to?”
“Lots of people. That whole group they had there. Mr. and Mrs. Dennison, Judge Blackburn, Mr. and Mrs. Siddons, Mr. Hayes, Doctor Scott and Mrs. Scott, Mr. Seymour, Miss Naylor.”
“The schoolteacher.”
“Right. And Mr. Harley. There were others. But those were the main ones.”
“Her mom and Dad, did these people pay them for this?”
“No. They just allowed it. It was just okay by them.”
“And this was when Patricia was how old?”
“Three. Maybe four.”
He suspected it was five. Lynette’s age.
The age she’d begun hiding.
“So then what would these people do to her again?”
This was all familiar territory but he needed it for the tape.
“Well, she would be naked pretty much always and they would put their fingers in her, in her bum, in her vagina, and some of the men would put their penises in and sometimes make her put their penises in her mouth, and they would spank her real hard and Doctor Scott, he liked to put these long needles in her . . .”
“Acupuncture needles?”
“I don’t know. Just big long needles.”
“Go on.”
“He’d put them in her, stick them everywhere. And Mrs. Scott always wanted her to lick her vagina.”
It was a hallmark of Leslie’s personality that none of this seemed to embarrass her in the slightest. She treated this catalogue of childhood horrors with a detachment that was almost clinical. Admirable, he thought, were it not so sad and frightening.
“Mrs. Siddons liked to twist her nipples until she cried. And Miss Naylor always wanted to have her breasts sucked like Patricia was a little baby and she was her mommy. Mr. Hayes would put her in the tub and pee on her and one time he shit on her too. On her belly. Sort of stood over her and bent his legs a little.”
“And there were other kids involved, right?”
She nodded. “Danny Scott, Ritchie Siddons, and the Dennison twins.”
“Did Patricia ever try to resist at all? Ever try to run away?”
“A couple times she tried. But she was too little to go anywhere. The Gannets beat her bad for it. So she didn’t try anymore.”
She stopped. Tears were rolling down her cheeks in a sudden stream.
“Leslie?”
Her chin trembled and the large brown eyes were doe’s eyes, liquid, innocent.
“Lynette? Is that you?”
“They
hurt
me! Mommy and Daddy . . .”
“I know. It’s all right, Lynette. Mommy and Daddy won’t hurt you any more. I promise. I swear.”
That was true enough. Mommy and Daddy were dead in a car accident nearly ten years before. He was drunk. The telephone pole unforgiving. As far as Hooker was concerned, good riddance.
“They
hurt
me!”
“I know they did, Lynette. But that’s all over now. Mommy and Daddy can never hurt you again. You understand?”
She sniffled. The tears abated.
“Are you okay now?”
She hesitated, then nodded.
“Good. If it’s all right then, can you let me talk to Leslie again?”
“Oh for chrissakes,
fuck
Leslie!”
The voice was deep and husky.
Sadie
.
Only the third time she’d appeared.
The first two times were trouble. He could see this was not going to be an exception. She was up and out of her chair and striding over.
“You want to talk sex, honey? You feel like a turn-on? Is that it? Then you better talk to
me
.”
He was halfway up out of his own chair when she reached down and pushed him back again.
Then lifted her skirt and straddled him.
“Sadie . . .”
“I know. We been through this before. ‘It’s inappropriate for a patient and therapist’ blah blah blah. Loosen up, will ya?” She shrugged off her jacket.
“Get off me, Sadie.”
“Loosen up. You know you want little Sadie.”
“What I
want
is to talk to . . .”
“Yeah, Leslie. I know. But will Leslie do this for you, Doc?”
She pulled the sweater off over her head. Underneath it her breasts were naked. They were lovely breasts, full and firm for her age and the fact that she’d
“Lots of people. That whole group they had there. Mr. and Mrs. Dennison, Judge Blackburn, Mr. and Mrs. Siddons, Mr. Hayes, Doctor Scott and Mrs. Scott, Mr. Seymour, Miss Naylor.”
“The schoolteacher.”
“Right. And Mr. Harley. There were others. But those were the main ones.”
“Her mom and Dad, did these people pay them for this?”
“No. They just allowed it. It was just okay by them.”
“And this was when Patricia was how old?”
“Three. Maybe four.”
He suspected it was five. Lynette’s age.
The age she’d begun hiding.
“So then what would these people do to her again?”
This was all familiar territory but he needed it for the tape.
“Well, she would be naked pretty much always and they would put their fingers in her, in her bum, in her vagina, and some of the men would put their penises in and sometimes make her put their penises in her mouth, and they would spank her real hard and Doctor Scott, he liked to put these long needles in her . . .”
“Acupuncture needles?”
“I don’t know. Just big long needles.”
“Go on.”
“He’d put them in her, stick them everywhere. And Mrs. Scott always wanted her to lick her vagina.”
It was a hallmark of Leslie’s personality that none of this seemed to embarrass her in the slightest. She treated this catalogue of childhood horrors with a detachment that was almost clinical. Admirable, he thought, were it not so sad and frightening.
“Mrs. Siddons liked to twist her nipples until she cried. And Miss Naylor always wanted to have her breasts sucked like Patricia was a little baby and she was her mommy. Mr. Hayes would put her in the tub and pee on her and one time he shit on her too. On her belly. Sort of stood over her and bent his legs a little.”
“And there were other kids involved, right?”
She nodded. “Danny Scott, Ritchie Siddons, and the Dennison twins.”
“Did Patricia ever try to resist at all? Ever try to run away?”
“A couple times she tried. But she was too little to go anywhere. The Gannets beat her bad for it. So she didn’t try anymore.”
She stopped. Tears were rolling down her cheeks in a sudden stream.
“Leslie?”
Her chin trembled and the large brown eyes were doe’s eyes, liquid, innocent.
“Lynette? Is that you?”
“They
hurt
me! Mommy and Daddy . . .”
“I know. It’s all right, Lynette. Mommy and Daddy won’t hurt you any more. I promise. I swear.”
That was true enough. Mommy and Daddy were dead in a car accident nearly ten years before. He was drunk. The telephone pole unforgiving. As far as Hooker was concerned, good riddance.
“They
hurt
me!”
“I know they did, Lynette. But that’s all over now. Mommy and Daddy can never hurt you again. You understand?”
She sniffled. The tears abated.
“Are you okay now?”
She hesitated, then nodded.
“Good. If it’s all right then, can you let me talk to Leslie again?”
“Oh for chrissakes,
fuck
Leslie!”
The voice was deep and husky.
Sadie
.
Only the third time she’d appeared.
The first two times were trouble. He could see this was not going to be an exception. She was up and out of her chair and striding over.
“You want to talk sex, honey? You feel like a turn-on? Is that it? Then you better talk to
me
.”
He was halfway up out of his own chair when she reached down and pushed him back again.
Then lifted her skirt and straddled him.
“Sadie . . .”
“I know. We been through this before. ‘It’s inappropriate for a patient and therapist’ blah blah blah. Loosen up, will ya?” She shrugged off her jacket.
“Get off me, Sadie.”
“Loosen up. You know you want little Sadie.”
“What I
want
is to talk to . . .”
“Yeah, Leslie. I know. But will Leslie do this for you, Doc?”
She pulled the sweater off over her head. Underneath it her breasts were naked. They were lovely breasts, full and firm for her age and the fact that she’d
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