Rachel Harries

Ian uncovers the psychopath that is Rachel Harries.

I cleared my throat, as I have told myself so many times not to do right before I tell a lie. "Toby," I began, "is my grandfather." I was going to say father, but I didn't think she'd buy it since I was only in my late thirties.

"Your grandfather? You lie."

"No!" I shouted, my face burning. I hoped my nervousness wasn't visibly affecting my complexion.

"How could he be your grandfather? Diana is incapable of having kids." I raised my eyebrows.

"How do you know that? Wait, who are you?"

"Rachel. Harries. And you're Ian Smith. Which also makes no sense if you were Toby's grandson. Then your last name would be Scott, like Diana's husband."

"How do you know so much about them?!" I was getting kind of scared. "You tell me and I'll tell you who I really am."

"Fine. But you can't tell Toby I know who he is. Not even my parents know I know."

"Okay... So how did you find out?"

"I was around ten when I found out. That was when he first came home. Grandpa was crazy, like, really crazy and depressed after my mom's little brother died a long time ago, and he went down to the place where he drowned every night and cried for him and tried to save him. I guess one night he found Toby, and since he still had the mind of a six or seven year old, Grandpa saved him and told him he was his son, Brad."

"So your mother knew he was kidnapped?"

"Yes, obviously. She knew her brother was dead. She just went along with it I guess. I really don't know why. But I heard everything my grandpa told her. All about Toby and what really happened to him."

"So then...you just went on pretending like he was Brad?"

"Brad's life is much better than Toby's. He's better off this way." She looked at me skeptically. "Did you tell him?"

I cleared my throat. "No."

"You did, didn't you?" She shook her head with disgust. "Well you better make him happy then. What did you promise him? His old life back? His old family? His so-called friends?"

"Well...I-"

"His life now is much better and much happier than Toby's ever was. His family's dead. His friends think he's dead. Probably hope he's dead."

"I didn't-"

"Well you better not let him down."

"Okay," I said. I was becoming very uncomfortable. This girl was insane. She knew about her grandfather kidnapping a person, and she did nothing about it. If anything, she encouraged it. And she knew about everybody who was in Toby's life when he was still Toby. Way too much about them. More than I knew. And how did she go about finding these things out? At least I talked to them. Was this how I looked to Dr. Benson?

"Now I believe we had an agreement," Rachel said.

"What?"

"Who are you?"

"I..." I sighed, feeling defeated. There was no point in lying to her; she had already figured out how to detect when I was lying. "My name is Ian Smith."

"Okay?"

"I live in Gabe's old house."

"He moved? That explains it!"

"Explains what?"

"Nothing. Mind your own."

"Um..."

She went back into the house. "Brad?" she called. "What did this man promise you?"

"He said my name is really Toby."

"That's right," she said, glaring at me. "Toby, what did he promise you?"

He looked at her, eyes wide and mouth agape. "That's really my real name for real life?!"

"Yes."

"Why didn't you told me?!"

"I didn't think you would want to know."

"Well you was wrong! I did wanted to know! Why does everybody lies to me?!" His face was growing red.

"Toby, I'm sorry," she said, placing a hand on his shoulder. "Did Ian promise you something?"

Stop reminding him, you f*****g c**t! For the love of God, I get your point, but this is just cruel! Reminding him of the promise to inevitably disappoint him! What is wrong with you?!

I didn't say a word.

"He promised me that I can see the love of my life, Ellie Nor!"

She shot me a cold look. "Just a minute," she said to Toby. She glared at me and walked onto the porch again. I followed her.

"You better find an old b***h to be Eleanor."

"What?!" She couldn't be serious.

"What about Ruthie Hancock? Tommy's wife? I bet if you told Tommy that Toby was alive, he'd let his wife pretend to be Eleanor."

"Tommy's dead."

"Liar!"

"He died! Today! I am not asking his poor wife to do that!"

"Oh, but you'll let poor Toby down? Ask her."

"But to do that, I'd have to tell her what Tommy and his friends did. I promised him on his deathbed that I wouldn't tell anyone."

"Well that's just too f*****g bad, isn't it?" She stepped closer to me. "You'll ask her."

I swallowed. "Okay." I called Ruthie's number.

"Ruthie?" I said into the phone. I looked uneasily at Rachel, who was watching me like a hawk. She'd made me put the phone on speaker.

"Oh Ian! You were such a blessing to me today! I'm so happy you were there for me. I needed somebody to talk to who I wasn't too emotionally attached to. I don't know why, but I did. And you were there for me. How can I ever repay you?"

Rachel nodded at me. I sighed. "Well actually..." I started. I glanced at Rachel again, hoping she'd change her mind. Nope. "I was hoping I could ask you for a favor?"

"Of course! Anything!"

"There's a man - Toby - who wanted to see his old friend Eleanor again. He's been looking forward to it for a very long time. But Eleanor died recently, and Toby doesn't understand. He's mentally disabled. He can't grasp abstract concepts, like death. I was hoping, and I know this sounds crazy," I swallowed, "but I was hoping you could just...pretend...to be his friend Eleanor?"

"Hold on. You wouldn't happen to be talking about Eleanor Arlington, would you?"

"Well, yes. Did you know her?"

"I went to school with her. It's too bad about her death. And I think I knew Toby too. I don't remember his last name, but he was a big guy, right?"

"Yes, he-" Rachel's eyes widened towards me and she cleared her throat at me. "So, will you do it?"

"I'm sorry Ian, I would love to help, but I don't think I could lie to someone like that. And he's going to have to come to terms with death eventually, you know. As much as I wish I didn't know it existed, it does, and he can't go his entire life thinking it doesn't. When he loses someone he can't just pretend they're still alive, you know? I'm sorry, I just-"

Rachel grabbed the phone out of my hand and turned it off speaker. "Listen here, you old broad! You will be Eleanor, and you will make Toby happy. You will tell him you love him, and make sure he isn't disappointed. Got it?...Or what?"

She rolled her eyes and looked at me. "She's asking 'or what'!" she said quietly, holding the phone away from her face. She brought it back to her ear.

"Or else. Do as I say and you won't have to find out... Wise choice."

She held the phone away again with a devious smirk on her face. "She'll do it," she told me.

"I'll be over there in twenty minutes. Be ready... Good." She hung up and smiled a very disturbing smile.

"Toby," she called, walking back into the house. Toby sat pouting with his arms folded in front of him.

"Why don't you never let me listen? Why is it always private conbersations?"

"Get up and shut your mouth, dumbass." Toby's eyes widened, but he stayed seated. "Now!" she demanded. He sprang out of his seat with impressive ease for his age. Rachel smiled that smile again. That evil smile. "We're going to see your old friend. The love of your life. Eleanor."