Landry wanted the session to occur inside the Toulouse Street building with a Channel Nine team filming everything. He ran that idea by Cate.
“Is it selfish to ask Tiffany’s permission to video? And do you understand why I think the building would be a perfect venue? It’s the source of her problems, so she could face her enemy head-on.”
She thought filming the procedure was fine. Dr. Little said he videoed every session anyway, to create an irrefutable record. She also understood why he wanted that venue. If something odd happened, it would make for great footage. But was it best for Tiffany? She asked her father, who then asked Dr. Little.
He preferred the controlled environment of his own clinic, but he was open to other suggestions. He and Doc went back and forth on this one. The positive was, as Landry had said — they could deal with the issues in the environment where they existed.
But were the potential negatives too great to ignore? More than once Tiffany had been drawn to the building in a somnambulistic state. Her experiences inside had been not only disturbing, but harmful. There was a malevolent force inside those walls. What if the session unleashed something so powerful and menacing that it put them all in danger?
After considerable debate, Dr. Little agreed with Landry. He’d been at this for decades, and everything had turned out as expected in all but two sessions. Those subjects had been difficult to awaken, but with patience and a little time, everything turned out fine.
Jack joined Landry as he spoke to Tiffany about what he wanted to do. She had no problem with the videotaping, but his suggestion that they conduct her session in the building came as a surprise.
“What if something goes wrong?” she snapped. “You’re the ghost hunter, and you want to do it there because of the vibes in the building. I don’t understand why it wants me inside, but it’s scary. Knowing all that, can you say it’s safe to hypnotize me there?”
Landry explained he was relying on Dr. Little’s expertise. “Look at the cast of characters who’ll be there. Two doctors plus Cate, Jack and me, and Channel Nine’s crew. That’s enough people to handle any situation. Dr. Little says these sessions are routine, even though they may sound esoteric to people like us who haven’t experienced one.”
Tiffany snapped, “Seriously? You know the risks. You deal with supernatural things as part of your work, but I don’t. Have you ever been in the middle of something that scared the living hell out of you? Something that you weren’t sure you could escape? I’ll bet you have. You’re thinking of your career instead of my life. This pisses me off. Jack, I’m surprised you went along with it.”
“He didn’t know what I was going to ask, so please don’t blame him. You’re right. I have a selfish motive. I want you in that building when the doctor takes you back to your childhood. Yes, there are paranormal things going on. Yes, something scary and unexplainable draws you there. The idea is to help you find answers and help me at the same time. I’m convinced doing it there where the problems lie is the only way to get answers. Dr. Little agrees.”
“You also want him to do that other stuff, don’t you? That past life stuff he talked about, like reincarnation or whatever it is. That’s scarier than the building but be honest. That’s what you can’t wait to see. You want me to be your guinea pig.” Jack took her hand, but she pulled it away.
Landry disagreed. “That’s not what I want. I only learned of past life regression from my call with Cate’s dad. That part of all this is a little far-fetched, if you ask me. How could a hypnotist take someone into a previous life? That’s hard even for a ‘ghost hunter,’ as you call me, to accept. So no, I don’t want that for you. Not at all.”
“I have a lot of thinking to do and right now I want you to leave me alone. Jack, please stay. You’re struggling just like I am. Maybe we can figure this out together.”
Once they were alone, Cate said it surprised her Landry didn’t think past life regression might be real.
“I didn’t say that. I said it’s far-fetched and it’s hard even for me to accept. I’ve seen a lot of weird stuff, and by hanging around me, so have you. It’s a fascinating concept, and sure, I’d like it to be real. That would be incredible. But I told her the truth.”
“Yeah, in a way. You figured out a way to tell the truth without telling the truth.”
Landry went to the office and tried to work. He shouldn’t have suggested doing the hypnosis in the building. The place was spooky, her experiences there were alarming, and she was right. Suggesting it had been insensitive. Sometimes on an exciting case he thought only of his goals. He had to clear things up because what he’d asked of her was wrong.
Jack called an hour later and said, “We talked things through. She was angry earlier because all this frightens her. She agrees that she should confront her fears in the building, and she’s agreed to your request.”
“I’ve changed my mind. I was wrong for pushing her to do it my way. You shouldn’t have convinced her either.”
Jack laughed. “Oh my, if you think I convinced her, you’re mistaken. She’s stronger than you give her credit for. I didn’t
