May 3, 1999

Springfield Gazette

LOCAL GIRL MISSING

By John Storham

“Springfield, Nebraska – 7-year-old Emily Lamont was reported missing when she failed to return home from school. At 11 p.m. on June 1^st, Emily’s 11-year-old sister Leanne called 911 to report her sister missing. She was last seen leaving Lee Elementary at 2 p.m. the same day.

‘She comes in every morning with a smile, she just lights up the room.’ said Mrs. Smith, Emily’s teacher.

The Springfield Police are seeking volunteers for a search party. To participate, please contact Sgt. Masterson. Emily has green eyes, long brown hair, and is 4 ft. 2 inches. She was last seen wearing a brown sun dress with small blue flowers.”

July 10, 1999

Springfield Gazette

DEBATE OVER NEW MEDIAN ON MAIN STREET HEATS UP

By John Storham

July 17, 1999

To: Leanne Lamont

715 East Michigan Rd

Springfield NE

Sometimes, especially on sunny days, I like to play a little game with her bones. I take them to a field and spread them on a blanket. Then I put her back together, but not like she was before. I make her new every time. She’s so delicate, your sister Emily. Like a little bird. She came apart quite easily.

November 9, 2000

To: Leanne Lamont

715 East Michigan Rd

Springfield NE

The best part of killing, they say, is seeing the light go out of your chosen’s eyes. But that’s misleading. It’s not the life itself leaving the body that’s transcendent. It’s the hope, watching it drain away – that’s the beauty of it. There are as many ways to murder as there are to love.

May 3, 2001

To: Leanne Lamont

2256 Crossing Place

Kearney NE

Have you ever seen a mandala? It’s a wonderful art form. The best ones are made in sand and then destroyed once they’re done. I was tempted to make Emily into ash but then I worried the wind might catch her and part of her would fly away, so I kept her bones intact instead. Truth be told, I didn’t want to share her, not even with the breeze.

September 27, 2003

To: Leanne Lamont

414 J St

Red Cloud NE

Would it make you feel better to know your sister’s not alone? She asked for you, Leanne. She cried for her mommy too, but it was your name in her throat when her voice gave out. I thought you should know.

January 1, 2005

To: Leanne Lamont

Youth Rehabilitation and Treatment Center

2802 30^th Ave

Kearney NE

I think of you often, Leanne. Probably as often as you think of me. I do so wish you had been with her that day, as you usually were. It was meant to be the two of you, together. How does that make you feel?

April 14, 2018

To: Leanne Lamont

1007 Michigan Ave

Apt. 2C

Omaha, NE

I’ve been watching you, Leanne. I can see I never stray far from your thoughts. I am with you every day. You may not know who I am exactly – your neighbour, your co-worker at the laundromat, the footsteps on the pavement behind you as you walk home to that awful little apartment that smells like rotting fruit.

You may think you want to be free of me but we both know that’s not true. Without me, you don’t know who you are.

Your mind is my kingdom. I own the grass and the sky and the air you breathe. I own your voice. I own your throat.

You’ll reject that idea, of course. But tell me, when you close your eyes, what is it you see?

April 26, 2018

To: Leanne Lamont

1007 Michigan Ave

Apt. 2C

Omaha, NE

You seem so fragile, Leanne. Don’t worry. You won’t be alone for much longer.

May 2, 2018

Omaha World Herald

LOCAL WOMAN SENTENCED

By Helen Gregor

“Omaha, Nebraska – A 30-year-old woman, Leanne Lamont, was sentenced today for assaulting bartender Jake Hastings, 52, in the early morning hours of May 1 as Mr. Hastings was walking home from work.

Ms. Lamont’s lawyers entered a plea of not guilty due to temporary insanity. They argued that a childhood trauma – the unsolved disappearance of her younger sister – had caused a paranoid delusion that Mr. Hastings was the man responsible for her sister’s abduction.

Leanne declined to testify.

She has been sentenced to three years in a psychiatric facility, followed by two years of probation.”

May 3, 2018

Sunland Hospital

Springfield, NE

Patient Log: Leanne Lamont, Session 1 – Physician’s Summary

Attending Physician: Dr. Alan Harris

The patient, Leanne Lamont, has a juvenile record that speaks to long-standing untreated mental health issues including self-harm, paranoid delusions, substance abuse, and possible schizophrenia.

I am in the unique position of having consulted with local police on Emily Lamont’s case in 1999, thus I am well aware of patient’s background.

Ms. Lamont did not recognize me.

We discussed her mother’s transience; her struggles in school; her shoplifting and subsequent juvenile detention; her associate’s degree; abusive relationships; the runt kitten she rescued that died after a month. I asked her what she had wanted to be when she grew up.

A pilot, she said. She wanted to fly. But that was a long time ago. She laughed a little. Her face changes when she smiles, it becomes more youthful.

I presented her with several Rorschach tests. Her responses were:

A banana

A wreath

A playground

A car

I then presented her with a different type of image. One of my favorites: a mandala. At first, she seemed troubled.

Then she began to scream.

*Medical Note: Administered sedative.

Now you see.

Kate Brewer