Hunted

by Monty Marsden

  “Another step forward?”

  “Yes.”

  “Tell me.”

  “Who’s the person that you speak to most often?”

  “The Wimp.”

  “Okay, here’s the task – I’d like you to try to recall the Wimp’s thoughts… or even better, to try to picture one of his memories.”

  “That’s absurd!” Riondino burst out.

  “Trust me, Jack. My way is the only way for you to get out of here.”

  “It’s impossible to read someone else’s mind… a man of science like you should know that!”

  “I’m asking you to do your best. Focus and try your hardest. It’s a task. Will you do it?”

  Riondino hesitated for a long time and then replied.

  “Maybe.”

  “All meetings with Riondino have been recorded,” the professor said as he turned off the video player. “All the files are stored in the Montelupo secure psychiatric unit – hours and hours of conversations, I keep the most important excerpts here with me. I can give you copies if you want, so that you can watch them in your own time.”

  “That would be helpful, Professor… Reti,” Claps thanked him. “I’m going to ask Doctor Rinaldi to give me copies of interview tapes too.” Claps leant slightly towards the professor. “So Jack has revealed himself to be the main… personality? The one into which the other personalities can be merged?” he asked.

  “Has Hannibal not showed up for real, then?” Greta asked at the same time.

  “Let’s go step by step – ladies first. No, I have never met Hannibal over the years that I worked with Riondino; as far as I know, he only showed up during one of the first interrogations. I’m sure that you’ve seen the footage, Mr Claps.”

  Claps nodded.

  “I must say, though…” the professor carried on talking, as he refilled his pipe. “that I’ve never been certain that Hannibal doesn’t exist any more. After all, Jack has referred to segregation or burial. The truth is that the complete disappearance of Hannibal would have entailed the elaboration of the traumas that Riondino had experienced as a child – their physical processing, the full overcoming. This has never happened completely. I think that Hannibal has always been there – chained up, buried, penned in, but still there.”

  “Is that why you never allowed Riondino to be released from the unit after each annual review? Would a rehabilitation centre not have been good enough for him?” Claps asked.

  “Yeah, I have always thought that Riondino was still too dangerous to be moved anywhere else, even though we were on the right track with the therapy. As I said, my opinion remains valid only up to two years ago.”

  “Considering what has happened recently,” Greta chipped in, “things must have changed radically over the last few years. The doctor who took care of him after you didn’t fully realise.”

  The professor spread his arms. “Doctor Rinaldi, the colleague who treated Riondino after me, the one who allowed Riondino to be released from the unit, was fully qualified to make this decision and he seemed very competent in his work.” The professor paused for a moment to light the pipe that he had just filled. “We know very little about this illness, after all, but there is a possibility of the patient relapsing again. Similar cases have been documented. A similar thing happened to Milligan, for example.”

  Nobody spoke for a few seconds.

  “Would you like to tell us a bit more about… Jack, Professor?” Claps asked.

  “Jack – let me answer your question from a few minutes ago. Yes, Jack revealed himself to be the most complete personality, the one who was fully aware of all the others – the one who could see what all the others were doing if he wanted to when they were on stage. In other words, the personality that could have been used to begin the process of merging, the fusing of identities.”

  ‘The director,’ Greta thought.

  “It’s not a difficulty that all the other personalities – with one exception, as I’ll explain to you – didn’t have a personal name. Only him, Giacomo Riondino. Giacomo. Hence why Jack.”

  “I assume that Hannibal is the other personality with a proper name?” Greta asked.

  “No, Hannibal isn’t that different from the Wimp or from the Fox, after all – it indicates a typical characteristic of his identity. In this case, Riondino was inspired by the character created by Thomas Harris in his iconic book to represent the murderous insanity.”

  “So the other person with a proper name is another one that we still haven’t talked about?”

  The professor nodded. “I’ll tell you in due course… I don’t want to confuse you with too much information, since we’re still talking about Jack.”

  “The main personality… the one that should be used to merge all of the others into.” Claps said, eager to talk more about the therapy.

  “That’s right – the process would have entailed getting Riondino to believe that Jack was one, whole person, by merging all of his memories together. Consequently, all of the traumas and problems from the past would have had to be overcome. It would have taken a long time and it would have been a difficult goal to attain.” The pipe had gone out. – the professor re-lit it calmly and then carried on talking. “With time, more personalities showed up – ten in total, including Jack. “The Professor, the Actor, the Earl… here,” the professor paused for a moment. Then he took a folder from one of his shelves and handed it over to Claps. “This is a summary file and it gives details about all of Riondino’s personalities. You can read through it in your own time.”

  “Was the ther… therapy effective?”

  “Yes, but as expected, the process was incredibly slow. Small steps forward, gained with sacrifices and a lot of effort. Towards the end, a little before I retired, two different groups – or blocks – had formed. The first group, the strongest and most arrogant one, was led by Jack and was made up of the Wimp, the Fox, the Professor, the Actor and the Earl. All these personalities were slowly merging into Jack and Jack himself was aware of this, even if he pretended that each of the other personalities were still completely autonomous.

  “What do you mean exactly?” Greta asked.

  “You see, everybody asks themselves questions and them gives themselves answers. We have different attitudes according to different situations… sometimes we even pretend to be different from who we really are. And yet nobody normally doubts their own identity. Back then, Riondino knew that the group was merging into one, but he drew on the other personalities most of the time. Let me give you an example – you’re about to leave your house and you see that the weather outside is miserable. You wonder if you should bring an umbrella with you. You think for a moment and then you take the umbrella. In Riondino’s mind, things worked a little differently. Jack would say ‘do you reckon we should bring the umbrella with us, Professor?” and the Professor would reply ‘we are better off taking it with us in case it rains.”

  “Some kind of dialogue…”

  “Yeah, even if Jack sensed that he was one person, he still drew on the different personalities he used to feel. Here’s another example – you’re in a difficult situation where you have to wrack your brain to find a solution. You focus and then you decide what to do. Jack, instead, would pretend to call out to the Fox. ‘Hey Fox, we have a problem…’. And the Fox would reply. ‘Let me take over, I’ll think about it.’”

  “I’m not following – why pretend, if he knew that he was becoming one person? You said that he pretended.”

  “The process behind what we call personality merging is not straightforward and quick. It’s not like switching on a light. It happens gradually and one takes years to get to the one person mindset.”

  “As you said, though, Riondino was becoming aware of being one person; the personality merging was happening.”

  “Yes… and at the same time, no.” The professor inhaled the pipe smoke deeply. “I have been referring to Jack so far, and not to Riondino. Jack was merging into one pers
on with his own group, but there was another block of personalities.”

  “Which was still split from Jack – is that what you mean?”

  “Exactly – they were completely autonomous personalities. Jack knew about them and would speak to them, but they didn’t share any memories with him, nor did he have any control over their actions. Maybe he was only able to slightly affect what they wanted to do. Those were the most hidden personalities. Jack didn’t talk about them for the first two years. They showed up during a hypnosis session and that was the only way for me to be able to talk to them.”

  “How many personalities were there in this second group?”

  “There are only three – they are very interesting, different and often in conflict with Jack. These personalities remember Riondino’s childhood traumas and still feel the pain of those memories. Little, the Rebel and, the most surprising one, Julia, a female personality, the only one who has a proper name like Jack.”

  “Can you tell us more, Professor?”

  11

  “He’s not out yet.” Maiezza was talking on the phone in an anonymous car parked in front of the building where Antonio Greco lived. He was one of the most interesting of Riondino’s online friends. “He didn’t go to work yesterday – he called in sick.”

  “Any activity on the Internet?” Sensi had chosen to stay in his office.

  “No activity since yesterday – we only recorded the phone call to work to say that he was sick.” Maiezza’s tone of voice betrayed some excitement. “That’s it. Ever since Riondino has been in Milan.”

  “Yeah…” Sensi felt a surge of adrenalin run through his veins. Despite all of his doubts from the previous day, it was a fact that Antonio Greco’s profile was very similar to Matteo Contri’s and that Mr Greco had fallen off the radar since Riondino arrived in Milan. Perhaps Maiezza was right when he said that a winning strategy is a winning strategy. Maybe Riondino was hiding there, certain that he was safe. Maybe Mr Greco was already lying dead in one of his own rooms.

  “I’ll make my way in,” Maiezza said decisively.

  “How many of you are there?”

  “Four, but there’s another squad coming up. I’ll find an excuse to enter the building.”

  “What are you thinking?” Sensi asked, worried.

  “We’ll cut off the electricity and we’ll introduce ourselves as electrical engineers ten minutes later.”

  Sensi held on to his phone while he put his jacket on. “Okay, I’ll be there in a few minutes.” Like Maiezza, Sensi’s voice also had a nuance of excitement.

  *

  The car was speeding up on the motorway. After they had left the professor, Claps had fallen into complete silence and Greta had preferred to avoid breaking it.

  Claps kept both his hands on the steering wheel – he glanced at Greta out of the corner of his eye for a moment.

  “Are you reading the documents regarding Riondino’s pe… personalities?”

  “I’ve only just started and it’s… shocking.”

  “Would you like to read out loud?”

  Greta read the documents out loud from the beginning. “The Wimp: he is weak, emotionally fragile. Absolutely inoffensive. He does repetitive tasks and he is unable to take decisions autonomously. He ignores the existence of the others. Without being aware of Jack, however, he takes orders from him. He is the personality that Riondino has shown from the moment that he was arrested and throughout his detention in the unit.”

  “Yeah,” Claps observed. “That’s the personality that would guarantee him fewer p… problems and complications with doctors, nurses and all the other inmates.”

  “The Fox: he’s arrogant and greedy, but he’s also very intelligent. He’s usually a manipulator, a scamming specialist. He has a close relationship with Jack, he knows Hannibal and he is aware of the existence of other personalities. He’s homosexual and he’s the only one who is left-handed.

  The Professor: shy and introverted, he is often absent-minded and is aware of the existence of Jack, Little and Julia. He likes to read and study, he’s an expert in electronics, informatics in particular, pharmacology and floriculture. He likes to play chess but he’s not a good player.

  The Actor: he very rarely shows up. He’s a dreamer, extroverted, a skilled vocal impressionist. He says that he is able to play any character from any contemporary theatre work. He says that he’s studying to play an important role. He doesn’t talk to the other personalities but he’s aware of them and he considers them his silent audience when he rehearses. He is afraid of Jack’s opinion, because he often discourages him by criticising his performance.

  The Earl: he’s the one who least enjoys being confined to a unit. He loves women, cars, beautiful clothes and gambling. He doesn’t have any other hobbies nor does he have any moral inhibitions when he wants something that he likes. He speaks to Jack and to the Fox, he knows how to get hold of the money that he uses for his vices and he criticises the Fox for being homosexual. He is not interested in any other personalities, even if he knows a few.

  Hannibal: he has never showed up. Jack describes him as a trouble-maker. He’s a violent, cold-hearted man with incredible strength. He doesn’t feel any emotion when he commits violent crimes.

  Jack: the most complete, complex personality. He flees and hides away, but he knows and speaks to everyone. Through therapy, he has slowly learned to recover memories that belong to the Wimp, the Fox, the Professor, the Actor and the Earl. When he wants, he can see minute by minute – as he says – what they do when they show up and take over. He has a leading role over them and he most likely has an influence on all of the other personalities. He is respected and feared by the others. He is an intelligent man, he plans and uses the skills of the other personalities to accomplish his objectives. He has always been aware that Riondino is different and has always tried his best to hide his illness. “I don’t want us to be locked away forever in a secure psychiatric unit just because of people’s fear and ignorance.” It is not clear whether he has any interests or desires, apart from his obsession with being free again. He doesn’t seem shocked or sorry for the violence that he blames Hannibal for – in fact, he is often incredibly indifferent to what has happened. He also shows a degree of irritation for the consequences of Hannibal’s actions. He has made himself available to follow the therapy but has always given the impression that he conceals most of his personality. He opens up only as much as he needs to in order to follow the therapy.

  The Rebel: he’s a seventeen year old boy. He’s cocky, regardless of others, he doesn’t accept anybody’s authority. He reads a lot and listens to a lot of music. He is protective of Little and Julia, he hates Jack and the Fox. He’s the only one who smokes.

  Little: he’s a seven year old child. He’s weak and introverted, he opens up to the Rebel and he’s best friends with him. He also has a good relationship with Julia, who takes care of him. When he hears Jack’s name, he begins to tremble with fear.

  Julia: she’s a twenty-eight year old female personality, she is aware of the existence of all the other personalities but she doesn’t know what they do. She’s extremely protective towards Little and worried about the Rebel. She doesn’t trust Jack and the ‘other gang’ – which is how she refers to the Fox and the Earl. She complains about being confined to a unit, not so much for her as for Little. She once mentioned the fact that she often has erotic dreams.”

  Greta finished reading and then stared at the road with the documents still on her lap.

  “This is…” Claps said. “just unbelievable. I’m sure you’ll agree.”

  “Yeah, I feel like I’ve been saying that so many times recently.” Greta turned towards Claps. “You were right – Riondino didn’t have just three personalities. And there was a main personality, Jack.”

  “Yeah, that stands true up to two years ago, at least. I look forward to listening to the other recordings that the professor gave us to follow the development of his therapy. But for
n… now, let’s speak to Rinaldi to get a glimpse of the latest updates.”

  “Do you think that the process of merging continued under the lead of Rinaldi? Do you think that there were less personalities when Riondino escaped the hospital?”

  Claps sighed. “If Rinaldi decided that Riondino was not dangerous any more and that he should be moved to a rehabilitation centre, the merging of multiple personalities must have progressed to include Julia and her group. The professor hadn’t agreed to moving the patient to a hospital because he was convinced that Riondino hadn’t yet ove… overcome his traumas. Consequently, Hannibal could still have made a return any time.”

  “And that’s because Julia, Little and the Rebel still held memories of the traumas. Riondino wouldn’t have been able to overcome them until those personalities had merged with all the others.”

  “That’s right,” Claps said.

  “I’ll assume that the process of merging was almost fully complete when he was allowed to move to a rehabilitation centre. If that’s the case, I wonder… if Riondino was really merging all his personalities into one and if he had been sent to a rehabilitation centre as a step towards being released again soon, why would he escape?”

  Claps didn’t answer, his hands tightened their grip on the steering wheel.

  “Why commit such a violent crime?” Greta carried on. “These murders will throw him back into a secure psychiatric unit, this time for life. A relapse? The only answer would be that Hannibal did all this.”

  “We have to speak to Rinaldi,” Claps said, and then fell into silence again.

  *

  Sensi had kept hoping.

  Maiezza had knocked decisively on Mr Greco’s front door. Sensi was waiting with two other men on the landing on the upper floor. Two more, with their weapons primed, were lying in ambush on the ground floor. Other men were standing at the building’s exits.

  Sensi had felt very nervous when the front door opened and Maiezza and the other policeman – both dressed as electrical engineers – walked into the apartment.