Deadly Diagnose

                             Chapter One

He sits in the middle of the floor meditating, thinking of her. He was spellbound by her long, soft, flowing brown hair, her sparkling green eyes that shined like emeralds in the light. He remembers the first time he saw her. She smiled at him with those perfect, white teeth. She looked absolutely beautiful. He knew she was the one, the one he would love for eternity. He would at last be happy, as would she.  How he longed to touch her soft tanned skin from when she went to Mexico for a vacation. He knew, because he always stared at the picture of her standing on the sandy beach smiling for the camera, smiling for him. He loved to imagine that he was there too, he always thought of her. He cherished her so much, and she loved him, he could feel it in his very soul. Soon they will be together again. He took one last cleansing breath and opened his eyes, and stood up. He was ready; it was time to check on his guest. He walked to the small door that held a small room and looked through the small peep hole that he had drilled in to watch.
She sits in the corner, knees held up to her chest, cold, body shivering. Her once beautiful long brown hair is now matted with blood and dirt. Her once perfect face is now covered with cuts and bruises. She looks somewhat like her, not a perfect match, but she would do. No more, does she think of herself as the confident, heartless bitch that looked down on people. That looked down on him. She respects him, obeys his every word. She can’t pick him apart anymore, for now; it’s his turn to play doctor. She sits wondering what’s going to happen next, will she live through this unspeakable experience or will she die a horrid death? How could this happen to me? Why is he doing this? They all ask the same dismal questions. He walks over to where she is sitting; she doesn’t look up at him, but keeps her eyes towards the ground.
         “I see you’ve finally learned how to behave, Doctor.” He says softly.
         He strokes her face and runs his hand down the front of her torn silk, white blouse. He can feel her body trembling. Her heart is racing, as he rests his hand on her breast. He smiles at her.
“Please, Please.” She whispers. Her voice is horse, from the screams she let out before, from the fun he had with her.
         “Please? Is that all you can get out Doctor? You were so full of words when we first met. Telling me your opinion of myself, telling me you love me. Tell me, is screwing your patients part of the healing process? Or was that new for you? What’s the matter? Cat got your tong? Look at you, you’re pathetic. You’re just like the rest of them, you’re all the same. And you deserve the same fate.”
         “Please, I don’t know what you’re talking about? If you just let me go, I promise, I promise that I won’t say anything to anyone. Please.” She cried with tears falling down her face.
         He stared at her; he had seen that same helpless look before, the one his mother gave him as his father pushed her in the forbidden room. “Do you really think I’m that stupid?” He smiled at her.
         “No, I…I don’t believe that at all.” She said sniffing.
         He ignores her and picks her up by her hair from where she lay and drags her along. She doesn’t even fight him anymore, she knows better. She knows exactly what he’ll do to her if she fights back, if she even resists him.
“No one resists me!” He says.
He throws her frail body onto the couch and sits in the chair across from her. He watches as her chest raises and falls slowly. She closes her eyes as tears escape from them. He holds up the yellow note pad that was on the chair and begins writing.
         “Now, let’s pick you apart shall we? I’d say you have definite commitment problems, along with a social disorder. You also seem to be showing signs of depression. What to do, what to do?” He says pressing the end of the pen to his lips.
         He walks over to her slowly and takes the small surgeon’s knife from his pocket. He bends down so his face is close to hers. He can feel her warm breath on his face. He tastes her swollen lips one more time before he places the knife to her neck and runs it slowly across her throat.
         “Tell me doctor, how does that make you feel?”


         



Chapter Two

“Hey Harper, you awake?”
         Jonathan Harper sat staring out his window looking down at the crowded, city below. It was another Monday morning at the 22nd percentent and his desk was piled high with paper work. Jonathan looked up from his desk to see is partner Eddie Frances staring at him. Eddie had been Jonathan’s partner for about two years now. Eddie was the biggest player that Jonathan ever knew. He was always well dressed and apparently women found him attractive since he had a different one just about every night. Tall, dark, and handsome was the only way to describe him. He was always walking around with his cocky attitude, thinking he was the shit. Jonathan knew better. Despite all his faults, he was a good partner. He would trust him with his life if it came down to it, and many times it had.
         “Yeah just catching a little piece and quiet until you got here.” Jonathan said turning his chair around to face him.
         “You need to get out more Harper, all you do is work. Why don’t you enjoy a woman once in awhile?” Eddie said sitting on the corner of Jonathan’s desk.
         “Oh, you’re willing to give me one of yours?”
         “Hell no! But, I might know someone that would be willing to go out with you.” He said with his award winning grin.
         “Gee thanks, but I think I’ll find my own. I don’t want to get any of your diseases.” Jonathan said cracking a smile.
         “Ha, Ha! Yeah up yours man, that was one time.”
         “Now that we’ve had our pleasant Monday morning conversation, why don’t you, let me get back to work.”
         “Well I would, but the Captain has assigned us to another case.”
         “What about the Jansen case?”
         “He’s going to have Fellow’s finish it up. Besides this one is way more interesting.”
         “You’ve intrigued me. Go on.” Jonathan said leaning back in his chair. Eddie stood up and started walking around the room.
         “There was a woman found with her throat slashed and her body beat up at some abandoned house downtown.”
         “Yeah? What makes this one different?” Jonathan asked rolling his crystal blue eyes.
         “Apparently she’s some psychiatrist at an office downtown. Some kids that were sneaking into the house found her with the word “Narcissistic” carved from her chest down to her abdomen.”
         “Narcissistic?” Jonathan asked puzzled.
         “Yeah, that’s what the ME says. The captain wants us to go down to the house and check it out. There is already a crime unit down there collecting evidence.”
         “Have they moved the body yet?” Jonathan asked getting up and grabbing his jacket.
         “No.”
         “Good.” Jonathan said walking out of his office with Eddie following behind.


She looked around her office, and back at the doodle she had drawn on her notepad that was in her lap. An hour and half had gone by, and she was still listening to him drone on. Normally she loved what she did and liked helping people with their problems, but today, for some reason, she had lost her concentration. She looked up at the man sitting before her. He had one of those monotone voices, and looked like he should be a professor at some university. It was his first day coming to her, and the session was only supposed to go an hour, but . . .
“So anyway, then she has the nerve to leave after all I’ve done for her. I mean I think she should be seeing you not me. What do you think Dr. Rowland?”
Lilly Rowland took off her glasses and rubbed her eyes. She then put them back on and looked her client in the eye.
“Mr. Wilson, you have been married for 30 years. I have sat here for an hour and half, listening to you complain that your wife left you all because she said that you didn’t pay any attention to her. I know you’ve been through your ups and downs. Now I’m sure you love her, and she still loves you, so why don’t you go home to her, make-up, and start treating her with a little respect. That’s all she wants, maybe even take a vacation together, and spend some time with her.”
“You really think she’ll take me back?”
“You didn’t have to pay me $100 dollars an hour to figure this out on your own.”
Mr. Wilson got up from his seat and put on his jacket.
“Thank you Dr. Rowland.”
“Just show her a little romance, some tenderness.” Lilly said standing up from her chair.
He shook her hand and walked out of her office. Lilly walked over to her desk and sat down. It was only going on 11:30a.m., but she was all ready for the day to be over. She held her face in her hands when her secretary walked in.
“Rough session?”
“I should start doing consultations.” She said looking up at her. “New top?”
Judy Fischer was a young 26 year old that looked just like a Barbie doll. She had beautiful, long, blond hair, and blue eyes and a slender figure. She had a great tan and always wore short skirts to show off her long sexy legs. She always reminded Lilly of one of those girls from “Sex in the City”. Always living for one night stands and could never commit to a monogamous relationship. But despite her looks, she wasn’t a dumb blond. She had gone to Stanford and was working on her Masters degree in Psychology. She was also the sweetest girl you could ever meet and was one of Lilly’s good friends. Not to mention she made a damn good secretary.
“You like it? Brad bought it for me.” She said looking down at her red low cut top.
“I thought you didn’t like Brad?”
“I don’t, he’s kind of clingy.”
“But?”
“He’s good in bed.”
“You’re horrible.”
“So you’re telling me that if you met a guy and you didn’t really like him, but he was good in bed, you wouldn’t keep him around?”
“Sex isn’t everything Judy.”
“That’s because you haven’t had any for three years.” She said sitting on her desk.
“Go to lunch Judy.”
“Oh come on Lil, you need to get out more. All you ever do is work. You haven’t been on a date since…” she said looking down at the floor.
Lilly looked at her and sighed. “Since the divorce, its okay you can say it.”
“I’m sorry. But it’s over. I mean you’re the therapist, don’t you think you should move on?”
“Yeah, it’s just that I’m so busy; I don’t have time to go on dates. Plus I’m old.”
“You are not old, your only 33.” Judy said laughing.
“Trust me, that’s old.”
“Well, since there’s no use in trying to get you to go out with me, I guess I’ll go. You don’t want to go to lunch?” Judy said getting up from her desk and walking to the door.
“No, unfortunately I have some work to do.”
“Oh your mail is in that stack of papers I left on your desk this morning, and your 2:00 p.m. cancelled for tomorrow.”
“Thanks. Have fun with Brad.”
“Actually, this one is named Matthew.” She called as she walked out of her office.
Judy gathered up her things and left for lunch. Lilly flipped on the small lamp on her desk, and started going through the stack of papers. Most of it was bills, some client paper work and then… she picked up the white envelope that had her office address on it but no return. She reached for her letter opener and ran it along the top of the envelope. Inside, was a small postcard, with a picture of Freud on the front of it. She turned it over and read the message on the back.
“Roses are red, violets are blue, you can’t change the past, time to start anew.”
She read it again to herself and then flipped it over to the front. There was no indication as to who it was from, all that was there was her address. How strange, could it be from him? She shook her head as if to rid herself of the thought. No, besides, they hadn’t talked to each other since the night they had it out. He was never one for showing his feelings. She finally decided that it was just some kind of prank, and tossed the postcard aside. She sat back in her chair and took off her glasses and closed her eyes. It had been three years since she moved out of their house in San Francisco. It was supposed to be just a separation, but a week later she had received divorce papers at her previous job. She couldn’t believe it. It hurt like hell, but if that was what he wanted. He wasn’t there when she packed her things, in fact after they had it out she never saw him again. How did things get so bad between them? If only he would’ve talked to her, let her help him. He had blamed himself for what had happened to Michael, and instead of getting help he shut out everyone around him. It was like they were complete strangers. She always wondered how he was doing but could never find the nerve to call him. She let out a sigh and turned off her desk lamp. She picked up her briefcase, and headed to the door of her office. She locked the door behind her and walked out of the building.


Jonathan and Eddie pulled up to the small house and parked on the street. It was a pathetic little one story structure. The blue paint was severely peeling, the windows were bordered up, and there was a huge hole in the roof upstairs. There was yellow crime scene tape around the perimeter of the house with the crime scene unit already at work processing the scene. Most of the neighbors were out in front of the house, trying to get a peek at the unfortunate victim. Jonathan just shook his head and ducked under the tape and proceeded to go into the house. The house was full of police and crime scene investigators. There was no furniture in the house, or carpet. It was damp and smelled of rotting flesh. Jonathan and Eddie walked into what was supposed to be the living room and saw the victim lying in the center of the room on the floor.  Jonathan noted that she looked to be about in her late thirties or early forties. She was pretty, before this happened to her. She had long auburn hair, her eyes were glazed over but they looked like they were once green. She had on a long burgundy skirt which was ripped from the bottom hem up to her thigh. Her once white silk blouse was torn open and covered in blood, exposing her bra and abdomen. Down her abdomen was the word Narcissistic carved into her body.
“Christ!” Eddie said standing there with his mouth open.
“Harper!” boomed the deep voice.
“Hey Lou.”
Lou Stansky was the head investigator of the crime scene unit, he was also the best. He had been with the department for over thirty years now. He was in his early sixties but sharp as a tack, he didn’t miss a thing.
“What a waste of a pretty face.” Lou said walking over to Jonathan and Eddie.
“How long has she been here?” Jonathan asked.
“My estimate is probably two days. This one went through a lot.”
“Yeah, looks that way. Cause of death?” Jonathan asked walking closer to her.
“Well the M.E.’s first guess would be the cut to her throat. Of course after the autopsy we’ll know more.” Lou said.
Jonathan looked at the floor where she was laying. “It doesn’t appear that she was killed here, not enough blood.” He said.
“Your right, she was killed somewhere else and dumped here.” Lou said.
“Did your boys find anything interesting in the house?” Eddie asked looking away from the body. Jonathan laughed to himself, Eddie had never gotten used to being around dead bodies.
“Other than the mildew, dirt and blood, the place is clean. This one knows what he’s doing. We can’t even get much from our victim; he’s clipped her finger nails so there’s no trace of skin under her nails. But, there is always the hope that he left semen in her.” Lou said kneeling besides her looking at her hands.
“If she was even raped.” Eddie said.
“Oh she was raped; the question is, if he was clean about it. This has been carefully planned. He stalked her, and then went in for the kill. This was personal. I mean to crave Narcissistic in her chest, poor girl, she never had a chance.” Jonathan said looking at Eddie.
“Hey Lou, you’ll call as soon as you find anything?” Eddie called.
“You got it.”
Jonathan and Eddie talked with a few more officers to take some statements and then headed outside.
“Great, the news crew is already here.” Eddie said not looking pleased.
Two different news vans were parked across the street, with the news teams already reporting on the story.
“Detective Harper?”
Jonathan looked over and saw Lara Waters with a microphone in her hand reporting for Channel 5 news. God he hated that women, she was always trying to make his life and job hell. She was one of those over achievers, never content until she got her way. With her fiery, red hair, emerald green eyes, thin figure, and persistent personality, that woman was never said no to, except of course, by him. He rolled his eyes ignoring her continuing his way to the car.
“Excuse me, Detective Harper, can I have a word?” Lara Waters asked stepping in front of him.
“Haven’t you had enough words?” he asked side stepping her and continuing to his car.
“Do you know the identity of the women yet?” She asked following behind him like a lap dog.
“I have no comment for you at this time.” He said coolly.
“Could this be a serial murder?”
“The man said no comment!” Eddie shouted to her.
“Do you have any leads?”  She asked not even an ounce discouraged.
Jonathan finally made it to his Jeep and climbed in with Eddie. She was still trying to ask him questions even as they pulled away.
“Man, that woman is relentless.” Eddie said.
“Tell me about it, she also has a knack for twisting your words.” Jonathan said tightening his jaw.
“Yeah, but she is hot.”
“You don’t want to go there Eddie, trust me, she’ll burn you bad.”
“Some personal experience with that huh?”
“Uh no, but I’ve seen her do it to others. Hey, until the M.E. calls us I want to go back and start looking for any related cases. Maybe our guy has struck before.” Jonathan said turning on to the freeway.
“Sounds great, but can we get something to eat man, I’m starving.”
“Yeah, I could eat, I know just the place.”


Lilly sat in the back corner of her favorite little café, sipping on her mocha, writing up evaluations on some of her patients. Sometimes it was better to do her work in another environment. Although she had quiet in the office, she often found that she could get more done at the café. She stared down at the paper work in front of her and frowned. She hated the administrative part of her job; her favorite part was helping people. She thought that maybe by listening to someone and helping solve their problems, that she was making some small contribution in doing the world a good service. Too bad she couldn’t help the one person in her life that needed her the most. Maybe that was why she was such a workaholic now, making up for someone she couldn’t save, someone she would have done anything for. She shook her head as if her thoughts would shake free. That was a long time ago, a very long time ago.
“A penny for your thoughts?”
Lilly looked up and saw George, the owner of the little café looking down at her.
“Oh, I was just getting lost in some paperwork. How are you?”
“Good, Good, and yourself?”
“Busy as usual. I think they call me a workaholic.” She said smiling.
“You shouldn’t work so hard you know it will start to eat away at you. That’s why I quit my job at the brokerage office. Doc said if I kept it up, I would be six feet under in a couple of years.”
         “I’ll keep that in mind.”
         “Fine, don’t listen to the advice of an old man, can I get you another kid?” he asked taking her cup.
“No thanks, I better get back to the office soon. I’ll see you soon, George.” She said leaving money on the table and getting up.
“See ya gorgeous!” He said over his shoulder.
She always liked George; he had always treated her well. She had been coming to this little café since college. She even worked here for a little while, making extra money while she went to grad school. George was always good to talk to, he was in his late sixties now, and was very wise. She looked at her watch and noted the time; she had a client due in the next hour so she packed up her stuff and headed out the door on her way back to her office.

“Damn this is some good fish and chips. I would have never have thought by the looks of this place.” Eddie said with a mouth full of fish.
Jonathan stopped at his favorite eatery, a small dinner called Moe’s. It was a small place but the food was good and service was friendly. They had everything there, including the best burgers in town.
“Most holes in the walls are.” Jonathan said sipping on his coke.
“So, do you think we have a serial killer on our hands?” Eddie asked.
“Well not going on just what we have so far…”
“But…”
“My instincts tell me this guy isn’t finished. I mean look at the way she was killed, he’s sending a message.”
“Yeah or it’s just another psycho who has a thing against his therapist. I mean so far there has only been one body. Maybe we should be looking for someone that has a grudge against his therapist.” Eddie said taking his last bite of fish.
“That could be a possibility, but I think there’s something else as well.”
“If we’re going to figure anything out, we better get back to the office.” Eddie said singling to the waitress.
An older lady with a white apron on and short, grey, curly hair came over to them. “Hey Ann, can we get the check please?” Jonathan asked.
Ann was Moe’s wife and a waitress at the restaurant.
“Of course sweetie, be right back.” She said taking their plates. She quickly walked back to the kitchen and then quickly walked back over to their table with the check. “Here you go.”
“Thanks Ann.” Jonathan said.
“No problem, you just make sure you bring that cutie sitting across from you back in.” She said walking away.
“I’ll be sure to do that.” Jonathan yelled to her.
Eddie gave Jonathan a confusing look while getting up from the table.
“I think she likes you.” Jonathan said with a grin on his face.
“I think I have enough women on my plate right now.”
“Oh come on, I thought you liked older women.”
“Slightly older, not my grandmothers age.” Eddie said walking out the door.
“I bet she could teach you a few things.” Jonathan said laughing.
“You’re sick man, sick.”