Free Therapy by Sebastian Fitzek

question. ‘I asked Charlotte where we were, but she obviously thought I should know. “Don't you recognize the house?” she said crossly. “We used to come here most weekends, especially in the summer. I had my last good day in this cabin – before it went wrong.”’
    ‘Before what went wrong?’ probed Viktor.
    ‘I assumed she was talking about her illness, but I didn't like to ask. The subject seemed to make her angry. “You're the novelist,” she said irritably, pointing to the cabin. “Something happened in there, and it's your job to write it down!”’
    ‘Did you?’
    ‘I had to find out what had happened. Charlotte had made it clear that she intended to plague me until I finished the book, but I couldn't very well describe thecabin without going inside. I broke the glass in the back door and walked in.’
    Josy let her break into the cabin? Why didn't she use the spare key?
    ‘I thought I'd be able to find out what was making Charlotte ill.’
    ‘And did you?’
    ‘No. I didn't know what to look for. I was surprised by the size of the cabin. I was expecting to find three small rooms, but there was a spacious kitchen, two bathrooms, a lounge with a fireplace and a couple of bedrooms at least.’
    Three , he corrected her silently.
    ‘I went through all the cupboards and drawers – I looked everywhere, literally everywhere, including the toilet cistern. It didn't take long because the place was pretty bare. The furniture was expensive – but plain.’
    Isabell's choice: Philippe Starck and some quality Bauhaus .
    ‘Did Charlotte come with you?’ asked Viktor.
    ‘She refused to cross the threshold. Whatever had happened must have been really traumatic. I hunted about inside while she stood on the porch and shouted instructions.’
    ‘Can you give me an example?’
    ‘It was all a bit cryptic. She said things like, “Don't look for what you can see; search for what's missing!”’
    ‘Did she explain what she meant?’
    ‘No. I wanted to ask her, but there was no time for questions.’
    ‘What happened?’
    ‘I don't like to talk about it, Dr Larenz.’
    ‘It's important to try.’
    The hesitation in her eyes reminded Viktor of how she had clammed up completely the previous day.
    ‘Can we talk about it tomorrow?’ she said pleadingly. ‘I want to go home.’
    ‘That wouldn't be wise. It's better to get it over with.’ He was shocked at himself for deceiving a patient. Anna had come to him for therapy, but this was an inquisition.
    There was silence while Anna considered.
    At first he was sure that she would stand up and leave, but then she placed her hands in her lap and sighed.

13
    ‘I hadn't noticed the light was fading,’ she continued, ‘but suddenly I couldn't see a thing. It was probably only half past four – sundown was pretty early at that time of year. In any event, it was dark in the cabin, so I went back to the sitting room, borrowed a lighter from the mantelpiece and used the radiance from the small flame to light my way down the hall. At the far end was a door I hadn't noticed before. It looked like a broom cupboard or something.’
    Josy's room .
    ‘I wanted to take a closer look, but then I heard voices.’
    ‘What sort of voices?’
    ‘Actually, it was a single voice, a man's voice. He wasn't talking; he was crying. It sounded as if he was whimpering to himself. The noise was coming from the room at the end of the hall.’
    ‘How could you tell?’
    ‘The whimpering got louder as I approached.’
    ‘Weren't you frightened?’
    ‘I managed to stay calm for a bit, but then Charlotte started screaming.’
    ‘Why?’ asked Viktor hoarsely. He could feel the rawness in his throat when he talked.
    ‘She wanted me to leave. She was yelling at the top of her voice, “He's coming! He's coming!”’
    ‘Who did she mean?’
    ‘I don't know. In the same moment that Charlotte started shouting, the whimpering stopped. I was right outside the door and the handle was