by Dina Rae
At 8:50 a.m. Jessica and Henry entered the waiting room and checked in with Moira, Justin’s secretary and mother. Justin came out of his office to greet them and cuff Henry before taking him back to his office. Jessica made herself comfortable with her novel and a cup of coffee from the coffee bar Moira set up. Per her insistence, Justin allowed her to observe Henry’s therapy the last ten minutes of every session. He and Dr. Resnick performed their more unconventional methods at the beginning of the session.
Henry plopped down in the same over-stuffed chair he always did, but Justin noticed something slightly different. Probably not important. Was it the sneer on his face? A sneer is an expression, and an expression is progress. Or the brightness of his eyes? Was he no longer hypnotized? Justin remained on high alert.
“Dr. Resnick, what we discussed earlier, maybe it should be reconsidered.”
“It’s alright. Let’s get started.” Dr. Resnick picked up the metronome and set it to a faster beat than Henry was used to. “Could you bring up the PowerPoint file we put together last night?”
Justin turned on his laptop and found the slideshow of images of Haiti.
“Henry, I want you to look at the computer screen while I talk. Dr. Gold is going to show you several photos. Interrupt me any time something looks familiar.”
Henry nodded as he stared at the wall, avoiding eye contact. Did he refuse to look at us because of his Asperger’s? Hypnosis? Or was it plain old defiance? Justin wondered.
Henry grunted a ‘yes’ and shifted his eyes toward the computer screen, alternating glances at Justin’s credential wall filled with degrees, certificates, and awards.
“Dr. Gold and I thought this slideshow might be a way in which you could open up or help you remember. This first set of pictures is of Port-au-Prince, the town where you were found. This is a typical city street. This is an old church. This photo shows children selling trinkets…”
While Dr. Resnick droned on, Henry kept stealing glances at the award wall. Is he trying to read them? Is he curious about my diplomas? Is he bored? Justin contemplated.
Then Henry looked up at Dr. Resnick and blurted, “Voodoo.”
Stunned for a few seconds, Dr. Resnick regained his composure and said, “Pull up a set of the photos we have pertaining to Voodoo.”
As Dr. Resnick recapped each photo, Justin saw Henry’s eyes darting around the room. As the boy shifted in his seat, the sunlight beamed in his eyes. What the f… Justin thought he saw the boy’s eyes shimmer an orange-red color. Justin blinked and looked at Henry again. The boy’s eyes were back to their dull blue. Am I seeing things?
Justin kept clicking through the Voodoo photos while Dr. Resnick rambled on like a tour guide about hounfours, houngans, mambas, and snakes. Henry appeared fascinated. A dozen slides later a photo of possessed dancers at a ceremony was shown. Henry laughed. Both doctors looked at each other. Justin’s eyes were filled with uncertainty whereas Dr. Resnick’s gaze held smug satisfaction.
“Go ahead. We’re ready for the next slide,” Dr. Resnick cued. After another dozen photos or so later, and Justin noticed Henry’s eyes again.
“Doctor, please stop and look at his eyes. Something is very wrong. Let’s move onto something else,” Justin whispered in his ear.
“Heavens no. He’s responding. Look at his face,” Dr. Resnick whispered back.
The next slide on the screen was of a Voodoo doll. Henry guffawed.
“So this is something you’re familiar with? Do you know where to get one?” Dr. Resnick asked.
Henry snorted in between his chuckles and shook his head.
“Dr. Gold, the next slide please. Thanks,” Dr. Resnick reminded. “Henry, do you know what this is?”
The photo was of another doll made with black fabric with white and red drawn outlines for its face. The doll was adorned with colorful feathers and beads.
“Djab,” Henry answered.
“That’s right. Did you see this in Haiti?’ Dr. Resnick questioned.
Justin was no longer listening. Henry’s eyes had him mesmerized. Doesn’t he see the kid’s eyes?
“Yes,” Henry answered and then flashed a wicked grin. “Djabs are also known as demons or devils. They are fierce warrior spirits with violent tempers.”
Henry’s articulate answer should have set off alarms for both doctors, but Justin couldn’t look away from his eyes and Dr. Resnick grew impatient with the pause in the slideshow, both doctors not wanting to stop.
“Your mother told me how knowledgeable you are about the Haitian culture. How about this next slide? Can you tell…” Dr. Resnick began to ask.
Henry jumped out of his chair and grabbed a framed award hanging on the wall. With his hands still cuffed, he shattered the glass. Grabbing the biggest shard, he lunged at Dr. Resnick.
The old man stood frozen, trying to process what happened. Henry kept kicking both of Dr. Resnick’s knees until he fell to the floor. With both hands clasped around the shard, Henry spiked the pointy edge into the back of Dr. Resnick’s neck. Blood erupted all over the Oriental area rug.
Justin pushed the boy away before he could stick the shard in Dr. Resnick a second time. “Help! Call the police!” He cornered Henry against the wall. “Now calm down. No one is going to hurt you.”
Like an inmate attempting an escape, Henry took his cuffed hands and swung them both at Justin’s head. The glass he was still holding scraped Justin’s skull. Henry kicked the doctor in the groin multiple times until Justin buckled to the floor in agony.
Henry rushed to Justin’s desk and slammed his hands down on the sharp, wooden corner. The cuffs’ chain link snapped and his hands were free.
As Justin wobbled to his feet, he saw Henry’s eyes shimmer the same orange-reddish cast he had seen earlier.
The boy roared an inhuman sound piercing Justin’s ears. His office door opened. Moira and Jess stood in the doorway.
“Henry, what have you done?” Jess shrieked.
Henry’s rage briefly subsided; the bright color of his eyes vanished, leaving them grayish blue. On the verge of tears, he looked to his mother and said, “This is not who I am.” He shot out of the back entrance away from the office. Justin took off after him, but couldn’t catch up. The boy was incredibly quick. Within a few blocks Henry had disappeared. Justin raced back to the office.
Moira knelt over Dr. Resnick. “He’s dead. The police are on their way. Oh, your head. Let me get you a towel to stop the bleeding.”
“Where’s Jessica Novak?” Justin asked.
“She’s out driving around, trying to find him,” Moira replied.
***
Jessica watched a monster break his handcuff chain in a fit of rage. As she surveyed the room, one doctor’s head was bleeding while the other doctor lay on the carpet in pool of blood. Henry dashed out the back exit. In her heart, she knew he was dangerous and had to stop him before he harmed any more people.
Trolling the main streets and residential avenues of Eau Claire, she could not find him. Was he hiding? On the way home? Eau Claire was a good eighty miles from Hayward. Panic set in. She pulled over to catch her breath, to think. Tom! I’ve got to call Tom! She retrieved her cell phone from her purse and dialed.
“Henry’s on the loose!” she yelled. She could hear the loud sounds of construction in the background. Tom was barely audible.
“Hold on! I can’t hear!” Tom yelled. A few seconds later he moved into a quieter location. “Okay, honey. Now I can hear. I thought you said Henry’s on the loose.”
“Oh Tom, I wish it was wrong! That’s exactly what I said!” Jessica reported what she saw in Dr. Gold’s office.
“Our son? Oh God, this is horrible! We’ve got to find him. He’s been up and down Route 53 enough times to know the way home. After he calms down I bet that’s where he’ll go. He won’t realize how far it is until he’s walked several miles. Oh boy, I better get a lawyer A.S.A.P.! I’ll call Steve,” Tom said.
“But he’s in r
eal estate,” Jess said.
“Yeah, but he might know who to refer us to. I’ll leave the job site and start heading toward the highway. You take the side streets, okay?” Tom confirmed.
“Good idea.” Jess hung up. As she drove back to town, the song playing on the radio was interrupted.
“We have breaking news for those in the city of Eau Claire and her neighboring cities. Attention, high alert. Henry Novak, a white, fifteen year old, over six feet and two hundred pounds, wearing jean shorts and a t-shirt, was last seen driving north in a white Toyota Rav-4 from the Shell gas station on Wilcox. He allegedly attacked Bernard Sill, a Home Depot employee, and stole his Toyota. Bernard Sill is in critical condition. Henry Novak is a person of interest in the fatal attack of his doctor, Phillip Resnick. His other doctor, Justin Gold, is in Emergency care. The boy is thought to be extremely dangerous and unstable. Any information pertaining to his whereabouts, please call the police immediately.”
Fatal attack? Critical condition? Oh Jesus, forgive him. That gas station was two blocks away. Damn it! I was probably driving down another block while he took the car. He doesn’t know how to drive. Jesus, give me some direction. Without thinking, she grabbed her phone and scrolled through her list of contacts, quickly finding her last resort.
“Hello Jake? Glad you picked up. Listen, forget about coming over today. I need your help now.”
Chapter 49
Leah could have slapped herself stupid for allowing Jake into her bedroom only weeks after her husband was determined as missing. If the police got wind of our relationship…the thought of it made her shiver. She assumed Pete was dead. Freeloaders like him we’re like boomerangs, and he’d been gone far too long to believe otherwise. She also assumed the police suspected her and/or Jake in Pete’s disappearance. It was only a matter of time…
Now that her oppressor was gone, she experienced happiness for the first time in her adult life. Jake probably had something to do with Pete, but she no longer cared. Even Rhianna stopped asking for him.
Leah should have clipped her relationship with Jake clean, but enjoyed being with him on so many levels. Besides the sex, he tried so hard to be a man in her eyes and a role model to her daughter. He’d talk of the big plans he had after high school with such sincerity. She couldn’t let go. On her off nights, he came to her bed. There was a sense of security about being loved. One night she woke up and he was gone.
Feelings of worthlessness came back like flies landing on an open sore. Was he angry? Did he have another girlfriend? Did she rely too much on him to take care of Rhianna? She looked out the window and saw his car parked outside. Self-doubt became worry. Too upset to go back to sleep, she sat outside by the front door drinking coffee and chain smoking cigarettes. By the first ray of daybreak, still dark, she saw Jake, Lucien, and another man slip into Lucien’s trailer. Jake came back out and headed home.
Shit! She ducked behind the chair, and the darkness hid her. As he stepped up to the front door, she sprang up from her hiding place. “Where the fuck were you?”
“Aaaahhhh!” Jake screamed. “Oh Leah, you scared me. Didn’t see you down there.”
“Well?” she asked impatiently.
“I…was with Lucien. I…I’ve got a lot of secrets that I’ve been keeping from you. Maybe it’s time we talked,” Jake answered.
“I’m listening. Got the whole day off. And I saw you with another man besides Lucien. Who the hell was he?”
“That was T.J.,” Jake replied.
“What the fuck are you trying to pull? You know damn well where he is. You and that old man have been up to some bullshit for months now. Does any of this have to do with Henry? He’s like a vegetable, right? Crazy? Don’t talk anymore?” Leah drilled.
“Please lower your voice. Many of our neighbors get up this early in the morning. Let’s go inside and I’ll tell you everything, I swear. I should have told you this a long time ago,” Jake said. They sat down in the living room. “Before you throw me out, at least hear me out. I’ve been in love with you since I moved here. And I know you saw me as a boy until now. It all started last winter, before Christmas. Lucien promised to teach me Voodoo. One of the first lessons I learned was how to make a Voodoo doll. I used Pete’s cigarettes and some of his other personal items.”
“Like what?” Leah asked.
“Stuff from the garbage. It doesn’t matter. T.J. died right after I made the doll. I thought it was my fault. They both smoked the same brand of cigarettes. I thought I grabbed the wrong butts and I cursed the wrong guy. I thought the whole thing was my fault…” Jake explained.
“That’s crazy. Pete was to blame. Pete put him in that bad situation,” Leah interrupted.
“Maybe, maybe not. I’m not so sure,” Jake said and then motioned with his hand to withhold any more comments. “Please let me finish. Then ask me anything you want. Lucien trained us, me and Henry, in the dark arts. He was a big deal back in Haiti. He even initiated us into his Bizango brotherhood. Henry and I grew stronger. We were performing spells and seeing magic. Our spells became more difficult. You were one of them,” Jake said.
“You cursed me? Why?” Leah asked, unable to remain silent.
“I didn’t curse you. I put a love spell on you. That day when you were teaching me how to drive and we first had sex…You and I, we aren’t real. At least your feelings for me aren’t real. Because I love you so much, I just let the spell run its course. I’m so sorry,” said Jake.
“That’s ridiculous. What do you think? That once this spell wears off I’m going to dump you? Want you out of my life? I fell in love with you because you’re adorable, romantic, and because you make me feel as if I matter. And there’s no spell in the world that can do that,” Leah said.
“Adorable? Just listen. There’s plenty more. And it’s all connected with Voodoo. Pete tried to kill me the night he disappeared. He knew all about us. Except he didn’t disappear. Lucien saved me by killing him,” Jake confessed. He kept on talking about shape-shifting, loa possession, potions and gris-gris, ending his crazy monologue with a step-by-step account of how he and Lucien raised T.J. from the dead.
Leah sat motionless, filled with sympathy. She had no idea Jake was splintering off into insanity. “Jake, maybe you shouldn’t hang out with Lucien anymore. He’s so old, probably senile. I’m sorry about Henry. Is he getting any better?”
“Yes and no. His doctors think he is, but Lucien thinks it’s the demon or djab inside of him growing stronger. We were planning on…Never mind. You’re looking at me the same way you look at Rhianna when she tells you about a nightmare that she’s had. You pity me like I’m nuts,” Jake said.
“I think you had a hard year, and an even harder life,” Leah said. “I did too.”
“You want to see him? T.J.?” Jake asked as if he dared her to challenge his mental state.
“This is ridiculous.” She dismissed the idea and rose from the couch.
“Lucien’s preparing him right now. He’s going to fight the djab inside of Henry,” Jake said.
“Okay. And when he’s not over there, you’ll end this crazy talk?” Jake agreed. “Let me check on Rhianna, make sure she’s still sleeping.”
***
The sun rose, flooding the day with harsh brightness and heat. The day would be a humid scorcher. As they approached Lucien’s trailer, Leah couldn’t help but notice his AC unit was already blaring and the blinds were drawn on every window.
“Wait here. He won’t want to answer the door if he sees you,” Jake said.
I’ll bet he won’t. I’ll ship his crazy mutha fucking ass to the nearest old folk’s home, she thought.
The door opened a crack, and Jake spoke so softly she couldn’t hear him. She did hear Lucien complain about whatever was said.
Jake walked back to the end of the trailer where she stood. “C’mon. He’s pissed I brought you here, but I told him I wasn’t leaving until he let us in. Only for a few minutes. Otherwise, it’s too distra
cting to T.J.”
Terror overwhelmed her, causing her to hesitate before entering Lucien’s lair. What if they were both crazy and she was their next victim? Jake admitted the old man killed her husband. Taking a deep breath, she convinced herself she was fearless. She entered the house and smelled a sweet aroma in the air. The scent came from the boiling pot on the stove making her somewhat dizzy. Thoughts of flowers came to mind. A few more steps inside and she could see someone wearing a ratty suit, seated on the sofa playing with Lucien’s boa constrictor. The stranger’s hands had bones poking through the receding flesh. Oddly, there was no blood seeping out. How was that possible?
“Leah, don’t be afraid. I beg you. We had no choice. We need to use him as bait if we’re going to save Henry. He’s not how you remember him,” Lucien warned.
She took a few more steps forward and saw the man’s grotesque head. His long brown hair grew out unevenly from his malformed skull. Skin was peeling off, leaving parts of his cranium exposed. Nausea swept over her. Could it be?
Every brain cell screamed at her legs to run, but curiosity was far too strong. Leah edged closer to the couch. The man lifted up his head and let go of the snake. His face repulsed her. With a hole in one eye and an eyeball protruding out of the other socket, he looked like a demented version of her brother. His good eye gazed back at her. She saw muscles and hanging flesh still banded over his cheekbones. They moved as if he was trying to smile.
“Leah,” he grunted.
“How did…Is it alive? Is this really happening? Am I dreaming?” Leah stuttered.
“He’s harmless. Obeys me and Lucien and will act as another body for the djab to possess. This afternoon we’re going to try some of Lucien’s bokor tricks and send it back to where it came from, the Crossroads,” Jake announced.
“The what? I don’t even want to ask. This is all too much for one day. Actually it’s all too much for a fucking lifetime. Can this thing you brought back from the dead even talk? I mean have a conversation?” she asked.
