The Cabin on Grey Lake, page 13
“Either way, I’m sorry that you lost it.”
“I didn’t lose it, Ben. It was taken from me.”
Chapter 38
“I called Randy. He agreed to pick me up for our visit to Doctor Markel. Please reconsider going with me, Ben. I want you to be there.”
“I don’t think I should,” Ben replied. “I’d just be in the way. You can tell me all about it when you get home.”
“Are you sure?” Nicole asked. “This affects you, too. You’ve been put in the middle of it.”
“I know for certain I shouldn’t go with you, Nikki. Just call it a hunch. I’m not backing out on you and I’m not afraid or jealous. This is something between you and Randy that has to be fixed before you and I can move on.”
“If you’re sure.”
“I’m sure. You can fill me in when you get back.”
Ben saw Nicole out the front door and waved to her as she and Randy pulled out of the drive and onto the highway.
Once they were gone, Ben closed the front door and walked to his library. He went directly to the shelf that held all his books on the abduction phenomenon. He pulled one of the more heavily read volumes from the shelf. He sat down at his desk and opened it.
***
Randy didn’t know what to expect when Doctor Venus Markel came to her door to let Nicole and him in, but he was pleasantly surprised. He was just as skeptical about hypnotherapy as he had once been about the abduction phenomenon.
“Mack tells me you want to explore what’s been happening to your family in more detail than he’s comfortable with,” Venus said as she pointed out a couple of chairs. “Mack is great to work with, but he tends to be a bit too wary for my liking when it comes to things he can’t readily explain. He’s a bit of a control freak.”
As he and Nicole sat, Randy spoke up. “I’m not all that comfortable with the way things have been going, either, Doctor Markel.”
“Please call me Venus. We’re going to be friends before long. What about this makes you the most uncomfortable, Randy?”
“The idea somebody from outer space may be coming in the middle of the night and taking my ex-wife and my daughters from their beds—”
“Wait a minute, Randy. Before we go any farther, you need to understand perception and reality may be two completely different things. Just because somebody might be convinced that’s what’s happening, doesn’t make it so. The human mind is a strange and wonderful thing. The subconscious is essentially a living computer. It isn’t limited to doing simple mathematics on the data that it’s constantly fed from our physical senses, it’s capable of coming to its own conclusions and creating its own explanations for things our conscious minds have trouble understanding.”
“So, is there another explanation?” Randy asked. “What is it?”
Venus smiled warmly and sympathetically at Randy. “Like Mack, I don’t know exactly what goes on in cases like this. I can’t say with certainty it’s truly a physical phenomenon because the human mind has been known to effect physical symptoms in the body. If I were to hypnotize you deeply enough, I could tell you you’re suffering from measles or chicken pox or even sunburn and when I brought you out, you would exhibit the physical symptoms almost immediately.”
“Does that mean I’ve been imagining some of the things that have happened to me?” Nicole asked. “Could my subconscious have made me think I was pregnant?”
“It’s possible,” Venus replied.
“Could it even cause a fetus to show up on an ultrasound?”
Venus dodged the question. “Phantom pregnancies are a symptom of this phenomenon, but I have no idea why the victims don’t realize they’re having miscarriages—”
“I didn’t miscarry,” Nicole said. “My babies were stolen from me.”
“We don’t want to get ahead of ourselves here, Nicole,” Venus said. “We don’t know for sure what happened.”
“The babies were there and then they were gone,” Nicole replied. “One day, I’m having a normal prenatal checkup and the next I’m starting a period and it’s like I was never pregnant. It’s happened twice. I didn’t imagine it.”
“I promise you Nicole, between the two of us, Mack and I will help you get to the bottom of what is happening to your family. Besides the phantom pregnancies, are there any other strange things you would like to explore?”
“Nicole had a dream right before we divorced,” Randy said. “She dreamt some little humanoids were traipsing around our vacation home with our youngest daughter. When we woke up the next morning, our daughter was in her sister’s bed and she had dirt and grass stain on her sleeper.”
“I want to talk about something that scares me even more,” Nicole said. “A couple of months ago, I was returning home from my sister’s house in Wheeling. I left at seven-thirty. I didn’t stop anywhere, but when I got home, it was almost midnight.”
“Was there anyone with you?” Venus asked.
“My youngest daughter, Tessa.”
“The one with leukemia?” Venus asked.
“Yes,” Nicole said.
Venus wrote some notes on a pad. “Have you asked her if she remembers anything strange going on that night?”
“She was asleep for the whole trip.”
“I see,” Venus said. “Was she fussy the next day?”
“No.”
“Did she report any bad dreams or that she remembered waking and seeing anything unusual?”
“No,” Nicole replied. “Nothing at all.”
“I believe the missing time incident is what we should explore first,” Venus said. “It could be nothing. If we have time later, we’ll talk about the dream. Randy, you should probably leave for a while. There’s a waffle joint a couple of blocks away if you would like to go have a cup of coffee.”
“I understand, Venus,” Randy said. “Nicole can call me when you’re done.”
***
Venus lowered the room lights and sat back in her chair once she was sure Nicole was under. “Was there anything you did the night you visited your sister you might consider out of the ordinary?” she asked.
Nicole lay there relaxed and focused. “I don’t really know what you mean.”
“We’ll just take it from the beginning, then. What time was it when you left your sister’s home in Wheeling?”
“It was about seven-thirty. I called Ben just before I put Tessa in her toddler seat. It couldn’t have been any later than seven-forty.”
“We can always take a look at your cell phone’s call log if we need to know for certain.”
“Oh, okay.”
“Now you’re in the car,” Venus said. “Did anything unusual happen on your way to the interstate?”
“I don’t take the interstate. I go up to Steubenville. I cross there and take the highway. It’s more relaxing that way and doesn’t take much longer.”
“I understand,” Venus said. “Did you follow your regular route that night?”
Nicole sat quietly. There was a look of concern on her face. “No,” she finally said. “Not all the way home.”
“What did you do differently, Nicole?”
“I had this terrible feeling I should get off the highway before I reached the beltway. I turned off and went toward Frankfort Springs.”
“That’s quite a detour, Nicole,” Venus said. “Are you sure you didn’t get lost?”
“No. I’ve been that way lots of times,” Nicole replied. “It never adds more than half an hour to my trip. It’s usually less.”
“What happened after you got off the highway?”
“I drove up through Frankfort Springs and down toward the park. I remember looking at my clock after I passed through there. It was about eight fifteen. I should have been home by nine.”
“Don’t worry about that for now,” Venus said. “We’ll figure out later why you were so late getting home. Tell me about your drive after you passed through town.”
“I went through the park. I was almost on the other side when some guy’s headlights hit me in the face. I had to slow down. They were so bright.” Nicole grimaced. “What kind of jerk sits in a parking lot with his brights pointed at oncoming traffic?”
Venus looked up from her notepad toward Nicole when she didn’t speak for a moment. Nicole began to breathe heavily.
“What is it, Nicole? Tell me what’s bothering you.”
“They aren’t headlights. There’s someone standing at the side of the road. He’s flagging me down.”
“What does the man look like, Nicole?” Venus asked.
“I’m pulling over,” Nicole said. “What’s the problem, officer? Why do I have to get out of the car?”
“Tell me what you see, Nicole. I can’t see who you’re talking to.”
“It’s a short policeman. He has on a blue uniform. There are two more of them.” Nicole became upset. “They’re taking Tessa out of her seat. I don’t understand. Leave her alone. She’s sleeping and she’s very sick.”
“Nicole, I want you to describe what you see. You aren’t actually there. You’re only remembering what happened. There’s no reason to be afraid.”
“They’re so short. I’m taller than they are. They’re taking Tessa up a ramp into their… helicopter? Wait. This isn’t a helicopter… or, is it? I don’t know. This is so strange. Yes, I’m following you, Officer.”
“What do you see, Nicole? Please tell me.” Venus scratched some notes onto her pad. “Where are they taking you?”
“There are all these short men in uniforms. I’m so afraid. They’re taking Tessa and me into some sort of helicopter or plane or something. There’s a larger policeman here. No, wait. It’s a woman. She’s telling me not to be afraid.”
“What does she look like?” Venus asked.
“She’s taller than the others,” Nicole said. “None of them have any hair. They’re so pale. She’s thinner. Her arms are long and skinny, but I don’t see any bones. Her eyes… They’re so big and dark. She’s talking to me with her eyes. I can hear her in my head.”
“What is she saying to you?”
“I don’t have to be afraid. They aren’t going to hurt me or Tessa. She’s telling me they don’t have a lot of time. They need to get started.”
“Get started doing what, Nicole? What do they need to do?”
“They need to take my baby, now. They say it belongs to them.” Nicole started to panic. “No. It’s my baby. I can’t lose another baby. They took one from me already.”
“Calm down, Nicole. You aren’t really there. You’re safe with me in my office. Do they tell you why they want to take the baby?”
“They explained it to me before and I understand. They’re letting me remember my last visit with her.”
“Your last visit with whom?” Venus asked.
“My daughter,” Nicole replied. “I have a daughter who lives with them. They took her before she could be born. She’s adorable. I can remember now. Someone’s coming to see Tessa. She wants to have a look at her and see how she is doing.”
“Who wants to see Tessa? Is it another short policeman?”
“They aren’t policemen,” Nicole answered. “They only wanted me to think that so I wouldn’t be so afraid. There’s a woman with them. She has blonde hair and the bluest eyes I’ve ever seen. She’s so beautiful. She’s picking Tessa up and talking to her. She’s taking her to another room while they get me ready.”
“Ready for what, Nicole? What are they doing to you?” Venus asked even though she wasn’t sure she wanted to know.
“I’m so sleepy,” Nicole said. “They have a bed they want me to lie down on. I can’t stay awake.”
***
“Did you and Doctor Markel figure things out?” Randy asked on the drive from Venus’ office in West Mifflin back to Aliquippa. “Is that why she said she doesn’t need to see me for a while?”
Nicole said nothing. She stared out the passenger window, but wasn’t paying particular attention to the various sights that blurred by. She was deep in thought.
“Can you give me a hint?” Randy asked, after an uncomfortable silence.
“I don’t know what I said when I was under,” Nicole replied. “Venus told me I wasn’t ready to remember.”
“Okay,” Randy replied. “I understand.”
“I’m not lying, Randy. I really don’t know what came out during hypnosis.”
“I believe you.”
“No, you don’t.” Nicole turned to look at Randy. “Venus didn’t warn me not to share, I just can’t remember yet.”
“What has you so upset, then?”
“Who says I’m upset?”
“With you, quiet usually means upset,” Randy replied. “There’s something on your mind. I thought it might have been something from your session.”
“I think we talked about my miscarriage.”
“What makes you think so?”
“I can’t remember anything, but I feel like we did. She said we would talk about the missing time and looking back, I think that’s when it happened. That’s when they took it.”
“If you did talk about the miscarriage, then so what? At least you’ll know what happened.”
“To tell the truth, I hope I never know what I said under hypnosis.”
“You have to want to know the truth. Otherwise, this is a big waste of time.”
“Only if the truth turns out to be I’ve been imagining some things.”
Randy tried to be reassuring. “I think the truth is we’ve all been imagining some things.”
***
“How did your session with Doctor Markel go this evening?”
Nicole walked right past Ben as if he hadn’t opened the door for her or spoke. She kept walking down the hall toward the kitchen without muttering a word.
Ben closed and locked the front door, then followed after Nicole. By the time he made it to the kitchen, Nicole had already pulled a bottle of bourbon from an upper cabinet and poured a stiff shot into a juice glass.
“I take it you didn’t have an easy time of it this evening.”
Nicole finished the bourbon in one large gulp. “I have another appointment in three days. I want you to take me.”
“What happened? Did you exchange words with Randy?”
“No. It isn’t that. Venus doesn’t need him there for a while. She wants to talk to me for a few sessions before she calls him back in.”
Ben grabbed the bourbon from Nicole when she reached to pour another glassful. “Sure,” he said. “I’ll be happy to.” His expression said otherwise. “Now level with me. What went on tonight?”
“Venus hypnotized me, just like she said she was going to, but she refuses to let me remember what I said when I was under. She said it will take at least a dozen sessions, maybe more, before she feels comfortable enough to do that.”
“Why are you so upset?” Ben asked. “If you can’t remember what you said—”
“The reason I’m upset is because I can’t remember,” Nicole said. “I don’t know what we discussed or what I said. For all I know, I sounded like a crazy person and that’s why she doesn’t want to see Randy until further notice. I’m nuts and I was making the rest of my family nuts.”
“You shouldn’t look at it that way. I’m sure Doctor Markel has a very good reason for wanting to talk with you more before seeing Randy again.”
“I don’t want to be psychoanalyzed, goddamn it. I just want to know what’s happening to the girls and me.”
“Well, I think in a situation like this, psychoanalysis is probably called for.”
“So you think I’m crazy, too?”
“I didn’t say that, Nikki.” Ben handed the bottle back to Nicole and reached into the cabinet for his own glass. “If you want to drink, you shouldn’t do it alone.”
Nicole poured them both a glass and pointed to the dinner table. She went to sit, but Ben just put his glass on the table and walked toward the hall.
“Where are you going?”
“I’ll be back in just a few seconds,” Ben said, his voice echoing in the hallway. Nicole heard the sliding doors to his office open and took a small sip of her bourbon as she waited for him to return.
Ben walked in with a heavily worn paperback book in his hand. He held it out for Nicole to see. “I want you to read this,” he said.
“The Andreasson Affair?” Nicole asked. “Another abduction story?”
“Yes. It’s the story of a woman whose family has been through some of what you’re going through now. Maybe not the miscarriages, but most of the rest. It scares the hell out of me every time I read any of it, but I think it might speak to you.”
“Why does it scare you?”
“Because, for some reason, it feels familiar.”
“Familiar?”
“Yes. I have no trouble believing it. Everything in this book, as strange as it all sounds makes perfect sense to me.”
Nicole took another healthy drink of her bourbon. “Is there something you’re keeping from me?”
“Like I said before, I bet I’ve looked at the night sky as much or more than anyone and I’ve never seen anything I was at a lack to explain. That frightens me more than I can tell you.”
“Why is that?” Nicole asked.
“Because, every time I look up I have a feeling of certainty something will be there.”
“Do you believe you may have seen something in the sky you don’t remember?”
“I don’t know, exactly, but there must be a reason I feel that way.”
Chapter 39
Venus dialed Mack and waited for him to pick up.
“Venus. It’s nice to hear from you again. To what do I owe the pleasure?”
“You sent me a really hot one, Mack. Phantom pregnancies, scars on the children, missing time. It’s all there.”
“Are you talking about the Hendersons?” Mack asked.
“Who else?” Venus replied. “I regressed Nicole last night. She told me about seeing greys and even a Nordic. I haven’t discussed the session with her yet. So far, she doesn’t know what she said under hypnosis.”
