The Maddening

by Andrew Neiderman

  Tami pushed herself back instinctively and she and Shirley began a struggle on the ledge over the doll in Tami’s grasp. “He wants Sooey, he wants Sooey,” she chanted, tugging. But Tami refused to relax her grip and tried to wriggle free. For a few moments Irene was stunned by the struggle.

  “Oh, dear,” she said. “Oh, dear, oh, dear.”

  It was at that moment that Stacey screamed. When she first started out of the house toward them, she knew that she had better not give them warning. She thought the woman and the girl might do something erratic. But when she realized what Shirley’s intentions were, she shouted with all her might.

  Irene turned to her. “We’re waiting for Arthur,” she said.

  Tami began to scream harder and kick at Shirley with her free leg, fighting to save the doll. Shirley stood up on the ledge to put more force in her tug-of-war for the doll.

  “Let her go!” Stacey shouted. She was running as fast as she could, clinging to the corners of the blanket so it stayed wrapped around her. All she saw was the straggle at the well’s ledge, and the woman standing back, pale and sickly, watching with her mouth open, gaping.

  Out of breath, she reached the group and grabbed hold of Tami’s left wrist, pulling her to her. The wrestling was short-lived. Shirley was no match for Stacey who was now driven by total hysteria.

  When Shirley lost her hold on Tami, she also lost her footing on the well ledge and fell backward. Her head struck the well wall about ten feet down and then she turned over twice before striking the bottom. It happened so quickly that for a moment neither Irene nor Stacey realized it. Then Stacey screamed and clasped Tami to her.

  Irene turned with a dazed expression on her face and looked over the edge. She was still staring down at Shirley’s crumpled and quiet body below when Chicky Ross arrived. He had seen the final action as he emerged from the house.

  Stacey and Tami were seated on the ground, crying and holding one another. Stacey was kissing her daughter’s face and stroking her hair.

  The detective lumbered to the ledge and peered down. He saw the dark, twisted form of Shirley’s body and then whirled to face Irene, who had turned toward him, a painted smile on her translucent face. Her wide sullen eyes brimmed with tears of triumph. “It was Shirley,” she said.

  Chicky didn’t respond. He looked down at the girl again and then back at Irene. “It was Shirley he wanted,” she continued. “That’s why he didn’t come up. He wanted his sister to be down there with him. Isn’t that wonderful? Now they’ll be together forever.”

  Chicky shook his head, certain she was no threat now to anyone. He went to see to Stacey and Tami. For the time being he left Irene standing by the well, mumbling to her dead children.

  Epilogue

  David leaned back on the chaise longue and closed his eyes. Despite the upbeat music of the Latin rock band, the warm afternoon sun made him drowsy. It was already the fifth day of their vacation, but he was only now really beginning to relax. Every day he had expected some terrible traumatic reaction on either Stacey’s or Tami’s part. This trip, nearly a year after the horrible ordeal, was mainly his idea, but both the psychiatrists Tami and Stacey had been seeing thought it was a good one.

  Stacey and Tami had been on their way to the Catskill resort area to join him when they were incarcerated by the Thompsons. The journey remained heavy in their minds like some decaying matter still capable of infecting good thoughts and good memories. Even though he had gone back to work on the project, it had become taboo to suggest they join him, even for a weekend. Instead, he made it his business to return home every day, even if it meant getting up extra early and driving for hours.

  The doctor had told him that taking this vacation wasn’t going to be easy, but he didn’t need the doctor in order to come to that realization. The therapy had helped and the sleeping pills were a significant aid, but the danger of Stacey becoming dependent on either or both of them was real.

  Tami had made a more dramatic recovery. With her the counseling had been very effective. Everyone he spoke to attributed that to the resiliency of youth. Nevertheless, Doctor Melissa Grayson, the child psychiatrist they used, was careful about her prognosis.

  “Her terrible memories could be revived at any time. Don’t be surprised or intolerant if she refuses to be left alone or refuses to talk to certain people. They may remind her of the bad people, for reasons none of us might immediately understand. You must continually reassure her that you’ll never desert her.”

  What David did notice was Tami’s unusual need to be close to either himself or Stacey for as long or as much as she could. Right after it all, she was more like a puppy turning and following either him or Stacey, no matter where they went, even if they were headed for the bathroom. If one of them left the room, she would stop whatever she was doing and follow.

  Just recently she was beginning to loosen up in that regard. She permitted other things to distract her; she didn’t sit as closely, and she didn’t chase after him or Stacey if either of them went someplace nearby. It was encouraging and he thought that somehow they would survive it all.

  With that in mind, he insisted they carry through on his original plan for them to enjoy the Catskill resort. He had taken his vacation time, but kept in close contact with the progress on the project. Stacey, half kidding, accused him of being deceptive.

  “You don’t want to relax at the hotel; you want to be close to your sewer project.” He laughed about it and then she admitted she was using that as an excuse to avoid taking the step he had suggested. Finally, she agreed to face up to it, recognizing that David was right—it was time to kill the monsters in the mind.

  In the beginning both he and Stacey were apologizing to each other for what had happened—she for taking the shortcut and not knowing enough about the automobile, and he for permitting her to make the journey in the first place. The therapist succeeded in making them both see how foolish they were. Neither bore any responsibility for what had happened. Their guilt feelings were natural but misplaced.

  Even though they were affectionate with one another, they had yet to make love as passionately as they had before the ordeal. Their therapist warned them about that, too. Everything had to be done slowly, gently. Not all of the bruises were visible, but they were there and they were still painful.

  Chicky Ross had visited them at the hospital, and then later, to discuss details of the subsequent investigation. But Stacey remained in her room, not wanting to hear or discuss or remember. She did hear murmurings about the fact that Irene had been institutionalized, now totally over the edge; that the coffin in the basement had been in the family for three generations, and that state investigators suspected a long line of child abuse; that there were bodies found in the well, the poor mother and child who preceded Stacey and Tami; and that the police were now looking for Arthur’s body, which they believed from information that Irene had revealed at the state hospital had been reburied…

  Later that evening David had held her close. “Tell me when you’re ready. If you know, the healing might begin.”

  Stacey had shaken her head. She wasn’t ready. Maybe someday but not soon.

  At the dinner table in the hotel dining room, they got involved in conversations with other guests. They made some good, new friendships, and on the fourth night, they hired a hotel baby-sitter. After Tami fell asleep, they went down to the nightclub to watch the show. The baby-sitter was instructed to call them immediately should Tami awaken. She didn’t and they had a wonderful time.

  Now, with two days left to their holiday, they sat by the pool. Stacey had come out of the water and was drying herself. David shaded his eyes and looked up at her. Because of the good weather they had already had, both of them, Stacey especially, had good tans. He thought she looked rather good.

  “You’re a knockout in that bathing suit,” he said, a little louder than he intended.

  She laughed. “David.”

  “I mean it.”

&
nbsp; She looked down at him; she shook her head and smiled. Then she looked about. “Where’s Tami?”

  “Tami?”

  “Yes, where is she?”

  “She was sitting right behind me,” he said and sat up. “She was so quiet, reading that magazine and eating that ice-cream pop.” He looked about, but she was nowhere in sight.

  “My God, David, how could you let her just wander off?”

  “Take it easy; take it easy. She didn’t wander off, and where would she go around here anyway?” he asked. But he stood up quickly. “Shit,” he muttered under his breath. They both took a few steps toward the hotel’s main building.

  “Hi, Mommy. Hi, Daddy,” Tami said. They turned around. She had come up behind them and stood beside another girl, one a good six inches taller. Neither Stacey nor David spoke. The strange girl held Tami’s doll Sooey in her arms, but Tami was smiling.

  “Hello,” a thin woman in a one-piece bathing suit said as she came up behind the children. “They’ve made friends quickly, haven’t they? Lois, dear, say hello to Tami’s mother and father.”

  “Hello,” the bigger girl said. Stacey took David’s hand, but neither of them could speak.

  “We’re sitting over there,” the woman said, pointing to a table with an umbrella. “I can’t take too much sun. Sensitive skin,” she added. “They’re just sitting at the table and coloring and talking. I hope you don’t mind. Lois doesn’t make friends easily, but your little girl just seemed to take to her,” the woman went on. “This kind of place can be deadly for children if they don’t have playmates, don’t you agree?”

  “Yes,” David said. Stacey nodded.

  “Okay, girls,” the woman said.

  Tami started off with the bigger girl.

  “Tami,” Stacey said. Tami turned around. She took a step toward her.

  “What, Mommy?” Tami asked.

  “It’s all right,” David whispered. “Let her go. It’s good for her.”

  Stacey looked at the woman. “Nothing,” Stacey said. “Just don’t be annoying now.”

  “Oh, she’s not annoying,” the woman said. “She’s delightful, and very sweet to share her doll with Lois. Don’t you just wish adults could get along as well? We never really lose our need for friends,” she said and went back to the table with the children.

  Stacey and David stared dumbly. Neither moved until the sounds of children laughing behind them broke the spell. David started back to his lounge and sat down. He held the suntan oil up for Stacey.

  “Put a little of this on my back, will you, honey?”

  She moved to his side and took the bottle, but as she rubbed the oil into his skin, she watched Tami and her new playmate.

  “When will I stop being afraid?” Stacey asked.

  “Maybe never,” David said. “But we can’t let it get in the way.”

  He started to lie back and then stopped and leaned over to kiss her on the lips.

  “I love you,” he said.

  Stacey smiled and then permitted herself to relax, easing herself slowly into the future, the way someone would enter a hot bath.

  More from Andrew Neiderman

  After Life

  Once she was blind, now she can see.

  A car accident claims Jessie’s vision, leaving the young woman in the dark, struggling to piece her life back together. One year later, she has made progress, and Jessie and her husband, Lee, move to the peaceful village of Gardner Town. Once there, though, Jessie's blindness heightens her awareness of the strange and terrible things going on in the community. Only Jessie can hear the beckoning voices from the cemetery. Only Jessie thinks there's something terribly wrong with her husband's new boss.

  And then a local woman makes a chilling, desperate request: "When your husband dies, don't let them bring him back."

  This masterful novel of suspense gives readers chills with each page, and the final chapters will be read without blinking.

  Child's Play

  They were four perfect little children. Alex had taught them well. They helped with the house, set the table for meals, and went straight upstairs after dinner to do their homework. They did as they were told—that is, as Alex told.

  Sharon didn't miss the glances that passed between her husband and the foster children. From the day they arrived, they had looked up to Alex, worshiped him. Why, it even seemed they were beginning to act like Alex—right down to the icy sarcasm, the terrifying smile, the evil gleam in their eyes when they looked at her.

  Oh yes, they'd do anything to please Alex. Anything at all...

  Deadly Verdict

  In this dizzying novel of speculative fiction, the legal system is picked apart for all the fault lines upon which justice quakes. Imagine a system wherein a pool of professional jurors are trained to judge evidence objectively. It’s clean, it’s fair, it’s infallible. But when a professional jury foreman goes missing, the FBI puts agents Holland Byron and new recruit Wyatt Ert on the case.

  Soon other jurors go missing and turn up dead—as do their wives and husbands. Is the entire program under attack or is it just guilty defendants exacting their revenge? The shocking discoveries Holland and Wyatt make about the new legal system turn a sci-fi detective story into a challenge on the nature of man and the pursuit of good and evil in an increasingly impersonal world.

  Duplicates

  A person’s true identity is never the truth.

  Bob and Marion endured the worst tragedies of their life after their son, Joey disappeared while on a camping trip with his uncle, Marion’s brother. The heartbreak of losing their son has strained at their marriage and broken their hearts. Horror and hope go cheek-by-jowl, though, when Marion sees her supposedly missing brother in New York City. He denies her story, even denies his own identity, but Marion knows that it is him, and that he has the information she and her husband have yearned for since the more horrific day of their lives.

  Questioning her sanity, but still insisting that the man she encounters is truly her brother, Marion undertakes her own investigation.

  Guardian Angel

  The search for Mr. Right turns into a nightmare.

  Megan Lester had a miserable separation. She questions whether she’ll ever be able to love again. But she does vow to give it a try, and on Megan Lester's first night back on the singles scene, she surveys the landscape at available men. But a pushy guy at the bar just won't leave her alone, and his aggressiveness goes from annoying to dangerous in the blink of an eye.

  Then Steve Wallace steps in and saves her. From that night on, Steve always seems to be right there whenever Megan needs help, or someone to lean on. He’s even there when she doesn’t realize it. Watching. Steve has decided that Megan is his perfect woman, and he will stop at nothing—even kidnapping Megan's young daughter—to make Megan part of his perfect family.

  Perfect Little Angels

  A picture perfect town holds a chilling secret.

  Justine Freeman and her parents move to Elysian Fields to start anew, and the picturesque town seems the perfect place to do so. In fact, their new neighborhood seems too good to be true. Their neighbors are all polite and helpful, and the streets are eerily clean. Even the teenagers of Elysian Field are perfect. They don’t drink, they don’t smoke, and they are polite to their elders to a fault.

  But Justine is a more typical teenager, and while the new girl in town hasn’t yet learned how to behave like the teenagers of Elysian Fields, she will. Because in Elysian Fields, there are so many ways—horribly effective ways—to turn disobedient children into Perfect Little Angels.

  Sight Unseen

  A little knowledge can be a deadly thing.

  Everyone knows that David is a smart one. He can tell you the end of a story from the first sentence. The other kids won't even go to the movies with him anymore; he always spoils the ending. People begin to wonder about David. There is, after all, such a thing as being too smart for your own good.

  David has learned th
e hard way to keep his thoughts to himself. But now David is growing up, and his gift is turning into a power. The power to read people's minds. To see the future. To know things—terrifying things—that he didn't want to know. Like who would live. And who would die...

  Teacher's Pet

  Mr. Lucy is just the kind of teacher the children of Centreville needed. He’s sharp, understanding, always ready to help out. A man like that inspires respect in his students. And he gets great results; it was really quite astonishing when the children brought home straight-A report cards. All the parents were so proud. It was even more astonishing to see how they began to resemble Mr. Lucy. And act like Mr. Lucy. And kill like Mr. Lucy...

  The Magic Bullet

  Dr. Allan Parker may have found the Magic Bullet the world has been waiting for all these years—the cure for cancer in the blood of fifteen-year-old Taylor Petersen. But there's only so much blood in Taylor's body, and so many desperate people.

  One of the most desperate is Frankie Vico, a mobster who faces the death sentence of inoperable, terminal cancer for which there is no reprieve. And with time running out, he's learned of one last hope. Now he'll stop at nothing, including kidnapping and murder, to get his hands on Taylor's precious blood. Caught in a deadly chase with only Dr. Parker to help him, Taylor will have to fight to save his own life...and millions of others.

  The Solomon Organization

  Scott Lester's bitter divorce includes accusations of adultery, alcoholism, and worse—and they're all true. To keep from losing his five-year-old daughter forever, he turns to the Solomon Organization, a secret society sympathetic to the plight of men in Scott's situation. They are on his side. They will help him. And they don't even want his money—they only want what is best for his little girl.

  And what they decide is best is the worst thing Scott Lester can imagine...