It was weary night for Reny. He switched on the telly, grabbed a can of beer, and was busy switching the channels. It was chilly cold out there; the town of Discerton had seen some considerable fall in temperature over the days. News was flooded with increasing number of criminal activities in recent times. His day in the office was terribly bad, rather ugly. He had lost his co-worker, who was apparently a good friend of him over the years. It wasn't the case of death due to some fatal or chronic illness; it was a clean murder. Murder for no absolute reason, as it seemed.
Raelin was busy with her books, trying to make up the craft work which she had to come up with next week. "Papa, why craft has to be so laborious?"
Reny had consumed all his attention to the news- criminal acts in Discerton, but managed to respond her only daughter with a smile.
Raelin was still furious with the craft art, sticky gum, and blunt blade which was supposed to be used as folder. She continued, "Papa, these days I think I'm controlled by someone. I get this feeling that there's someone who's telling me to do something and I do them, without any hitch or neither I can refrain them. It just an impulsive order that I can't resist, I believe. Are you even listening, dad ?"
"Yes, love. You know what happens when some goes to a theater nearby with her papa to see a psychological thriller- Secret Window, and when .."
"So you think it's that movie, which I never really understood. You think I'm going obsessed."
Reny turned away and continued switching the channels.
Couple of days later, Reny was in his office, which was crowded with workers and they hustled from one corner to the other. The office seemed busier and more active than it used to be. Interrogation cell was being set up and cops had marked the murder site as restricted with yellow tapes and red pillars. The body was already taken for the necropsy a day before. Cops were not among the people who were inside the cell, and actively occupied with the investigation. The law enforcement agency, criminal investigation department of Discerton (CIDD) , had taken up the lead in the investigation. Local people call them 'Men with ears to hear and hands to shoot' .
Reny was called inside. They had some usual gender, 'what we all know', and blame allocations questions, followed up by the list of suspects and their claims and views.
The man, next to the extreme left, inquired, "So, you were on the project- Blan's research - with him some months ago, and then this project did come as a profitable move for the company. Right Mr. Hump?"
Reny took a while and answered, "Yes, It did. The company had made some..."
Reny was cut in the middle by the same man and he continued with dissatisfying look, "You had a wife ? "
"Yes I've, few months ago we parted."
"Why Mr hump?"
"She had an extra-marital affair, which I couldn't stand. Raelin, my daughter, lives with me."
"Divorced? "
"No, not yet. She lives with her brother."
After what seemed like stringent procedures, he was allowed to leave.
The office's editorial section chief Gren Skater was called inside. He had some complications with the person who was murdered, and was also demoted once because of unethical office and business practices.
Later that night, when Reny was at home he got a call from Raelin's school. The principal of the school was on line -
"But, Mr Hump, your daughter needs a doctor. She stabbed her bench partner's hand with a pointed pencil, not only once but more than 6 times. We cannot tolerate such insane behaviors. The girl has been admitted in the hospital, and cannot even bend her wrist...."
Reny remained stuck with shock. He looked in the aisle, where Raelin was doing some craft-work.
Few days later, Reny was waiting for the psychiatrist in a room.
"Mr Hump, later that night, you said that your daughter once told you she was controlled by someone- which she claims she can't resist. It's a serious case, Mr Hump. I've diagnosed your daughter, and the case looks like a psychological disorder. Bipolar disorder, or even mood disorder could be the reason, which is characterized by one or more manic or mixed depressive episodes. We can't exactly relate the state to hypomania or even mood disorder, but by conscious and experimental reading of her mental state, to your words I can explain that, this girl suffers from a mental disorder wherein a human brain is controlled by certain mood illness, and the body is subjected to do whatever mind says it to do. Presumably, such cases are prevalent in psychological disorder - Psychosis, where they experience hallucinations and/or delusions that they believe are real. "
"You infer my daughter is schizophrenic. Is that what you say, doctor? "
"This isn't the case of schizophrenia, your daughter has merely seen the world. She's thirteen, now. She enters a state and commits some acts, possibly insane acts, and comes back in normal state, but doesn't absolutely remember what happened. Nothing actually.
Mr Hump, if you believe me, your daughter needs an urgent treatment. She can be cured by some careful means. There's a care unit in Discerton, which takes in mentally.. "
He paused, and then continued, "unstable people. She's at least able enough to say that she was controlled; people don't even know that they're being controlled by their own mental state. People can't even relate what happened when they had their last abnormal state. Such disorder is no pain, but affects the society. "
Reny perspired in awe of pain, he loved her daughter. He hardly could take any of those statements.
Next day was Friday, Reny was at home on his reclining chair, sipping the early morning tea. Raelin wasn't at the school. She was playing outside in the backyard, when Reny heard some strange unusual, but peculiar sound. He hurried up there, passing down the aisle, went over in the kitchen and opened the back door. To his shock, Raelin had a knife in her hand, and she hadn't noticed her father.
She was stabbing their pet dog, Rufy, who was tied to an edge, with the knife in her hand. The dog cried in the pain. Reny rushed to stop her, he noticed that her daughter's eyes were blood red, her hands quivered and she was sweaty by her face. It was too late to react, the dog died. He managed to snatch the knife from her, and her daughter, regaining her state, was in utter shock to see her hands red with blood. She cuddled her father and asked, "Papa, What happened? You see it's controlling me. What happened to our dog? "
Reny was more moist and affected now than he was at the neurological diagnosis center.
Reny found out the place that doctor has suggested for Raelin. He admitted her daughter in the treatment center, and his eyes couldn't believe the state the girl was in. That was terribly sad for a father; she was the only person he used to live and talk with.
Next morning didn't bring him any good, he was informed that Mr Glunt had been murdered last night, who lived couple of blocks away from the Reny's house. Reny was sad for the demise of a known friend, but headed towards his office as CIDD had called for an investigation. The office was more live than it was before, the people covered all over the places. They all waited for the report after the necropsy, that would provide them with the details.
Reny had just moved in and he saw a man had centered the stage, and with male rough-cut voice, he continued what he was saying, ".. report says that he wasn't poisoned, neither suffered illness. He was first stabbed in his chest with a pen-knife to complete immobility, and then the murderer stabbed his left eye with a pen, and finally strangled him by telephone wires to death.."
Reny couldn't believe such words, and remained unmoved and frozen.
The man continued, "....while this incident took place in the dark aisle around the office's board room, the incident went unnoticed. We have things to ponder on, and we're waiting for the bureau to provide us with forensics details. We have list of suspected people, that we may...."
Reny filled in some forms and answered a few more questions, followed up by a check and finger-prints scan. Then, he went home.
Later that night, Reny was on his chair, trying to produce the things in his mind that had occurred in recent phases and affected him. The events after events relayed in, he started missing her daughter, and then came along the moments with his wife. He started to sweat now, and eyes going dull.
He remembered how he used to be happy with his wife, and then one day he discovered that his wife was having an illicit affair with a local guy. This had already maddened him, and continued to do so, he grabbed a can with the other hand, right hand, and drank it in one shot. Picked a few more, and the same.
He became depressed, had began to communicate in an inappropriate and incoherent fashion to himself, orating some of the words, shouting them aloud.
The door throng opened, and people in dress plunged in with guns. They were four in all, and all bear the seal of CIDD on their jackets.
"Mr Hump, you are under arrest for murdering your co-worker and ..."
They saw Reny was with a knife in his left hand, and his eyes were blood red, and he was perspiring heavily. All his wears was drenched, he stood up.
"I was the one who started the Blan's research, he came in and took over me. I was demoted for my conduct, and was insulted for the behavior," Reny wiped off his saliva drooling out of his mouth, "And, that son of a bitch, Seather Glunt, he was having an affair with my wife. He is the one who ...." he stopped, as he hardly could control his state.
" Knife? Whom you ought to kill now? "
"Myself... I've been such a pain to my wife and my daughter, she has gone mad because of me... I'm a murderer of ... "
They looked at each other. " I warn you Mr Hump, put that knife down.."
The other guy said, "He can't be controlled or blackmailed, he suffers. We have to shoot him, on his legs... "
And, they did.
A week later, the doctors confirmed the illness. "He is suffering from the psychological disorder, an uncommon one wherein a person doesn't remember what he has done in his abnormal state unless he gets into it again. Might be an awful act, normally it is, most of the times, a revenge......"
The doctor continued.
Forensics confirmed the blood sample and finger prints. They matched with those of Reny. Mr Glunt's murder was also proven. Reny was sentenced to life imprisonment under care.
"Such people are threat to society... "
20 years later......
[CIDD's office, Discerton ]
"I've been considered for the Discerton murder case of Nannigton, I'll be acting as a co-worker. The state has suggested to hand over the details to me."
A guy from that room said softly, "I don't believe this girl suffered from psychological illness at age of thirteen, and killed a dog. She's an investigator for the state now, and to much amazement she's so beautiful."
He went towards her, "Hey Raelin, this is Nannigton case investigator Mathew. This case is a simple one, absolute mental madness. A guy comes in and murders his ......... "
