Echoes Of Influence

By Pharaoh Mac

When retired hypnotist Dr. Lillian Marlow is asked by police to consult on a baffling case, she's reluctant to return to a world she thought she'd left behind. But the murders are too strange to ignore: each victim appears to have committed their own death, seemingly under someone else's control. As Lillian digs deeper, she uncovers a hidden underworld of powerful individuals using hypnosis and mind manipulation as weapons—and realizes she may be their next target.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Pharaoh Mac
• Release date: Oct 25, 2024
• ISBN: 9798227473158

Book preview

Table of Contents

Echoes of Influence

1. Chapter 1: The Awakening

• Lillian’s retired life is interrupted by a chilling murder investigation.

2. Chapter 2: The Call to Action

• Lillian receives an urgent request for help from an old acquaintance.

3. Chapter 3: The Hypnotist’s Secrets

• Delving into Lillian’s past and the world of hypnosis.

4. Chapter 4: The First Clue

• A surprising lead emerges, hinting at a deeper conspiracy.

5. Chapter 5: Shadows of the Past

• Lillian confronts her memories and the dark side of her profession.

6. Chapter 6: The Network Revealed

• Uncovering a web of manipulation tied to Tobias Grey.

7. Chapter 7: The First Encounter

• Lillian and her ally Vega confront a key player in the mind control scheme.

8. Chapter 8: Descent into Darkness

• The investigation leads them to an underground world of influence.

9. Chapter 9: The Rescue Mission

• A daring plan to save the victims from Grey’s grasp.

10. Chapter 10: Into the Shadows

• The fallout of their actions and the looming threat of Tobias Grey.

Echoes of Influence

by Pharaoh Mac

Chapter 1: The Call

The rain fell in heavy sheets against the city, blurring streetlights and casting shadows that seemed to breathe and shift in the darkness. Dr. Lillian Marlow sat at her desk, a thin, dusty lamp casting a warm glow on her papers. Stacks of psychology journals and an ancient-looking typewriter filled the room, remnants of the life she’d tried so hard to leave behind. It was an odd relic, the typewriter, but she liked the way it felt beneath her fingers—the clack of the keys and the way it kept her anchored to the present. It was solid. Unlike the dreams.

She had just begun to relax with her evening tea when her phone rang, the shrill sound cutting through the quiet like a knife. She picked up, eyeing the clock as she brought the phone to her ear. Almost midnight. No one called her this late. Not anymore.

Dr. Marlow? A familiar voice, low and tentative, came through the line. Detective Mark Vega.

Lillian frowned, her fingers tightening around the receiver. She hadn’t heard from Mark in years, not since she’d decided to retire from consulting on police cases. She’d left that life behind for good reason—too many nights staring into the empty eyes of the disturbed, the deranged, those who’d crossed the boundaries of human morality. Her work in hypnosis had helped people, yes, but it had also dragged her into the minds of some of the darkest criminals.

Vega, she replied, a slight edge in her tone. It’s late. What’s this about?

There was a pause, the kind that stretched and hinted at something unsaid. I wouldn’t be calling unless it was important, Lillian. I need your help with something… unusual.

She knew that word well, the one detectives used to hint at cases that defied explanation. Strange murders, disappearances that defied logic, crime scenes that felt off. All reasons they used to bring in a hypnotist with a knack for reading people. But she wasn’t that person anymore. Not after the last case.

Mark, I’m retired. I left that world for a reason.

Please, just hear me out. Just one case, Lillian. It’s… complicated. This isn’t a murder we’re dealing with—at least, not in the usual sense.

She took a slow breath, her instincts already awakening in spite of her hesitation. Curiosity gnawed at her, the old thrill stirring as she imagined what could have pulled Mark out into the storm to make this call. She could picture him in his office, hair mussed, sleeves rolled up, looking as tired as he always had. But there was something in his voice—an edge she couldn’t ignore.

What’s happened? she asked, unable to fully suppress the curiosity creeping into her voice.

There’s been a series of suicides, he began, except they’re not suicides. Not really. Every victim was found dead by their own hand, and yet… He trailed off, as if struggling to articulate what he couldn’t quite explain. They weren’t acting of their own will.

Her mind raced, piecing together fragments of cases she’d read about over the years—post-hypnotic suggestions, subliminal programming. But to drive someone to take their own life? That required precision. Skill. An almost terrifying degree of control.

She leaned back in her chair, one hand toying with her tea cup as she considered. So you think they were… what? Hypnotized into killing themselves?

Maybe, he replied. That’s why I need you. The last victim left a note, something that made no sense to us. ‘Don’t follow the echoes.’

Lillian’s hand stilled. The