The Death of 1977 (Book 3)

"What has you so agitated, Jeremiah?" Dr. Roth asked seated behind his oak desk.

Jeremiah, with a full beard and a faded scar on the right side of his forehead, stood at the window inside Roth's office and stared down outside at the parking lot where fallen, red and orange leaves were scattering all over the ground in reckless abandon.

"Ever since you arrived here you've done nothing but mumble and wander like a nomad." Roth mentioned with a glint of worry and concern in his voice.

Adorned in a grey sweat suit and dirty sneakers, Jeremiah had to yank his lazy attention away from the window just so he could turn around and not only see the doctor, but also the office in which he had been inside for nearly an hour that uncannily reminded him of his own old workplace.

With a slight limp attached to his walk, Jeremiah began pacing the floor. "I...I don't know what you want me to say." He rolled his eyes.

"I just want you to come to terms with all that has you so wound up." Roth pleaded.

Sniggering while tossing up his hands, Jeremiah replied, "Wound up? Are you kidding me, Dr. Roth? I'm not wound up, I'm ground chuck in the middle of the damn road."

Taking his pen and writing on a piece of paper in front of him, Roth said, "Okay, that's a start."

Jeremiah stopped pacing and looked straight ahead at the older, rail thin, balding man whose glasses appeared as if they were two seconds away from sliding right off of his face and onto his desk. Just watching Roth scribble away on his pad caused Jeremiah to ball up his fists. He could actually feel his own face turn red with fury the longer the man wrote.

"What makes you feel that way?" Roth asked while still writing.

Jeremiah continued to stare daggers at the man while saying, "You never told me that this would be a professional evaluation."

Roth quit writing at that instant before placing his pen down and looking straight up at Jeremiah with a thoughtful presence engraved all over his face.

"Jeremiah, I have known you ever since you were born. Your parents and I have been friends for over forty years. I would and could never do anything to jeopardize not only our trust, but also our friendship. With that being said, however, I would be remiss if as a doctor I did not conduct a professional opinion of your situation."

Sighing, Jeremiah replied, "Wow, that makes me feel so optimistic. I feel like Dustin Hoffman right before the damn drill."

"Why such a sarcastic remark," Roth looked confused.

Shaking his head, Jeremiah replied, "I've been in here for about forty-nine minutes and nothing has been resolved. I can stand here and pull out every cliché in the book, every witty shred of denial and still wonder why I'm here to begin with."

For a few moments the office sat perfectly quiet and still. Roth then stood up behind his desk. "Young man, please, have a seat."

Jeremiah hesitated with all his might at first, but upon realizing that his right leg was in more pain than he would have admitted, he eventually walked over and took the chair that sat in front of Roth's desk.

Sitting himself back down in his seat, Roth said, "This is completely off the record. I've wanted to speak with you ever since this past summer. You've gone above and beyond in avoiding me, as well as others in your life. All this sarcasm and belligerence that you're carrying with you is not only harmful, but it is getting you nowhere as far as the truth is concerned."

Jeremiah sat inside his chair and sulked like a child. Every word that Roth was speaking felt genuine, but their potency was saliva dropping into an ocean. The young man's skin at that point was impenetrable as stone.

"When you were a child, you were the most ambitious young man I had ever seen." Roth explained. "Always wanting to do something; never content with just being content. You always excelled at almost everything you put your hands to. You graduated at the top of your class. Came into a prestigious institution where you were respected. Received a promotion to Boston of all places. Then...then it all came to a screeching halt. So now I ask you, young man, what has you so agitated?"

Jeremiah could have melted right there inside his chair. He wanted to be anywhere but in front of Dr. Roth. No matter what the man said, 'off the record' only meant that he wouldn't be

Sighing, Jeremiah said, "When my parents suggested that I come to you, I was more

"On the other end of

the man at that moment in the most surprised manner possible. It wasn't what he was going to say, but right then, the

about your behavior and mindset ever since the incident back in July. I can totally understand that it was a traumatic situation, but with the exception of the police, you haven't discussed

"So what is this," Jeremiah looked all around,

to another trying

clung tightly to the chair's handles as though he were about to take off on a

Cohen had left your office. What caused you to go with her in the

know for sure. I just hopped into her vehicle and took off down the road with her. We talked and talked before we

"Then

"Yeah," Jeremiah covered his

"What do you suppose caused Gloria to do what

For Jeremiah, his responses had to be well-crafted and systematic. No way was he going to allow Roth

was being beaten half to

were found nearly twenty miles away from Cummins' house; nowhere near where Gloria was

"Yeah, that's funny, isn't it?" Jeremiah

that while Gloria was

right then perked up. "No...I didn't know that." He

was also hooked on heavy doses of valium for both depression and anxiety

and after so many months, Jeremiah could not find it within himself to give Gloria much

else occurred while you were out there, Jeremiah." Roth scrupulously peered

up. "You're right, at one time I was ambitious. Full of

"I assume this 'him' you are referring to is

He nonchalantly nodded. "Can you tell me how a guy that I barely even knew could have such a profound effect on a

"Well,

being. I studied it all back in school. That guy had something attached to him. I noticed it the last day I saw him alive, and all the days following. And

most methodical stare imaginable. "Would that same something

own chest at that very instant. It took at least

Shaking a fidgety right index finger, Jeremiah snidely remarked, "Nice

I am in no way trying to aggravate you. But you know full well that I do not adhere to superstitions. What happened to Mercer was all due to his inability to conform to society upon his release from Ashlandview. These things happen

at Roth. There was no anger or bitterness inside of him, just plain emptiness the likes even he himself

"Do you know what happened to me

all means,

inside, nothing in there. I pull out all the clothes and shoes, and still find nothing. Then around say, one a.m., the same damn racket happens. By then, my cat runs out of the room scared to death. I get my flashlight, open the door, and inside, what do I find? A collection of crayons lying on

Shrugging his shoulders, Roth asked, "Just where did the