Sweet Oblivion

by Rhiana Ramsey

  The prosecution for the case had told the court that there was little point conducting a trial as the woman had been declared mentally unstable; she was not fit to give evidence and a court appearance might well put back her recovery, that is, if she was ever to recover. She was a huge risk to the public, in particular to males, and as such the Crown would offer no evidence for a criminal trial but recommended that the judge order her to be sectioned.

  The defence supported this suggestion as the only defence they could provide for their client was on the grounds of poor mental health. The court was advised that Louise had been diagnosed as a dangerous paranoid schizophrenic with dissociative identity disorder by the doctors treating her. There was very little prospect of her ever being fit enough for reintegration into the general public.

  The judge had ruled that Ms Louise Jackson would be remanded in a high-security mental health unit where she would come under the care of trained professionals. The judge had wound up proceedings, stating that he was saddened by Ms Jackson’s unfortunate story and that she was very much a product of her early environment. He was sorry for the victims’ families and hoped that they would find some peace knowing their loved ones’ killer would never be released.

  Robert, who had been sitting at the back of the court throughout the proceedings, left the court building not entirely a happy man, but a satisfied one.

  Louise Jackson would never again experience freedom. In many ways being remanded to a mental institute was worse than prison because she would have less rights and absolutely no say over what happened to her. She was at the hands of the medical staff and from now on, they would be the ones to tell her what she could and couldn’t do. She had no control over her own life.

  The Crown Prosecution Service had also decided not to prosecute Ben Matthews for lying to the investigating officers and perverting the course of justice. It was decided that since the murder suspect wasn’t going to have to face trial, it was unfair and disproportionate to prosecute her boss for lying. When arrested, Ben had said that it was all a mistake, an error, he hadn’t done it on purpose, and since nobody could prove or disprove his account, it was decided that there wasn’t a realistic prospect of conviction and so the matter was dropped.

  Two weeks had passed since Greg had been found by the uniformed officers, sprawled on the kitchen table, barely conscious. Greg had woken up shortly after Louise had descended into the basement and he had tried in vain to free himself from his bindings. He had periodically raised his head up, even thought it hurt his neck and his dislocated shoulder felt as if it was on fire, to ensure that he didn’t pass out again from too much blood to the brain.

  It had felt like forever as he lay there on that kitchen table, expecting Louise to return at any moment to finish the job. When the uniformed officers had arrived, closely flanked by Robert, Greg had cried with relief.

  Whilst a couple of officers had tended to Greg, the others had run down into the basement, where they found both Mina and Elizabeth unconscious. Mina had started to come round as the officers handcuffed her behind her back. She had sworn at them and tried to bite their hands and faces as they lifted her up the stairs and placed her into the back of the police van.

  Tony had rushed over to Elizabeth and held her head in his arms until the ambulance arrived. She’d been rushed to hospital, her loss of blood causing concern. She had not regained full consciousness for almost three hours after the incident.

  When she had opened her eyes, Tony had been there and she had burst into tears at the sight of him, her relief at being alive overwhelming her. Once her tears had subsided she asked after Greg; upon hearing he was ok, she fell asleep.

  Elizabeth had spent several days in hospital recovering from her stab wounds, broken wrist, cracked ribs and severe concussion. The doctors had told her she was lucky to still have use of her left hand; the knife had only just missed shredding several of her nerves.

  Tony had visited her everyday, filling her in on what was going on in the world beyond the four walls of her ward and their romance blossomed as the pair became closer and closer. Other members of the team including Robert, JB and Greg, had also popped in to visit her whilst she was convalescing.

  The reunion with Greg had been emotional. Elizabeth blamed herself for almost getting them both killed, the guilt eating her up inside.

  Greg had told her to stop being so stupid, pull herself together and get over herself. She wasn’t that persuasive and if he hadn’t wanted to go into the house, he wouldn’t have. He’d then kissed her on the forehead, told her she was a fucking nightmare and stated he wanted a new partner when she got out. Elizabeth had wanted to punch him but her right arm was in plaster, her left hand was in bandages and her shoulder was in a sling. They’d laughed at her futile attempts.

  Greg had also said his retirement plans were on hold - for now at least. He wasn’t quite ready to trade in his badge, wasn’t quite ready for a life beyond the job. And besides, he wasn’t ready to leave Elizabeth; he felt like her protector, even though he knew she didn’t really need his protection.

  Today was Elizabeth’s first day back at work. She was on restricted duties and so would be office bound until she was fully healed, but she was pleased to be both out of the hospital and out of her flat. She’d been going stir crazy and Tony had been making things worse, waiting on her hand and foot and smothering her with TLC. She wasn’t really complaining because it was nice that he cared so much. She had just missed her independence.

  As Elizabeth walked toward the office, several uniformed officers that she didn’t know told her it was great to see her back, patting her on the back as if she was some kind of hero. She walked into the office bemused by this extra attention and was stunned to see the whole team standing in front of her grinning beneath a welcome back banner. Several poppers were pulled showering her in coloured strands of tissue and glitter.

  ‘You guys. What have you done?’ she laughed, flattered by their welcome.

  ‘We just wanted to make you feel welcome after your long break,’ JB said, emphasizing the word ‘long’.

  ‘Jeez, can’t even get time off the job after being stabbed and beaten by a lunatic without getting abuse from you,’ she retorted.

  JB stepped over to her and said: ‘Only joking Elizabeth, it is great to have you back with us. Even if you can’t do much,’ he moved in for a hug and Elizabeth reciprocated.

  ‘So, DC Lane, what have you learnt?’ Robert asked, his tone teasing.

  ‘I have learnt that JB is a shit driver – seriously man, what took you so long?’ JB feigned indignation, then smiled.

  ‘And I have learnt that you guys are actually a big bunch of softies.’

  ‘Yes, and maybe you’ve learnt a little something about doing as you’re told occasionally, or is that too much to hope for?’ Robert asked, one eyebrow arched, optimistically.

  ‘Guv, I was stabbed not lobotomized.’

  ‘Thought it might have been a bit too much of a stretch to expect anything else from you,’ Robert chuckled, ‘come here you bloody stubborn woman.’

  He gave her a quick hug and then said: ‘I’m very proud of you Elizabeth, you and Greg.’

  Elizabeth blushed from her boss’s praise. ‘Thank you,’ she said, humbled.

  Tony sidled in next to Elizabeth and took hold of her right hand.

  ‘Would ‘madame’ care for a slice of cake?’ he led her over to her desk and opened the cake box that was resting on it. Elizabeth couldn’t stop laughing.

  ‘You clowns!’ The box contained a chocolate cake decorated with a Superman S and the words ‘Super Cop.’

  ‘Who’s for cake?’ she asked, addressing the whole room and cutting the first slice. One thing coppers couldn’t resist was a sweet treat.

  As the officers tucked into their slices of cake and chatted together, they put the bondage killer to the back of their minds. The investigation was complete, the killer had been apprehended, the public were safe and Mead
ows was happy. They couldn’t ask for more than that.

  Epilogue

  From the outside the hospital didn’t look that bad with its landscaped garden and rows of colourful flowers lining the pathway to the front door. It was only once you went inside that you realized what it was – a prison for the criminally insane.

  The corridors were painted in a pale green which was supposed to be calming and wire mesh covered each and every window. Every door was operated by either a swipe card or a key, or both, and every inch of the place was covered with CCTV, which was monitored twenty-four hours a day by security guards.

  Patients were allowed to have visitors but these visits were closely monitored and there were strict rules about how visitors should comport themselves once inside the hospital. It wasn’t dissimilar to the procedure visitors undertook when visiting inmates in prison.

  As he followed the friendly nurse through a labyrinth of corridors, Ben asked himself why he had come. Louise was a murderer, she had killed four men and she had mutilated their bodies to satisfy her sick needs. She had tied up a police officer, lining him up as her next victim, and she had badly injured another one. She had an inner darkness that she had kept hidden from the world and from him, so why did he want to see her?

  Because that was not the Louise he knew. The Louise Ben had fallen in love with was funny, intelligent, considerate and kind, and more importantly, incapable of murder. He wanted to believe that woman was still there, that she hadn’t been consumed by her hatred, that Louise Jackson still existed. He needed closure.

  The nurse stopped in front of Louise’s room and motioned for Ben to go in. Ben hesitated, feeling uneasy. The woman in front of him didn’t look like Louise. She was gaunt and thin, she must have lost a stone from her already slender frame, her eyes were underlined by dark blue circles, and her hair was limp and greasy. She was sitting in an armchair that was nailed to the floor, staring vacantly ahead, wearing a pale green hospital gown. Ben didn’t recognize her.

  ‘You can go in Mr Matthews, but don’t expect her to say a lot. She is currently heavily sedated.’

  ‘Why is she sedated?’ Ben asked, upset by what he was seeing.

  ‘Without the medication she is violent and hostile. Her mind is struggling to cope with the things that happened to her in her childhood, and she’s also fighting to curb the violent urges she feels as an adult. She doesn’t have the emotional or cognitive ability to process all of that in one go. By keeping her sedated, we can keep her calm enough to hopefully begin the recovery process, letting her deal with things in her own time,’ the nurse explained.

  ‘She can hear me?’ Ben asked, uncertain. Louise hadn’t moved or looked at him since he’d arrived.

  ‘Yes she can hear you. I’ll be waiting just down the corridor when you’re finished here, ok?’ The nurse gently patted Ben’s arm reassuringly.

  ‘Thank you.’ Ben managed a half-hearted smile.

  Once the nurse had left, Ben entered Louise’s room and sat on the edge of the bed next to her. Louise still failed to look at him or acknowledge his presence.

  ‘I had to come and see you Louise. I haven’t been able to stop thinking about you since – well since everything came out.’

  Louise didn’t respond, she just continued staring vacantly ahead.

  ‘I don’t know if you can hear me, the nurse said you can. I wanted to see how you are. I was hoping you’d look well, like your old self. It must be hard for you in here.’

  Ben paused and ran a hand over his face, pressing his fingers against his eyes, stifling the tears he could feel welling up.

  ‘I’m so sorry Louise. So sorry you’ve ended up like this. I know how scared you were about ending up in a mental hospital. But from what they tell me this is the best place for you right now. You can get help in here and maybe one day you’ll be well enough to be released.’

  ‘I wanted to bring you flowers, but they’re against the rules apparently. Not even allowed to bring chocolates.’

  Ben eased himself off the bed and knelt in front of Louise, looking up at her face. She was still beautiful, he decided, in spite of everything. He raised a hand to her cheek and rubbed it gently.

  ‘I love you Louise. Even though you’ve done those terrible things, I still love you. I’m just sorry I never had a chance to tell you before. Maybe I could have helped you.’

  Ben was crying now, unable to hold the tears back any longer. He lowered his head and his tears fell on Louise’s hands which were clasped in her lap. This was useless, his words were meaningless; Louise was just a shell now, the woman he loved was lost. Ben was saddened by this realization.

  ‘Good bye Louise.’

  Ben stood up and left the room, he didn’t look back for if he had he would have noticed the single tear that trickled down Louise’s cheek.

  A few minutes after Ben had left Louise stood up and closed the door to her room. She knew now what she had to do; there was nothing else for her, no reason for her to continue this miserable existence. Mina had left her or was ignoring her and Louise didn’t know how to cope without her. And now Ben, a man who loved her despite everything, had also washed his hands of her.

  She quickly took off her hospital gown and folded it into one long strip. She knotted a makeshift noose at one end and tied the other end to the door handle. She knelt down, her back to the door and placed the noose around her neck.

  She felt nothing as she fell forwards, the fabric becoming taut and squeezing her airway shut. Images flashed before her eyes, places she’d been, people she knew, people she’d killed, people she’d loved. The pain was over, the fear was gone. As her life force drained away, Louise felt at peace.

  Her body spasmed and jerked violently as death’s icy fingers crept over her heart. And then finally…

  Sweet oblivion.