“I’m sorry. I mean, I don’t think there is a problem with Jessica herself. Most young children are extremely imaginative, and it often worries the parents. Imaginary friends, for example. At Jessica’s age, most children make up imaginary companions, and a lot of them carry it to your daughter’s extreme or even further. It’s good for them, good for the mind and developing normal human relationships.” He paused. “The problem is in how these encounters or dreams are taking shape. Now, I’m not a psychiatrist, but I can make a pretty educated guess at why she is having these nightmares. You and your husband have been having some sort of trouble, am I right?”

“Yes,” she said slowly. “He was out of work for about a year, until he got the job at Jackson Hydro. We moved here about a week ago.”

“So Jessica had to leave the only place she’s known, the place she has grown up in. Naturally, she’s feeling a lot of stress. She could be vocalizing her fear of the move, transferring her anxiety into something she can handle.”

“Or?” Helen asked.

“The other possibility is that she’s really seen something that’s frightened her.”

“Are you actually suggesting we have some kind of stalker?”

“I’m not saying that. But children’s active imaginations don’t always measure up to their ability to process information, to reason things out. To them, a shadow moving across a window really is a monster waiting to jump at them in the dark. An argument overheard late at night—”

“We don’t argue in front of Jessie,” she said. “We’re very careful about that.”

Dr. Mudd smiled. “I’m sure you are. My point is, children don’t know how to process things that frighten them, and so they make up their own answers. In Jes- sica’s case, she’s imagined the bogeyman.”

“And you’re sure it’s nothing physical?”

“I want to examine the records from her pediatri- cian,” Mudd said. “But I don’t see anything that would lead me to believe there is anything physically wrong with her, no. You’ll need to keep a careful eye out for other symptoms—if she begins to report odd smells, for example, or persistent headaches. If anything like that happens, I want you to call me immediately.”

“Of course.”

“Mrs. Pierce, I’m really quite sure everything is fine. Just to be on the safe side, I’m going to recommend a therapist to you.” He drew a piece of paper from his front pocket, scribbled something and handed it to her. She stuffed it in her purse without looking at it.

“I’m also going to ask the police department here if they can check out the area around your home, just to be safe.”

“You don’t really think there could be somebody…”