Chapter 9

While Hayden exchanged pleasantries with the old women of Maplewood, at Our Mother of Mercy Hospital, Elizabeth Lage was being led down the hall after she had been given a shower. Her bare feet padded the bare floor of the ward, but she couldn’t feel the cold. Her parents watched as they walked her down the hall and back to her room; she didn’t see them. Her mind was a few miles away, on the shore of Lake Veronica. She was trapped inside her head, reliving the event over and over again, in a loop that never ended.

Earlier in the day, the morning after she had been admitted to the hospital, Dr. Raymond Fredericks, the lead psychologist sat down with her mother and father to discuss her condition. Sitting in his office, among hosts of books and other diagnostic materials, certificates of graduation, and open files, they received the bad news.

The psychologist sat, not behind the desk but on a chair he had pulled up next to the patient’s parents. His friendly demeanor made the Lages relax a bit but the look in his eyes broke their heart. When he sat down, he opened Elizabeth’s file and began to speak.

“Elizabeth is a very sick girl, Mr. and Mrs. Lage. Given the events of last night and the 911 tapes you let me listen to, and my time with her last night and this morning, her doctor and I have concluded she is in a catatonic state. Now, let me explain what that means.

“Elizabeth saw something so horrible, so terrible, that she has retreated into her mind. We see this occasionally with acute stress disorder. We also see it with schizophrenia, and at this point, we are unsure how to properly diagnose her. Both of these illnesses can be caused by the same thing—stress. If this is acute stress, she will slowly start to come out of it. However, if this trauma has triggered a psychotic break, then it is possible that she may remain catatonic for the rest of her life.

“Either way, we are going to work diligently with her, to try to help, but I need to ask you some questions. Now, you said she was getting ready to go to school in California?”

Her mother nodded, clinging to her husband’s hand. Raymond felt terrible for the both of them. They were ashen and worn out. Worst of all, they were frightened. The situation they found themselves in was never easy for a family member, especially when the patient was someone so young who seemed to have their whole future laid out in front of them.

Yet, Raymond had to admit to himself, the story surrounding the incident made him check his windows and doors a second time before he turned in at night. Lake Veronica had always had a reputation of being haunted. It was hard to imagine, sitting here, in the light of day with the sun’s warmth shining through the window. Come nightfall, rational thought was thrown out the window.

“She was going to UCLA in the spring,” Brenda—Elizabeth’s mother—said.

Raymond was glad Brenda was there. She would be more responsive to any treatment plan he and Elizabeth’s doctor began. He’d spoken with Don the night Elizabeth was brought in; he was a bit rough around the edges and more interested in keeping his daughter from being brought up on charges, although in her current state, she was immune to legal authority. There was no body yet, but even if there were, Raymond didn’t believe she’d killed him. Indeed, he thought she might be the only witness to what had happened, and until Elizabeth came out of her state, they would never know.

“How was her relationship with Chad? Was he violent? Mean? Prone to anger?”

Both parents made noncommittal noises, and eventually, it was Don who answered the question. “Chad is…a good kid. Our families have known each other for years, and the two of them have been inseparable for almost as long. Lizzy knew her leaving would break his heart—we didn’t actually believe she was leaving until she started getting responses from out of state schools. I guess this town is too small for her. It’s okay, we were fine with it.”

“But we were worried about the both of them,” Brenda said. “Chad loves Lizzie, but she has bigger plans. She gets that from my side of the family, you know.”

Raymond gave her a small appreciative smile. The meeting continued for a while, until Don tired of all the questions and tried to assert himself as the alpha male. Brenda shut him up quickly. It seemed Raymond had been right to involve her in her daughter’s treatment. At the end of the session, he walked them out to their car and watched them drive away.

He left his office that night feeling like they had made good headway into helping their poor daughter. Unfortunately for Dr. Fredericks, he would be both disappointed and horrified to discover that his patient would be found dead by morning.