“Ready?”
“Go ahead.”
“Number one. ‘You grow quite impatient when you must wait in line.’”
“Quite?”
“Quite.”
“As in ‘very’?”
“Yes.”
“I do get impatient when I have to wait in a line—who doesn’t? But ‘quite’? I don’t like this question.”
“Why not?”
“It’s too hard to make the decision whether or not my impatience is ‘quite.’”
“That’s part of the process, Tory. Evaluating your own responses to the various answers to the question should provide you with some insight and reveal the correct answer. For you, that is.”
“I thought you weren’t supposed to help?”
“I’m not. Let’s just call that a methodology clarification.”
“Okay, then. ‘Quite impatient,’ huh? I’ll say ‘sometimes.’”
“Number two. ‘You work very hard, play very hard, and try to be the best at what you do.’”
“Well, I do try to be the best that I can be … you know … like that old army commercial? But ‘very hard’? That’s too extreme for me. I’ll say ‘sometimes.’”
“Number three. ‘You easily become annoyed when held up by someone in traffic.’”
“Easily?”
“Yes.”
“Rarely.”
“Number four. ‘You are more of a go-getter than most of your friends.’”
“Sometimes.”
“Number five. ‘You slam and break things when angry.’”
“Again with a breaking-things question?”
“Tory …”
“All right. Rarely.”
“Number six. ‘It irritates you when people don’t take their job seriously.’”
“Often.”
“Number seven. ‘You snap at strangers when you become annoyed—for example, while driving, shopping, or working.’”
“Rarely.”
“Number eight. ‘You become angered when you fail at things you attempt to do.’”
“Sometimes.”
“Number nine. ‘When angry, you speed up and do things like driving, eating, and walking faster.’”
“Rarely. I slow down, actually.”
“Number ten. ‘You don’t easily forgive and forget someone who offended you.’”
“And here we have another forgiveness question. I’ll say rarely.”
“That’s it.”
“That wasn’t too bad.”
“Ready for the next test?”
“Can we do it tomorrow?”
“Of course.”
“Thanks, Doc. See you tomorrow, then.”
25
Dr. Baraku Bexley
Crouch Troy
Attorney Marilyn Costanza
“Good afternoon, Mr. Troy. Counselor.”
“Dr. Bexley.”
“Before we begin, Doctor, I must insist on a few ground rules on behalf of my client.”
“This is not a deposition, Counselor. Why would you feel the need for ground rules?”
“Because I told her I didn’t want to talk about certain things and she’s just doing her job.”
“Very well. What are your concerns, Counselor?”
“We will not answer any questions about my client’s relationship with his daughter prior to his divorce from Viviana Troy.”
“May I ask why?”
“You may ask, but we will not answer that question. If I was informed correctly, you told my client that you wished to obtain background information about his daughter’s childhood, schooling, and life at home. Is that correct?”
“Yes.”
“Well, then, I must insist that you maintain those parameters in your questioning.”
“Fine. Anything else?”
“No questions about my client’s current personal life.”
“I see. Anything else?”
“Not right now. Why don’t we get started and we’ll see how it goes.”
“All right. Let’s begin with this, then. Mr. Troy, could you tell me what Tory was like as a child?”
“She was always studying.”
“She liked school?”
“Very much. She always got straight As.”
“Do you recall what her favorite subjects were?”
“In grade school?”
“Yes.”
“She liked science a lot. Stuff about dinosaurs especially. She knew all the names of the dinosaurs.”
“Did she have many friends when she was young?”
“I wouldn’t say she had a lot of friends, but I know that she was very close with the friends she did have.”
“Do you remember what she was like in school? Anything her teachers may have said about her? How she got along with her classmates?”
“She was always very well-behaved. Her report cards always said that she was quiet in class and never got into fights. And she always raised her hand before talking.”
“Did she ever talk to you about her schoolwork?”
“Doctor …”
“That’s an innocent question, Counselor.”
“It’s okay, Marilyn, I’ll answer it. Yes, she always told me about her classes and tests and everything else that went on in school.”
“I see. Did you ever help her with her homework?”
“Doctor, that’s enough.”
“May I ask why?”
“You’re veering too close to asking questions my client has stated he does not wish to answer.”
“How so?”
“You’re now asking about his personal interaction with his daughter, and if he answers one, you’ll certainly ask many more. Those questions are off-limits. So, I’m sorry, but that’s enough.”
“Yes, Counselor, it is enough. Obviously, I am not going to learn anything of merit from Mr. Troy with you hovering over him like a mother hen guarding her brood, so why don’t we end this here and now?”
“I am offended by your characterization, Doctor. I am simply protecting the interests of my client.”
“Well, I apologize if I offended you, but it strikes me as quite odd that there even exists the need for you to protect your client. I told him during our phone conversation that I was not a member of law enforcement and that this was not a deposition. What does he have to hide that you and he are so concerned about ‘protecting’ him?”
“That’s enough. Crouch, we’re leaving.”
“Thank you for your time, Mr. Troy.”
“You’re welcome, Doctor. And would you tell Tory … would you give her my best and tell her I am praying for her and that I hope everything works out for her?”
“I will do that, sir.”
“Thank you.”
“Can I ask you one last question, Mr. Troy?”
“I don’t know. Can he, Marilyn?”
“Go ahead and ask your question, Doctor. I’ll determine whether or not he should answer it.”
“I see you wear an eye patch, and I know how you lost your eye. Tell me, do you have a prosthetic eye?”
“Go ahead, Crouch. You can answer it.”
“No. I never got one.”
“Why not?”
“I never wanted to forget why I am wearing this patch.”
“I see.”
“Is that it, Doctor?”
“Yes, Counselor. That is most assuredly it.”
26
Tory Troy
Dr. Baraku Bexley
“Can we talk about Jake today, Tory?”
“No tests?”
“Perhaps later.”
“All right. What do you want to know?”
“What was Jake like?”
“You mean as a boss?”
“As a person.”
“As a person, he wasn’t too bad.”
“And as a boss?”
“An obnoxious prick.”
“How so?”
“He gave in to the stress of the job.”
“Meaning?”
“He let the job change his personality. He seemed to have this ‘boss’ persona that he put on whenever he was at work. It was like he was a different person.”
“Could you give me an example?”
“He acted like he wasn’t one of us—he wouldn’t talk about anything non-work-related.”
“For instance?”
“One day, Marcy brought in a photo album of her and her friends. You know, vacation pictures, family stuff … her friends and her just goofing around.”
“Sounds like fun.”
“It was. We were all just sitting around flipping through the pages, laughing, making fun of some of the pictures, when Jake walked in. We had just come to a picture of Marcy and one of her friends—I think it was a girl named Sarah—goofing around at a pool party. They had pulled off each other’s bikini tops, and someone had snapped a picture just before they covered their breasts with their hands.”
“They could both be seen topless?”
“Yes, but it was no big deal. They were both small on top, and it really wasn’t pornographic at all or even erotic. The picture showed what happened at that moment—two twenty-something girls fooling around at a pool.”
“But Jake could see Marcy without her top on, right?”
“Yes.”
“From your description of Jake, I might guess that did not go over too well with him.”
“You’re not kidding. Boy, did he freak out.”
“How?”
“He took one look at the picture, turned bright red, and started yelling about how this was a place of business, and who said you could bring a picture like that into work, and stuff like that.”
“He was embarrassed.”
“Yeah, I suppose that’s what it boiled down to. But he didn’t have to go off the deep end like that.”
“What happened then?”
“Marcy slammed the album shut, burst into tears, and ran into the bathroom.”
“Did you say anything to Jake?”
“Yeah. At first I actually considered flashing him, but all I did was call him an asshole.”
“What was his response?”
“Nothing. He just stomped into his office and slammed the door.”
“How did this make you feel toward Jake?”
“Pissed off.”
“Because he made Marcy cry?”
“No. Because he couldn’t be a regular guy, and laugh along with the rest of us, and just be grateful that he was treated to a glimpse of Marcy he wouldn’t have gotten to see in a million years.”
“What else can you tell me about Jake?”
“He played piano, and he loved pizza. He once told me he could play the Beatles ‘Martha My Dear’ perfectly on the piano.”
“If I recall correctly, Jake played the Beatles’ ‘Helter Skelter’ during euthanasia sessions?”
“Yes.”
“Isn’t ‘Martha My Dear’ about Paul McCartney’s pet sheepdog?”
“That’s what they say.”
“How about the animals?”
“What about them?”
“How was Jake with the animals?”
“Neutral.”
“Meaning?”
“He wasn’t anything with the animals. He didn’t even have a pet at home—which I always thought pretty strange for a guy who managed a municipal animal shelter. I remember once going into a chain pet store and seeing a big poster with the numbers and kinds of pets each employee had. That always seemed to me to be the absolutely perfect thing to do. The poster, I mean. We never did it at the shelter, but we should have.”
“Did everyone at the shelter have a companion animal?”
“Yeah. Some of them had more than one.”
“Why do you think Jake didn’t have a pet?”
“Who knows? Maybe he just took the job to have a job. Not everybody is personally into the stuff they work on all day. I once knew a guy who managed a jewelry store and who knew everything there was to know about jewelry. Rick. He did repairs, appraisals, set work—everything—and yet he didn’t even wear a wedding ring. He told me sometimes customers would ask him why he didn’t have a bracelet, or fancy rings. He used to shock the shit out of them by telling them that he wasn’t into jewelry. He said the inevitable follow-up question was always, ‘Then what are you doing here?’ His stock answer was always, ‘I’ve got a mortgage.’ Maybe that’s why Jake worked at the animal shelter. Just for the money.”
“Anything else about Jake?”
“You know what, Doc? I’m starting to get one of those headaches again, and it feels like it’s going to turn into something nasty.”
“Would you like to stop for the day?”
“Do you mind?”
“Not at all. I’ll see you tomorrow.”
“Thanks.”
“Not a problem. I hope you feel better.”
“Yeah. Me too.”
27
Tory Troy
Dr. Baraku Bexley
“How are you feeling today?”
“Better.”
“Headache gone?”
“Almost. Now it’s just a dull ache in my neck, and pain radiating into my jaw.”
“Pain in your jaw?”
“Yeah, but it’s TMJ, not a heart attack. I know this pain.”
“All right. But let me know if you experience any alarming symptoms, okay?”
“Roger that, Doc.”
“Ready for another test?”
“Ready as I’ll ever be, I suppose. What’s this one called?”
“‘What Are Your Dreams Telling You?’”
“Oh, yeah. This should be fun. I think.”
“Once again, this is a ‘true’ or ‘false’ test. I will make ten declarative statements and you will answer ‘true’ or ‘false’ based on your own dream experiences.”
“Okay.”
“Ready?”
“Yes.”
“Number one. ‘I sometimes gain a better understanding of myself through a dream.’”
“True.”
“Number two. ‘My dreams are generally pleasant.’”
“Here we go again. ‘Generally’?”
“Yes.”
“True.”
“Number three. ‘I sometimes solve a problem through a dream.’”
“True.”
“Number four. ‘I can recall my dreams at least twice a week.’”
“True. Sometimes more than that, actually.”
“Number five. ‘I have the same dream about eight or nine times a year.’”
“False. Actually totally false. I never have the same dream. It’s always something new.”
“Number six. ‘I have disturbing dreams or nightmares eight or nine times per year.’”
“False. I never have nightmares.”
“Number seven. ‘A bad mood from a dream sometimes lingers into the next day for several hours.’”
“False. Within a few minutes after getting up, my dreams are gone with the wind.”
“Number eight. ‘I dream in color.’”
“True. But I also dream in black and white. Does that matter?”
“No. The question does not rule out not dreaming in color.”
“Okay.”
“Number nine. ‘I cry, scream, or shout in my dreams about two or three times a year.’”
“Jeez, Doc. I certainly would not want to know someone who answers ‘true’ to that one.”
“What is your response?”
“False.”
“And the final question. ‘I abruptly awaken from a dream about once a month.’”
“False.”
“Very good. Thank you.”
“What’s next?”
“Well, if you are up for it, I would like to discuss a meeting I had recently regarding you and your case.”
“Yeah, I’m up for it. Who with? Who was the meeting with?”
“Crouch Troy.”
“Orderly!
”
“Tory—”
“Mention him again and I am leaving. And I will never speak to you again.”
“I’m sorry, Tory, but you cannot dictate the parameters of my questioning. I promise I will be solicitous of your feelings.”
“How could you possibly bring that scumbag into this?”
“Now, Tory—”
“Don’t ‘Now, Tory’ me.… He’s a creep, and you must know by now what he did to me and my mother. Why would you involve him in this?”
“Because what he did to you and your mother most likely had a major impact on the person you are now, and since it is my job to determine your mental competence, I must understand how you came to be the woman you are today.”
“I will not talk about him. I won’t. I don’t want anything to do with him. And if you push, I’ll play ‘sick’ and I’ll remain ‘sick’ for weeks.”
“Tory—”
“I’m not kidding, Dr. Bexley. Believe me. I will not talk about him. If you think I’m not serious, just try me.”
“Tory, I understand. All right. Calm down. Consider the subject closed. I will not bring him up again. Okay?”
“Do you mean it?”
“Absolutely. But if you don’t mind, I would like to pass along a message to you from your father.”
“A message? What could that asshole possibly have to say to me?”
“He asked me to tell you that he was praying for you and that he hoped everything worked out for you.”
“Great. I’m touched.”
“I’m only the messenger, Tory.”
“I know, Doc. I’m sorry if I got a little, uh, ‘ornery’ with you.”
“Not a problem. Would you consider doing another test, then?”
“Sure. It’ll take my mind off what you just told me. What’s it called?”
“‘Does Anger Get the Best of You?’”
“Ha! That’s great! After I explode at you, you’re going to test me on my anger-coping skills. Excellent! Carry on.”
“I’m glad I was able to get a chuckle out of you. Ready?”
“Ready.”
“For this test, please answer ‘true’ or ‘false’ to the twelve declarative statements I will make.”
“Okay.”
“Number one. ‘I am usually the one to stand up for the rights of other people.’”
“I’d have to go with ‘true’ on that one. It pisses me off to no end when I see someone being bullied.”
“Okay. Number two. ‘It irritates me when peers or family members tell me what to do.’”
“Irritates? I’ll say false. It actually kind of amuses me, since I’m going to do what I want to do regardless of what anyone says.”
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