“I can take down a report.”
“Oh, well, we can investigate the claims, but I haven’t seen any evidence.”
“We are supposed to take the word of people with known reality-altering illnesses?”
It was the same dead-end repeated multiple times but phrased in various forms. Emily felt utterly defeated at this point. She was met with walls marred by criticism. She figured that in this field her colleagues and superiors would be more inclined to believe victims. Who knew how many more people were hurt as a result of Walter? Over a few months, she had found seventeen.
A bench caught Emily as she took a seat down clutching the useless file against her chest. What lines were being crossed if she went to speak to Tara herself? Damian had mentioned her strange behavior. In all the years of working with Tara, there had never been any symptoms like these because of medications. Could it be due to medications or a stressor that triggered this?
Emily had only worked with Tara as a child. Her diagnoses were many when they started, and when they got close to finding the source? Emily had gotten too close to continue on treatment. They had blurred the line despite best efforts to avoid it occurring. So she thought that someone, as qualified as Walter Malcolm, would have been an ace in the hole.
Tara Dola was a kind individual. However, she suffered from severe PTSD. Hints calculated to be a result of abuse at the hands of her parents. Perhaps even an event. There were times when Tara would close completely up during sessions and stare out the window as if it were playing a scene from a movie. They were never able to locate the source. A heavy regret which only seemed to increase for Emily with current circumstances.
Luteces are a set of two intense cases…
Emily’s eyes shut as a deep breath filled her lungs. Suddenly, the next move was confirmed. With the file in hand, the brunette woman rose from the bench. She examined the road then began the trip back to her car.
—
A silent alarm was going off… Emily knew there was one currently ringing because the left window was broken. Pieces scattered across the floor while her trembling hands dug through the desk’s contents. They were basic documents and none of them seemed nefarious in nature. She yanked open drawer after drawer to find *anything* concrete. True evidence for the police and board to take the claims seriously!
The next yank at the handle of a drawer nearly popped her wrist! It was locked? Bingo. Emily held the small flashlight in her mouth between her teeth as she ran over to pick up a small marble statue. The Lady of Justice was about to help her. The irony was not lost on Emily as it was bashed into the door splintering the wood. She dropped it to the floor digging in the drawer to pull out two orange bottles of mystery pills. They had no label. Bingo.
Emily shoved them into her bag before she sprinted to her escape into the frozen landscape outside!
—
“Thank you for meeting with me.” Emily began. Sat off to the side at a small coffee shop. Most of the patrons were face down in their laptops or phones. It supplied some comfort to the doctor as she pushed a small package across the table to Damian Lutece. “I want to begin by saying… I owe you an apology. If you accept this gift then I’ll be forced to end our professional relationship.”
Damian looked down at the parcel, his eyes narrowing at the gesture. “What is inside of this that would make us have to end our professional relationship?” It was best in his mind to open the package for himself. Her serene nature lent itself to shrouding what her intentions were. As he reached inside of the manilla envelope, he pulled its contents out. Documentations, handwritten records, and a little plastic bag with a single pill inside of it. Attached to said plastic bag was another document, pertaining to the chemical makeup of the pill. Damian pulled it away from the bag to give it a deep analysis.
Amidst this compound, he noticed the puzzle that is put together. Damian raised his head to meet Emily’s gaze. “This is a hallucinogenic. Why are you giving this to me?”
“Walter Malcolm has been dosing his patients with the substance. I have several sources that have confirmed it.” Emily’s voice had lowered and she leaned in. A combination of shame washed over her contrasting features. “Based on the composition, I believe it is used to induce blackouts.”
This was a leading statement.
Damian didn’t have to respond for the doctor to understand the torrent of feelings swirling within his body. The most immediate reaction to seep out was a fit of latent anger. Every memory of Tara wandering around began to play into his head in a rapid sequence. When he gazed up at Emily, he felt a few tears beginning to bud at the corner of his eyes. “I…I don’t know what to say, Doctor.”
He wiped away the tears, where the initialized shame fell apart for the earlier anger manifesting. Where the lack of fire was, there was coldness. He looked at the pill again, seeing them in numerous places in the household. “Thank you.”
“You are,” A sigh tainted her wordings, “welcome.” There was no meaning behind the words. Her hands gathered up the papers to ease them back inside her bag.
This sight of his form swelling over the table was direct deja vu of their first meeting in her office. Fear crept in of the capabilities and possibilities now constructed inside of his mind. It was precisely why the doctor had come to his doorstep. The very last option. “Tell Tara I said hello…”
Damian nodded as he stood up. No additional words were needed as Damian trudged back to his vehicle. When he sat against the seat, he let out a long exhale. He rested his head against the steering wheel, slamming his hand against the dashboard. “One, two, three, four, five,” Damian counted before he lifted his body up. Five seconds were all he could afford to waste.
He had a problem to fix.
