Read Online Ties That Bind by Phillip Margolin - Free Book Online

been dismissed, but not before the banker had lost his job, his wife, his house, and most of his savings. Amanda was certain that her client was contemplating suicide, so she had asked around for the name of a psychiatrist who was competent and compassionate.
    Ben Dodson’s office was across from the library on the fourth floor of an eight-story medical building. Dodson was slender, with a dark complexion, and looked younger than forty-two. Granny glasses magnified the psychiatrist’s blue eyes, and he wore his black hair almost to his shoulders. He stood up and flashed a ready smile when Amanda walked into his cozy office.
    “It’s good to see you again. How is Alan doing?”
    “Last I heard, he was working for a bank in Rhode Island,” Amanda said as she took a seat. “You really helped him.”
    Dodson shook his head. “I hope I never go through a tenth of what that poor bastard suffered. So, what brings you here? Have you got someone else for me to work with?”
    Amanda had practiced what she was going to say in her apartment, in her office, and during the walk to Dodson’s office, but now that she was here the words stuck in her throat. Dodson saw her distress and stopped smiling.
    “Are you okay?”
    Amanda didn’t know how to answer the psychiatrist. She wasn’t crazy, she felt fine most of the time. Maybe she’d made a mistake coming here.
    “Pretty dumb question, huh?” Dodson said. “If you were okay you wouldn’t be here. You want to tell me what’s bothering you?”
    Amanda still could not look at Dodson. “It’s . . . it’s stupid, really.”
    “But powerful enough for you to walk across town in the rain during your lunch hour. So, why don’t you tell me about it.”
    Amanda thought about Toby Brooks and her nightmares and the flashbacks to the tunnel. It all seemed so silly in Dodson’s office. Everyone gets scared, and she certainly had a good reason for her bad dreams.
    “I’m probably wasting your time.”
    “I’m not doing much right now, so that’s okay.”
    Amanda felt the heat rise in her cheeks. She hadn’t felt this embarrassed since she’d made a fool of herself in her first trial.
    “A week or so ago, I was at the Y, the YMCA. I work out there. Anyway, I was swimming and this man came over. He . . . he was very handsome, about my age. He seemed nice.”
    Amanda’s voice caught. Dodson waited patiently while she gathered herself.
    “I panicked. I was terrified. I couldn’t breathe.”
    She stopped, feeling utterly ridiculous.
    “Has that ever happened to you before?” Dodson asked. His tone was calm and nonjudgmental, but Amanda didn’t know what to tell him.
    “Do you have any idea why you became so frightened?” Dodson asked when Amanda did not answer his question. She felt panicky now. She wanted to bolt. “Amanda?”
    “I might.”
    “Can you tell me?” Dodson asked softly.
    “How much do you know about what happened to me last year?”
    “I read the stories in the papers and it was on TV. The surgeon who tortured those women attacked you.”
    It felt very hot, very close in Dodson’s office, and that made her remember the tunnel. She stood up.
    “I have to go.”
    Dodson stood with her. “Amanda, I want to help you and I think I may have some idea about how to do it.”
    Amanda froze. “How could you know anything? I haven’t told you a thing.”
    “Can you sit down? Can I talk to you?”
    Amanda lowered herself onto the seat. She felt dizzy.
    “I’m going to get you a glass of water. Is that okay?”
    Amanda nodded. Dodson stepped out for a moment and returned with a glass of water. He sat down and waited while Amanda drank half of the glass.
    “Can I make a few guesses?” Dodson asked.
    Amanda nodded warily.
    “You approved of my work with Alan Ellis. Am I right?”
    “Yes.”
    “And you came here to talk to me because you know from Alan’s case that I can help people who are troubled.”
    Amanda’s throat constricted and her eyes grew