Where's the Rest of the Body

by Ron Finch

  Chief Petrovic said, “I think you should take the rest the day off, Sherry. See how you feel after the weekend. If you can’t return Monday, let me know. But remember, this is all confidential.”

  Cst. Herman roused himself and escorted Sherry Simpson from the room.

  Chief Petrovic and Fred Donaldson were now alone in the office. “I was hoping this wouldn’t happen,” said Chief Petrovic, “although I knew there was a chance it could. Cst. Herman and I have seen Henny like this before. It can last for hours. When she’s in this state, you can’t really communicate with her. But when she returns to normal, you can talk to her in a civilized manner. It’s almost like she’s two different people.”

  “Henny paid me a very large retainer,” said Fred Donaldson, “so I will continue to represent her, but this outburst of abnormal behaviour requires some research and some additional consideration of the facts surrounding the case. She definitely needs medical attention. I’ll contact a psychiatrist I know and then either he or someone he recommends can visit her. I’m finished here today, Chief Petrovic. I’ll get in touch with you later.”

  Wednesday, April 19th

  WEDNESDAY MORNING, at 10 o’clock, Chief Petrovic had a brief meeting with his constables. The chief started the meeting by saying, “I want all of you available in the police station at 2 o’clock this afternoon.”

  The constables looked at one another, uncertain about why they all needed to be present. The chief had never made a request like this before.

  Chief Petrovic continued, “I received a phone call late yesterday afternoon from Dr. Alfred Khryscoff, the doctor the lawyer Donaldson indicated he would get in touch with to meet with Henny McCann. Dr. Khryscoff is a prominent psychiatrist with an office in Toronto. He said visiting Henny at 2 o’clock this afternoon would work out very well for him, since he has relatives in London he’s been meaning to visit. He plans on travelling to London after he’s finished his interview with Henny.”

  The constables immediately understood why Chief Petrovic wanted all of them in the building that afternoon.

  “Oh, by the way,” the chief said, “I’ve given Sherry Simpson the afternoon off.”

  DR. ALFRED KHRYSCOFF arrived at the chief’s office at about half past one and introduced himself to Chief Petrovic. Khryscoff was a bear of a man. He was at least six foot two and had a beard that still showed traces of red, despite a full head of graying hair. The chief placed his age at around 50.

  “I am so pleased to meet you,” Dr. Khryscoff said. “From my acquaintance, Mr. Donaldson, I understand that you have a difficult prisoner. How has her behaviour been since the event that so engraved itself on my friend’s mind?”

  “Henny carried on in that lovely, strident voice of hers at full volume for about two hours after Mr. Donaldson left the building,” said the chief. “She has remarkable stamina. The incident was last Friday afternoon and since then she has been a model prisoner. I told Henny at suppertime yesterday that you would be coming to see her this afternoon. I told her you were an acquaintance of her lawyer. I wasn’t sure what else to say, so I left it at that.”

  “You handled that well, Chief Petrovic,” said Dr. Khryscoff. “Henny and I will have a conversation, and as we are talking I’ll introduce myself in a nonthreatening way. I’m glad I wasn’t here on Friday, but I have been involved in similar incidents. I understand she attacked your ears with more than just loud noises. I would guess it took about five stitches to close that wound.”

  “It’s healing very well. It took seven stitches. Unfortunately, it didn’t affect my hearing,” responded Chief Petrovic with a wry smile.

  “I’m ready to speak to her,” said Dr. Khryscoff. “It would be best if I spoke to her by myself. You can post a man outside the door. Do you have a room that I can use that provides a more pleasant environment than her cell?”

  “There aren’t a lot of pleasant rooms in this building, Dr. Khryscoff,” replied the chief. “However, we do have a supply room that is currently almost empty. There’s a large window in it that looks out on the park across the street. There’s a table in there, and I can easily arrange to have a couple of chairs placed in the room. Let’s take a look.”

  The two of them got up and went to the adjacent room. Dr. Khryscoff looked around the supply room. He turned, and said, “Would it be okay to move the table closer to the window?”

  “That’s not a problem. I’ll help you,” said Chief Petrovic.

  Within five minutes, two chairs had been moved into the room and it was ready for Dr. Khryscoff and Henny McCann to have their conversation.

  “Cst. Joel Franklin is the policeman that will be posted outside your door for the interview,” said Chief Petrovic as he left.

  I WAS THE LUCKY CONSTABLE who drew first watch duty outside the door to the supply room. From my location, Dr. Khryscoff and Henny McCann’s voices were clearly audible. They had been in conversation for several minutes. Khryscoff had introduced himself, and, in a low-key manner, had explained that he was a doctor of psychiatry and that he was working for her lawyer on her behalf. He said it was necessary for her lawyer to understand how Henny thought if he was going to successfully represent her. I noticed that he chose his words very carefully. He did not say ‘defend’ her. He said ‘represent’ her. I assumed that Dr. Khryscoff was concerned and chose words that would not trigger an outburst.

  After the introductory conversation, I was surprised at Dr. Khryscoff’s first question.

  “What is your name?” he asked Henny.

  There was a pause. She said, apparently not offended, “You’re being silly, Doctor. You know my name.”

  “I’m sorry,” he said. “I mean would you spell your name for me please.”

  She spelled out Henrietta Harriet McCann for the doctor.

  His next question was just as confusing to me. Dr. Khryscoff asked, “Do you ever feel like you’re someone else?”

  “What do you mean doctor?” she asked.

  “Are you aware that you have episodes when you scream and rage for hours?” he asked.

  “Don’t be silly,” she said. “Who’s been telling you stories?”

  “Why are you here in this jail?” he said as his next question.

  “I’m not sure,” Henny said. “I think it’s got something to do with my papers. I remember going to the lawyer’s office in Toronto to collect my rightful inheritance. I remember presenting my papers. They were legitimate. The lawyer left the room. The police came in and I don’t remember anything after that.”

  “Do you remember your car ride here?”

  “I do not. I slept all the way,” Henny responded.

  I thought I could now detect some agitation in Henny’s responses.

  “How do you feel now?” asked Dr. Khryscoff.

  “I’m becoming upset,” said Henny.

  Dr. Khryscoff then asked, “Do you know someone by the name of Millie?”

  “Yes, Millie is my live-in housekeeper in Springfield, Illinois. She’s a good person. She’s been very helpful to me,” answered Henny.

  He must have sensed her agitation. Maybe this question was to calm her down. It may have. But before I could think about it much he asked the next question.

  “Who is Nancy Featherstone?” Dr. Khryscoff asked.

  I heard something almost like a growl, the banging of furniture being toppled, and then intense screaming. I raced into the room and found Dr. Khryscoff doing his best to hold onto Henny McCann’s arms. He was a large strong man but in her insane mood she was a match for him. I grabbed her right arm and pulled it behind her back. Dr. Khryscoff managed to move her left arm behind her back as well so that she could be handcuffed.

  Once again, the police station – and probably the surrounding buildings – were subjected to extremely loud yelling and cursing and words that made no sense.

  By the time Dr. Khryscoff and I had Henny on her feet and to the door of the supply room, Chief Petrovic had arrived, followed closely
by the other constables. Cst. Smith and Cst. Jarvis took custody of Henny and dragged her back to her cell. Chief Petrovic excused Cst. Herman and me and then the chief and Dr. Khryscoff retired to his office for a private conversation.

  “WELL DOCTOR, WHAT DO you think?” asked the chief.

  “There’s not much doubt in my mind, Chief Petrovic,” Dr. Khryscoff responded. “This woman has a lot of the classic symptoms of multiple personality disorder. It’s a form of dissociation. It may be too early to tell, but I’m sure she has at least two personalities. From what little I know,” Dr. Khryscoff continued, “Henny McCann seems like a fairly normal, middle-aged, well-to-do woman who usually gets what she wants. The other personality is likely Nancy Featherstone. You did tell me a little bit about her when we first met. Nancy sounds like an uncontrolled, murderous psychopath who stops at nothing to get her way. I prefer Henny,” he said and chuckled.

  “Despite this woman’s mental problems,” said Chief Petrovic, “I need to pursue this case to its conclusion in order to provide a sense of relief and security to the relatives of the deceased and to this community. This is not just a pretty speech; this ‘body parts’ murder case has dominated the local news and gossip since last December.”

  “I understand your concerns,” said Dr. Khryscoff. “But you have to appreciate that Henny McCann is not a murderer.”

  At this point the chief interrupted him. “You can argue that. There may even be some validity to the idea. But people were murdered and someone has to be held accountable.”

  “I’ll leave you and Fred Donaldson to chew on that for a while,” said Dr. Khryscoff. “I don’t want you to have to continually deal with the other uncontrollable part of Henny’s personality. I’ll write a prescription for a tranquilizer. That should damp down her uncontrollable rage. Henny may not like the effects of the medication, but it is for her own good.”

  WHEN I GOT BACK TO my lodgings at the back of Franklin’s Groceries, Georgie was there waiting. I’m not sure whether I said “Oops” or “Hi” first. I was supposed to have met Georgie at 5 o’clock. We were going out to supper at Mabel’s Diner. It was now a little after 5:30, so an apology was in order.

  After I apologized, Georgie said, “That’s very nice of you, but it’s not necessary. I gather there was another noisy disturbance at the police station this afternoon. Downtown, people said they could hear shouting and yelling half a block away. The rumour is you have a lunatic locked up.”

  “Remember Georgie, anything I say to you is totally confidential,” I answered. “The person isn’t a lunatic but depending on their mood they can be dangerous. We had a psychiatrist at the police station today to visit her. His name is Dr. Khryscoff. I stood guard outside the door while he met with the prisoner alone in an interview room. It’s the first time I’ve ever met a psychiatrist. I was very impressed with the way he handled the interview. He obviously has a lot of experience working with people with mental abnormalities and it got me to thinking. Dr. Khryscoff might be someone I should talk to about my abilities.”

  “Do you think that’s a good idea, Joel?” asked Georgie. “Do you think you can trust him?”

  “I believe I can,” I responded. “He’s bound by the doctor-patient confidentiality part of his oath.”

  “If you make an appointment, could I go with you?” asked Georgie.

  “I wouldn’t have it any other way,” I said. “I asked Dr. Khryscoff for his phone number just before he left the police station.”

  Thursday, April 20th

  CHIEF PETROVIC THOUGHT he was ready for his meeting with the lawyer, Fred Donaldson. They had agreed to meet at the chief’s office at 2 o’clock, on Thursday afternoon. Donaldson had stayed in town overnight at the Chaseford Arms Hotel and was travelling back to Toronto the following day.

  The meeting was just a few minutes away and the chief was of two minds. Chief Petrovic did not like defence lawyers. To him, they always seemed to be twisting the truth, so he felt certain that Donaldson would try to twist his words to create an advantage for the accused. At the same time, he was anxious to push the case forward. Chief Petrovic thought he had the guilty party locked up and enough circumstantial evidence to convict Henny McCann of murder. Although it was extremely unsettling that Henny McCann sometimes seemed to be someone else.

  Sherry Simpson peeked around the corner the door and said, “Fred Donaldson is here to see you.”

  The chief was pleased to see that Sherry had regained some of her spunk after the upset she had experienced witnessing Henny’s violent outburst.

  “Tell him I’ll just be a moment,” answered Chief Petrovic. He took a couple of reports off the meeting table and put them in his desk drawer. Then he went to the door and welcomed Donaldson into his office.

  “You’re looking good,” said Donaldson. “Even that ear seems to be in a good state of repair.”

  “It hasn’t improved my hearing, but thank you for noticing. And for agreeing to meet with me so soon,” said the chief. “You’re probably as anxious as I am to resolve this situation. I gather you’ve had a conversation with Dr. Khryscoff too.”

  “I have,” answered Donaldson. “I think we have three different agendas for the same person. You want to get a murder conviction; I want to defend her because I think Henny McCann is innocent of the charge; Dr. Khryscoff sees a patient he needs to treat. There must be some common ground somewhere.”

  Chief Petrovic was surprised by Donaldson’s opening statement. He had anticipated a flat rejection of any attempt to move away from a plain ‘not guilty’ result. He supposed that Donaldson had had a bit of a wake-up when he’d been front row and centre for Henny McCann’s violent rampage. “Do you have any suggestions, Mr. Donaldson?” asked the chief.

  “I was afraid if the matter was left to the two of us, we would never resolve it,” Donaldson answered. “So I asked Dr. Khryscoff for his opinion. He refused to attend our meeting, but he did give me his thoughts in writing. The doctor was staying at the Chaseford Arms as well, so he gave me this letter before he checked out this morning.” Donaldson put the letter down on the table so that the chief could read it.

  Gentlemen,

  I know we all have different agendas, but all of us are bound to serve the community and private individuals to the best of our ability. Henny McCann, in her present state of health, is a danger to the community. She needs to be confined to a mental institution where she can be treated for her illness. It’s possible Henny may never again be healthy enough to return to society. That’s unfortunate for Henny, because I believe the guilty party in this case is Nancy Featherstone. If we can deal with the Nancy Featherstone part of Henny McCann in an institutional setting, perhaps Henny may be cured and can become a person capable of living in society again.

  The community also deserves consideration. We must make every reasonable attempt to determine what really happened. The public is entitled to know the truth. Relatives and friends and those immediately involved in the case need to have some closure.

  I am not opposed to a guilty verdict provided there is no death penalty and that Henny McCann will be eligible for consideration for probation if she is cured of her mental affliction and is deemed capable of functioning as a normal person in society.

  Sincerely,

  Dr. Alfred Khryscoff

  The two men looked at each other without saying a word.

  “After witnessing Henny’s behavior, both as herself and at other times – perhaps – as Nancy Featherstone, I’m willing to accept that Dr. Khryscoff’s suggestion may be the most manageable way to handle this case,” said Chief Petrovic.

  “I agree with you,” said Donaldson. “I think it is necessary, though, that the case be taken before a judge and not a jury.”

  “I’ll talk to the judge,” said the chief. “Geoffrey Bernard. He’s been on the job here for a little over two years. He was appointed when Judge Marshall retired. If you’re in agreement, I’ll take the letter from Dr. Khryscoff. I
think it will help.”

  “Please keep me informed about the results of your meeting with the judge. I’ll also need to know the trial date as soon as possible,” said Donaldson.

  Monday, April 24th

  CHIEF PETROVIC HAD an appointment for 10 o’clock Monday morning with Judge Bernard. Geoffrey Bernard was about ten years younger than the chief, in his mid-40s. He was a little on the pudgy side, but his eyes betrayed a keen intelligence. Bernard had only been in the area for a little over two years, but he already had a reputation as being fair in his dealings. He was a good listener but once he started to speak you were to be quiet.

  Chief Petrovic was invited to sit in front of the judge’s desk. After their exchange of greetings, the judge said, “What matter do you bring forward to me today, Chief Petrovic?”

  “Your Honor, I haven’t discussed this case with you before,” said the chief. “It’s been complicated, but it’s reached the point where I have a suspect and as much evidence as I think I’ll be able to accumulate.”

  “OK, Chief Petrovic. Start at the beginning and give me as many of the details as you can,” said Judge Bernard.

  Chief Petrovic started his presentation by describing the sudden appearance of the body parts in December. He went on to relate the discovery of the icehouse on the Featherstone farm, and then continued by describing how he had obtained two witnesses from the United States. He then told the judge about the notice in the newspapers and finished by describing Henny’s arrest and behaviour. The recitation took the better part of an hour.

  When Chief Petrovic stopped, Judge Bernard looked at him with those penetrating eyes and said, “This is certainly a most unusual case. I am concerned about the mental well-being of the suspect, Henny McCann, and I’m very pleased that you involved someone as prominent as Dr. Khryscoff to assess her. Do you have any recommendations for me Chief Petrovic?”