The Perfect Child(85)

At first, her entries were cohesive and put-together paragraphs describing her struggles, but it wasn’t long before they derailed. She’d been obsessed with creating a detailed calendar of the things Janie had done, but she’d never quite got it right because she’d constantly been crossing them out and starting over. And then her writing took a turn I had never expected:

I feel the ice-cold breath of her demon. It blows on my neck while I’m feeding Cole. I can see the demon in her eyes when I look at her. The twisted grin on its face. It licks its fangs like it wants to hurt Cole.

I heard her talking to it again today. In a different language. Latin? She thinks he’s funny. She says he’s the one who told her to put her poop on the walls. When the devil takes over, there’s nothing you can do.

I stopped there, stunned. Hannah wasn’t a religious person, never had been. Her parents hadn’t brought her to church, not even on the holidays.

His talons. Those ugly claws. They reached out from inside her and tried to grab Cole. They want him too. They aren’t going to be satisfied until he joins them. I screamed at her to stay away from him, and she just laughed.

I have to do something. I can’t let them have him. I won’t. I’m his mother. I have to protect him. No matter what. No matter what it takes. That’s what you do. I can do it. I’ll do it if I have to.

She wrote down websites about children who were demon possessed. Each of the websites was circled multiple times.

Keep track. Must keep track of her.

Called again. Answers. None.

Then she stopped dating the pages.

Today I met the angels. I’m so glad they’re here. I’m not going to be able to do this without them.

Their voices are so kind and soft. Not like the demon. Cole hears them too. He giggles when they whisper in his ear. I’m glad he likes them.

Her last entry was four words:

Today is the day.



Hannah always barged into Allison’s house without knocking, but it felt weird without her, so I knocked instead. Allison opened the door just as Janie came barreling down the hallway.

“Daddy!”

I swept her up in one swift movement. I kissed her and squeezed her tightly, wishing I could grab her and take her to the park for the day instead of what we were about to do, but there was no way around it.

“I missed you,” I said, kissing her again and straightening out her ponytail in back.

“Come in,” Allison said just as formally as I felt.

Dr. Chandler and Piper stood in the entryway with her. They both held coffee cups. I was early, which meant they’d been even earlier. Had they met without me beforehand? Why would they do that? What weren’t they telling me? All of this was making me paranoid. I needed to calm down.

The Department of Children’s Services needed Janie’s statement, and Piper had worked her magic so that Dr. Chandler could do the forensic interview. She was the perfect choice, since she’d served as an expert witness in numerous child abuse cases, and Janie already trusted her. She was more forthcoming with her than with anyone else. Greg had taken Dylan and Caleb to the batting cages so they would be out of the way for the interview. I appreciated his thoughtfulness.

Allison ushered us into the dining room. Their taste in decor was completely different than Hannah’s and mine. We used to joke about it all the time. We favored homey craftsman looks, while Allison’s house was sleek and contemporary. The windows were draped in matching white fabric, and professional family photographs lined the other wall. The first time we’d visited, I’d been afraid to sit on the dining room chairs in case I wrinkled the white fabric or spilled on the floor.

Dr. Chandler scanned the room. “Do you think we might have this discussion with Janie in another room? I want her to be as comfortable as possible. Maybe a playroom or family room?”

“Sure,” Allison said.

Janie held my hand as we followed Allison into the basement. Unlike the rest of the house, the family room was a wide-open space, perfect for children. The concrete floors were covered in sidewalk chalk, and the place was big enough for them to race their scooters. Toys lined the floor, and beanbag chairs were scattered everywhere. An L-shaped sectional was pushed against the far wall.

“This is the kid zone. I let them do whatever they want down here,” Allison said.

“This is perfect. I love it,” Dr. Chandler said. She took a seat on the couch, and we all followed suit, even Janie, who seemed to have sensed there was something different and important about the day. “I’m so glad to see you, Janie. We have some important things to talk about.” Janie leaned forward, listening intently to what she was about to say. “Remember how we’ve talked about the difference between a truth and a lie?”

Janie nodded.

“It’s really important that you answer my questions with the truth and no lies. Okay?”

Janie nodded again.

Dr. Chandler looked at Piper to see if she had anything to add. Piper motioned for her to continue. “I wasn’t there the day that Cole got hurt, and I don’t know what happened,” Dr. Chandler said. “Do you think you could help me understand what happened?”

Janie’s eyes lit up. She was always eager to help. “Sure.”

Dr. Chandler smiled at her. “Why don’t you start by telling me where you were when Cole got hurt?”