But even as he said it, he knew it was a lie. A soft sound came from the doorway. The night cleaning staff moved quietly through the mansion after midnight. Usually Leonard ignored them. Tonight he noticed a woman standing there, not moving, not speaking.
She was small, middle aged, with streaks of gray in her dark hair. Her uniform was simple. Her name tag read June Carter. She had worked at the estate for only six weeks. She never spoke unless spoken to. She cleaned quickly and vanished like a shadow.
Now she watched Catherine with eyes that did not look away.
Leonard felt irritation rise. “Can I help you,” he asked sharply.
June hesitated, then stepped inside. “Sir,” she said softly. “I know this sounds strange. But I have seen this kind of suffering before.”
Leonard stared at her, disbelief mixing with exhaustion.
“You are a cleaner,” he said. “I have world class doctors here. What could you possibly know that they do not.”
June did not shrink back.
“I am not saying I know more,” she replied. “I am saying I know something different. Sometimes illness is not only physical.”
Leonard almost laughed, but Catherine suddenly arched in agony, a hoarse cry escaping her lips. The machines beeped faster. Leonard’s heart dropped.
He looked back at June. “What do you want to do,” he asked quietly.
June swallowed, her hands trembling. “I want to try something that may sound foolish to you. But I will not touch her unless you allow it.”
Leonard looked at his mother’s face twisted in unbearable pain. Desperation beat down his pride.
“Do it,” he said. “Whatever you think might help.”
June nodded. “Everyone else must leave the room.”
Leonard shook his head. “I stay.”
June accepted it.
The nurses stepped out. The machines kept humming. Rain kept hammering the windows. June walked to the head of the bed and closed her eyes. She lifted her hands slightly above Catherine’s head as though feeling heat from invisible fire.
The room felt colder.
June whispered, “There is something here that does not belong. It sits on her thoughts like a parasite.”
Leonard felt the hair on his arms rise. “What is it,” he asked.
June moved her fingers slowly through the air above Catherine’s right temple.
“It is a mark of bitterness,” she said. “Someone wished harm, and the wish stayed.”
Leonard’s voice trembled. “Are you saying someone cursed my mother.”