Face Behind the Mask

by Leo King

  As Dixie started to rebut, Tania held out her hand dismissively. “Don’t argue. Just call me when you’re ready to believe.”

  That uppity bitch. That did it for Dixie. Without another word, she left, feeling that she had completely wasted her time. Forget this.

  “Thank you for stopping by today, Lieutenant,” Dr. Klein said.

  “Thanks for having me in on such short notice.” Dixie was wearing her best fake smile as she entered his office. She hung her overcoat on the rack, taking her time to get comfortable and scanning the office for a conversation piece. All she needed was something to steer the discussion toward Evergreen.

  He motioned to her. “You are having phantom pains, then, ja?”

  Looking down, she realized that she was rubbing her stump again. Heat rose in her cheeks. “It’s annoying. I’m off-balance all the time, and the tingling is driving me crazy.”

  “Well, then. Sit down, please, und we can talk about it.” He motioned toward a brown leather recliner.

  As she scanned the room again, her eyes fell upon a marble chessboard on the far side of the room. Perfect.

  “Say, Dr. Klein. Do you like to play chess?”

  He puffed out his chest. “I do enjoy the occasional game. Und I have even been champion in a fair share of tournaments. Do you play, Lieutenant?”

  She nipped at her bottom lip, certain she could use this to get into his head and learn about the Evergreen Sanatorium. But she needed him to think she was an amateur, or he would be too guarded.

  “I’ve tried it a few times. Could… could we play while we talk? It may help me clear my mind. I mean, if that’s OK.” She finished her lie with as cute an expression as she could muster.

  Slapping his hands together, he strode over to her, grinning. “I think zat is an excellent idea, Lieutenant. Let us play a game of chess!”

  It took them only a few minutes to get the chessboard set up.

  “Since I am a gentleman, I will give you first move advantage,” he said, gesturing toward the white pieces.

  Dixie kept up her agreeable expression as she slid into detective mode. She had already noticed that he didn’t have a timer and that his pieces were beautiful, hand-painted marble figurines.

  This set is for decoration. He’s a hobbyist at best. Tournament champion, my nub.

  Centering her thoughts, she began playing.

  First, she moved one of her pawns, and then he moved one of his. She rubbed her face, hoping it would make her look like a rookie. Then she moved another pawn, beginning her strategy. Sometimes you sacrificed pawns to ensure success.

  He moved one of his knights. “You are taking an active role in your recovery from the anxiety disorder, Lieutenant. I find zat to be remarkable.”

  She examined his last move and saw that he was starting an early offense. Perhaps her ruse was working? Purposefully, she moved out a bishop and then nodded in an exaggerated manner. “Thank you. I want to beat this. I don’t want to have to spend my life medicated or in long-term care. Both terrify me.”

  Capturing one of her pawns with his knight, he said, “Taking medication to treat an illness is a cornerstone of our society. Und there is nothing wrong with long-term care, Lieutenant, if it is warranted.” He smirked from behind his beard.

  She quickly inhaled. Now he was trying to get into her head. She rested her fingers on one of her rooks. But before she moved it, she recalled how she had been able to coax Dr. Kindley into revealing information by getting him to drop his guard. Perhaps allowing Dr. Klein to think he had succeeded in getting into her mind would open up a weakness.

  Instead, she moved one of her knights and captured a pawn, leaving her piece vulnerable. “Maybe. But I don’t want to be locked away from Gino or my daughter just because I’m having problems that aren’t easily fixed.”

  His grin widened as he captured her knight with one of his bishops. “If you are talking about commitment, Lieutenant, zhen you need not worry. Commitment is reserved for someone who is a danger to themselves und others.”

  Leaning back and rubbing her stump for show, she scanned the board. So long as he continued to think he was in charge, her strategy had a good chance of working. So she moved another pawn—a useless move to take attention away from an important conversational shift. “You mean like Samantha, right?”

  His expression darkened some as he used one of his rooks to slide past her defenses and capture another pawn. “Yes. Just like her.” None of his pieces were vulnerable.

  Nibbling on her thumb, she continued to split her focus between the game and the interrogation. It was like a powerful hose splitting its stream in two. She moved one of her bishops into a position where it could neither capture nor be captured. “I’m glad she’s gone. I was stupid to put faith in her, and it got me injured. That Sam of Spades is a blight on humanity.” Tania believed Sam of Spades was actually a loa possessing Sam. Dixie wasn’t sure what to believe there.

  Dr. Klein’s sneer vanished. “Yes, Sam of Spades is evil. But don’t beat yourself up over it, Lieutenant. We all make mistakes. Zat is part of being human.” He moved a pawn into position.

  By now, she could clearly see his overall strategy. Only one more move and she could begin her attack. Sliding one of her pawns into another useless, easy-to-capture position, she said, “True, but I want to make sure that such a mistake will never come back to harm me, my friends, or my family. I want to know that she’s no longer a threat.”

  He captured that pawn with one of his knights. “I would not worry about zat, Lieutenant. Sam of Spades will never see the light of day again.”

  The utter finality in which he said that grabbed her heart in an icy clutch. “Wait, is Sam—er, Samantha—dead?”

  Her flub hadn’t gone unnoticed. For a long moment, he regarded her, narrowing his eyes. As gingerly as she dared, she swallowed. It felt like a lump of coal was lodged in her throat. Had she just blown it?

  And then he shook his head. “Oh, nothing like that. Zis is not a police state. We do not euthanize someone because they are criminally insane. No, I mean that Sam of Spades is in a place where she cannot ever escape.”

  She silently exhaled. She was certain he hadn’t seen the panic she had felt. Don’t do that again, dummy!

  Looking back over the chess board, she realized that she needed to stall until she got her head back into the game. Slowly, trying to look unsure, she moved a pawn far away from the action. “Not to be distrusting, but are you certain? I would rest better knowing that you are guaranteeing this.”

  He shrugged and then captured that pawn with one of his knights. “Lieutenant, I give you my word. I see Samantha every day. The place she is at is both remote und secure.”

  I need to get rid of that knight. Nibbling on her thumb again, Dixie changed her strategy, moving out a rook as bait. “That’s really good to know. I haven’t much faith in the psychiatric hospital system. No insult to you intended.”

  Dr. Klein captured her rook with his knight, exactly what she wanted. “None taken. I have very little faith in them as well. Zat is why I choose to treat my patients outside of the system.”

  Although she didn’t show any signs of it, she felt a rush within her. He had fallen for both traps. His chess pieces were now vulnerable, and he had let slip that Sam was being treated outside of a real hospital. Now Dixie just had to confirm that the plantation was the sanatorium.

  With a sudden confident push, she went on the attack, capturing that very same knight with a bishop. “Sounds like you have an optimal system. Do you find that the air out in the country helps with the treatment?” Come on, you prick! Be distracted by the game.

  His face registered surprise at her move on the board. Quickly, as if trying to cover up for a mistake, he moved out his other knight and captured that bishop. His back-line defenses were getting thin. “Well, I do not know about ze patients. They are kept underground. But personally, I find the countryside to be very relaxing.”

  Dixi
e kept up her poker face. He was slipping. Badly.

  Not letting up the pressure, she captured that other knight with a rook. Her offense was falling into place just as quickly as his defenses crumbled. “Sounds wonderful. There are times I wish I could live out there, perhaps in the plantation country.”

  Visibly shaken by the loss of his second knight, Dr. Klein clenched his jaw and then cleared his throat. “I highly recommend it, Lieutenant. You will feel like you are king of your own domain.” He then moved out his queen and captured that rook, completely removing his queen from his defenses.

  Now it was a struggle to hold back her excitement. He was falling completely into her trap. All she had to do was get a name to confirm the location. “Sounds lovely, truly. I might want to move to someplace like that one day. Is the area expensive?” She moved out one of her knights, capturing a pawn.

  Take the knight. Take the bait. Come on, you creepy son-of-a-bitch.

  Growling under his breath, he moved his remaining bishop to capture that knight. “Of course. Edgard has such beautiful plantations. Of course, I live in one for free as a caretaker. Ze arrangement works out very nicely.”

  Her pulse raced all the way to her hand as he fell completely for her strategy. That’s it! Sam’s gotta be at the Evergreen plantation. This game is mine!

  Then she picked up her queen. “I’m envious. Oh, by the way… Dr. Klein…?”

  “Hmm. Yes?”

  Dixie slid her queen into place, right next to his king. None of his pieces could capture it, and the king couldn’t move without getting captured.

  She smiled sweetly. “Checkmate.”

  Chapter 11

  Cold November Rain

  Date: Saturday, October 31, 1992

  Time: 5:00 p.m.

  Location: Esplanade Apartments

  New Orleans City Park

  The warm, rose-scented water sloshed around Dixie as she rested in her bathtub. Along with the wet heat, a calm, subtle euphoria ebbed over her, tingling at every nerve. With every gentle breath, the worry and stress of the past few days slipped away. Finally, she felt at peace.

  She slid down, her bangs dipping into the water.

  Dr. Lazarus was pleased with her report. It was in his hands now. Although she wanted to go to the plantation herself, she couldn’t ignore Dr. Kindley’s warning. If running afoul of the Knight Priory would put her, Gino, or her baby at risk, then she would have to be content on the sidelines.

  I’m sorry, Sam. This is the most I can do right now.

  Sitting up, she dipped her hand in the water and smoothed back her bangs. Then she rubbed her forehead, feeling those final lines of stress vanish.

  There was a gentle knock on the bathroom door. It was Gino. “Dixie? Dinner is ready, my love.” He had insisted on cooking tonight instead of going out, which was odd, since going out on Halloween had become a tradition. But she was excited nonetheless. “I’ll be right out!”

  She then drained the tub and tiptoed into the bedroom. The smell from the front of the apartment was amazing, making her mouth water. First, she got into a simple slip dress, and then she dried and styled her hair. After a check in the mirror and a nod of approval, she headed out front.

  When she saw what Gino had done, she gasped.

  The front room was lit entirely by dozens of candles resting on everything from bookshelves to countertops. The dining-room table, which was usually littered with both of their work, was cleared off and decorated with a white tablecloth and a lit candelabrum. A dinner of filet mignon with sautéed mushrooms, served with red potatoes and asparagus, lay there. A bottle of wine rested in a bucket of ice, opened and breathing. The Fantasy Overture from Tchaikovsky’s Romeo and Juliet played in the background.

  Gino stood before the table, dressed in a suit that Dixie had bought him for Christmas. He held out his hand. “Dinner is ready, my love.”

  She nearly swooned.

  My God, look at all this! Gino, you… you…

  “I love you.” It was all she could say.

  Once he had helped her sit, he poured the wine and held his cup aloft. “To you, Dixie.”

  Her cheeks felt as red as the wine as she clinked her glass to his. Then she drank—it was full-bodied and dry, perfect for steak. She reached for the fork. Almost immediately, she saw a problem. “Gino. The filet mignon looks perfect. But I don’t think I can cut it with one arm.”

  “Just try your fork,” he said gently.

  She blinked and pressed the utensil into the meat. It easily sliced through. With an exhale of anticipation, she took a bite. It melted in her mouth, the flavor like ambrosia from heaven. She closed her eyes and slowly chewed. Everything was perfect.

  “Dixie, I have to apologize to you.”

  She opened her eyes and then swallowed. “Apologize for what, Gino?”

  His face was wrought with melancholy. “When I first met you, I fell completely in love. I was young and full of pride and the desire to make you mine. I pursued you until you relented. And since then, I have given you no other option but to be with me.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “Every time we’ve been together, every time we’ve made love, I’ve only thought of how I was with the woman I wanted. I have lived for nothing but the desire to love you. It is like a drug I cannot live without.”

  Putting down her fork, she tried to catch his eyes. She had never seen him so serious.

  Their eyes met. His were already overflowing. “Now I have created a life within you, one that came without any plan, one that was born of a desire that could never be quenched. Dixie, my love, I am so sorry for doing this to you. I… I have given our situation so much thought. There is only one way I can make this right.”

  Her mouth was dry as he came to her side, got on his knees, and took her hand. Tears spilled down his cheeks. “Dixie, I swear to you, from this moment onward, everything I think, everything I do, it will be with your desire, your plans in mind.”

  She dared not breathe, her heart punching against her chest. Is he about to—?

  And then he was holding up a beautiful diamond ring.

  “Dixie Olivier, please marry me.”

  Dixie didn’t move. She didn’t blink. She didn’t think.

  And then, a moment later, she squealed and hugged him as tightly as she could. “Yes! You big idiot! You had me so worked up, I could hit you. Yes, yes, you… you beautiful man, you!”

  Gino started laughing and embraced her back. “I am sorry for being so dramatic, Dixie. I really did not know how to do this. I do feel at times like I was using you, and—”

  “Just shut up and kiss me,” she interrupted. And they kissed for a very long time.

  After dinner, they made love right there on the couch, with him treating her with great gentleness. The candles were nubs by the time they were done. With a happy sigh, she lay her head on his chest while he stroked her back. They cuddled in silence until each candle was dark.

  Fairy tales really can come true.

  Then her pager went off.

  “Mmmm. Can we ignore it?” He rubbed her arm, her back, her butt.

  She kissed him and sat up. “You know I can’t ignore it, Gino. It’s probably just Landry or Rivette misplacing something. I’ll be right back.”

  She checked the number. It was indeed Rivette. Yawning slightly, the wine and sex tugging at her eyelids, she placed the call. Gino lounged on the couch as if he were Dionysus, staring at her until her cheeks lit on fire.

  Then Rivette picked up. “Dixie? Thank God you’re there!”

  He sounded so panicked that she snapped to attention. “Um, what’s wrong? Please tell me it’s Paul choking on a po’boy again.” At the couch, Gino quickly sat up.

  “It’s bad. Real bad,” Rivette said. “Ouellette wants you at Tulane Hospital right away.”

  A chill washed over her. There was only one reason for her to go there. “What happened with Hannah?”

  “She went on a rampage. She
murdered most of the people at the psych ward and then ran off into the city.”

  The receiver shook in her hand. All she could hear was Hannah’s threat to stomp out her baby.

  “Dixie? Dixie! Are you there?” Rivette was shouting.

  Taking a deep breath, she steadied her grip on the phone.

  Then finally, she spoke, her voice barely above a whisper. “Yeah. I’m here. I’m on my way.”

  Any hope Dixie had that Rivette was exaggerating vanished when she saw the dozen or so police cars and ambulances outside of Tulane Hospital. Seeing almost as many covered bodies getting loaded for transport to the morgue was like a kick in the gut. It was like the wharf all over again.

  Oh, Hannah. What have you done?

  She waded through the police, searching for Ouellette. She found him talking with Dr. Kindley and an older African American gentleman, whom she recognized as District Attorney Harry Connick.

  He stared down his nose at Ouellette. “I thought this crazy stuff was over when the Castille girl went away.”

  Ouellette unflinchingly matched his gaze. “With all due respect, sir, we don’t know what happened tonight. Dr. Kindley was in his office, and the only patients who survived are a catatonic and man who speaks solely in Bible verses.”

  With a grumble, Connick rubbed the back of his head. “Dammit, Louis, the mayor’s office wants answers. They went on about the Castille family legacy and getting these events under control. Then they wanted to talk alone to Dr. Kindley. I just don’t know what they’re all about anymore.”

  Dixie stood by her commander’s side. He glanced at her in acknowledgement but said nothing. Poor guy was stuck playing the middleman again, just like after the wharf.

  Connick folded his arms. “So what did they want to talk with you about, Kindley?”

  Almost as if on cue, Dr. Kindley adjusted his glasses. “They wanted my opinion on Miss Davis. I told them I believe she suffered an acute psychotic break that resulted in overstimulation of the adrenal glands. She will be dangerous to apprehend until she calms down.”