The Storyteller of Pain Read online

  “Who is it?” Lilian called out. Her voice shook with upsetment.

  “John! John Barkley!” John bellowed through the door. He sounded angry and worried.

  For a second all she wanted to do is yell GO Away...but she didn’t. She didn’t do anything, just stood there staring at the closed front door.

  “I know I am late. Hell, very late. I really apologize. Please open the door, Kitten.”

  John sighed on the other side of the door. Lilian heard it. It was that sound that made her move toward the door. That sound made her want to see him. That sound tugged on her heart strings so hard. That sound made her suddenly want to see his face, see him so badly.

  When Lilian opened the door she saw John leaning against the door frame, head hung low.

  “I am so sorry Lilian.” John’s voice was heavy with sadness and disappointment. She could feel he meant it. He was over an hour late. She just stared at him.

  “Can I please come in?”

  Lilian just opened the door wide for him, still silent and stepped into the house allowing him room to enter.

  John walked in looking around.“Thanks,” John said quietly. John then took the door handle from her hand, closed the door, and then locked it.

  “Okay... I am so very sorry I didn’t get here sooner. Something or someone stopped me at every turn. I mean it Lily! I usually get out of work by noon the latest on Sundays. Today, is the first day ever, the boss stopped us at 12:30, not 12:00. I realized in that moment I don’t have your number to call and let you know. I started to run to my car to leave so I could get here. One of the idiots was fooling around with a nail gun and shot himself in the foot. I mean seriously, shot himself in the foot!

  Of course, for some reason, I’m the only one with the first aid kit and training, so I had to take care of that while we waited for an ambulance to get him to the hospital. Damn thing went right through the center of his foot. Finally the ambulance got there and I was allowed to clean up, sign the witness form, and get driving. I figured it’s 1:15 if I hurry I’ll be here by 1:30 and tell you my crazy story.

  Nope! Not the case this time, Sugarplum. Every road I took had either detours, construction, or traffic jams. It was like something was trying to keep me from getting here. The whole time this was going on I couldn’t stop thinking ‘I can’t contact her. She’s never going to believe me. She’s going to believe I ditched her or was messing with her.’ My car is actually parked three blocks away. Random freaking water pipe exploded and it was bumper to bumper traffic. I figured I’d better just run for it. If I’m any later, she won’t want to ever speak to me again and I’d lose one amazing woman in the process.

  So I’m here very, very late with the most ridiculous but truthful story. I don’t believe you’ll believe it, but it’s true. I can even show you where I left my car.” John was still huffing and puffing, catching his breath between sentences. He was very sweaty and looked so flummoxed, she couldn’t help but laugh.

  “Come in and sit down before you collapse. I’ll get you some water.”

  She giggled all the way into the kitchen. Lilian pulled out a chair for him as she walked by to the cabinet. John plopped into the chair.

  After John gulped down two tall glasses of cold water she said, “Better?”

  “Yes. Thank you!”

  John just stared at her. He wasn’t sure how she felt or if they were ok. Angry women are like wild laughing hyenas. They will continue to laugh at you until they eat your face clean off the bone and then continue laughing again. With women, you just never know. He had seen it many times before on the force. In his heart he knew Lilian wasn’t like that, but he was still weary.

  Out of nowhere. Out of pure silence comes the words he longed for but dared to hope to hear.

  “I believe you!”

  “You do?” He couldn’t keep the disbelief from his voice.

  “Yes. One, no one makes up a story like that. Two, your car isn’t here, you arrived out of breath and very sweaty. That’s a bit much just to have a believable story. Why put that much effort into an incredible story like that when an easy lie would have been, well, easier. Three, it was a few things you said that gave me pause.

  At 12:30 I thought the same thought as you did. I can’t contact him if I need to. And I remember it was 1:15 when I actually thought, ‘He’s messing with me.’ I used the same words...’messing with me’. I actually was about to give up and figure out what to do with my day, when you banged on the door. So, yes I believe you, especially since it would have just been easier to say work ran late.” Lily laughed the melodious song again; that sound that soothed his soul somehow.

  John sighed with relief.

  She didn’t look glad though. She looked perplexed. Her beautiful lips were all scrunched up and so were her delicate thin eyebrows.

  “What is it?” John asked. He was sure she was about to yell at him anyway.

  Instead, Lilian said, “I’ve been trying to decide if I should tell you about the dreams I had the last two nights. Nightmares. Night Terrors is more like it, prophetic, maybe.”

  “What do you mean prophetic?”

  Lilian squinted at him for a second and then stood up and walked away.

  “No...Lily come back. I wasn’t trying to be rude. I’m sorry. I really want to know, Sugarplum.”

  Lily peeked her head around the wall and said, “Jack Daniels and Dr Pepper okay with you, John?”

  Not the answer he expected at all. Especially not from her. This chick drinks Jack he thought and just nodded at her. She nodded back at him and disappeared again.

  Lilian SinClair drinks dark liquor. This intrigued him. Not something he expected from a woman so timid and sheltered. He expected she drank white wine spritzers or no alcohol what so ever, but Jack Daniels. It happened to be his favorite choice of liquor. Always preferred whiskey to vodka, whiskey to anything else actually. Never tried it mixed with Dr. Pepper though. He had plenty of Jack and Coke’s in his day but this would be a new one. God, he hoped he liked it. Hate to piss her off now.

  Lily came back in with two glasses, the bottle of Jack, and the Dr. Pepper and set them down on the kitchen table.

  “This is not a coffee drinking story. This is a Jack drinking story.”

  With that she poured two strong drinks and sat down. John took a tentative sip of his drink.

  “Wow, this is actually really good!” John said with surprise.

  Lily giggled and smiled. “Yea it’s a more complex and smooth mixture, I find. I used to drink it with Coke but one day they didn’t have any coke. They had this. So I tried it and really liked it. It’s become my new signature drink.” Lily giggled again.

  John took another sip and nodded in agreement. It was really good.

  “So, tell me about your prophetic dreams, Kitten.”

  Lilian froze and just stared at her drink which was in front of her face. They both knew what that body language meant so he just waited like a good volunteer shrink.

  After a few moments Lilian gulped down her drink and began making another. John’s was still basically full. When she finished making her second drink, she began telling John every single gruesome detail from her dreams. She would never forget a minute detail from it. It was forever ingrained into her memory.

  By the time she was done, they both had several drinks a piece. Lilian was grateful she didn’t get sick from the retelling of it all. John was grateful for the alcohol. It was definitely needed.

  “Fuck, that’s disturbing! Definitely nothing like any dreams I’ve ever had. Then with today, with that whole nonsense of trying to get here. They are definitely linked. Something didn’t want me to get to your house. I guess they didn’t expect me to run for it.”

  John laughed joyously at that and so did she. It was nice to have him here. Nice to have him to talk to about things. She was glad she let him in.

  “Yeah! That’s for sure.” She giggled again and then sighed. She stared down into her drink lo
oking very troubled.

  John wasn’t sure Lily was actually still up for the task at hand. She seemed okay. He knew he wouldn’t be if he had fucked up nightmares like she had all weekend. Were they really nightmares or were they actually prophetic? If he could believe Evil could take hold of a person, why couldn’t prophetic dreams be possible? He really hoped it was just nightmares. Otherwise there was no way they were even close to prepared to handle whatever evil shit was really going on.

  A group of men in robes chanting. Black ashes that were suffocating Lily. A Doctor entirely too happy and passionate about pain and bloodshed for John’s comfort especially since the sick bastards sole focus seems to be on Lily’s dismissal or demise. He couldn’t think about such a thing. Changing the subject completely, he said, “So, Kitten, still want to interview that woman because if you’re game, I am!”

  Lilian looked so pleased. He could tell she was worried he was going to try and talk her out of it. What she didn’t understand was, that those dreams she explained to him triggered such a protective reaction in him, there was no way he was leaving her alone. There was no way she was going to deal with this by herself. Certainly not when an unscrupulous doctor had already killed one person who got in his way. There was no way he was going to lose Lily, not to this batshit crazy doctor or anything else on God’s green earth.

  He couldn’t explain it, but she had gone from a stranger at work that he hardly knew, to the most important person in his life. He knew just how much trouble he was in and didn’t care. She was the woman for him. He knew it. It took just one glance at that face of hers and he was happy and at peace for the first time in his life.

  John was beaming at her. She wasn’t sure if it was the whiskey or that look but she felt this delicious warmth spread through her whole body. Jack never did that to her before. John on the other hand had caused many a fire in her belly and she loved every sensation of it.

  “Oh, I’m game!” Lily said seductively.

  The look in John’s eyes went from joy to lust in one blink. ‘It would be so easy to waste the day in bed with this man,’ she thought. A bottle of Jack and John in her bed. Yes, she smiled at him more lustily. ’That would be nice, very nice,’ she thought.

  John’s body reacted so quickly to Lily’s statement he was hoping he didn’t have to stand up anytime soon and embarrass himself. His reaction to her lusty suggestion was evident by the bulge in his pants and the quickening in his breath and pulse. He absolutely wanted to spend the rest of this day and night in her bed and it could easily happen. He could see it. All he had to do was make that first move and she was his. He wanted that so badly. He was about to suggest bringing the Jack & Dr. Pepper into her bedroom when a thought pushed through that wall of lust and whispered sanity to him.

  You fought to get here just for a romp in a bed? You got stopped at every turn...why? Just to get here and fuck her? What were you really meant to do?

  The voice of reason. It was never fun but it was never wrong. He did want her but not like this. He did want to spend days and nights in bed with this beautiful, alluring woman but not like this. He was invited to help her and this would help no one. He would surely lose her afterwards and never be able to interact with her again.

  “Good then do you have the woman’s address?”

  It was so difficult to force the subject back to the true topic at hand but the voice of reason was right. It had to be done.

  “The woman’s address?” Lilian blinked several times and looked completely confused.

  A voice in his head said, Lust later, mission now!

  John looked at Lily and unable to control himself said exactly that, “Lust later, mission now.”

  John then winked at her and gave her his most loving smile possible. It seemed to break whatever spell had a hold of her because she blinked several times and then said, “Oh yes, that friend we need to speak with.”

  Lilian giggled and said, “Quite right. Mission now, lust later!”

  Lilian got up and retrieved the address off of the icebox and handed it to him.

  John looked up at her and smile, “Great! Now all we need to do is get my car.” John laughed and Lily laughed with him. “I’ll go try and get it. I’ll be right back.”

  “No! No way Mister! We’ll walk and get it together. Who knows what else will happen. It might be midnight by the time you got back.” Lilian chuckled at her own joke.

  Lily and John walked the three blocks to his car. There was no traffic jams and no proof of a water pipe exploding or a crew working in the street but his car was parked up on the curb. He even left a note in the windshield, Will be back for car.

  John just kept saying, “I swear it was all here! There was a guy with a pot belly you wouldn’t believe, standing in front of this man hole with a dinky little red flag waving people on even though no one could move their cars. The road 30 feet ahead was flooded!”

  The road was dry and there was no signs of what he said but Lilian did believe him. “Either they fixed it fast or something definitely was trying to stop you. I believe the latter.”

  “I’m just glad my car wasn’t taken away. I just kept praying it wouldn’t be. Easy way to stop us, ya know!”

  “No. It wouldn’t. I have my own car remember. We would have made arrangements to get your car then drove over to Wilhelmina in mine.” Lily smugly smiled at him.

  “No wonder my car is here then. It wouldn’t have deterred us anyway.”

  They got into his car and drove off. John had checked the tires first. Just a precaution he said. Smart, she thought.

  “So who is this Wilhelmina?” John asked as he drove.

  Lily could see Officer John returning to duty. The thought made her smile.

  No matter the wound, a person can heal and be all they are meant to be.

  It was something her Nana used to say to her anytime she would cry which, when you’re a brilliant dorky kid who got picked on by everyone, was very often. It’s kind of what made her go into psychiatry. Understanding why people are the way they are and do what they do helped her to handle the loneliness and bullying more easily but it was also what her Nana said. A person can heal no matter the wound. She wanted to help people do just that; heal the wounds and help them be all they were meant to be before the wounds had occurred. She now had plenty of reasons for why people did what they did. She still didn’t understand people really, but she understood each reason.

  John wanted background information about his witness. It was such a cop thing to do. It was cute to see him transform so easily into Detective Barkley. It was more like he removed a mask and underneath was the true John, the ‘ready to save the day, the hero, the cop’.

  “Wilhelmina Wurthington is the only daughter to the Head of the Board of Health, Lunacy and Charity.”

  Thank goodness for that upcoming red light so John was already stopping. That tidbit of information made him jerk his head to stare directly at her.

  “And you thought now was the best time to tell me that?” John’s head looked like it was going to implode.

  Lily just gave a half crooked, glum grimace.

  “I thought if I told you sooner you might not want to come.”

  “Gee, I wonder why?” John exclaimed in pure sarcasm and threw his hands up in disgust.

  “It’s only the Head of Asylums for the whole state. It’s only one of the most powerful and wealthy men in the state. It’s only his only daughter we are going to question. It’s only her word we need, the truth we need, which might cause ...fuck that, will cause her father embarrassment if this case is connected back to either of them. It’s only her statement you’d need to tell to Deadly Dr Page and to the staff as proof in this case.”

  Suddenly John aggressively pulled the car over and looked at her hard.

  “Why the hell do you want to do this, Lilian? Why do you need to question this... Wilhelmina? Deadly Dr. Page will not be okay with, nor happy when you say the daughter of the Head of the Board
of Asylums and essentially the main funding for asylums, was lying but now will tell the truth. Don’t you think Dr. Page will be more than pissed? Don’t you think this Mr. Wurthington will be livid to hear any kind of shame or embarrassment might possibly befall him or his family? What will you possibly win with this?”

  John started stuttering at her. He couldn’t think why this was so important to her. She was stone silent just staring at him.

  “If this is to have a reason to see or speak with me, I promise you beautiful, I want to continue speaking and seeing you much more often and that has nothing to do with this case. One way or another, I want to spend time with you, Lilian. I enjoy spending time with you. I love that you drink Jack, also my personal favorite liquor. I could see us spending a lot of time outside of work talking and laughing together and none of that is based on this case.

  So if it has anything to do with that, please let me just drive back to your house. We can go for a walk, or have a drink and brainstorm your report, but don’t do this just to have a reason to spend time with me. I’m still shocked to shit you have any interest in me. That you want to hear what I have to say. That you’d put any trust into me means a lot to me so we don’t have to go there. I’ll take you anywhere you want to go Kitten just name it.”

  Lily stared at this hunk of venerable man and said, “Wilhelmina’s house please.”

  “Why? Just give me one reason.”

  “Lust later, mission now.”

  Lily looked at him with one delicate eyebrow raised. She had used his words against him.

  “Everything is trying to stop us. Why bother trying to stop you from meeting me? Why bother putting seeds of doubt in our minds? Why bother leaving my house if it’s all been for naught! Something doesn’t want us to know the truth. Something wants us to fail and no offense this never has been an excuse to see or speak to you.