Page 57 of The Boathouse by the Loch (The Scottish Highlands #4)

She sat in the interview room, waiting to find out if Marnie would be prepared to see her at such short notice for another hypnotherapy session – and so late in the day, after office hours.

She’d been surprised by Sean’s suggestion. She didn’t think it would be something the police would entertain, but as Sean had said, he wanted to help her get her memories back.

While they waited for Marnie to pick up the message and phone back, she said, ‘My friend, Gayle, suggested seeing a hypnotherapist too, but she was hopeful that seeing my stepmum would trigger my memories instead.’

Obviously that hadn’t happened, so it was just as well she’d decided to start the therapy sessions beforehand.

Under the circumstances, she couldn’t imagine just walking into a stranger’s office to attend her first session in her current circumstances.

At least now she already knew Marnie, and what to expect.

Who knew, perhaps today, if Marnie could see her, there might be the breakthrough she needed.

Of course, that didn’t help when she thought of all the wonderful friends she’d probably lost that day.

She couldn’t believe her fantastic week with David at the boathouse had culminated in this – the end of the amazing life they had been planning to have there.

‘Except she’s not your stepmother,’ said Sean, interrupting her thoughts.

She looked at him. ‘No, she’s not.’

‘So, are you okay having another session, if it can be arranged?’

She nodded. She was lucky that there had been someone qualified locally.

The phone rang. Sean took the call. Robyn listened.

It sounded as though Marnie would do the session, but not surprisingly, she wanted to conduct the session in her own office, even though Sean had told her there was a missing person – Robyn Parker – and just then they had a woman in custody who might know her whereabouts, if only she could remember.

‘I’m up for anything that will get my memories back, and reveal who I really am, even if I have to see her here,’ she interrupted the call.

‘Will you tell her that?’ She remembered thinking before her first session with Marnie that she’d rather see a hypnotherapist than Dr Jamieson’s suggestion – a psychiatrist.

Sean waved his hand in the air for her to be quiet.

She mouthed, sorry.

Sean said, ‘I see. Yes, I understand. All right, I’ll bring her to your office.’

She raised her eyebrows, saying a silent thank you that Marnie had persuaded him.

Sean put the phone down. ‘Your therapist said there was no way she was doing the session here, at the police station. It wouldn’t be at all conducive to achieving the state of relaxation required under hypnosis that she’d need to enable those memories repressed deep down in your subconscious to come to the fore.

She said the session would be a waste of time for her, and for you. ’

Although she was definitely up for another session, looking around the sparsely furnished and rather depressing little interview room with no windows and harsh lighting, she realised that Marnie was absolutely right – she’d be wasting her time.

Sean said, ‘She asked if you’d like a chaperone.’

‘She asks me that each time.’ She recalled what Marnie had said: You are welcome to have someone else present in the session. In fact, I recommend it. I make notes, but it’s always helpful to have another pair of eyes and ears. And for moral support if you wish.

But every other session, she’d been happy to attend them alone. She looked at Sean. ‘Do you have to attend?’

‘No – only if you want me to.’

‘But what about finding out what’s happened to Robyn – the real Robyn?’

‘You would need to give your consent to divulge what takes place, and what, if anything, you remember in your session.’

‘Oh, okay.’

‘Do you want me to sit in on the session?’

She nodded her head. For some reason, this time it seemed important.

Not because she’d been taken into custody, but because she had a feeling that the previous sessions with Marnie had been building up to …

something. Marnie had said she was making progress.

The very fact that she could get into that hypnosis-induced state was a massive positive when it came to accessing the memories buried deep in her subconscious.

She looked at Sean. If something were to come to light today, she wanted someone she knew to be in there with her, hearing it all first hand – even though she had only known him for a short time.

At that moment, she realised with a heavy heart that she didn’t have another living soul who would support her.

There was a knock on the door. Sean frowned. ‘I’d better go see who that is. Sit tight.’ He looked at his watch. ‘We’ll be leaving soon.’

When Sean returned, he opened the door a crack, and said, ‘Can you come here?’

She stood up, joining Sean at the door. ‘What is it?’ She hoped to goodness that something unexpected hadn’t come up and they couldn’t go, or Marnie had cancelled.

‘The thing is,’ said Sean, ‘they’re all being a right pain waiting in reception, demanding to see you.’

‘What are you talking about?’

‘My superior wants them all out of his station …’ Sean opened the door wide to reveal a group of people waiting outside the door.

Her eyes went wide at the sight of them, and her hand flew to her chest. She started choking up. She stepped outside the room.

‘Robyn, we’re all here for you,’ said Gayle.

There were nods of agreement from David, Joe, Annie, Nick, Marty and Melissa.

‘Oh, aye!’ said Duncan.

Percy woofed.

‘You brought my dog?’ She knelt down and gave him a fuss before she got a group hug.

‘Did you think we’d just abandon you?’ said David.

She wiped tears from her eyes. ‘But I’m not Robyn. You heard Judith.’

Behind the group, someone else stepped forward. The last person she’d expected to come. Judith said, ‘That’s right.’

She swallowed. ‘Oh, Judith, I am so sorry. I swear I’m telling the truth.

I was in Robyn’s car driving out of town when the accident happened.

When I woke up I didn’t know who I was. The police said I was Robyn Parker.

Her licence was lost in the crash, so they just did a search on the DVLA. I should have questioned it.’

‘Why would you?’ said Gayle.

Judith stepped forward and smiled, taking her aback. ‘It’s all right. I had a lengthy chat with all your friends while you were being questioned. I’m convinced that you’re telling the truth.’

She flung her arms around Judith. ‘Oh, Judith. I’m so sorry about all this, and what I put you through.’

Gayle said, ‘That’s just like her, thinking of everybody else before herself.’

She immediately stepped back from embracing Judith. ‘Sorry, I shouldn’t have hugged you. You don’t even know me.’

‘Ah, but I think I do.’

She looked at Judith wide-eyed. ‘Huh?’

‘You’re just what Gayle described – kind and thoughtful. My stepdaughter could learn a thing or two from you, I’m sure.’

She didn’t know what to say, apart from the truth.

‘When I arrived at Gayle’s to stay there for a bit after leaving hospital, I found Robyn’s journal with sketches inside, amongst her things.

There was a sketch of Wilbur’s Bookstore in Aviemore where I …

she … was working over the Christmas holidays. ’

She recalled having a coffee in the bookshop with Melissa.

She realised now that Melissa must have had no idea that it was a woman called Robyn who had been working in the bookshop over Christmas.

Melissa hadn’t ventured into the shop at that time.

If she had, she would have realised that the young woman she’d met in the library, calling herself Robyn, was not the person who had worked in the bookshop, and disappeared so suddenly on Christmas Day when she was meant to have been working at the shop until the New Year.

She realised, in hindsight, it was unfortunate that Melissa, or Brodie, hadn’t met Judith’s stepdaughter when she was working in the shop, or that Wilbur had not returned to run his store after Christmas.

Melissa’s boyfriend, Brodie, had been away over the Christmas break with his family, including his grandfather, Wilbur.

When she’d met him too, Brodie had never brought up the fact that Robyn had left her position in the bookshop so suddenly.

Perhaps he didn’t want to pry or maybe his grandfather had never mentioned her by name.

‘I think I had some sort of flashback or memory. I was sitting at the table in the window with a woman. I didn’t know who the woman was, but now I believe it was Robyn.’ Judith smiled. ‘Thank you for sharing that with me.’

‘But that’s all I remember.’ She frowned. That wasn’t all she remembered. She looked at David.

David said, ‘What is it?’

Sean butted in before she had a chance to answer. ‘Look, she has a therapy session booked, and I’m sure her therapist does not want to be waiting around all evening for her to arrive.’

David said, ‘You’re having another session with Marnie right now?’

She turned to look at David. ‘Yes, I have to go.’

‘Not without me, you’re not.’

‘Or me,’ said Gayle.

Everyone stepped forward.

Sean stopped Duncan. ‘Not the dog. ’

‘Oh, right.’ Duncan handed the lead over to a custody officer.

Sean turned to her. ‘Are you okay with this?’

She looked at the friends she loved, and the man she was in love with, and couldn’t believe they were all there. ‘Oh – yes.’

David grasped her hand. ‘Do you want me to call Dr Jamieson? I know that you’ve been going along on your own, but I’m understandably worried this time. We’re not talking about you just getting your memories back this time; we’re talking about your identity.’

She squeezed his hand reassuringly. ‘I know. But there’s nothing to worry about, and do you know why I’m so sure?’

He shook his head.

‘Because I’m going to have you guys with me.’

‘But are you sure you want to do this?’

She smiled at David. ‘I want to know who I am.’

‘But I know who you are,’ he whispered. ‘You’re the one I love.’

Robyn squeezed his hand. ‘Come on. Let’s put a name to the one you love, eh?’

‘Funny.’ He smiled. ‘All right.’