THE WOMAN BEFORE

Chapter 27

     DR. FLYNN DIDN’T get a good sleep last night. He couldn’t believe what he saw in Isla’s house. It shocked him to the core, and he knew Detective Conor noticed it. He hopes against hope that it isn’t true, because if it is, then Isla is in deep trouble right now.

     He’d gone to Isla’s house before coming to work this morning praying that his theory was wrong, only to find out Isla didn’t come home. He hasn’t told Conor about his visit to Uncle Sam this morning. Conor thinks Isla is running from the law, but he knows she isn’t, and Conor won’t believe him if he tells him that without proof. When the elevator door slides open, he springs out and heads to his office.

     The receptionist at the front desk looks up from the file she’s reading and says, “Good morning, Dr. Flynn. Trust you’re well.”

     “Good morning. Yes.” He doesn’t stop in his tracks. “Cancel all my appointments this morning. I won’t be seeing any clients at the moment. There’s something I need to do.”

     The receptionist bristles. Dr. Flynn never cancels an appointment. If he just did, then something is wrong. Perhaps, he’s having a bad day. Whatever it is, she hopes he gets over it quickly. Managing a smile, she says, “All right.”

     He hurries to his office, steps inside, and throws the briefcase on the sofa. Then briskly, he walks to the cabinet where he keeps audio transcripts of his past patients. He rummages through for the ones belonging to JOHN PARKER, his heart beating faster than normal. He pulls it out and picks up the cassette player. Once everything is set for listening, he walks to his desk and sits slowly. His lips quivering, he starts the tape and takes a deep breath.

     “How are you doing today, Parker?”

     “I’m not fine, Doc. I really want her in my life. We threw a party for my friend. She was there—not that she wouldn’t come because I knew she’d be there with him. I wanted so badly to tell her my feelings, you know?”

     “We’ve talked about it. You need to work on your obsession with her. Remember, she’s your friend’s girlfriend, and you don’t want to do anything that could harm your relationship with her. Do you?”

     “I don’t know, Doc. I don’t think he deserves her. She’s too good for him. I’ve always done everything to please her, but she doesn’t seem to notice it, or she’s just playing with my feelings.”

     “From what you’ve told me, she doesn’t know. Even if she gets the slightest inkling, she still can’t reciprocate your love. She’s told you several times she sees you as a brother. It’s proof that she doesn’t see all the things you’re doing to please her as a sign of your love for her.”

     “I hate him! He took everything away from me. My business ideas and the woman I love. Do you know the number of times I’ve thought of killing him?”

     “Many times, I guess. But you’re not going to do it. It’s normal to feel hate for him because you think he stole something from you. He’s your friend. He trusts you, and you can’t betray him.”

     “Why, Doc? He took everything away from me.”

     “You know the answer to that. He’s your friend.”

     The banging of a desk echoes.

     “Screw that!”

     “Calm down, Parker. We’ll continue to work on your obsession. What do you think about when you see her?”

     “You don’t want to know.”

     “Yes, I do. That’s the only way I can help you.”

     “Kidnap her. I’ve always dreamt of doing it. I will take her to a secluded place, where she won’t see him again, and it will be just us with no one to separate us.”

     “Do you love her that much?”

     “With every fiber of my being.”

     “What you’re thinking about shows you’re obsessed with her. If you love her, then you’ll do anything to make her happy, right?”

     “Yes.”

     “Do you think kidnapping her is going to make her happy?”

     “I don’t know, Doc! I just know that I love her and I want to be with her. The only way I can achieve that is by kidnapping her.”

     “If you do that, she’s going to hate you. You’ll lose her for good. She won’t see you as a friend anymore, and as for a lover...”

     He pauses the tape, runs a hand through his hair, and lets out a sigh he’s been holding for this short while. Slowly, he pulls back a drawer and takes out a photo of a necklace. The necklace he told Parker to buy for the woman he was obsessed with years back. Yesterday, he saw Isla wearing that same necklace. Isla was the woman Parker was obsessed with.

     It didn’t make sense when he first thought of it, but now it does. The man he hated so much because Isla had been in love with him was Evans. This is unbelievable! Years back, Parker had been his patient. He’d seen him for obsession. Apparently, he had fallen in love with his friend’s girlfriend and couldn’t control the attraction whenever he saw her. All those years, he’d thought Parker had recovered from his obsession, but he never did.

     He wonders why he had recommended Isla to him. He doesn’t doubt Isla has been kidnapped. He knows Isla is in grave danger with Parker. He has always fantasized about kidnapping her, but he never thought he would do it. He has failed. Now a woman’s life is in danger.

     What have I done?

     Could he have done something to stop Isla’s kidnap? Possibly. He could have told the police the kind of monster Parker was. And then what? They couldn’t have arrested him because he was planning to kidnap someone. Plus, he didn’t know the woman then, and Parker had hidden her name from him.

     He reaches for his phone and browses his call log. Somehow, he kept in contact with him. Parker would call to ask about him and would tell him how indebted he was to him. Through it all, he couldn’t see through him. The real him and he’d let him trick him into believing he had recovered. He can’t stop blaming himself.

     He tries Parker’s number, but all he gets is a voice mail.

     Hi. This is Parker. I’m not available at the moment. Leave a message and I will get back to you.

     He won’t leave a message because Parker won’t get back to him. He scrolls down his contact list and places a call to Detective Conor. He has something he would be interested in.