by P J Mann
For the better part of the night, they worked to get everything ready to be handed over to the associates of Mr. M.
Although Dr. Wright didn’t feel confident in sharing his work with anyone else besides Prof. Doyle, he understood that there weren’t many other choices left at his disposal, and perhaps that was the best one. He remembered how much he risked being in Tbilisi helping Ethan in his task of killing the prostitute. Nevertheless, he could not deny the addiction to the adrenaline rush he felt in that moment.
“What are you thinking?” Asked Prof. Doyle, noticing the strange expression in Dr. Wright’s face.
“I was thinking about handing our research over to someone else. I do not feel quite confident with it, but I guess there isn’t another way…”
“I guess not. Remember the miscalculation that brought you to finish Mr. Jackson’s work in killing the girl. The farther we are from the crime scene, the better it would be. If those researchers find themselves in trouble, so be it. Better them than me,” Prof. Doyle replied, chuckling.
“I was thinking along the same lines too… Well, I guess we have everything ready, better go to sleep or we won’t be able to instruct the new guys on how to use the hypnosis and the drug.”
“Yes, and for a change, I think that I will also need the help of the sleeping pills,” Prof. Doyle replied taking a pill box out of his drawer. “Do you want one too?”
“No, I don’t have any problems with falling asleep. My concern is whether I can avoid having nightmares. This situation is getting more and more complicated by the minute.”
The night didn’t go easily for Dr. Wright and Prof. Doyle and waking up the morning after their conversation wasn’t the easiest one.
“This is something that cannot go on this way,” said Dr. Wright yawning as he reached the room for breakfast.
“Good morning,” greeted Prof. Doyle, as he entered the room a few minutes after Dr. Wright.
“Good morning, to you. Have you slept well?” Said Dr. Wright turning his gaze at Prof. Doyle.
“Better than I could expect. Those pills can perform real miracles,” Prof Doyle replied with a chuckle. “How about you, any nightmares haunting your sleep?”
“To be honest, I do not remember. I had fallen asleep almost immediately, and I cannot recall any nightmares or dreams I might have had.”
“Then it means that you haven’t had any. You would have woke up, in case that you had nightmares,” Prof Doyle replied as he started to gather his breakfast.
“That might be the case, or I was too tired to even wake up from a nightmare,” Dr. Wright chuckled.
Prof. Doyle sat down at the same table with Dr. Wright and glanced the clock “We have plenty of time before the meeting with our ‘colleagues,’ I hope they won’t be late.”
“I hope that too. I would have preferred to sleep for a longer period. The first group therapy is scheduled for ten o’clock, today and I could have had at least two more hours of sleep.”
“My only hope is that those researchers are well experienced to carry-out the routine. It is not very complex, but it does require some skills that are not taught at the University. Only experience can teach someone how to perform it correctly.” said Prof. Doyle.
“Indeed, not to mention that they also have to administer the drug without raising any suspicion. If it were up to us, there wouldn’t be any problem; we tested this procedure so many times that we could do it even asleep,” Dr. Wright replied amused.
“Well, we do not have any other choice but to wait and meet our ‘colleagues.’”
That said, they finished their breakfast and walked towards the office, where everything was ready for the video conference. All they needed to do, was just to switch on the computer and connect to the link that their client sent them the previous evening.
They both were surprised when they connected to the conference room to understand that their guests were already waiting for them.
“Are we late?” Asked Dr. Wright, taken by surprise. Indeed he was expecting to meet a couple of youngsters who would be late and even sleepy.
“No, don’t you worry. Like you two, we just connected, we must have been a mere few seconds ahead of you,” One of the two researchers replied, with a self-confident smile on his face. There was something in the way he smiled that Dr. Wright could not explain, but he was able to make him feel naked, vulnerable. It felt like he could read his mind through that screen, and he didn’t like the feeling.
“Let’s introduce each other. My name is Klaus Eckstein, and here is my colleague Abraham Whiterfeld,” he said glancing over at his colleague for a fraction of a second. “We understand that our experience cannot be compared with yours, but we have sent you our resumes to make you understand that we have what it takes to carry out the hypnosis procedure.”
Abraham nodded lightly, “We would like you to take a look at our experiences and various research projects we have been involved in. We need you to trust us, as much as we trust you.”
Despite their kind and calm tone, Dr. Wright sensed some sort of hostility. He had no idea what their client said about them, and he couldn’t be sure whether the reason why for that sort of hostility was because of something the client said or just because of prejudice.
These guys seem to try the same tactic as I use, by modulating their voice to a smoother frequency to foster a sense of calm to their patients, Dr. Wright thought. Too bad that they are trying to fool me with my own method.
From one point of view, he felt impressed with their ability, on the other hand, he still could see some flaws in their practice. Not bad for a couple of beginners though.
Prof. Doyle went through the documents Klaus and Abraham sent them, and already from a cursory glance, he realized he’d better be aware of those two guys. They were certainly younger than they were, but their resume was impressive.
It seems like they’ve devoted their entire life to the research. Even for a genius, this resume would read like he didn’t have a life at all. Prof. Doyle considered going through all the projects they had been involved in.
Well, we are not here to establish who is the best, we are here to cooperate, and looking on the bright side, this means that those two researchers are the spot on to carry out the task. I am sure we won’t even need more than an hour to go through the instructions.
“I am impressed,” Prof. Doyle said after having examined the documents. “This means that we won’t have to explain everything from the beginning. We can go through the hypnotic sequence smoothly and rapidly.”
Dr. Wright smiled, “and this means that we won’t be wasting any precious time. It is a pleasure to meet and collaborate with you on this project.”
His voice was calm, and nothing of his internal turmoil caused by the two strangers could translate either from his expression, body language, and tone of voice. Control over his feelings and body was something he’d learned during his long career. It was one of the most important tools in his job, and he’d do anything to show them a lesson in control.
Klaus and Abraham exchanged a fast glance between each other, like a secret code they’d developed during the time they had been colleagues.
“Very well, I think we can start explaining the routine and also describing a bit more about the drug that will be essential to the success of the task. You’ll need to remember that the hypnotic routine has to start only five minutes after the patient has ingested the drug,” Prof. Doyle explained. “This will assure that the hypnotic drug will have the sufficient time to depress the central nervous system.”
“However,” continued Dr. Wright, “we noticed that in some cases the drug will take a longer period to effect. I trust your judgment when and how it will be the best time. Personally, I would suggest you perform a small test, before starting the routine.”
Klaus and Abraham remained silent and listened carefully to what Dr. Wright and Prof. Doyle had to say. They surely had their own theories about how to improve the
formula, but not knowing the composition of the original drug, they could not fathom any possible proposal.
“Excuse me, Dr. Wright,” said Klaus. “How are we supposed to get the drug?”
“Our client will make sure that it will be safely delivered to you by today. I suggest you try already after our conversation a way to get to Mrs. Lynn’s sister; we do not have much time to waste,” Dr. Wright replied.
“We have already figured out that little detail,” said Abraham. “In fact, we have already set up an appointment with Mrs. Dowell It was sufficient to let her believe that we have news about her sister, and she asked immediately to meet with us. The only thing we need now is to go through the routine and get the drug. After that, we can consider that the most difficult part is over.”
Dr. Wright smirked, “I am impressed. It seems like you have been a step ahead, and that is extremely important in our line of work.”
They all agreed and exactly like they expected, in about a couple of hours they could go through the routine and make sure that Klaus Eckstein and Abraham Whiterfeld, the two young researchers, were familiar enough with the whole process to plant a false memory into Mrs. Dowell’s mind.
Klaus terminated the connection and together with his colleagues, he started immediately to study all the details of the plan, trying not to leave anything unplanned or up to chance.
“This all needs to go like clockwork; there is no margin for error, not even for the smallest mistake,” Abraham said glancing at Klaus. His heart started to beat faster as he began to realize the complexity of the situation they agreed to be involved in.
“What’s wrong? You suddenly got pale,” observed Klaus.
“Do you think we are doing the right thing?” Abraham asked in a feeble tone of voice. “We all risk going to jail… I mean this is wrong.”
Klaus remained silent for a second; he knew that Abraham would have had those kind of hesitations, but it was already too late to withdraw; they needed to go on with the plan.
“Abe, please…” he paused trying to find the right words to say to reassure his friend and give him some strength. “We knew since the beginning what the deal was when we got the proposal. We accepted the contract because we need money, but also because this would be the best way to get the best experience ever. Just think about the possibilities that this might open to us. We might start to collaborate with professionals like Dr. Wright and Prof. Doyle.
“Those people literally reformulated the whole knowledge in Psychiatry. Every student in Psychiatry in the whole country is following the textbooks written by Prof. Doyle. We have been preparing for our exams by reading the articles of Dr. Wright’s research. Can’t you see the opportunities that this project is giving us?”
Abraham sighed. He was aware of the big opportunity that was unfolding in front of their eyes, but he was also aware of the risks.
On the other hand, if two professionals like Dr. Wright and Prof. Doyle have agreed to the plan, it means that they trust the level of safety promised by their client, Abraham thought.
“Perhaps you’re right… I just cannot stop thinking about the risks.”
“You need to get a grip with yourself. In the next few hours we need to be focused, and make sure that Mrs. Dowell won’t suspect anything,” said Klaus. “And the only way to achieve the goal is to keep control over our emotions. We need to be calm and self-confident; our voices need to be modulated to that smooth frequency that makes the difference between a good hypnotist and a charlatan… and we both know which side of the line we both fall on there.”
Abraham didn’t really felt reassured by what Klaus said, but he was right, and they were already involved in that project in a way that turning back was no longer an option.
He took a deep breath and closed his eyes trying to focus his attention on his heartbeat. It was fast and irregular, exactly like all the times he was excited or nervous.
Calm down, everything is going to be fine. You have nothing to fear, Abraham thought, repeating the mantra for another three times, or at least until his heartbeat was under control.
He took another deep breath and opened his eyes.
“Do you feel any better?” asked Klaus gently.
Abraham nodded weakly, “I think so, at least my heart seems to have regained a normal pace.”
“Then, we are ready to leave. Soon we are going to meet Mrs. Dowell Do you think you can manage or do you need some help?” He asked taking out a pill box.
Abraham, shook his head smiling.
“I think I can manage to go through the whole task without any external help.”
“Perfect,” Klaus smiled placing the pills back into his pocket. “Then let’s go.”
Laura woke up at the sound of the alarm clock, she smiled as that was a feeling she hadn’t felt in a long time. “The last time I was woken up by the alarm clock was when I was still a teenager, and I needed to wake up to go to school,” she said yawning.
It was a grey, gloomy day, and it seemed like there was some rain to be expected for the whole day. She wondered what was going on at the library. Believe it or not, even though she could call her supervisor or her colleagues to get some news, she preferred not to.
“I cannot be on a therapy leave if I am calling them every day to understand whether everything is fine or not. What if my insomnia is connected to the stress I accumulate daily at work? I would never be able to get healed if I continue to think about it…”
She left the room, thinking about what kind of indoor activity she could choose for the day. The meditation sessions were generally taken in the yard, as were many of the other activities. “However, with the chance of rain, I’d prefer to stay indoors…” she whispered as she reached the hall for breakfast.
She looked around, and since they remained in three, the staff prepared only two tables one for the patients and one for the researchers.
The hall seemed deserted, as it was supposed to host hundreds of guests every day, and she started to miss the bustling city. Everything seemed to be too far from her, the crowded subway, the library full of people, the cafeteria during lunchtime.
“Good morning, you seem to be extremely wrapped up in your thoughts. I hope there is nothing serious going on,” said Gabriel as he took a seat at her table.
“Huh… Oh, no, I was just thinking how much I am missing the city,” she replied. “You might think I am crazy, but I am almost missing the crowded subway when I go to work and when I come back home.”
“No, I don’t think you are crazy, I guess it is happening a bit to every one of us. We are over the halfway mark of the therapy, and we all hope that the results we are experiencing now will be those, which will last for a long time. As for me, I cannot see the time to test those results when I am forced to come back to my business. I hope everything has gone smoothly during my absence,” Gabriel explained.
“I suppose you are right. After all, there is no place like home.”
“Well, it seems like you were just missing me,” said Sabina, appearing like an ethereal ghost from behind.
“I was missing you particularly last night, my dark angel,” replied Gabriel.
Sabina rolled her eyes, “Please, give me a break! I told you already since the beginning that you won’t last ten minutes with me.”
“Well, give me that chance!” he replied chuckling.
“Fine, once the therapy is over, you can check me out at this address,” she said retrieving a business card from a small purse, she was carrying with her. “You might volunteer for one of the shows at the BDSM fair. There is one coming up in a couple of months, if you regularly check my website, you won’t miss it.”
He looked at the business card, and looked at Sabina with a daring glance, “I might just do that.”
“Enter at your own risk…” Laura said with a giggle. “By the way, now that I notice it, where are Prof. Doyle and Dr. Wright?”
Sabina and Gabriel looked around the room as to be sure th
at there was nobody else besides them, “you’re right,” noticed Sabina. “Perhaps, they are still sleeping.”
“Good for them. However, I have noticed that I could sleep for a longer time, and almost every night. This morning I was awakened by the alarm clock,” said Laura. “That is something that doesn’t generally happen; what about you?”
“I did also notice impressive improvements on my sleeping pattern. It is such a shame that the others had to quit the therapy, this is probably the first time when medicine helps me in anything,” replied Sabina in a sarcastic tone.
“I am wondering whether the Officer finds where Carolina is,” said Laura. “It doesn’t seem to fit with her nature just to disappear like that without telling anyone about her plans. She has the pet shelter, and I am sure she wouldn’t leave it just like that.”
“Well debating about it, won’t help,” replied Gabriel. “We’d better wait and see what the Police will find out.”
“Indeed, there is no sense in torturing ourselves with questions we can’t possibly find an answer for. It is not that we don’t care about what happened to Carolina, but we don’t have any clues that can lead us anywhere,” replied Sabina.
“But we do have something,” Laura insisted. “We have the pendant you found in the yard!”
“Correction, the Police have the pendant,” said Sabina.
“Yes, and they will use it to find out what happened to the owner,” added Gabriel. “This is not the time to play the cops. Besides, now it is time for the group therapy. Let’s go to the room and let’s get this therapy started, so we can also find out what happened to our therapists!”
They sipped the last cup of coffee and walked together to the room where they were supposed to meet with Dr. Wright to have their morning group therapy.
As they came inside the room, they were surprised to find it empty.
“Where is Dr. Wright now?” Asked Sabina, “Did he decide to disappear like Carolina?”
“Well, if none of them are awake yet, perhaps it would be wise to ask the receptionist to check whether they are still alive,” Gabriel said. “I will go and ask about it. I’ll be back soon.”