I SEE YOU an unputdownable psychological thriller with a breathtaking twist by PATRICIA MACDONALD (bookstand for reading txt) 📗

‘Of course she would have . . . And besides, you work with social services. You’ve seen every kind of antisocial behavior. Have you ever known a woman who would do that?’

Hannah searched her memory. ‘No. Not personally. But I’ve heard of such things. We all have. You see it on the internet. There’s no end to the perversity of people.’

‘I know,’ he insisted stubbornly. ‘But not Lisa.’

Hannah stared bleakly at her husband. ‘If you could have heard him telling this story . . . It was . . . horrible.’

‘Hannah, you know he always liked her. He always wanted her to be more than a friend. Maybe he just said this stuff to try to finally . . . pay her back somehow.’

‘Jamie? Chet and Rayanne’s Jamie?’

‘People act ugly when they’re hurt. They often want revenge.’

‘That’s a pretty sick way to pay someone back.’

‘Well, we’re talking about some sick things here.’

Hannah looked at him pleadingly. ‘So you don’t think there could be any truth to it.’

‘No,’ he said defiantly. ‘I think he is . . . trying to punish Lisa for dropping him as a friend all those years ago.’

Hannah wanted to believe him but a little voice inside was nagging at her. That doesn’t make sense. ‘You have to be right,’ she said, in defiance of her doubts.

‘Mom-mom,’ Sydney cried out from the living room. ‘More juice.’

Adam managed a smile. ‘We’re being summoned.’

‘I promised you a decent meal,’ she said hopelessly.

He shook his head. ‘It doesn’t matter. We can have a sandwich. Are you going out to the jail?’

Hannah shook her head. ‘I don’t think I can do it. Not tonight. Lisa will be mad.’

‘Are you kidding me? After all we’ve been through, I’m not too worried about Lisa being mad. You just lay low. It’s all right now. Put this out of your mind,’ he said.

‘Mom-mom,’ Sydney cried.

Hannah stood up and took a deep breath. ‘Easier said than done,’ she said.

Lisa called at nine o’clock and demanded to know why her parents had not come to visit. Adam took the call, and told his daughter that Hannah had a bad headache and had gone to bed early. He said that they would come to see her in a day or two, and Lisa, sensing a distance in her father’s voice, immediately scaled back her imperious demands.

After he hung up the phone, he turned to Hannah. ‘I think she needed a dose of reality. We have jumped through hoops for that girl. Now she can cool her heels a little bit.’

Hannah, who was lying back against a large sofa cushion, gazed anxiously at her husband. ‘Were we bad parents?’ she asked.

Adam shook his head. ‘I never thought so. We didn’t spoil her. We always loved her and paid attention to her.’

‘Nothing makes sense to me right now.’

‘I know. Maybe you should try to go into work tomorrow. That might help,’ he said. ‘Take Sydney over to Tiffany’s for the day. She can run around with the other kids. It might do her good. We all need some normalcy.’

‘Maybe you’re right,’ said Hannah. ‘I don’t want to be in this house. I don’t want to look out the window and see Jamie and wonder why the hell he would say such a thing.’

‘I don’t know why Jamie would do that either,’ said Adam, ‘but I have to believe that he was just trying to rattle us. For some reason.’

Hannah nodded. ‘You’re right. I’ll go to work.’

‘Let’s go to bed,’ he said. ‘It will seem better in the morning.’

The next morning, after a sleepless night, it did not seem better. Hannah took Sydney to Tiffany’s and drove to work. Going into the office she felt as if she were coming down with an illness. She was shaky inside, and felt weak. Her co-workers congratulated her on Lisa’s acquittal, and she tried to seem appreciative. Her list of clients was a demanding one. She didn’t have a moment to think until lunchtime.

Jackie poked her head into Hannah’s office and greeted her warmly. ‘Want to go eat out under the trees?’ she asked. ‘There’s a guy selling Greek food from a cart out there.’

‘That sounds great,’ said Hannah, thinking how much she would enjoy this simple pleasure. Lunch outside, with a friend. She wrapped up her work and met Jackie in the lobby. Together they stepped out into the warm, beautiful September day.

Once they were settled on the park lawn across from the office, napkins spread on their laps, they began eating their falafel pita pockets.

‘It’s so good to have you back,’ said Jackie at last.

‘It’s good to be back,’ said Hannah, picking desultorily at her sandwich.

‘It was a good result,’ Jackie said.

Hannah nodded. She sat in silence for a moment, thinking about Jamie and wondering if she dared to even bring it up.

‘You still seem worried,’ said Jackie.

Hannah sighed.

‘What is it?’ said Jackie.

Hannah suddenly had an idea of how to explore what she was thinking about without actually admitting it. She looked over at her friend. ‘Actually, it’s work-related. I have a client who is truly bizarre. I’m not sure what to do.’

‘Tell me about her. I love bizarre!’

Hannah took a deep breath. Then she plunged. ‘Have you ever encountered a female pedophile? Particularly a mother who would . . . exploit her own child?’

Jackie set down her sandwich in its waxed-paper wrapper. She patted her mouth with a paper napkin, and then balled it up in the palm of her hand. ‘Not personally. But of course such things do exist,’ she said.

‘That person would have to be completely crazy,’ said Hannah.

‘Or a psychopath,’ suggested Jackie.

‘Like I said. Completely crazy,’ said Hannah.

‘Well, not technically. Psychopathy is not considered a mental illness like schizophrenia or bipolar disease. For one thing there’s treatment for those conditions.