CHAPTER FOURTEEN

“Why dost not comfort me, and help me out from this unhallowed and blood-stained hole?”

- William Shakespeare

 

The music played softly as Leaf steered his black Porsche along the road leading into Aristocrat Hills. For the past few days, Nine had been avoiding him and he didn’t know why. Earlier he decided to take a break from the mansion and went to the bar to get a few drinks but no matter what he did, he couldn’t shake her from his mind.

He loved Nine.

But her nonchalant attitude about their marriage was taking its toll. Not only that, but he was tiring of the time she spent with Gates even though, to his knowledge, she hadn’t seen him in the past few days.

Something was certainly off in his marriage and he had to resolve it before it was too late. They came too far to end like this. The plan was to go in the house and have the maid, who just returned from sick leave, cook dinner. Then he would have a serious conversation with her.

When he raised the electronic remote, which opened the large iron gate with the word PROPHET scrawled into the pattern, he took a deep breath. A few seconds later, he saw what looked to be his wife walking down the street naked holding their child.

Was he losing his mind?

He blinked a few times, believing he was tripping but to no avail. Nine was as nude as the day she was born and her eyes were so bugged that you could barely see the browns of her pupils.

He whipped his car on the side of the road, hopped out and approached her with extreme urgency. Julius was crying at the top of his lungs and when he rushed in front of her, she attempted to move around him, her gaze remaining on the horizon. It was as if she didn’t recognize him.

“Nine, what’s going on?” She continued to push forward so he blocked her step, removed the baby from her arms and yelled, “What the fuck is going on, bae?” He got up in her face. “Talk to me!”

“Mrs. Prophet, Mrs. Prophet,” Banker yelled coming down the hill with a robe in her hand. “Please put this on!”

When Leaf saw her assistant, he was partially relieved because now he would have help. She walked up to him and he said, “Take the baby back to the house, Banker.” He snatched the robe and handed her the infant. “What happened to Nine?” He placed it on his wife’s body. “Why is she out here like this?”

“I don’t know,” she responded shivering. “One moment she was watching TV and drinking wine. The next thing I knew, she was yelling about people coming to get her and that she was too hot.” Her eyes widened and she covered her mouth with her hands. “Mr. Lincoln, I’m scared to work for her anymore,” she yelled putting on a performance. “I don’t know what to do!”

He put his hand on her shoulder. “Don’t be afraid, Banker. I need your help right now. Just take care of my son and I’ll talk about your future with us. Possibly even a raise. Okay?”

She nodded yes.

“Good, now take Julius in. I’ll be along in a minute.” She didn’t move. “Don’t be scared. Just go now.”

Banker finally walked up the hill toward the house with the infant in her arms.

With his son safe, Leaf turned around to get a hold of Nine who walked a yard or so out. Instead of speaking to her, he picked her up and tossed her over his shoulder. He moved toward his Porsche, placed her inside and eased back into the driver’s seat before she could contest.

As he kicked the car into drive, he gazed over at her periodically, wishing the strange-acting woman was anyone else but his wife. Placing a hand on her thigh, he said, “Baby, what’s going on?” His voice cracked and for a second he felt like less than a man for sounding so weak.

Was he about to cry?

But the pain he was feeling from not being able to assist his wife could no longer disguise itself. “Let me help you!” He paused. “Please!”

 

****

 

“You do not understand, someone is trying to kill me, Leaf!” Nine yelled. She was standing in the middle of the living room; a soft pink robe covered her body. “Look at him! He is there! He is over there!”

Leaf turned his head in the direction of her finger, knowing all the while that nothing was there. Besides, he looked in the same area twenty times earlier and never saw a figure once.

Slowly he moved toward her and the moment he laid his hands on her shoulder, with wild arms she swung, slapping him in the face with her knuckles as if he was trying to hurt her and she needed to defend herself. “They’re here! I need my gun because they’re here! Don’t you see them?”

Nine wiggled away from him and ran off to get her weapon but he wasn’t concerned. Ever since she started exhibiting psychotic behavior, he removed all of the guns and put them in a safe place. Flopping down on the sofa, he tried to figure a way out of this.

He wanted to talk to someone about his troubles but couldn’t go to his old friends. Prophet business was a sensitive matter that only other Prophets could understand.

But who could he trust?

When his cell phone vibrated in his pocket, he removed it and saw it was his cousin Noel. “Hey…” Leaf sounded as if the weight of the world was on his shoulders.

“What you doing right now?” Noel asked. “Trying to go to the bar to get some drinks?”

“Can’t leave the house, man.”

“Everything cool?”

“Nah.” He paused. “Nothing’s cool.”

 

****

 

Leaf and Noel stood at the door while Nine hollered and screamed how nobody was going to harm her. Leaf’s forehead was on the cool wood panel and his hand covered the doorknob as he battled with whether or not to go inside.

“How long has she been like this?”

“All day,” Leaf replied. “I don’t know what to do, man. If I call for help and she’s committed to an institution, she’ll never forgive me. I’ll never forgive myself. But if she dies...”

When they heard glass break Leaf pushed the door open and rushed inside the room. Nine had broken the window with her fist and blood trickled down her arm as she attempted to jump out. Leaf rushed up to her, tore the shirt from his body and wrapped it around her wrist to slow down the bleeding. He walked her to the edge of the bed and they both sat down.

“What are you doing to yourself?” Leaf yelled, a single tear rolling down his face. He turned to Noel who already had his phone in his hand and said, “Call Doctor Banning! Now!”