The Mystery of Callie Brown

Chapter 20

Callie Brown's POV
"I'm trying to move on but he keeps haunting me in my dreams. I can't even stand being close to anyone other than my mom. He is everywhere and the fact that he was not found just makes me more nauseous", I told him as he listened to me patiently.

"That is all in the past Callie but now you are with your family and friends. You're safe now and he can't even touch you", the doc said.

"No he will. You don't know about him. He will definitely come for me and when he does he is going to punish me so bad", I told him recalling my days with the psycho as a cold shiver went up my spine.

"Hey look at me. He's no more. You are safe now and unless and until you beleive that you can't be at peace. Earlier you told me that he did this to you because of what people around you did. Do you know anything about that?", he asked me.

"No I don't. When I asked him he punished me so I never got the answer. I didn't even know who he was referring to", I told him thinking.

"Hmm. Okay let's talk about something interesting then. You said you like books. So what's the best thing you like about books or reading?", he asked me and just the thought of it excited me.

"I think the best thing about books is the part that you can let your imaginations run wild. You can be anything, anyone you want. There are no boundaries to your limitations. No expectations to fulfill, just me and the book", I told him with a big smile.

"That's a really interesting perspective. What genre you like?", he asked me intrigued.

"Thrillers and crime. I do enjoy reading romance and humor but not as much as the first two", I told him.

"Wow. You must be a very brave girl", he said and I just smiled at him in response.

"What about movies?", he asked me.

"Pretty much the same. Horror, thrillers, comedy, romance...", I told him a little bored.

"You like pets? You have any?", he asked me.

"I love them but mom is allergic to it so I don't have any", I told him.

"Since you said you love to imagine let's play a game", he said and I nodded for him to continue. "Imagine you are in a forest and you are walking on a deserted path for a long time. You don't know how you ended up there or why you are there but you just know you have to keep walking. As you keep going you find lights and on a closer look you realize that you are very close to a village. At the same time suddenly a leopard comes out of nowhere and stands before you, ready to pounce on you and claim it's prey. What will you do now?", he asked me and I thought about it.

"I will kill it", I told him.

"Why is that?", he asked me.

"You said I have been walking for a long time so I would definitely not have the strength to outrun a leopard and even if I did, once I reach the village it could be a threat to those living there. So I think that the better choice is to fight it and defend myself. But since you said it's hungry and ready to kill, the only way I could get out alive is to kill the enemy", I told him and he looked deep in thought.

"Ok", was all he said after a long pause.

"Umm ok", I said awkwardly. I was definitely expecting him to say more than just ok.

"I guess we are done for today and you are making a lot of progress. I'm happy to see that Callie", he said.

"Thanks doc", I told him with a smile.

"Alright. Take care", he said and left me in my room.

Brenda Shaw's POV
He clutched his head in his hand and was leaning on his desk as I entered his room, a clear sign that he was troubled about something.

"What's wrong?", I asked him.

"No matter how close I look, I can't find a guy Bren. Everything keeps pointing back to her", he said frustrated.

"But you don't believe she did it?", I asked him.

"I don't know. If she did it then why would she go to the extreme of cutting her own finger off? What's the point?", he asked me.

"She did say this all happened because of what people around her did. Even when we were investigating her missing case, her uncle and also her friend to an extent wanted us off the case when we started digging deeper into their stuff. You think it's because of them?", she asked me.

"Yeah maybe. There's also her dad. Her mom's records are clean, I checked it out already", I told her.

"Ok. I will ask Benji to get on it. I got a call from the shrink and he said he wants to talk to us", I told him.

"Then what are we waiting for?", he said as he got ready to leave.

David Shaw's POV
"Tell me something useful doc", I told him in a frustrated tone. This case has been nagging my mind and I needed answers.

"Well...I spoke to her and I think...", he was saying when Mrs. Brown entered the cabin.

"Oh Officers! Sorry I didn't expect to meet you here", she said a little shocked.

"Mrs. Brown, please take a seat",the shrink told her and I was a little confused myself.

"I think it is better if Mrs. Brown joined us", he said observing the confusion in all our faces.

"I would like to ask you a few questions regarding your daughter and I hope you wouldn't mind Mrs. Brown", the doctor told her and she nodded.

"How was Callie in her childhood? Was she very violent or did she show any unusual behavior?", he asked her.

"No. She didn't. She was a very nice kid and everyone loved her. She has never even raised her voice against anyone and always kept to herself. She did her work and never meant to harm anyone", Mrs. Brown told him.

"Apart from work what does she do? Like how does she spend most of her time?", he asked her.

"Books. They are her world and it's a wonder if I found her doing anything fun other than reading. She does spend time with her family and friends but books mainly. She would get deep into it that she wouldn't even bother about eating or sleeping", she said.

"Ok", he said.

"Why are you asking me this? Is anything wrong doctor?", Mrs. Brown asked him a little worried.

He looked us straight in the eye and we were all waiting for what he was going to say.