Landry smiled. “Empyrion Richard. What a name! Brilliant work, Jack. You’ve done a thorough job and I’m impressed. Now let’s find out who these two Richard men are and how they fit into the puzzle.”
At last it was Tiffany’s turn. After polishing off her hearty breakfast and two cups of chicory coffee, she was ready to talk about this morning.
“I eavesdropped last night. I heard you talking to Cate’s father about that hypnotism stuff and going back in time. It scared me, and all night long I couldn’t sleep for thinking about it. Sometime this morning I got up and went into the living room, saw your bedroom door closed and left. I remember doing it, but it was like I wasn’t in control. I just had this feeling and I followed what it told me. What happened after that is hazy, like I’m in one of my dreams.”
Although she was unfamiliar with the Quarter, Tiffany found her way to Toulouse Street. She would have passed Jackson Square, although she didn’t recall doing so. There would have been people on the streets, but she had no memory of them, nor did she remember unlocking the gate or going inside.
She put her hands over her eyes and concentrated. “I see myself walking down the hallway into the courtyard. I hear her screaming at Elberta. She’s going to kill her because of what she did. I know she will because I’ve seen what she’s capable of. Now I’m in the doorway looking out onto the balcony. There are other people — down in the courtyard, shouting.”
“We were those people,” Cate said.
“You were there? Did you see Madam?”
Landry said, “We saw a tall woman in a long black dress.”
“That was Prosperine LaPiere. People called her Madam.”
“How do you know all that?”
“Because it’s inside my mind somewhere.”
Cate said, “You mentioned Elberta. Prosperine wanted to kill her because of what she did with her husband. Is she a servant?”
“Oh, she’s more than that. Madam caught her, and she’s going to die.”
Tiffany stared for a moment and said, “That’s all. I looked up and saw Jack standing over me. He brought me outside, and he stayed with me until...until you two came.” She took Jack’s hand and squeezed it.
Landry pushed her to recall more while her mind was fresh. “You said the devil lives within Madam LaPiere. Is that because she’s going to kill Elberta?”
“She’s pure evil. She’s the cruelest woman I’ve ever seen. What she did to the ones upstairs —
“For God’s sake!” she cried. “How do I know these things?”
Jack held her close as she sobbed. “Easy, Tiff,” he whispered. “You don’t have to say any more.”
Landry shot a glance at Cate. A bond was developing between these two lost souls, and he thought it could be beneficial for both.
“Who are the ones upstairs? Are there people in the attic? We thought we heard moans and wails —"
“Stop it!” she screamed, as people sitting nearby turned and stared. She squeezed Jack’s hand and whispered, “It’s too hard to go there. My mind won’t let me. Thinking about them scares me.”
Cate insisted they stop, and Landry agreed. “She’s right. I’ve put you through enough for today. Please consider hypnosis. Age-regression therapy isn’t some kind of mumbo-jumbo. You heard us talking with Cate’s father last night. He’s a renowned psychiatrist and someone you can trust. He’ll be right there when Dr. Little hypnotizes you. Given the battles you’re fighting, you have everything to gain by doing this.”
She shook her head. “Everything to gain, but what might I lose? My sanity? My mind? What if he took me somewhere and I couldn’t get back? I heard once that happened to somebody who was hypnotized on stage and never came back. They spent the rest of their life in an insane asylum.”
“I doubt that story’s true,” Cate said. “Anyway, this isn’t stage hypnosis. It’s a medical procedure done in a controlled environment. You should be safe.”
“You can’t guarantee that.”
“You’re right,” Landry said. “We can’t guarantee anything. All I’m saying is, what’s your alternative? You can’t work, you can’t sleep, and you don’t know why.”
He suggested setting up a call with Dr. Little so he could explain the procedure and answer her questions, but Tiffany sipped her coffee in silence.
In a moment she said, “I just told you about what happened this morning, and it makes no sense to me. I named people called Madam and Elberta. Who are they? Maybe I read about them in a book. They’re not real, are they?”
Landry nodded. “They were real, all right. Madam Prosperine LaPiere and her husband owned the building. Elberta was a quadroon — a house servant, most likely — who became Mr. LaPiere’s lover. There’s a legend that says Prosperine threw her husband and Elberta over the balcony in 1832. She got a servant boy to dig a hole. After he put the bodies in, she knocked him out and buried him alive.”
“Oh my God. Oh my God! And I know all about them. I even know their names! How can you even suggest hypnotizing me?”
“You’re not the only one who knows about them,” Cate said. “We saw her too, standing up on the balcony with you. You’re in the middle of something supernatural. We can’t explain it any more than you can. Maybe the hypnosis will bring you answers and the peace you deserve.”
“You’re right. I must trust someone, and the three of you are all I have. If you’ll be there to support me, especially you, Jack, then I’ll let them do the hypnotism.”
CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT
The next morning Tiffany called her
