Free Billy: A Tale Of Unrelenting Terror by Clayton Spriggs Page B

to protect herself. In order to treat her, we are faced with allowing her the comfort of putting the past behind her while at the same time trying to help her face her fears in order to regain who she once was. It is a difficult task, maybe an impossible one, and we can’t have our progress damaged by your efforts, however important you feel they may be."
    "With all due respect, Doctor, you have your job to do and I have mine. The girl is a witness, whether she knows what she saw or not, and I am well within my jurisdiction to question her as I see fit. I appreciate your concerns, and I will go about my duties with the utmost care, but I intend to question the witness all the same."
    "With all due respect, Detective, the girl as you call her, is under my care. I can and will grant you access to her as I see fit. If you think you can override that, think again. You may use my phone to call the sheriff or anyone else you want, and I assure you, they will tell you the same thing."
    "You don’t know her name any more than I do, Doctor, so why is it that you assume that my referring to her as the girl is demeaning in some way?"
    "We call her Jane, a name we give to all female patients when we don’t know their proper name. We call her Jane, and I pointed out that she is not just a girl because I want to make sure you understand that she is a person. She is someone’s daughter, maybe someone’s sister, maybe someone’s mother, maybe someone’s girlfriend or wife, not just a witness or a girl for you to interrogate to help you in your quest, however noble it may be."
    "I understand your point, Doctor, and it is well taken. Please, let me assure you of not only my intentions, but of my qualifications. It’s true that I’m not a psychiatrist or psychologist and have no advance degrees in mental health, but I’m not just some local deputy out to stir the pot. I’m aware of the girl’s – of Jane’s – situation; and I’m grateful to you that we are even having this talk. Your concerns are valid, but then again, so are mine. Perhaps there is some way we can come to a mutual agreement?"
    "I’m listening, Detective."
    "We can talk to her together, if you wish. We can go over whatever questions ahead of time as well. There are only a few things I would like to discuss with the…with Jane, and I realize that we may not get to even those. Surely, there is some way that we can make this happen, Doctor."
    Dr. Newsome sat quietly for a few moments, contemplating the officer’s request. He could see that the man was not going to go away quietly, and eventually he would call the doctor’s bluff. It was true that the doctor had some say so over what the police could or couldn’t do, but it was also true that if push came to shove, the police were going to have their way. Things would be so much better if the attorneys were kept out of it, a sentiment that would be equally shared by Nick.
    "Well, perhaps there is a way this can work, Detective. There’s a big problem that you may not be aware of, however."
    "And what’s that?"
    "The girl, Jane, is almost comatose the majority of the time. She isn’t exactly non-responsive, but it’s not like she’s going to be answering any questions, either."
    "I am not sure I understand you, Doctor. She was questioned in the past and had all kinds of things to say. Maybe most of what she said didn’t make sense, but she was talking, alright."
    "Yes, that’s true. Unfortunately, things have changed somewhat since then. Like I stated earlier, your men made a mess of things. The interrogations resulted in the poor girl’s inability to accept the memories they produced, which, in turn, led her to the state that she is currently in. Follow me, Detective, and see for yourself."
    The men left the doctor’s office and made their way down a labyrinth of identical hallways and locked doors until they came upon an open room with a dozen or so people roaming around. The exterior walls were lined