“I want to reassure your daughter,” Mudd said, “that I did everything I could. There’s no harm in having a car drive out there.”

“If you say so.” Helen stood up and offered him her hand. “Thank you for all your help, Doctor. I know you cheered Jessica up a great deal.”

“I hope I can do more than that. I want you to keep me posted on how things are going, all right?”

“Okay.” She turned to go.

“One other thing, Mrs. Pierce. Be very patient with your daughter. She is a remarkably intelligent girl; sometimes I don’t think any of us give children enough credit.”

Helen smiled and nodded. “You’re probably right. Thanks again.” She left him standing in the center of the examining room.

Helen picked David up at O’Leary’s minutes after he finished his conversation with the vet. She explained the doctor’s opinion to him briefly as they walked back to the car, Jessie waiting for them in the backseat. Helen seemed relatively calm, though uncertain of exactly what to believe. He sympathized. She had always had a phobia of psychiatrists.

It was tough to face the thought that their little girl needed professional help. On the other hand, the thought of some stalker out there in the woods was ridiculous. What proof did they have for that? A little girl’s dreams and a shed door that had probably been pawed at by some cold and hungry dog? He logically sided with the psychological explanation, yet something nagged at him.

The woods were empty, remember?

They stopped at the general store to buy groceries, the same one that had supplied them with the ice cream earlier. Helen shopped methodically, buying only the most necessary things as she had been trained to do these past few months: milk, bread, cereal, a few others. He watched her carefully for any sign of strain or collapse, but saw nothing other than the exhausted way her shoulders drooped, and reminded himself that the doctor had not recommended a psychiatrist because Jessie was crazy, only because she was having trouble adjusting to the move. Perhaps Helen needed to be reminded of that as well.

As they drove back to the house in relative silence, the wind picked up, rocking the little car with periodic gusts that quickly faded away, only to return, stronger the next time. It was four thirty, and the sun hovered just above the horizon. The sky remained clear.

We’ll lock the house up. I’ll check the place out and we’ll lock it up tight.

Somehow, he could not find comfort in the thought.