"Are you ready to work now, Luke?" Teresa asked.
"Yes," he said, sitting in a child-size armchair, looking straight at her.
Teresa didn't use a girasol, didn't use anything at all. The library articles told me about this— how the multiples get used to reaching a trance state in therapy— the splits are born from autohypnosis anyway. "Relax," is all Teresa said, and the boy's eyes started rapid-fire blinking. Then closed.
"Can I talk to Toby?" Teresa asked.
"What is it now?" Toby's voice, pitched like Luke's but with a sharp, sarcastic undertone.
"How are the others doing?" Teresa.
"How should we be doing? I mean, nobody's hurting the baby, but Luke, you know him, he's still scared. But he's better. We don't get out so much anymore."
"What did they do to the baby?"
"They don't do nothing to the baby. What's wrong with you? It's Luke they do it to."
"The baby, she doesn't feel things?"
"The baby runs away. I told you all this. The baby runs away. Susie."
"Do you like babies?"
"I don't care about them."
"Does Luke like babies?"
"Yeah. Luke's a sucker. He likes everyone. He even liked them. When they'd scare him, the baby would come out. To take the pain."
"Did you ever come out when they scared him?"
"Do I look crazy to you, lady? I did…once…to talk to them…and…they hurt me."
"How did they hurt you, Toby?"
"It wasn't me…when they started, Luke came back. When they hurt him, the baby came. The runaway."
"What did they do to Luke?"
"They scared him. They tied him up. All with hoods. Black hoods. They put things in him. Burned. He screamed. They told him to be good, be a good baby. He screamed and screamed until the baby came out. Then he was good."
"What did Luke do when he was good?"
"Suck."
"Suck what?"
"Suck… them."
"Men?"
"Not just men. Women too. And another boy, once. Then they put things in him. He was bleeding."
"Did he fight them?"
"No. He was scared. Luke had a puppy, Prince. They killed the puppy. Cut his heart out. One of them ate the heart. It was just a little thing, so small."
"The puppy?"
"The heart. You listening to me or what?"
"I'm listening to you, Toby. How many people were there?"
"Lots of them. All in hoods— they never took off the hoods. They had candles. Candles and smoke. And stuff on the wall too. They always said Satan. Like in church. And a table. A big table. That's what they put Luke on, the table. It had stuff on it, carved. I saw the knife."
"Did they cut Luke with the knife?"
"No. They put something in him. With wires. When Luke screamed, they'd make it burn so bad inside him. They did it. Every time. They said he had to be a good baby. Good baby. When the baby came to run away, then the baby saw the cameras. Then we could all go."
"Go?"
"Like…pass out, you know? Go away. It hurt when we came back…tried to go away, far away. We didn't want to come back."
"When did the other one come?"
"What other one, sister? There's only Luke and the baby Susie. And me."
"Toby, you're smart, yes? You see things Luke doesn't?"
"Yeah, Luke ain't that smart. He thinks he is…but he don't know some things."
"Do you know who killed the puppy, Toby?"
"Yeah. Those hoods, they didn't fool me. Voices. I know their voices."
"Whose voices?"
"Dad. And Mom too, she was there. Dad killed the puppy. Mommy, she was the one who said to be a good baby. Good baby. They had a baby, you know. A little baby. A boy baby. Like us. They wanted a girl baby— I heard them say. It would be good if they had a girl too. Better product. A little girl. Baby Susie. Luke thought, if he was a girl, they'd be nice to him. But I know them. Luke's stupid."
"Why is he stupid?"
"'Cause he don't remember the way I do. He thinks it all started when he was older…if he was a baby, they wouldn't hurt him. Luke was jealous."
"What did he want?"
"He wanted them to love him," the voice sneered.
"Tell me about the baby?"
"We made the baby. Me and Luke. What they did to Luke…it's what they do to make babies, so we made a baby. Luke wanted her so they'd love him. Not hurt him. But I knew…I wanted the baby to run away. Take the pain. So we made the baby. But the baby…the other baby, they knew that was the real baby."
"Toby…"
"Baby." The voice had no age. I held my hands rigid, had to let the monster come out, let Wolfe see it.
"Who…?" Teresa asked.
"Baby!" The voice was a snarl. Luke's eyes were slitted, muscles jumping in his little face. "I want the heart," he said. "Baby baby baby," a crooning child's voice. "I am Satan's child. Me! I am the one…" He launched himself at Teresa, the right fist frenzy-stabbing, low grunts from somewhere in him. I took him down, wrapping my arms around his spasming body, saying his name over and over.
It felt like forever. Then he went rigid against me. I rolled over on my back, the boy against my chest. Let go my hold.
Luke sat on my chest, giggled. "What are you doing, Burke?" he asked. "You're always playing."
133
The air reeked with Luke's scent. Bloody fear. He didn't seem to know, his back to the women in the room.
"We've got company,' I told him.
He looked over his shoulder, not getting off me. "Hi, Teresa!" he said. He looked at Wolfe. "Hello."
"Where've you been, Luke?" Teresa asked him. "Playing with Bur…my friend," the boy answered. "I was showing him some card tricks." Eyes on my face now, begging me to be his co-conspirator, not to rat him out.
"Yeah," I said. "The kid's a real gambler."
"It's not gambling, playing with you." Luke laughed, getting to his feet, extending his little hand to me to pull me off the floor.
"I got to talk to these ladies, Luke, okay? How about if you go next door, play with Simsa?"
"Can I show her to Teresa first?"
"Okay, go get her. But just for a minute, all right?"
"Yes!" He took off like a shot
134
He came running back in, the puppy in his arms. "Look!" he said, thrusting the dog almost in Teresa's face. She patted the dog dutifully.
"Can I hold her?" Wolfe asked him.
Luke turned slowly, cradling his pup, watchful. "You be careful," he said, walking to her.
Wolfe took the pup on her lap, patting the dog's large head, stroking its ears. She lifted the pup right into her face. The puppy licked her. She licked it back. "Oh, ugh!" Luke laughed. "You licked her!"