Jigsaw Lovers

by William Shenton

  ‘A latter-day Sisyphus.’ Hamilton commented.

  ‘A fine allusion. He’ll be rolling these images around in his mind to no avail for the rest of his living days. I think it’s time for you to speak to him, while he’s still capable of understanding why you’ve done this to him.’

  ‘Yes. It would defeat the object of the exercise if he were unable to comprehend why he’s come to this sorry state.’

  ‘We can have him conscious enough to respond to you tomorrow.’

  ‘That sounds fine. I’ll speak to him then.’

  The following day Hamilton went into Smith’s room.

  ‘Do you recognise me, Mr Smith?’ The voice came out of the shadows. Smith wasn’t sure whether he was dreaming or awake. He looked at the side table. Today, if indeed it were daytime, there was no whisky bottle, just a jug of water.

  ‘My name is Hamilton, Ian Hamilton.’ Still no recognition from Smith. He sat up. He was dressed in a loose-fitting gown.

  ‘It seems you don’t recall who I am. Let me jog your memory.’ Hamilton lit a cigarette, and sat cross-legged on a chair that Smith hadn’t remembered seeing before. ‘You were the assistant bank manager. Do you remember those days? They must seem very far off now. That was the time when you had a wife and children, a nice house and career prospects. Is it coming back to you?’ Smith looked at him, trying to remember where he’d seen him before.

  ‘We have met,’ he said slowly, ‘but I can’t remember when or where.’ He tried to stand, but the effort of sitting up was exertion enough for him.

  ‘Let me give you a clue. You were the bank manager and I was one of your clients. Does that help?’ Smith shook his head. ‘I was a very good client with a business that was going far. At least everybody thought so, except you. You don’t seem to remember me yet. That’s not surprising; I was probably just one of many clients that you grouped together as being irritating, or something of a nuisance. Perhaps if I tell you what I did, you might find it easier to recall me. You can’t have had many people in my line of work.’ Smith nodded.

  ‘I designed computer games.’

  ‘Hamilton, Ian Hamilton. Yes, I remember you now. You wanted a loan, but we couldn’t help you.’

  ‘Not couldn’t, wouldn’t,’ snapped Hamilton.

  ‘We never saw you again. Someone mentioned once that you had eventually made a lot of money, and that it was a pity that you didn’t still bank with us. Your games were very successful.’

  ‘That’s right Mr Smith. I’m so pleased you are now fully aware as to who exactly I am. It makes my recent efforts all worthwhile.’ Hamilton lit another cigarette.

  ‘I don’t understand. Where am I? What is this place, and what are you doing here?’ Smith tried to rise again but the effort was still too much for him.

  ‘As you so rightly recalled I produced successful games. Do you like the little game I devised especially for you. Have you enjoyed playing it all these months? You should be flattered. I usually get millions for coming up with an idea like this.’

  There was a look of incomprehension on Smith’s face. Hamilton stood and walked over to the edge of the bed.

  ‘It seems as though you don’t quite understand. Perhaps I should explain the rules and objectives of this particular game. I’ll take you through it step-by-step.

  ‘It began when you were too narrow-minded to advance me a short-term facility. That action of yours set off a chain of events that caused me great inconvenience and hardship for several years. I held you personally responsible for the suffering I had to put up with, and I vowed that one day when I had money I would make you suffer as well.’

  ‘But I was only following Bank policy.’

  ‘Don’t try and make excuses,’ hissed Hamilton. ‘Perhaps I should be grateful to you. You gave me the incentive, the motivation to be successful.’

  ‘Then why are you doing this to me?’

  ‘Be quiet and listen to what I have to say.’ Hamilton began to walk around the room. ‘Initially, I thought I would have you killed, but upon reflection decided that would be far too quick and painless. You would not suffer sufficiently. Sure we could have inflicted physical pain, but that would have been relatively short-lived. It wouldn’t recompense me for the problems I had to go through, due to one unthought-out decision that you made. There wouldn’t have been enough emotional agony, or suffering on your part.

  ‘I gave the problem much thought, and eventually decided that nothing short of ruining you in every aspect of your miserable life would be satisfactory to absolve you of the sins you had committed against me.

  ‘I then set about devising a plan that would achieve this end. Initially it was only a plan. I lacked the means to execute it, but fortunately, I later acquired vast financial resources, and through them the contacts to implement what I had schemed for so long. The end result is your presence here, in this room. Let me take you through the various stages that have brought about this situation.

  ‘First, I would control and manipulate your emotions. You remember Diana Johnston?’ Smith nodded. ‘I sent her to you. I paid her to sleep with you.’

  ‘I don’t believe it. She was in love with me,’ Smith cried.

  ‘Oh, you don’t imagine, for one moment, that she did it for any other reason than money, do you? She was just a whore. A very pretty one I grant you, but at the end of the day just another whore that would do anything for money. Just like you would do anything for love. And that got you thrown out of the Bank, without a cent to your name.’

  ‘You don’t understand. Diana wasn’t like that.’ The comment was ignored by Hamilton.

  ‘Secondly, I decided that your family life should be ruined. That was quite easy. I already had all the photographs and videos. It was just a question of editing the most telling scenes as to what you thought about your relationship with your wife and children. We did that rather well I thought. Catherine was left in no doubt as to what you really thought of her. I must admit I admired the way she reacted. She has dignity and self-possession. She’ll be far better off without you.

  ‘And then the main reason for this whole adventure. Your ultimate destruction.

  ‘I wanted to ridicule and humiliate you to everyone that you knew and whose respect you sought. And I think you’ll agree that I succeeded extremely well in the fulfilment of this aim. The Bank’s staff were very amused when the photos of you and Diana started circulating; the sniggers behind your back, the sly remarks. They must have thoroughly enjoyed the videos as well. The reason they worked so well was that most of your staff felt the same way about you as I do, and therefore they were very receptive to anything that would damage you.

  ‘I particularly enjoyed the initial stages of the jigsaw. Sending you a little bit here, a little bit there, much the same way as you would graciously hand out an overdraft facility. One never knew with you what would happen next.

  ‘Then watching your anxiety as you wondered when you were going to get a blackmail demand. And then, when none came for such a long while, seeing you relax again. And when you had relaxed sufficiently and began to think things would be fine, to send you the next instalment, and observe your reactions to that. I think we had devised the ultimate game of cat and mouse. You made a very fine mouse, Mr Smith.

  ‘Then we had to get you professionally. That was easy. Even easier than we thought. You fell for it first time round. The unsecured loan in return for sex. What a fool you were. You even helped us there, by coming up with the idea yourself. Probably the one and only time you’ve ever had an original thought.

  ‘By this stage, I had decided that if you refused to advance her the money and stuck by your principles then the whole operation would have ended there. Diana Johnston would have left you and the only misfortune you would have suffered would have been that of lost love.

  ‘But you didn’t adhere to the rules of the Bank. You put your own self-interest and self-gratification before that of your customers and your employer. The same misg
uided lack of sound judgement that made my life, and I imagine many of your other clients’ lives, so difficult. And thus you are the cause of your own downfall. Poetic justice. The triumph of the strong over the weak.

  ‘Copies went to your superiors in the Bank. No more promotion, no more job even. They were going to let you go quietly, and keep the whole thing hidden to avoid embarrassment to the Bank and prevent their other customers losing confidence in the propriety of the senior staff.

  ‘By that very action they proved themselves guilty of possessing the same ineptitude and short-sighted spinelessness as yourself, only they coupled it with deceit. Therefore they too had to be punished. The videos and photographs sent to the newspapers changed that idea. They could no longer keep it covered up. The ensuing publicity has done untold harm to the Bank’s reputation. “The Bonk to do business with”, “For all your bonking needs”, as the popular press now dubs it. It will take many years before that’s forgotten.

  ‘All of a sudden you were a celebrity. Everybody thought you were a deviant, a sex fiend.

  ‘By the end of all this you were destitute, and out on the streets. No more money, no more house, no more pension, no more wife, no more children, no more Diana. No more anything.

  ‘By the way, did you enjoy your stay in prison? Did you ever wonder who put up your bail money?’

  Smith looked at him, comprehension beginning to dawn at last.

  ‘Yes, that’s right, it was me. It was also me who ensured you always had just enough money to drink, the whole time you were on the streets.’

  ‘And what happens next?’ Smith realised for the first time that his whole life had been orchestrated by this man who was sitting in front of him, smoking a cigarette, calmly discussing the events which had had such an enormous impact on his existence, as though they were nothing more than a review of a sports game.

  ‘I’m pleased to see you’re wondering. Let me tell you.

  ‘We’ve finished playing with your body. Now we are going to play a little game with your mind. The object of the game is for you to see how long you can retain your sanity. You lose the game when you have no more left; no more sanity, that is. That’s what we’re going to do, Mr Smith. You are going to lose your mind, and then spend the rest of your life, in a deranged stupor.’

  The door opened and two men in white coats wheeled in a trolley, on top of which was a tray containing an assortment of syringes and phials.

  ‘These gentlemen here are going to administer a course of drugs, which will show you fear like you have never experienced before and from which you will never recover. Remember this moment well, Mr Smith, for it will be your last sane one.’ Hamilton rose to leave.

  ‘One last thing. There’s no cause for worry. I’m going to see to it that you have the best treatment available. Arrangements have been made for you to be admitted to one of the finest asylums in the country. You’ll be well looked after. Good-bye Mr Smith.’

  Hamilton was by the door when Smith asked quietly, ‘But why did you do this to me?’

  Hamilton paused and looked at Smith for a moment or two before replying. ‘I’m a very easy-going person, Mr Smith, but I don’t suffer fools, especially stupid fools, that cross my path and cause me great inconvenience. I also harbour grudges and that is why it’s taken me more than five years, and an enormous amount of money, to settle the score with you.

  ‘I have dreamed of this moment on many occasions, and now my dream has become my reality, and your nightmare.’

  As Smith looked up at Hamilton he saw Diana appear in the doorway. She seemed not to notice him, kissed Ian on the cheek and spoke directly to him.

  ‘The car’s outside, Ian. Shall we go?’ The two of them walked out arm in arm.

  The attendant wheeled the man in and handed him over.

  ‘Got a right one here. Thinks he’s a bank manager.’

  ‘Makes a change from Napoleon.’

  The door of the asylum slammed shut on John Smith’s miserable life.

  EPILOGUEAckermann took Hamilton up on his invitation to stay should he ever be in Cape Town. He had spent almost a week enjoying the pleasures of relaxing in the magnificent apartment.

  They had spent a number of afternoons playing chess. The nearest he had come to winning was a drawn game. Hamilton had a very devious mind, coupled with an aggressive strategy from very early on in the game.

  Their business venture was concluded. It had gone very smoothly and very successfully. The client was happy, as was manifested by the confirmation Ackermann had received from his Swiss bank that a large deposit had been made into his account.

  ‘I must say this project was a most interesting and multi-faceted one. We’ve never done anything like it before.

  ‘You read the man’s character, found his weak spots and exploited them with a ruthlessness that I’ve seldom seen.’

  ‘He deserved to suffer,’ Hamilton smiled.

  ‘Oh, I’m sure he did. As you know we often have call for this type of work. Not many of the people who approach us have managed to think beyond what they would like the end result to achieve.’

  ‘I did put quite a lot of thought into how best to get even with him,’ said Hamilton.

  ‘Of course. It wouldn’t have worked otherwise. We were impressed with your plan. So original. An exquisite variation on an age-old theme, but so devastatingly effective, and so perfectly executed.’

  ‘You handled that side of things very well. Thank you.’

  ‘The least we could do.’ Ackermann shook his head in self-deprecation. ‘We were wondering if you would consider working for us as a consultant, from time to time, when the occasion warranted it.’ He spoke almost hesitantly. It was the first time Hamilton had seen him slightly unsure of himself.

  ‘I’m sure we could come to an arrangement.’

  ‘I think you would bring a fresh eye to some of our projects which would be of benefit to all concerned.’

  ‘With one noticeable exception,’ commented Hamilton wryly.

  ‘We’ll pay you whatever you like.’

  ‘I have more than enough money for my needs. I’ll do it for the fun of it. Just pay my expenses.’

  ‘Splendid. I’ve enjoyed our association so far, and I see no reason why it shouldn’t continue to be interesting and stimulating in the future.’

  ‘I agree. I’ve been wondering, recently, what I’d do with my time once I’d finished with Smith, and this sounds perfect.’ Hamilton looked out across the sea.

  ‘There’s just one thing that I’ve been meaning to ask you.’

  ‘Yes, what is it?’

  ‘How large was the overdraft facility you were seeking from Smith?’

  ‘Ten thousand rand,’ answered Hamilton blandly.

  ‘But that’s negligible.’ Ackermann was shocked. ‘You totally destroyed him for such a small amount?’

  ‘The amount is inconsequential. It was a matter of principle.’

  ‘Ah yes, of course.’ Ackermann nodded, his understanding now complete. ‘Chess?’

  The sun reflected off the sea as the two men settled down to play another game.