“Oh no,” she whispered. She hurried into the living room.
“Stu!” she called. But she already knew he was gone.
Swiveling around, she looked at the bookcase that held some of the family antiques. He’d taken their mother’s silver pieces and some crystal.
“Goddamn it, Stu,” she murmured as she headed into the kitchen. She’d left her purse on the bench of the breakfast booth. She searched through the bag. At least the car keys were still in there. He hadn’t taken those. The credit cards were still in her wallet. But she’d have to cancel them. He could have copied down the numbers and expiration dates. All the money in her wallet—about ninety dollars—was gone.
Slump-shouldered, Anna returned to the small bedroom through the connecting door in the kitchen. In the mini-closet, she’d kept a wine carafe full of coins. He’d taken that. She couldn’t help remembering how he’d stolen all of their dad’s rare coins when he’d run away sixteen years ago.
Shaking her head, she sat down at the desk. At least he’d left her computer. She opened the bottom drawer and pulled out a purple spiral notebook. It was just where she’d left it—beneath two yellow legal pads. On the last page of the notebook, she’d jotted down all her passwords and user IDs. She was pretty certain he hadn’t found it.
But then she checked the top drawer, where she kept her checkbook. It didn’t take long for Anna to figure out that he’d stolen two blank checks.
Now she’d have to call the bank—along with the credit card companies.
She figured, for his own good, she probably should call the police, too. But she couldn’t.
How could she be so stupid? She didn’t know much about crystal meth addiction, but she certainly had been around long enough to realize that most meth addicts couldn’t be trusted.
Anna moved over to the disheveled daybed and sat down.
It hit her that Stu had left wearing Russ’s clothes. She’d probably never see them—or him—again.
Anna held her head in her hands and started to cry.
CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN
Tuesday, July 21—3:02 P.M.
“I’m picking up some apprehension, and you also seem a bit frazzled,” Dr. Gloria Tolman said.
Sitting on the beige sofa in Taylor’s living room, Anna let out a tiny laugh. “Well, you have some good radar there.”
Dr. Tolman was about sixty. She had a kind, prematurely wizened face, and her frosted auburn hair was styled in a pageboy with bangs. She wore white slacks and a short-sleeve teal blouse that showed the crepe-paper skin on her thin, tanned arms. She sat across from Anna in a comfy-looking sage-colored chair.
Taylor’s apartment building was sleek and new, with big windows that looked out at Lake Washington. When she’d arrived there ten minutes ago, Anna could see from the intercom by the front door that the building had twelve units. Taylor’s second-floor apartment looked like something out of an old Pottery Barn catalog: semimod-ern, comfortable furniture in neutral tones. Anna was thinking of an old catalog, because the place seemed just slightly out of date and borderline bland. The only colors that popped in Taylor’s living room were the red throw pillows on the sofa and a bouquet of red roses in a vase on the coffee table.
Despite her dreadful day so far, Anna had tried to put on a pleasant, relaxed demeanor when Taylor had greeted her at the door. Anna had become an expert at adapting this composed behavior for TV.
As Taylor had led Anna into the living room, signing and speaking, she’d asked Anna how things were with her and her brother.
“Oh, wonderful,” Anna had lied. “Thank you again for everything you did to bring us back together.” She’d decided not to say anything about Stuart ripping her off and running out on her.
Taylor had introduced Anna to Dr. Tolman and then announced that she had a few errands to run. Once she’d left, Anna and Dr. Tolman had settled in the living room. The surroundings were actually perfect for a therapy session—with those calm, neutral colors and the beautiful view of the lake out the huge picture window.
“Well, Anna,” Dr. Tolman said. “I need you to relax if you’re going to be receptive to hypnosis. So let’s talk about why you’re feeling a bit out of sorts.”
“ ‘A bit out of sorts’ is a nice way of putting it,” Anna replied. “Actually, I’m pretty haggard. I’ve just spent the last few hours on the phone with my bank and my credit card companies. My brother, Stuart—you know, the one Taylor mentioned? He ran away from home sixteen years ago, back when I was a kid. I haven’t seen him in all that time. Well, last night, we had a lovely reunion—thanks to Taylor. She had a private investigator track him down. Stuart has a drug problem, but last night we talked about how to get him some help. Then I woke up this morning, and he was gone—along with the money from my purse, a couple of checks from my checkbook, and some family heirlooms.”
“But when Taylor asked you about him, I heard you say everything was wonderful.”
Anna nodded glumly. “Well, Taylor went to a lot of trouble to help reunite us. I didn’t want her to know it all went sour. That wasn’t her fault.”
“But she’s going to find out eventually, isn’t she?”
Anna considered it. “I suppose. But right now, she can be happy that she did me this kindness. In a few days, it won’t seem as though she had anything to do with him robbing me and sneaking out early in the morning. If I told her now, she might think she’s somehow responsible—and she isn’t.”
“That’s very considerate of you. Are you always so careful about other people’s feelings?”
Anna shrugged. “I guess so. You make it sound like a bad thing.”
Dr. Tolman smiled. “I think it’s a remarkably good thing, Anna. Tell me, if Taylor isn’t responsible for what happened with your brother, who is?”
“Well, I should have taken some precautions. I mean, Stu surprised me when he showed up last night. But I had some time while he was in the shower. I could have hidden the valuables and been more careful where I’d left my purse. I knew he had a crystal meth problem, and a lot of drug addicts can’t help themselves. I’m sure the temptation was too much.”
“Are you always this quick to take the blame?” Dr. Tolman asked. “If you can’t blame your brother, then blame the drugs. But it’s not your fault, Anna. You know, you’re allowed to be mad at him and be disappointed in him. He left you with a hell of a mess today, didn’t he?”
Anna nodded. Then she thought of Russ. She was mad at him, too, and disappointed in him. And he, too, had left her with a hell of a mess.
Without much prodding from Dr. Tolman, Anna started talking about Russ—and how much she missed him. But she also talked about how she resented him—for lying to her originally, and then for stringing her along, for never putting her first, for suggesting she make the profile piece on Courtney, and for killing himself. “Of course, I feel horribly guilty for being mad at him,” Anna pointed out. “This mess I’m in—Russ and I created it together. No one forced me to stay with him. I made a bad choice and then figured out a way to rationalize it and live with it. So I’m not guiltless here.”
“Said the woman who is quick to take the blame,” Dr. Tolman interjected. “Don’t you ever cut yourself some slack?”
Anna sighed. “You can’t be involved with a married man for eighteen months without cutting yourself some slack.”
Dr. Tolman stared at her intently. “You say that, Anna. But something tells me you were hard on yourself that entire time. Don’t you think it’s time you gave yourself a break?”
Anna couldn’t respond. It was comforting to hear a stranger tell her that. She wasn’t sure why, but her eyes started to well with tears. She quickly shook her head. “I told myself I wasn’t going to cry,” she said, her voice a little shaky. “No, not this early in the session, I promise. I won’t start blubbering.”
“I have some news for you. It’s not early in the session. We’ve been talking for over a half hour.”
Wiping her eyes, Anna lau
ghed. “You mean I’ve been talking.”
“And that’s good,” Dr. Tolman said. “But I know you have a specific reason for being here. Taylor explained to me that you’d like to remember some things you might have repressed or blacked out.”
Anna nodded. “Yes, from the night Courtney Knoll disappeared. I had too much to drink at this restaurant—”
“Canlis,” Dr. Tolman interjected. She smiled reassuringly. “I haven’t been living under a rock for the last two weeks. I’m familiar with the case. Plus, I read up on it again last night, so you can save some time explaining. You don’t remember much from the time you ordered dinner at the restaurant until you woke up the next morning. Is that correct?”
Anna let out a long sigh and nodded.
“Do you recall what you ordered for dinner? Do you remember eating your meal?”
Frowning, she shook her head. “I have a vague recollection of sitting in the backseat of the car later—with Russ driving and Courtney in the front passenger seat.”
“Canlis is on Aurora Avenue, isn’t it? Do you recall what route Russ took home that night?”
“No, I’m sorry.”
“It’s okay. That’s why I’m here. Let’s just work on this.” Dr. Tolman reached into her bag beside the chair. She took out a digital recorder, switched it on, and set it on the coffee table between them. “I’m going to record you while you’re under hypnosis. Is that all right?”
Anna nodded nervously.
“This is like a test run, Anna. Relax. The hardest part is over. You seem comfortable with me, and I’m going to guide you through this.”
She spoke in such a soothing tone, Anna wondered if the doctor was already starting to hypnotize her with her voice.
“Do me a favor, Anna, focus on your breathing, and look out at the lake.”
Anna turned toward the window and gazed at the water. Breathe in, breathe out . . .
“See how the ripples catch the sun. Isn’t that pretty? Do you like the water?”
I live on a houseboat, I ought to, Anna thought. Or had she said it out loud?
“Now, close your eyes and relax and think about the beautiful water. You’re floating, just floating . . . so content, peaceful . . .”
Dr. Tolman’s voice was calm and comforting. It was like being read to sleep when she was a child.
Suddenly, Anna was with her mother and Stu—only he was a teenager. They were on the deck of a big yacht. I’m dreaming, she realized.
Yet, she could still hear Dr. Tolman talking to her in that quietly assertive voice.
A waitress was bringing Stu, her mother, and her their dinners, balancing the three plates. But now they were in the grand dining room of some luxury liner. For a moment, the waitress seemed confused, and Anna wanted to help her. “I’m having the salmon,” she said.
But the waitress shook her head. She set the plates on the table, almost dropping them. Yet the plates didn’t clatter or make any noise. The waitress looked upset, and she started to talk, but no words came out of her mouth. So she spoke in sign language. She seemed angry, but Anna couldn’t understand her.
“Anna, you’re aware of my voice,” Dr. Tolman said in her tranquil tone. “You’re safe. Whatever’s been bothering you, it’s gone now. Notice how relaxed and comfortable you feel right now. You’re in your friend Taylor’s living room. And you’re safe, talking with me. You’re waking up. You can open your eyes now, Anna . . .”
Anna kept her eyes shut. “Are you sure? I feel like I’m just going under.”
“Go ahead and open your eyes,” Dr. Tolman said.
Anna was obedient. She took a deep breath and sat up.
Dr. Tolman smiled at her. “You’ve been out for a half hour.”
“You’re kidding,” Anna murmured. “Did I remember anything?”
“For dinner at Canlis, you had a salad, salmon, and wild rice. But you didn’t eat much of it. When the bill came and Dr. Knoll paid, you noticed—”
“It was over eight hundred dollars,” Anna said, sitting up. “I felt bad he paid so much for a meal I’d hardly touched. When we drove home, he went through Fremont, then looped around and took the University Bridge to Eastlake. I started to feel sick in the car, but didn’t say anything.”
Dr. Tolman nodded at the recorder on the coffee table between them. “It’s all in there. But you don’t need to listen, because you remember now. You might find yourself remembering more bits and pieces tonight. But don’t try to force it. Tomorrow, we can pick up where we left off here.”
Amazed, Anna slowly shook her head. “I can’t believe this. I felt like I was just starting to drift off. And what happened at the restaurant, it’s all so clear to me now.”
A smile came to Dr. Tolman’s careworn face. “So tomorrow at the same time?”
Reaching for her purse, Anna took out her checkbook. “That’s perfect. In fact, let me pay you for tomorrow, too. That’s two-thirty a session. So I’ll make this out for four hundred and sixty.” She started writing the check.
She’d just paid a bank fee of $150 to stop payment on the two checks Stu had stolen. So she knew her account was safe for now.
She tore the check out of her checkbook and handed it to Dr. Tolman. “You know, with my brother no longer at my place, we can have tomorrow’s session there—if that works for you. There’s no reason to intrude on Taylor.”
“Actually, this locale is more convenient for me,” Dr. Tolman said, folding the check and slipping it into her purse—along with the recorder. “It’s where we’ve established our comfort zone. I’d like to keep meeting here if that’s all right with you. I know Taylor doesn’t mind.”
Anna heard the apartment door open and shut. She glanced at her watch: a quarter after four. She’d gone over her session time. She got to her feet. “Well, then, same time, same place,” she said. “Thank you so much, Doctor.”
“Gloria,” she said—as they started moving toward the front hallway together.
Anna saw Taylor was back—with a bag of groceries that she set down on the floor. “Did you have a good meeting?” Taylor asked, signing as she spoke.
“Yes, excellent,” Anna said. “At least, I thought so.”
“Anna was asking that we meet at her place,” Dr. Tolman said, talking a bit loudly and enunciating every word. “But I’d like to keep meeting here if that’s okay with you, Taylor.”
“That’s fine!” Taylor replied and signed. “No problem at all.”
“Well, I’m off to another appointment,” Dr. Tolman said. “See you both tomorrow!” She gave Taylor the sign for thank you—along with a little wave. Then she headed out the door.
Taylor closed the door after her. “How did it really go? You can tell me. Are you happy with her?”
“I talked her ear off about my feelings and then—under hypnosis—remembered some details about that night—insignificant stuff, but still, I remembered. Anyway, in answer to your question, I think she’s terrific. I feel good about this. Thank you, Taylor.”
Anna impulsively hugged her and then immediately regretted it because she could feel Taylor’s body become rigid. Anna pulled back and worked up a smile. She realized that, despite everything Taylor had done for her, they really didn’t know each other very well, and maybe it was too soon to be hugging. Also—some people just weren’t the hugging kind.
“Are you sure it’s not inconvenient to have the session here tomorrow?” Anna asked. “I feel funny about imposing.”
“It’s no imposition,” Taylor replied, signing as she spoke. “By the way, I texted with one of Sally’s writers while I was out. Sally’s giving you a break today. She’s going after the police for their handling of the case. Her special guest is Courtney’s mother, live from Florida.”
“That ought to be interesting,” Anna said. “According to Russ, Courtney and her mother hated each other.” She glanced at the door. “Well, I should get going. Thanks again, Taylor.”
“See you tomorrow,” Tay
lor said, opening the door for her.
A young man was on the other side of it.
He took them both by surprise. Anna gasped and took a step back.
Looking startled, Taylor began speaking in rapid sign language to him, silently mouthing the words.
He looked just as surprised as the two of them. With a tiny grin on his face, he talked back to her in sign language.
Anna studied him. He seemed younger than Taylor, maybe twenty-five. Tall and lean, he had messy brown hair and a slightly dorky look. Anna wondered if he was Taylor’s boyfriend, which, for some silly reason, made her feel better for her. She’d imagined Taylor as single, lonely, and a bit pathetic. But from the way the two of them were communicating, it looked like they knew each other pretty well.
He nodded at Taylor and touched her arm. Then, smiling at Anna, he headed into the living room.
“That’s CJ,” Taylor said, leading her out to the second-floor hallway. For a change, Taylor didn’t sign as she spoke. “I’m sorry I didn’t introduce you. But I’m pretty sure he didn’t recognize you. And I wanted to keep it that way. He hangs out at the studio sometimes, and I don’t want it getting back to Sally that you were here.”
Anna stopped in front of the stairwell door. “Oh, I—I thought he might be your boyfriend or something.”
“CJ?” Taylor quickly shook her head. “God, no! We’re just friends. To tell you the truth, sometimes, I think he likes to hang around me mostly because I’m the daughter of a celebrity. I’m not interested in him that way. But he’s fun—and it beats eating out alone.”
Suddenly, Anna felt sorry for her again.
“Anna, can I hug you again?” Taylor asked, signing once more. “You surprised me earlier, and I wasn’t ready, and it felt awkward.”
Anna let out a little laugh. “Why, sure.”
She held out her arms, and Taylor hugged her. Anna patted her on the back. It felt just as awkward as before, maybe even more so.
Taylor finally pulled back and smiled. “That was much better!”
“Much,” Anna lied. She wondered if Taylor was lying, too.
The Night She Disappeared Page 25
