward. “Isla was wearing the same necklace in the portrait we found in her house.”

     Initially, he had reasoned against playing the tapes to Conor, but then he decided to do it. Conor wouldn’t believe him without proof. Maybe audio transcripts of his sessions with Parker might send the message he couldn’t tell Conor.

     He feels responsible for this. Years back, he had the choice to tell the cops about Parker, and maybe probed to find out the name of the woman Parker was obsessed with, but he didn’t. He had evidence too. Had he been too full of himself then? No. He couldn’t have. Parker hadn’t shown the tendency to do evil then. He was treating him like any other patient who had come to his office for help. He’d thought he had benefitted from his therapy and was now an upright individual who knew how to control his obsession. It shocks him that he thought Parker had recovered.

     He looks up at Conor with a worried face. “We need to find Isla. If something happens to her, it’s my fault.”

     Conor senses the guilt in his voice. “No. It is not. You couldn’t have known Parker would eventually succumb and give in to his dark desires years later.”

     “It is my job to at least have the slightest inkling about the state of mind of my patients and use that to predict what they can do in the future. I didn’t see this coming and that’s what hurts me.”

     Conor dips the spoon in the cup and gives it another stir. “Some years back, I was working a case. A woman had called 911 to report a possible domestic abuse. I was a rookie cop then. When I got there, the man held a kitchen knife to the woman’s throat.”

     Flynn doesn’t know why Conor wants to tell him about this experience, but he senses it’s been eating him up and he wants to share it with him. Probably because he wants him to feel better and not take the blame for Parker’s foolish actions.

     “I followed protocol and told the man to put down the knife, but he didn’t. I kept on insisting, thinking I could get through to him. At that moment, my instincts told me he wasn’t going to do it, and I should go for the shot and save the woman. I didn’t. He sliced the woman’s throat and stabbed himself to death.”

     Flynn’s eyes widen as he listens in sullen silence.

     Conor takes a sip of the coffee. “I could have saved the woman from the man. You know what hurts the most?”

     Flynn shakes his head.

     “There was a child. Three-year-old child, hiding behind the wardrobe. Till now, I still think there was something I could have done to change the ending.”

     “I’m sorry.”

     “I know.”

     “Did you try therapy?”

     “I was given some time off. I tried. It did nothing to help me. I still blame myself anyway,” he says, “Parker made his choices. You can’t take the blame for what he’s done.”

     He passes his hand through his hair and reclines in the chair. “How do we find Isla before something happens to her?”

     “I’ve got an idea. I will need all the notes you took during your sessions with Parker. You understand his psyche better than anyone. I will need your help.”

     “Happy to assist.”