Free Sense of Rumor (Mount Faith Series: Book 6) by Brenda Barrett

"Couldn't sleep, huh?"
    "No," Arnella said, shaking her head, "but I finished one piece of artwork. So maybe sleepless nights are not that bad."
    "Would you like some breakfast?" Charlene asked.
    "No, thanks. I am going to sleep. I have class in four hours. I may miss it as well as I may not."
    Charlene laughed. "Don't let your uncle come and get you."
    "I won't answer the door," Arnella said tiredly.
    She went to her room and closed the door, drawing the curtains to block the sunlight. She closed her eyes and just could not fall asleep. Two hours later, she got up. She pulled on her favorite black sweater over her jeans and headed to the Psych Center. Maybe Taj was right after all. She really needed to talk about it.
     
    *****
    It was surprisingly easy to get an audience with Dr. Jackson, Arnella realized. Two minutes after driving up to the center and talking to the receptionist, she was sitting in front of Taj.
    "You look like you didn't sleep last night," Taj said gently. 'Puffy red eyes and droopy lids."
    Arnella twisted her hand. "I shouldn't have come by, but I have loads of things on my mind and you did say that your services are free."
    Taj nodded. "I did and it is. I am glad you could stop by. What are some of the things you have on your mind?"
    "Just stuff," Arnella sighed. "I have loads of things on my mind since childhood. I guess since my father died. I had a lousy time after his death."
    Taj nodded. "Want to tell me about it?"
    Arnella nodded. "Why not? It's not as if you are going to tell anybody? You are bound by law to keep my secrets, aren't you?"
    Taj nodded slowly. "As long as you didn't kill anybody. I am obligated to report murder and child abuse."
    Arnella chuckled. "You look so serious saying that. You know you are pretty cute. Too bad you are my cousin."
    "Cute?" Taj frowned, "I haven't heard myself being described as cute since high school." He grinned. "You are deflecting. It's a pretty well known tactic that's used by patients who have something on their mind but don't want to talk. Remember I am not going to tell."
    "I guess you've heard it all, huh?" Arnella asked. "This campus must be rife with secrets. Tell me some of them to make me comfortable."
    Taj laughed. "You are testing me to see if I am going to share some with you."
    Arnella shrugged, "It was worth a shot."
    "A pretty obvious one," Taj said, looking at her. Arnella was a textbook case of a person in pain trying to pretend that she was tough. He looked at her perfectly symmetrical face and into her eyes. Even when she was laughing or pretending to be glib, there was a wealth of pain behind her eyes. He patiently waited for her to look around his office and then she looked back at him.
    "That painting is ugly."
    "Which one?" Taj looked behind him. It was an abstract of a brown vase with some sticks in it. It was meant to compliment the minimalism of the room and the soft earth tones in his office. He looked back at her. She was deflecting again.
    "Who hurt you Arnella?" He asked frankly, focusing her attention to the here and now.
    "I was drugged at a friend's party; some guys put something in some drinks. One of the sniveling cowards who did it said it was a bit of fun."
    She closed her eyes and then swallowed. She wasn't ready to talk about it. Before Taj could react, she said quickly, "I had a good childhood till my father died when I was eight. You must have heard that Uncle Ryan had a brother, Oswald."
    Taj nodded.
    "Well, I was his favorite girl in the whole wide world. I knew my Daddy loved me and then he was gone. They said he died in a bar room brawl. Arnella cleared her throat. "Anyway, my mother fell apart when he died. She stopped living and started drinking. We were living in West Virginia at the time, and my brother and I used to go get her in the early mornings. Most times we would find her passed out on the streets in a ditch somewhere. One morning the local police saw us hauling her home, and they contacted social