I walk away from you. That would mean I’d always be in danger. But if I walk toward you and become part of your life, then I become valuable.” She smiled. “Oh, and I can make myself very valuable to you. You’d never want me to leave you.”
The door shut behind her.
Stella leaned back against the doorway for an instant as waves of satisfaction surged through her.
Power.
It felt heady and wonderful, and in the past hours she had made great strides. But it was only the beginning. Nelda Avery would throw open new and dazzling doors.
She slipped out of the gold robe and began to dress, humming softly beneath her breath.
“We will rock you…”
CHAPTER
15
“I’VE GOT IT,” NEWELL SAID, when Eve answered her cell. His voice vibrated with intensity. “And it’s pretty damn nasty. I’ll meet you and Joe on the patio in fifteen minutes.”
“Should I wake Beth and bring her with us?”
“Hell, no. It’s going to cause big trouble, and she might split. We’ve got to handle this very delicately.” He hung up.
Eve looked at Joe. “It’s her right to know anything we know.”
“Newell’s not stupid. Listen, then tell her later if that’s your decision. You’re being a little overprotective at the moment.”
“She has a right to be protected.” Then she shrugged impatiently and headed for the door. “But I’ll wait and see what Newell has to say.”
Newell was sitting on the deck chair when they reached the patio a few minutes later. He looked pale and tired, but Eve was aware of that same air of excitement and tension she’d noticed in his voice. “You didn’t bring Beth. Good. I was afraid you’d ignore me.”
“I would have done just that,” Eve said. “Joe persuaded me to wait … for a while. I won’t keep anything from Beth.”
“Thanks, Quinn.” Newell reached into a briefcase on the ground beside him and pulled out a thick sheaf of papers stapled together. “Beth’s been through enough, and she doesn’t need a shock. Let it come gently.”
“Let what come?” Joe asked impatiently. “What was on that disc?”
“Nothing that could be clearly determined on most of them. Gelber took bits and pieces of her story, tore them apart, and concentrated on making Beth forget what he wanted her to block out. But there’s one session that gives us the essence of what happened that weekend at the lodge. I printed out two copies.” He handed the stapled documents to Eve and Joe. “I’m glad the son of a bitch is a corpse. I wish I’d done it myself.”
Eve dropped down in a chair across from him. “That ugly?”
His lips twisted. “That ugly.”
Eve hesitated and then started to read.
Gelber: “Now you have to stop resisting, Beth. Our last session didn’t please me, and you know how important it is to please me. Say it.”
Beth: “I—want to please you.”
Gelber: “And you know that I’m the only one who tells you the truth. Someone has been telling you lies and making you believe them. You’re confused, but I’m going to straighten it all out for you. But you mustn’t resist me. It will hurt you. You know what happens. Every time you tell me one of the lies, your throat will tighten and your heart will pound and you won’t be able to breathe.”
Beth: “No! Please. It scares me.”
Gelber: “It’s not up to me. You’re the one who tells the lies.”
Beth: “I don’t mean to lie. Keep it from hurting me.”
Gelber: “I’ll try. Let’s go through it again. Open your mind. Trust me, Beth.”
“Trust him?” Eve lifted her gaze from the page. “You’re right, Newell. Gelber was a complete son of a bitch. He actually used torture?”
“He was a brilliant hypnotist. He used it as one of his tools. Diabolic. No evidence of what he’d done or marks on the body of the subject. But you can imagine the pain and panic of not being able to breathe.”
“I can imagine,” Joe said grimly. “And how eager that subject would be to avoid undergoing it after the first time.”
“There were many, many times,” Newell said. “I caught a glimpse of its use in several sessions. Beth was very stubborn. But they kept after her until they had what they wanted. She was almost there when she was in this session. Finish it.”
Eve didn’t want to finish it. It made her sick. But she had to go on. It wasn’t fair to Beth to avoid reading it if her sister had managed to survive it.