A Necessary Evil(56)

“Go ahead,” Kitty said, laying her hand gently on Mollie’s shoulder. “It’s okay. You can tell Dr. Fischer anything. If you need to talk about it, it’s really okay.”

Mollie looked down at her lap and thought for a few seconds. She was still torn regarding her feelings toward her grandfather. He was her savior, true. But nothing bad would have happened to her if he hadn’t killed Collin McAllister’s father all those years ago. Even though this doctor couldn’t repeat what Mollie told her, she still felt like she would be betraying Pops if she told her what she knew.

“All I know is he had one of his bodyguards take me home.”

Dr. Fischer nodded once, her lips pursed. She clearly didn’t believe that was the end of the story, but she didn’t push Mollie to say anything further. “Well, Mollie. Let me ask you this. Are you experiencing any anxiety since returning home? Any night terrors?”

“Not really.”

“That’s good. That’s really good. But I should warn you. It’s only been a couple of days. You may still be in shock. You may find that after a few more days, you begin to experience some mild depression or anxiety. If that happens, I want you to call me immediately and we’ll discuss the appropriate course of action. But for now, I think some counseling is in order. How do you feel about coming to see me once a week?”

Mollie thought about this momentarily. She’d never been a big fan of counseling. Her mother had tried to send her to see a counselor several times over the years because she thought Mollie had “issues” related to the fact that she didn’t know her father, among other things. But Mollie never really relished the idea of talking to a stranger about her feelings, even if it might wind up benefiting her.

Kitty spoke up before Mollie could decide how to answer.

“I’ve wanted her to see a counselor since she was about ten.”

“Oh, really? Why is that?” Dr. Fischer inquired with obvious interest.

Her mother looked a tad uncomfortable. She shifted in her seat and tucked her hair behind her ear before responding. “Mollie has had a tough life.”

Mollie sank lower into the couch and crossed her arms over her chest. She really didn’t want all her personal problems laid bare, even to a psychiatrist who couldn’t repeat anything she heard. If she could have, she would have covered her ears with her hands and hummed like she had when she was a little girl and didn’t want to hear something.

“What made her life so tough? You’ve never talked much about Mollie’s childhood.”

“Well, as you know, Mollie’s father is not in the picture. I think that has always been an issue for her. On top of that, she’s lost several pets over the years. They just…ran away, I guess. But the absolute worst thing she’s had to deal with was the sudden suicide of her boyfriend her senior year.”

Dr. Fischer furiously scribbled notes in Mollie’s file. Mollie wished the couch would open up and swallow her whole. She felt like an outsider listening to her mother describe someone else’s tragic past. These were things Mollie didn’t like to think about often, and now it was as if her deepest, darkest secrets had been uncovered. She felt exposed. Her ears were ringing, and the room spun around her. Mollie took in quick, shallow breaths.

Dr. Fischer looked at her over the top of her glasses. “Mollie? Are you all right?”

Mollie sprang to her feet and threw herself at the office door. She swung it open, ran down the hallway, past the receptionist, and out into the parking lot. Standing there facing the main road, Mollie put her hands on top of her head and tried to steady her breathing. The cold November air was a knife in her lungs, but the openness of the outdoors helped ease the dizziness and panic.

This was exactly why she never talked about her past. This happened every time she allowed herself to think about these things, let alone hear them spoken out loud.

Suddenly, Mollie knew exactly what she needed to do. She needed to talk to her pops. If anyone could understand her, it was him. And she knew exactly where to find him.





Chapter 28




Collin



He was sitting in the same chair he’d been tied to all night. Franklin had instructed Bruno to once again tie his feet to the chair legs. Collin guessed it was because he had attacked the old man earlier. Either that, or he was afraid Collin may try to escape once he heard the jury’s verdict. But he wasn’t going to try to escape. It was pointless. There was no way he could get past Franklin’s bodyguards, even if he could free himself. And if he did manage to get past them, where would he go that Franklin wouldn’t track him down?

Franklin stood casually between Collin and the jury with his hands in his pockets. “I hear you guys have a verdict for me.”

“We do,” Oliver said as he stood briefly then sat back down.

“Great!” Franklin clapped his hands together. “Let’s hear it, then. Oliver, stand back up, please. Would you do the honors?”

“Yes. I’d be happy to.” Oliver stood again and fidgeted with his bowtie. “The jury has deliberated, and they have found Collin McAllister guilty on all charges.”

“Splendid!” Franklin shouted. “I knew you all would do the right thing.”

Collin lowered his chin to his chest, and his body went limp. His heart thudded dully in his chest, and a painful lump formed in his throat. He wasn’t surprised. Not in the least. But he hated himself for having held out a tiny shred of hope that these six people might actually see how wrong this whole process was and have pity on him.