Free The Edge of Normal by Carla Norton

having Dr. Lerner’s full attention and feels a bit irked at having to share him.
    While she eats, she dodges questions and studies the exchanges between Dr. Lerner and this young deputy. Hudson makes casual conversation seem effortless. He volunteers that he grew up here, went to college in Los Angeles, hated the congestion, and returned. He says he plays “a little guitar, you know, in my spare time.” And he gets animated when talking about the many pleasures of living in Jefferson County—skiing, kayaking, fly fishing—a litany of outdoor sports that seem as odd to her as space exploration.
    “What drew you to law enforcement?” Dr. Lerner asks, forking up another mouthful of trout.
    “Runs in the family, I guess. My dad was a highway patrolman. And I have a whole slew of uncles and cousins who work in law enforcement in some way or other.”
    “Seems like an unusual family.”
    “I used to think so, but a lot of my coworkers have similar backgrounds. Badges are contagious, I guess.”
    “You like what you do, don’t you?”
    “It’s interesting work, and it pays a lot better than strumming guitar, I’ll tell you.” Hudson grins. “But eventually, I’d like to go to law school. Or at least, that’s the plan. So I nosed around, and I caught a break, and I’ve been learning a lot in this position with the district attorney’s office.”
    Nick Hudson’s relaxed manner mirrors Dr. Lerner’s, and while their desserts are served, Reeve studies his even features, his healthy skin, his nice teeth, and decides that he is handsome.
    Dr. Lerner turns toward Reeve, his voice dropping to a softer tone. “I’m glad that you took the initiative to come up. The Cavanaughs are looking forward to meeting with you later this afternoon, okay?”
    “It’s great that you could come up and help,” Hudson adds, confirming for Reeve that he knows exactly who she is.
    She lowers her eyes and spoons into her chocolate ice cream, listening while Dr. Lerner fills her in on the situation.
    “They’re being gentle with their daughter, and they’re not pressing for details about what she endured. Which is wise.”
    She nods, remembering.
    “Right, but this is not the way the prosecution would normally want to proceed in building a case,” Hudson says.
    She stops eating and looks up.
    “Understood,” Dr. Lerner says, “but first we’ll let her reveal things in her own time, as she feels more comfortable, more secure.”
    “What was that about building a case?” Reeve asks the deputy.
    “I work with Jackie Burke, the prosecutor. She’d like to meet with you, too.”
    “Why me?”
    “Because she needs to hear how things go with the Cavanaughs. Because she’s hoping to accelerate the charges against Vanderholt.”
    “The kidnapper.”
    “The suspect, right.”
    She shifts in her chair. “So you’re expecting that, as Tilly shares more specifics, the prosecutor will have what she needs for going to trial?”
    “But understand that this will be a gradual process,” Dr. Lerner says to the deputy. “We have to assure Tilly of some degree of confidentiality, help her feel safe, so she can start coming to terms with what has happened to her.”
    “And stop blaming herself,” Reeve adds.
    “Wait.” Hudson gives her a quizzical look. “What do you mean? Why on earth would she blame herself?”
    Reeve sighs. “It’s common, with victims of abduction and captivity, to feel that you are somehow complicit, or that you have contributed to your own victimization.” She shoots a look at Dr. Lerner, realizing that she sounds like her therapist.
    “Really?”
    She gives a shrug. “The media makes it worse by asking things like, ‘Why did she stay?’ As if it’s a choice.”
    Hudson cocks his head. “You mean, like Beth Goodwin, when she was walking around in public with her kidnappers?”
    “Like that.”
    “That’s what they call Stockholm Syndrome, right?”
    “That’s the common term,” Dr. Lerner says