âNo. But Billy told me that Joey left the club right after I did that night. And Dee said she heard Joey say something about wanting to talk to me!â
Dr. Moore tapped a pencil against his desktop. âThat hardly puts you and Joey together,â he pointed out.
âI know that, butââ Danielle swallowed hard. âThe thing is, I donât remember what happened after I left the others!â she burst out. âMy mindâs a blank. A total blank!â
She grabbed the arms of the chair, then quickly lowered her hands back to her lap.
âWhy canât I remember anything?â she asked.
âProbably because thereâs nothing to remember.â Dr. Moore jotted down a note. âYou finished performing. You felt âwired,â as you put it, and you walked and jogged a long way. Once you finally worked off your excitement, you were exhausted, Danielle. Itâs not unusual for people in such a tired state to forget things.â
Could that be the way it happened? Danielle wondered.
âYouâre not likely to carry out any of these fantasies,â the doctor continued. âYou havenât gotten over the violent way your parents were suddenly taken from you. So your mind is filled with violent thoughts.â
He leaned forward, his blue eyes intense behind his glasses. âBut that does not mean you will commit violent acts.â
Danielle glanced down at her hands. They seemed to have a life of their own. Twisting, writhing in her lap.
She couldnât keep them still.
âYouâre very tense,â Dr. Moore observed. âLetâs clear your mind, shall we? That should help you calm down.â
He came around and sat on the edge of his desk. âStart counting, Danielle,â he commanded softly. âWith each number youâll feel yourself start to relax.â
Danielle leaned back in the chair and began counting backward from one hundred.
⦠⦠â¦
The wind blew back Danielleâs hair as the van made its way toward another dreary hotel. More greasy food. And another roaring crowd.
Danielle couldnât wait. She felt loose and ready to perform. Her session with Dr. Moore had really helped. She glanced up and caught Kitâs eyes in the rearview mirror. He winked at her playfully.
She grinned, warmed by his attention.
âI canât believe weâre just driving to the next club as if nothing happened,â Dee said bitterly. âJoey was killed. Slashed to pieces, in case youâve forgotten. Doesnât anybody care?â
Silence.
Danielle pictured Joeyâs body. Bloody and torn. She shook her head to clear away the image.
âSure we care, Dee,â Billy said finally. His voice cracked. âYou know we do. We justââ
âWe have to keep living, you know?â Caroline broke in. âI mean, we canât crawl under a rock or something.â
âWe should cancel this show,â Dee declared.
âDee, we canât,â Kit replied gently. âIt would mean breaking our contract. And I think itâs the last thing Joey would have wanted us to do.â
Dee muttered a reply. Danielle couldnât hear her.
Sheâs really unhappy, Danielle thought. She reached behind her seat and pulled her guitar out of the case.
âI wrote a song yesterday,â she announced. She strummed a chord.
âAnother one?â Caroline asked. âDanny, youâre really on a roll!â
âIf itâs as good as âBad Moonlight,â you can do it tomorrow night,â Billy promised. He had booked them at a club called the Roadhouse in Hastings.
âItâs sort of a second âBad Moonlight,ââ Danielle told them. âMore upbeat, though. And itâs for Dee to sing,â she added.
Dee turned around in her seat, her eyebrows arched in surprise.
Danielle smiled at her. Maybe thisâll make things better between us, she