InSight

time she finished with both men and two other patients, the residual effects of her sleepless night caught up with her.
    “Go home, Abby,” Cleo said. “It’s Friday, you don’t have another patient, and you’re exhausted.”
    Abby massaged her neck. “I think I will.” Lucy would be with Meyer most of the weekend, and she wouldn’t have any distractions. She intended to spend tonight like she’d planned to spend last night. Alone, with a glass of wine and an audio book. She called the taxi service for an early pickup.
    When she got home and put the key in the lock, the door glided open. I know I locked it this morning. Calling Lucy’s name met with silence. Daisy refused to budge, and for the second time in two days, she expelled a low growl. Puzzled why her dog was acting out of character, Abby let go of the harness and within two steps knew. She tripped over something in the way and went flying onto the floor. Getting up, feet feeling things in her path, she realized the house had been ransacked. She tripped again.
    “Shit!” Pushing things aside, she crawled on hands and knees toward the ringing phone, out of place in the mess.
    “Things in the way en route to the phone?” a synthesized, androgynous voice asked when her shaky hand found the receiver.
    “Who is this?”
    “Your house was such a mess, I straightened it for you. How do you like it? Oops, I forgot. You can’t see.” The voice burst into a fit of electronic laughter before the phone clicked into silence.
    Abby had left the door wide open. Was the intruder nearby? Would he come back? She wanted to get up and lock the door, but fear kept her in place. She couldn’t move. Everything in the room had been rearranged. Nothing was more disorienting to a blind person than being in unfamiliar territory. She structured her life into neat, orderly areas. Every step counted, all items in place. She might as well have been in the middle of Times Square without Daisy. As she fumbled for the phone to call the police, it rang again.
    “Why are you doing this?” she asked.
    “Is…Is this Dr. Abigael Gallant?”
    “Who is this?” she asked tentatively.
    “My name is Pete Valkonis. I’m a friend of Luke McCallister. Are you all right? You sound upset.”
    “Someone broke into my house and everything’s turned upside down. I’m sitting on the floor afraid to move.” She heard the man relating what she said to someone else.
    “What’s your address? We’ll be right over.”
    “Should I call the police?”
    “We are the police.”
    She gave him the address.
    With Daisy by her side, Abby sat anchored in place. She listened. Was someone inside watching? Feeling helpless and vulnerable, she reached for her purse to search for a defensive weapon. Where was it? She must have dropped it when she fell. Then she heard noises at the door and froze. Two men identified themselves as police. “I’m over here,” she said, as if they couldn’t see her parked in the middle of the room.
    “Jesus, what happened?”
    She recognized Luke McCallister’s voice as the two men moved things out of the way to get to her. “I don’t know. I came home and went flying.” A hand on her chin directed her face upward. She flinched until she realized Luke couldn’t see her mouth.
    “What happened?” he asked again.
    She repeated what she said and told them about the phone call. The other man straightened the furniture while Luke helped her to a chair.
    “Dr. Gallant, I’m Pete Valkonis, the one you spoke to on the phone.”
    “What does the place look like?”
    “A mess,” Pete said. “A crime scene unit is on the way. Did you touch anything?”
    “No, I put the key in the door and it swung open.”
    “Maybe there’s a print off the broken door lock.”
    Abby’s stomach took a dive. “The lock’s broken?”
    “I can get someone to fix it if you give me the word.”
    “Thank you. Yes, please.” She massaged her temple in an effort to finesse a threatening headache from taking hold. “Why would anyone do this?”
    Again, the hand directed her face. “Have you had any hostile patients?” Luke’s words were clipped in concern, but he kept his voice calm. “Anyone who didn’t agree with your evaluation or method?”
    She riffled through her mental Rolodex. “No one I’d consider capable of doing this. And I should know, shouldn’t I? I mean I couldn’t miss something like that.”
    “No, I doubt you could,” Luke said.
    She told them