"What do you say to a woman who asks you if she looks different?, he asked me. "I know she is getting older. A couple of weeks ..maybe a month at most more and she will cease to capture my interest. Its inevitable. I know it. You know it. Heck! She knows it too. ...Or atleast I think she does..." he had continued in this vein without waiting for me to respond. After nearly a decade of knowing him, I had gotten used to it. I had also become accustomed to his monologues. My eyes quickly flashed to the old grandfather clock with roman numerals on the wall. A lucky find at the antique bazaar. It was atleast fifty years old and made of bronze. Although old and a bit offputting for those who like their bronze to shine, I loved the watch. I had loved it at first sight in college and had purchased it with a month's worth of savings. Since I did not go out much it had not been hard. Caring for it was just as fulfilling. I kept it well oiled and tuned. Yes sometimes it lost a bit of time but then it was a beauty to behold. I could still see the the pendulum rocking back and forth through the glass window near the base. The face was octagonal- a bit of a rarity in such clocks..There was no seconds hand either. But then again did I really need to count the seconds? No. No I just had to wait for a half hour to pass and then he would rush out the door without having me spoken a word. Except for the initial greeting that I offered perfunctorily. I smiled as I realised that nothing really had changed in all the time I had known him.
Him being Jose "Joey Casanova" Cuervo. I met him in college quite by an accident actually. Not his but rather an accident that his former roommate suffered. I am a little shaky on the details now but I remember something about his roommate having caught some sort of bug. One of those diseases that is contagious but not life endangering. In any case James or Joey as he insisted I address him as had had to move into my room. Mine was a double seater but slightly smaller than all the other rooms in the undergraduate dormitory at Harvard. And so most had chosen the other rooms. I did not mind the smaller size of the room. The second bed was now a spare bed that my elder brother would use when he passed through town infrequently. He usually let me have the money his company gave him for the hotel stay in lieu of using the bed. I did not complain. It was a tidy sum even in those days that I used to indulge my passion for books. So I wasnt pleased to say the least with this new arrangement that caused me to lose a nice, though irregular income. I had had the room all to myself the first year and a half of college and had grown to enjoy the solitude. I had never been into socializing and this room had been perfect. No room-mate had other perks as well. No one night stands by the roommate that needed me to stay out or spend the time in the hallways. The room had been the smallest but the arrangement was perfect. I had watched him move in and continue talking about the latest person he had scored with a few hours ago. I had wondered then how many hours it would be before he told me to clear the room so he could have one of his trysts. As he continued talking about Becky..no that wasnt it..Mandy? Chelsea?...Oh I dont remember. There have been so many names that I stopped keeping count or track for that matter. In any case his moniker was well deserved. Born to a Mexican father and an Italian mother, Jose had inherited his good looks and genes from both. I met them a few months later and I was amazed to see how handsome his father was and how young his mother looked even in their early sixties. His charm came from his father and that was clearly evident. Although I doubt his father had felt the need to go after anything in a skirt since meeting his mother. In any case, I inferred that from his comment that he had been a sort of surprise for his parents born almost eight years after their fifth and last child. Joey was the youngest and throughly spoilt as a result. His confidence he gained from his mother, who clearly knew what effect she had on men. I had found most of the boys in the dormitory loitering around my room one evening and discovered later why. She had come to visit her son and was waiting for him there. After that I always knew when she was in our dormitory by the way they behaved. Joey had gained his first moniker at eleven. With his boyish grin, charm and confidence, he resembled the Joseph Tribbiani of F.R.I.E.N.D.S quite closely. Save for his smooth straight long jet black hair. I know women would have loved to have a head of hair like his and he let it grow long. I wondered why his parents had not objected. Mine had insisted I shear mine to a buzz cut with frequent regularity. Probably a result of being born into an Army family. My father or the Colonel insisted on that and many other rules that are found in such families. I did not mind although my classmates had always found it a reason to make fun of me. That and my shabby clothes. Army personnel are not paid well and my parents did the best they could with four other kids to clothe and feed. We had moved fairly often and as a result I never did form any close friendships. In fact Joey would be the only friend I made and that too only because he had been forced to move into my room.
I wondered as he continued his monologue about his conquest of the prior evening, how I should break it to him that I would prefer if he kept his trophies and the goings on outside of these rooms. A direct approach had seemed tactless. Initially at least. However as he continued with his sordid tale, I realised that it might be best to get it over with quickly.
"...so she was on top and I..." he was saying.
"Joey, I know you have an ...an active social life. But could we keep things PG in the room? I mean if you could..." I remember blurting out but soon found myself at a loss for words.
He had looked at me shocked for a few minutes. And then he had burst out laughing. He had an infectious carefree laugh that drew everyone in. I waited with bated breath. I was qutie sure he would tell me to go jump in the well or something. Where was I getting off telling the great Joey what he could or could not do? I was but a gangly chess playing pimple faced kid with glasses and the barest hint of muscle while he was the football quarterback all star, 6'2" tall muscular jock. It was a bit of a joke if you ask me that he had been placed in my room. Joey for all his popularity was quite down to earth. A rare thing. He admired my chess skills and even the rare marble chess board that my father had given me as a gift for getting into Harvard. Another rare thing. He had offered to buy that from me on a number of occasions. He knew what the board meant to me and so when I looked shocked at his proposal he would laugh. Just like he was laughing now. It took a while before he stopped laughing and then told me that I need not worry. He never brought home any of his, and I quote, "babes". Its best that they not know where he lived, he told me with a rougish wink. I did not honestly know what to make of it. So I had just let it pass. True to his word, he never did. I was surprised though when he did not opt to move back at the end of the quarantine period. By then he and his tales had grown on me. I did not really have much to share and so was quite content in smiling and nodding at him. At appropriate times when he glanced in my direction to make sure that I was still listening. Or was it to make sure that I had not fallen asleep.
College ended and I did well on the MCATs. I had to cross the pond to join the medical school. medical school while Joey went off to law school. I found it rather weird that he opted to study law. He had never shown much interest in books. Well not unless they were about women or helped him understand them better. Although on the latter I still have my doubts. There are men who like women and Joey was one of them. He was a predator. The one parents warn their little girls to stay away from. I realise I am using cliches but trust me, Joey was just that guy. And yet for some reason we had kept in touch over the years. I did start dating in medical school. Infrequently at first and then I met her. Rebecca. She came from a conservative family and had not been allowed to date through school and college. We started dating only because she and I were on the same group for rotations. We spent so many hours together that it had not even been dating at first. Not until one night after the others had left that she asked me flatly.
"I am assuming you ARE going to ask me out on a date at some point? Or will I HAVE to do that too?" as she stood there with her right hand on her hip and her cute blonde turned to right that I had gone down on my knee and used a line from Top Gun. Thankfully it had worked and she had agreed to go out on me. Two years into my psychiatry residency and six years after we had been going out, I had finally asked her to marry me. But even then it was still a bit indirect. I had ignored all the hints she had been dropping for a year then. Frankly a deaf and blind person would have gotten her hints. I was too shy to ask her directly so had hit upon a plan. I had put the ring on her toothbrush- the one she used when she slept over and had written out the question on the mirror in her favorite pink lipstick. I had waited till she went to the bathroom in the morning to get on my knees for the second time in our relationship and held a single purple orchid. Waiting with bated breath for her to discover. Her shrieks had woken up pretty much everyone in the house. When she opened the door, she was in tears and had screamed her assent for a while. I had had to kiss her to get her to stop. Although that had not really done much good. My housemates forgave me when they found out why she had been shrieking. She hadnt. Not for ruining her favorite lipstick. 50$ it had cost me to replace it. Who knew lipstick could cost so much. I did not care about that. I would have asked my brother to be the best man but he had been killed a couple of years ago and my father had died of natural causes a few months ago. So Joey was my choice for best man. In fact my only option. He had taken his duties quite seriously. Stayed sober till the toast and then of course had ended up "scoring touchdowns" with all the bridesmaids. Even the much older forty year old spinster cousin of my wife. I had feigned complete ignorance of the goings on when my wife had confronted me. I knew of course that this was bound to happen. What does one expect when one leaves a wolf free to roam in a chicken coop. I had taken the precaution of spending my meager inheritance and emptied out my savings for a honeymoon in Hawaii. Rebecca had forgotten all about the goings on at the wedding on the first class flight over. Right after the first glass of champagne. I was quite sure I would hear the sordid details once we returned first hand from Joey.
Joey had earned his second much deserved nickname from his numerous affairs. He was like catnip to women. And he could not stay away. One had pretty eyes. Another a beautiful smile. A third had the right...You know what I mean...He had "hooked up" with pretty much every girl who had walked through our campus in those four years, including a few faculty members and the dean's daughter. He had narrowly escaped being expelled. That too only because the coach went to bat on his behalf. He had carried our college in their games against Yale. I sometimes wondered why he had chosen Harvard of all places? We did not really have a sports department to write home about. But Joey was Joey. In college he would tell me of his adventures regularly. After we moved out, I sort of lost touch of what was going on in his life. I hardly had had time in medical school to keep in touch. But Joey would burst into my life every few weeks and catch me up on his life events. As we progressed in our chosen professions, these visits became more infrequent. I sometimes missed our days in the college dorms. In a way I was living vicariously through him. His adventures were hilarious. Some even dangerous. Like the time a lady's boyfriend walked in on them. He narrowly escaped being shot and even ended up becoming friends with the guy. I would not have believed him had I not known the boyfriend, a fellow medical school classmate. Another time, he had had to clamber down three floors using the fire escape wearing nothing more than his boxers, when the husband of the woman he was with had returned home suddenly. Straight out of some sleazy Hollywood movie. But all true. I wondered if Casanova had been as successful. And if Casanova had reveled in recounting his affairs with in such graphic detail. I think he got as much of a kick having those affairs as he did recounting them. And here he was. Recounting his latest one. It had been almost a year since I had seen him last. I was happy to see him inspite of what I knew was coming. A good half hour of him talking about his life before making polite inquiries and then leaving. Just as he had arrived. I always got the feeling that a hurricane had passed through my life whenever he made his irregular infrequent visits.
This visit had started the same way. We exchanged pleasantaries and then had started talking about his latest "friend". I could tell from the clock that it would be another twenty minutes before he left. He did seem a bit concerned this time though. Something was different. This woman was not like his other women. Something had changed. Or there was something that was bothering him.He had started out by taking a seat on my rocking chair but had soon tired of it and was now pacing my office. Slowly at first and then more rapidly as the clock kept ticking. Was he in love, I wondered? No not him. He did not fall in love. I sometimes wondered if he was capable of love or even if he knew what love was. He did have a bit of a narcissus complex. But that was to be expected. I wondered if he had other issues. I did not ask. I quickly stole my eyes away from the clock and met his gaze. I hoped he had not caught me looking at the clock. It did not seem like he had. I quickly nodded and he seemed reassured. He nodded and resumed his pacing.
"I dont know what got into me. I should never have ....she is married too...so there is no question of a future together assuming that I would even consider it...Plus she is married to an old friend. I would hate to do this to him. Hell I had never intended for this to happen. I did not even know when it happened. She is great though. A wildcat. Who knew. I am sure her husband does not know. He is a silent sort but you never know what they will do. The loud ones I know how to handle. You remember that fellow Kurt", he said referring to the fellow who had nearly shot him years ago. "Kurt was a breeze to handle. A couple of beers. A little logic and he was okay. The silent ones. The silent ones are the dangerous ones. They are unpredictable. The loud ones are all bark. The silent ones will slit your throat while looking at you in the eyes. I have seen it so many times. I was defending one such bastard a few weeks ago. I almost failed to keep him off the electric chair even though everyone including me knew he was guilty. Had killed his girlfriend and her lover in cold blood. After torturing them for hours. Even made the fellow swallow his privates." He shuddered involuntarily. I remembered reading about it in the papers. A thin gold rim wearing bespectacled accountant, a former choir boy and now scout troop leader. In short a complete nerd. Completely harmless. Except for the fact that he had killed his girlfriend and her lover in the most cold blooded fashion. He had spiked their drinks and waited for weeks before they had fallen in the trap. Then he had tied them up and slowly proceeded to dismember the lover while his girlfriend had watched. Those two had suffered. The reported had estimated that they had been alive for atleast 36 hours before he had slowly let them bleed to death. Joey's firm had been forced to take the case on. An innocent bystander would think that Joey only took the case out of guilt. Guilt for the number of times, Joey had been in the lover's shoes and escaped unscathed. A sort of penance by proxy or something. But I knew otherwise. There was no way the man would be let off and Joey had loved the challenge. The same way he loved to woo any woman into his arms. And into his bed. Or her bed.
He never brought them home. Infact I dont remember being nvited to his house in these years, although he had been to my house plenty of times. Mostly at birthday parties or other get-to-gethers. My wife seemed to have forgotten about his antics at our wedding. She had even gone so far as to setting him up, in spite of my rather bold protests, with one of her co-workers at one of these parties. Rachel. Come to think of it, I had never seen Rachel with him.. Nor had Rebecca ever spoken of setting him up with anyone after that. Rachel for her part had never uttered an ill word or thought about Joey. One does not send innocent sheep to a lion and expect them to fall in love. I was quite sure what had happened to Rachel. Joey was slightly different in that respect though. The usual womanizer will wine, dine, bed and then move on without so much as a second glance. But Joey was a class act. He had a way of leaving on amicable terms. Some of these women still remained friends with him. Whatever that meant. Michael Jackson would probably call him the smooth operator. I wondered sometimes why no one called him Bond. He was quite suave and charming. Well dressed and always seemed like he had just stepped out of the shower and dressed. I for my part looked like the perfect professor in my tween jackets with patched elbows. A style that I had picked up in college. Tweed jackets in those days were cheap and the leather patches a necessity to cover up the fraying at the elbows. These days the jackets cost a packet but I loved them so my wife let me indulge myself. Even now he was wearing dark blue denims- not the jeans that are frayed but the more expensive semi formal looking jeans. He wore a nice shirt and a dark jacket. Patent leather brown shoes and a nice Rolex watch. His dark hair was tousled and I could see the tie poking out from his top pocket. Although he seemed agitated, he was dressed quite well. You know there are some people who will put on something horrible and yet look amazing, while the greater majority of us could barely carry off a suit. Joey was in the former category.
"...I dont really know what to do...I want to end it...but I am afraid she will tell her husband....she is quite keen that we continue without him finding out...."He jumped up at this point with a small cry of pain jolting me back from my mental musing back to the scene that was unfolding before me. He had been pacing the room and had plopped down on the sofa in my office only to jump up. He was rummaging through his back pocket. He must have sat on his phone, I thought. Instead I saw him fish out a small black marble knight from his pocket. It was beautiful. These were quite rare. I had an entire set at him.
"...oh this ...I had picked it up the other day at her place but forgotten to put it back...." his voice trailed off. He placed it on the center table and continued with his musings. How they had gone into their affair. The entire sordid details. If I had had any talent in writing I could have written a few Mills & Boons sort of cheap novels out of the details of his life. Alas that was not to be...
"...anyway.." he took a deep breath and let out a sigh. "that's how it stands. How are things with you guys?" he asked me casually now. I muttered the usual things knowing that his departure was imminent. Sure enough, he left a few minutes later but not before making plans to meet up for dinner soon. From prior experience I knew he would cancel a couple of days before the dinner meet with some flimsy excuse. I played along but did not bother to make a note in my diary. After he left, I had a few things to take care of, a couple of evaluations and some paperwork. As I was leaving the office that day, I noticed the pretty little chess piece. He had left that behind. I would have to text him and let him know. I left it there. No sense taking it home and then bringing it back. He woudl probably swing by the office to collect it anyway. I left the office after wishing a good night to my assistant. Ruby. A nice girl. She smiled and wished me. By the time I reached my car, I was looking forward to seeing Rebecca and reading about this case I was due to evaluate the next morning. By the time I reached home I had forgotten all about the chess piece.
That evening, when we were getting ready to go to bed, I casually mentioned his visit to my wife. She was not very interested. I found that a bit weird. Usually she loved gossip. Especially this sort of gossip. Way better than the stuff in the tabloids these days, she used to say.Must have been a long day at the hospital. Rebecca had become a cardio-thoracic surgeon. A very demanding field. I did not think much of it. I wanted to read a bit for a patient was I supposed to evaluate the next morning. Rebecca seemed tired so I went into the library and read at my desk there. It was an interesting case. A kleptomaniac who had inadvertently stolen a gun and then been arrested while trying to pinch an umbrella from a chain store. The gun, as it turned out had been used in a murder, and so he had been arrested. He was referred to me to confirm whether he was a true kleptomaniac as his lawyer had claimed and a victim of circumstance or a killer. It did not help that he did not have an alibi. I chuckled at his bad luck as I finished reading his file. It was quite late and I decided to call it a night. As I turned off the light, the chess board caught my eye. Somehow it seemed to have been moved. No one came in here usually. This was my domain and my wife let me have this room all to myself. I clicked the light back on and walked over the marble topped table that supported the chess pieces. Sure enough, someone had moved the pieces. I would have to ask my wife about it in the morning. This had been my father's and I had fond memories of the table. As I re-arranged the pieces, I noticed one of the pieces was missing. A black knight. I looked under the table. No not there. I looked under the two deep brown leather high wingbacked chairs that flanked the table and people sat in when they played. No not under the chairs. Nor on them. This was strange. Where could that piece gone? I looked over at my desk. Had someone placed it on the desk? I walked over and check there. A half hour of carefully searching the room carefully on my hands and knees turned up nothing. I finally gave up and went to bed. Rebecca was already snoring softly. Deep in sleep. I would speak to her in the morning. The next morning, I woke up a bit late and rushed to the office, forgetting completely about my plans to ask Rebecca about the missing knight.
The office was fairly full that morning. A colleague had called in sick and so would I see a few of his cases? I could hardly refuse Ruby and nodded as I walked towards my office?.I heard her call out that he was already in my office. As I entered the office I saw him seated on the sofa waiting for me. He was playing with something but I had other things on my mind. I introduced myself and sat down. As we spoke, I quickly realised that he was an epileptic and needed to have his medications decreased. His current dose was cauaing hallucinations. I wrote him a new prescription and had Ruby send it over to the local pharmacy. As he left he complimented me on my chess piece and replaced it on the table. I thanked him absentmindedly and only after he had left did I notice the chess piece. A black knight sitting there.
ENDING 1: BURNT
The piece was there. Just where he had left it the previous evening. I remembered the black knight that was missing from my set. I walked over to the centre table and picked it up. It was exactly the same shape and size of the one that was missing from my set. That bastard. That Son of a.....I started cursing him when a knock interrupted my thoughts. Ruby poked her immaculately curled red hair crowned head in and told me that a friend had popped by. She had pushed my next appointment back by a few minutes. She smiled at me and stood back to let him enter.
"ah...I had hoped I had left it here...." Joey had walked in and noticed the chess piece that I was holding in my hands. "Good. Thanks for taking care of it. I would stay and chat but need to rush across town for a deposition. Thanks." he pocketed it with a rogish wink, pumped my hand whilst clapping me on the right shoulder with his left hand and then left.
I stood there gaping like a fool. He had not only had his way with my wife but also screwed me over in one move. The least he could have done was leave my chess set untouched. But true to form he had collected an even better prize. A piece of the chess set that I treasured so deeply. And there was nothing I could do.
ENDING 2: MEDIUM
The piece was there. Just where he had left it the previous evening. I remembered the black knight that was missing from my set. I walked over to the centre table and picked it up. It was exactly the same shape and size of the one that was missing from my set. That bastard. That Son of a.....I started cursing him when a knock interrupted my thoughts. Ruby poked her immaculately curled red hair crowned head in and told me that a friend had popped by earlier. He said he would stop by later. She handed me a note. Joey. That rat would stop by an hour later. He had some business that he need to take care of.. She had pushed my next appointment back by a few minutes. She smiled at me and closed the heavy mahogany doors behind her. I stood there gaping like a fool. He had not only had his way with my wife but also screwed me over in one move. The least he could have done was leave my chess set untouched. But true to form he was going to return to collect that piece. His trophy. A piece of the chess set that I treasured so deeply. And there was nothing I could do.
No this would just not do. Not this time. Kurt may have let Joey's deplorable behavior slide but not this time. Not me. No Sir. He would pay. I might have let it go had he just had his way with my wife. Oh dont judge me harshly. I am not a saint. I dont expect my wife to be either. Yes I did not do what Joey did and nor was I interested in sleeping around. My work consumed me. I had hardly been around. Who was I kidding. Eleven years and no children. She must have been driven into another's arms. I was just surprised that it had not happened sooner. I was no great prize either. I have to admit that. The first few years, we both had tried. It wasnt easy. Somehow along the way, our work won and we stopped. The perfect working power couple. Our energy was all gone by the time we both got home. The vacations we had promised to take every year had become every other year. And ....I dont even remember when we went on our last vacation. Oh we did get to travel. Conferences, reunions, Christmases and Thanksgivings. The occasional wedding perhaps. But these too felt like work these days. Our careers had taken over. I had wanted to talk to her about it but....It was too late now. It would have to wait till I dealt with this scum. I had always thought of him as a brother. Let him into my life. He had been my best man even. And he stole from me. Stole that one gift from my father that I had cherished. He knew how much I adored that chess set. No. This man would pay. And he would learn to respect other people. Their property. Their lives. Their loves. He had to be taught a lesson. How could he taunt me like that. He must have known I would find out. He had to have known. My thoughts were interrupted by a knock and the arrival of my next appointment. Mr Jones, the kleptomaniac who had stolen a gun by mistake. And landed up in jail. His guards, two young police officers let him in and also dropped off the entire box with the things he had been found with. The would wait outside in the waiting room facing Ruby's desk. They did not seem to want to wait outside my door. They never did. One look at Ruby was enough to make any man grow soft in the knees. I smiled and nodded my acceptance. They smiled and followed her to the waiting room. I for my part let Mr Jones into my room and closed the door behind me. Ruby's desk was at the end of a short corridor and the waiting room was just beside it.
. The case was interesting. Truly interesting. In other circumstances, I would have listened and jotted down detailed notes. I had even wanted to write a peper for our annual conference on this case. Today, after the betrayal I just couldn't focus. How could I get him? There had to be a way. As a forensic psychiatrist, I was intimately aware of the methods for crime detection. The crime in itself was not the tricky part. It was very easy to kill a person. Poison, bullets, electricity...there were a myriad ways by which a homicide could be made to look like a suicide. Made to look and yet be seen through. Modern forensic science had advanced a lot. There were so many methods today to readily distinguish a suicide from a homicide. Even the most smartest criminal left traces, evidence...something behind. I had been on countless such teams. In hindsight, some of them looked so foolish to have overlooked something. A thumb imprint. A glove...sometimes just a fiber from one of their socks. No I would have to plan this out. To the last degree. There was no room for error. If I made one, a colleague...no by then a former colleague of mine would be breaking through those doors to arrest me. And I did not fancy going to prison. Not for meting out justice. He deserved his fate many times over. How was the question? How? The man on the couch continued on. He was a kleptomaniac. There was no doubt about it.I would let him finish his spiel, certify that he was a kleptomaniac and then let the law take its own course. Could he have stolen the gun? Quite possibly. I could not say for sure and my report would say as much. As he droned on interminably, a plan started taking shape in my head. The more I thought of it, the more sense it made. Could the suspicion be cast on me? No. I would be in the clear. Heck I would even have an alibi. I was sure of it.
I went over the plan in my head a few times. Yes it would have to do. I had some work to do and there was not much time. I interrupted my patient.
"Mr. Jones. There is a new form of therapy. Hypnotherapy. It has been used in other conditions with good success. I wonder if you have tried it? I dont see any mention of this in your records so am not sure..."
Mr. Jones turned to look at me. He shook his head.
'I dont think so. But I am willing to try...Anything..I just want to be rid of this...this affliction..this disease...its so embarrassing...please doctor..." his voice was shaking. I felt sorry for him. For how I was about to use him. There was no other way. And so with his permission I put him into a deep trance. He sat on the couch in a trance. Completely a slave to my every command. And every suggestion. I poked my head out and let Ruby know that she was to let Joey in the moment he arrived. If she was surprised at this departure from my usual practice, she did not say anything. I smiled at my plan, closed the door and sat back in my chair. To wait. It wouldnt be long. Justice for once would be swift. But a little noisy. And that was how he found me a half hour later. Ruby kncoked and silently mimed that he was here. Then she stood back and let him in.
"ah...I had hoped I had left it here...." Joey walked in and his searching eyes found the chess piece on the table. Just where he had left it the evening before. I smiled.
"Good. Thanks for taking care of it. I would stay and chat but need to rush across town for a deposition. Thanks." he pocketed it with a roguish wink, pumped my hand whilst clapping me on the right shoulder with his left hand and then started to leave through the same door he had come in through. I smiled and stepped out for a few minutes making sure that Ruby saw me do that. As he departed, I crossed the hall and entered the office of my colleague. Dr Frank Mosby. Mosby was the one who was sick and his office was empty. Most psychiatrist offices have two doors. One by which patients enter which was the common entrance to all the offices in our practice and an exit which was private and led directly from the office to the exterior. Ruby didnt see me step into Mosby's office. She was blushing at the praise that Joey was heaping on her. True to form. Anything in a skirt. I felt sorry for her. But then again he would not be able to do much. In a few minutes he would be dead. I ran out and hid in the corridor. It was a nice long corridor. The other exit from my office opened into this corridor as well. I had already unlocked the door in preparation. The plan was fool proof and everything went as expected. Joey stepped into the corridor and headed for the elevator at the end of the corridor. He passed by me. I had seen him put the chess piece in his back pocket. I took aim with the gun and shot him. Twice. Both times through the heart. I didnt have much time. I quickly found the chess piece and entered back into my office. My patient was jumping about and screaming at the top of his voice. Just as I had instructed him to do when he heard two loud bangs. And thats exactly how Ruby found me when she rushed in to tell me of what had happened.
I followed her out of my office and into the corrider out of the main doors to our modest offices into the larger corridor that led to the elevators. The two officers who had accompanied Mr Jones were standing over the body. The moved aside to let me examine him. I pretended to look shocked inspite of knowing everything. I checked his pulse. Ruby grew more hysterical when I pronounced him dead. The two policemen almost had a fight there over who would take care of her. Kids. It took me a while to calm her and the patient down. She was hysterical and he was feigning hysteria. I calmed them both down with some injections. In her case it was a mild sedative. In his a bit of saline. By the time I stepped back out in the corridor, it was packed with police. One of the two policemen had called 911 after "discovering" that Joey was dead. The police came by. and questioned me. Most criminals are unable to produce one witness. I had four. Every movenment of mine and every second of mine was accounted for. Watertight. Thats what I remember one colleague call such an alibi.
Detective Lyons was the officer in charge. An old hand. He listened to what I told him. Of course I knew Joey. I held nothing back except for the part I had played in his demise. It did not take them long to confirm my statements. Joey had had a string of trysts not only in Boston but also it seemed up and down the East and West Coast. He had even been arrested once for stirring up trouble in a bar in Los Angeles over a woman some six years ago. Nothing serious, his counterparts assured him. I could have told him everything in much greater details than what Detective Santos of LAPD told him. Ruby was a saint. She completed my alibi. As did my kleptomaniac patient. The police were perplexed by the absence of the murder weapon. The perpetrator must have it on him, Detective Lyons assured me. Their first mistake. I smiled internally. Of course, he did. It lay in the box not two feet away from us. The body was taken away and soon the crowds dissipated.
My patient was coming to as was expected. Ruby had decided to take the rest of the day off after she gave her statement to the police. She had had the good sense to cancel my other appointments. Mr Jones graciously agreed to let me complete his evaluation inspite of the shock he had received. It did not take long. I released him into the custody of the two officers who had accompanied him. They also took the files and other evidence box they had brought with them. I led them out and closed the main door behind them. Detective Lyons was still questioning Ruby in the waiting room when I knocked and entered. They were almost done.
"Do you need anything else from me..." I asked him.
He shook his head, handed me his card and gave me the usual- call me if you remember anything else...I nodded. He touched me on the shoulder and squeezed. Joey had been a friend after all. I nodded and shook my head. I said something...I dont recall what it was...something abou tthe tragic nature of his passing...and what a good man he had been inspite of his flaws...or something like that...The detective nodded and said a few words conveying his condolences and then left.
With no more patients to see, I left after emptying out the garbage and recycling. The gun was safely on its way back to the police evidence room. There were no fingerprints on it. Powder marks had been washed clean. There were no bullets in the pistol. I had used two of my own. No fingerprints on anything as i had worn gloves. Latex gloves. These I had disposed off in the garbage. They would be lost soon. In a huge heap of garbage in some landfill soon. .
I drove home and found my wife there. She had not gone to work today. She was feeling a bit sick and so had stayed in bed after I left. I felt her forehead. She was a bit hot and seemed clammy. Dutifully I went off to fetch the day medicine. She accepted it gratefully. It was some bug that heen going around at her hospital. She caressed my cheek for a bit...I finally told her what had happened at the office. She did not seem shocked.
"Was bound to happen someday. The way he carried on...I had warned Rachel. But she was so insistent. She would make him fall in love. Yeah right...a rake like that would never love anyone."
I was a bit shocked at her vehement tone. She had just recently been in his arms, hadn't she? I did not ask.
"It was so long ago...it does not matter now but one day Joey had stopped by. He tried to hit on me. I threw him out. I know I should have told you but you always looked up at him. I did not want to ruin your friendship. You have so few friends as is. I am sorry that he..." she said in a sad voice. I touched her cheek. Softly. I was so wrong to suspect her. But then he had stolen my chess piece. So he had deserved it. I tucked her in and kissed her on the forehead. She purred a bit. Rebecca was so beautiful. I stood there for a while watching her and then finally crept out slowly. I turned out the lights in the bedroom and drew the curtains. I would let her sleep till dinner time. Perhaps I would cook something, the way I did when we had first gotten married. I walked downstairs to my study. I still needed to type out my report for Mr Jones. I worked, undisturbed, for the next couple of hours. Finally I printed out the report, signed it and put it in an enveloped. My back was stiff from sitting there. I got up and walked around the office. The French windows had been Rebecca's idea. I opened them and stood there letting the fresh air in to my office. I loved this house..I thought about checking on Rebecca to see how she was doing. As I was walking out of the study, I noticed the chess board. It was still missing the chess piece. I felt my pockets. Empty..And then it struck me. I had forgotten to take the piece from his pocket. Oh what a fool I had been. I had had so many chances. I could have easily taken the piece from him. I felt stupid. My water-tight alibi not withstanding, I had unwittingly joined the ranks of the clever criminals who had left something behind. I wondered if Detective Lyons would come by and find the incomplete chess set? would he connect the dots? It was a matter of time. I didnt care. If he did, I would take my punishment like a man. I resigned myself to my fate.
I started to leave the study when Bugsy, my twelve year old German Shepherd stopped me. He was holding his leash and looking at me and then at the door. I knew what that meant. He needed to go. Usually Rebecca took him. Bugsy was no fool. Seeing Rebecca in bed, he knew I was the only one who could take him now and so here he was. I smiled. Dogs can be so intelligent. I picked up a few poop bags, tied the leach and took a firm grip at the other end and walked out behind him. We walked for a few blocks. He sniffed and marked his territory here and there. Left coded messages for his other four legged friends. Ancient methods of passing messages. I wondered what he wrote. And just as quickly he would walk on. He covered quite a bit of ground that day before finally settling down on one spot to do his business. I waited for him to finish. It is strange. sometimes, I think pets own us and not we who own them. I mean every whim of his was attended to. He even had someone to wipe his butt for him. I chuckled at my own joke as he went. He gave me a look as if to say, do you find it funny that I have to take care of business? I dont laugh when you go to the bathroom. i game him and apologetic look which he ignored and continued. When he was done, he moved away to let me pick up his royal droppings. I scooped them into the bag and tied a knot. Quite a bit today. We walked home in silence. Except of course for the infrequent pit stops for him to leave more messages.
By the time we got home, my wife was already up and in the kitchen. I walked in and threw the bag of poop into the trash. She was cooking something.
"Where did you go?" she asked me. I told her.
"Did he poop?" she continued. I nodded.
"You didnt throw it away did you?" she searched my face. I pointed at the trash can.
She dived at the grabage and pulle dout the bag. She pulled on a pair of glosed and opened the bag.
I was a bit shocked.
"did you get all of it?" she asked me again. I nodded slowly.
"Did he swallow your wedding ring again?" I asked half amused.
Bugsy had obtained his name through his antics. He loved swallowing precious things. Especially my wife's diamond ring. As a surgeon she had had to take it off frequently. And Bugsy loved swallowing that ring. I found it hilarious. She did not. I noticed her ring on the table. I pointed this out to her but she continued rifling through Bugsy's droppings. Even he was sitting there looking at her surprised. I wonder what he was thinking..
"AHHHH!!!! Yes. I knew it. ..." She was holding up an oblong object. I could not tell what it was...
"I am so sorry, Honey. I was vacuuming the study the other day and had put my ring on top of the chess set. This rascal tried to swallow it but ended up swallowing a knight. I have been keeping a close eye on him since" she said looking at Bugsy accusingly. Bugsy for his part was lying down on all fours with his head between his front paws. He did not move, just made that innocent face of his whenever he had done something naughty. I was too shocked to move...So Joey..Joey had not...He was innocent...I suddenly felt faint. The blood seemed to have drained from my brain. I just sent an innocent man, well relatively innocent man, to meet his maker for a crime he had not committed. My knees felt weak. I dropped into a chair.
"Are you okay? Are you feeling alright?" she had rushed to my side and was taking my temperature with her hand. She measured my pulse. My skin was clammy. Little beads of perspiration had sprung up all over. My heart was racing. She forced me upstairs and into bed, convinced that I had caught the bug from her. Unlike her I had always had a weak constitution and caught the flu every year with amazing regularity. She seemed to have had made a full recovery in a few hours. I might end up taking longer. Rebecca used to joke that she could always predict the beginning of flu season. I was the first victim every year. I did not resist and let her put me to bed. I still could not believe it. It had all been for nothing.
I stayed home for a two weeks. I needed time to recover. To grieve. To repent. I would find a way to repent for my actions. By the time I was myself again, it was too late. Initially I was numb but later had had a nervous breakdown at the sight of my friend killed in that horrific manner or that's what everyone thought. It was bound to happen, my colleagues said. The hours, the demands and the horrific things we saw in our line of work made us prime candidates. I read about it in the newspapers a few days later. My wife had faithfully collected them for me. I loved reading the newspaper and so she had not discarded them. I read them slowly. Over and over again. The police had found the chess piece on Joey. They looked into his past movements thanks to pressure from Mr and Mrs Cuervo, Joey's parents. That had led them to the house of Mr and Mrs Bernard Mathews. His cell phone had called Rose Matthews 143 times in the past week alone. Didn't take a genius to figure out why. When no one answered the door, they knocked harder and the door just opened. They realised that it wasnt even locked. That was strange. Especially at 9 PM. They walked in and discovered the body of Mrs Matthews. Shot about twelve hours ago, twice through the heart with a pistol. Apparently Mrs. Matthews and Joey had been secretly seeing each other for a few months. I was shocked to read that. Months. So he had been in love. Mr Matthews .had been arrested as the prime suspect. He was found suspiciously loitering near my office. Whilst everyone was rushing towards the noise, he was trying to run away from it. A patrol car had stopped him and remembered him clearly. Apparently he had been following Joey and was planning to kill him. I had beaten him to the punch. The police put out an all points bulletin for him and he was picked up soon after at the airport. Trying to flee. The case had been cracked in a matter of hours. The DA made a few public speeches about the efficiency of the police. He was running for the post of Mayor soon. This was excellent publicity with the teary eyed Cuervos in the background and the disheveled Mr Matthews in the custody of the police being dragged away to prison after his sentencing. He looked the part of a killer. He was quite an ugly bloke. A cross between Jack the Ripper and Dr Jekyll, the reporter had stated. I wondered where he had seen Mr Ripper before to be able to make such a comparison. After all Mr. Ripper had never been caught. Or identified for that matter. He was a middle aged man, With large eyes. red. From lack of sleep I assumed. He had an unkempt beard or the start of one. He had not been able to shave. Six days of shaving and even I would look like that. In fact I would look a lot like him if I had gone through the same experiences in police custody. He had a scar on his right cheek. Running from his ear to the outer edge of his right eye. Still visible under the facial hair. Quite sinister looking. He wore the same black overcoat that he had been wearing when he tried to flee. Made him look more like a gangster than anything else. They never did find the murder weapon. How could they? He had dumped the one he had used to kill his wife somewhere and he wasn't about to tell them where. The pistol that Joey had been shot with was being used as evidence in another case. How could the police explain how a gun in their custody was used in a murder elsewhere. He was sent to the electric chair quickly. Premeditated murder. An open and shut case, the reporter had written. Cleverly.
I folded the newspaper and threw it down. I sat up on the bed. Rebecca had had brought the chess set up to the bedroom. It was sitting there next to my bed. I picked up the black knight and felt the smooth black marble in my hands. Fine quality work. Perfect. Just like my alibi...perfect. I put it back on the square. And then ...without a second thought, move the white pawn two squares...starting a new game.
