Chapter 6 chapter Five

Willis found Gareth Blaze, the hospital's head of security, waiting for him in the hallway outside his office.The burly man who had been a policeman grabbed his arm as soon as he saw the doctor and pulled him away from the door. "Miss Morley is inside with your secretary. I want to talk to you before you go in." Tell me, what's going on between these two, Bob?" "Seems to depend on which of them you believe. Has Miss Morley changed her mind about not calling the police?" "No, she was worried it would make things worse for the lieutenant... She said if we took further action, she would undo what she said." He smiled sourly, "I think he attacked her, There's no question about that. She's pretty much on her feet now, but at first she was shaking like a leaf."

"Are there any bruises on her body?" "I didn't see it. I told her to have the nurse see if there was a mark on her neck, but Miss Morley refused. Her collar was buttoned so tightly that nothing could be seen above it. But I dare say there was a mark underneath." .She's thin...and gets scars easily." "Where's her hand and wrist? The lieutenant said he grabbed her hand and wrist to prevent her from touching him." "I didn't notice anything, but she was wearing long sleeves. Maybe you can take a look when you get in." "If she doesn't want to denounce him, we can't force her, Gareth."

"I know, but I'm not happy about it. There are other people's safety to consider." "He intends to go to London tomorrow, for a few weeks. Will that solve your problem?" "Not if he's back. The nurse who brought Miss Morley's shoulder bag said Acklan had a run-in with his mother shortly after he came here. Is that true?" "It was different that time. He was in a lot of pain and she kept making a fuss in front of him. He grabbed her hand to stop her touching his hair." "The nurse also said he was rude to most of the paramedics. He sounded like a ticking time bomb, man. Did he explain to you why he attacked Molly?"

"He told her to go away several times and she wouldn't go. She also ignored his warnings not to get too close. When she tried to touch his face, it turned into a physical altercation." "Why didn't he ring the emergency bell?" Willis shrugged, "If Miss Morley stood between him and the bed, he wouldn't be able to reach the help bell at all...and without revealing the injured side of his face." He was silent for a moment, "He cares about himself very much. From what I understand, when she finally saw the injured half of her face, she immediately screamed, which may have directly contributed to his aggression."

"He should have stepped back." "She too," Willis pointed out mildly, "can't be slapped, Gareth. She came to him first, not the other way around, and don't forget...the lieutenant has done his best to stay away from her." He After a pause, "Did she say why she came here?" "Visiting him as a friend. Apparently, they were engaged and she wanted him to know that even though their relationship was over, she was still his friend." He smiled sourly again. "It looks like she Luckily he got away. The male nurse who rescued her said Lieutenant Ackland was holding her by the throat and possessing her like a demon. Did you know he used violence against her before?"

"Have you asked her?" "She won't talk...but she's obviously wary of him. Would you have any objection if I went to talk to him myself? Is he mentally fit to talk?" Willis nodded. "You're not going to get many answers. I doubt he'd let you take Miss Morley's side of the story without making any excuses. He doesn't seem interested in correcting bad opinions held about him." "Why not interested?" "Wish I knew," said Willie candidly, "at the moment, I don't know which situation I'm dealing with, is it a post-traumatic reaction to guilt over the sacrifice of two comrades in arms . . . or Something more profound."

"Like what?" "The long-term destruction of individuality." The real Jen Morley herself doesn't actually look quite like Uma Thurman in her website photos, but the resemblance is undeniable.Like Uma Thurman, she has an oval face with wide-set eyes and a childlike innocence.She rose gracefully from her seat, put her slender hand in the doctor's, and greeted Dr. Willis charmingly and calmly, "I'm sorry to trouble you, doctor, but everyone has been very kind to me." ,” she smiled at the secretary, “especially Ruth.” He glanced at her wrist as he let go of her hand, but it was hidden by the cuff. "How do you feel now?" After gesturing for the other person to sit down, he walked around the table and returned to his seat. "You look better without a doubt."

"Still a bit startled," she confided, turning sideways and deftly crossing her ankles. "But what about Charlie? I'm more worried about him. Is he okay? I feel terrible about what happened." Willis tried to look at her as objectively as possible, but his first impression was that she reminded him of Charles' mother, albeit a different hair color and a very different kind of beauty, from the way she sat and spoke Come to think of it, she, like Charles' mother, had the instinct to show off her best qualities.Mrs. Ackland always started with questions about Charles' health and ended up turning the topic on herself, Willis wondered if Jane would do the same.

He nodded to his secretary, who had just signaled to him that she wanted to leave.He saw her say goodbye to Jane, then stopped at the door and made a phone call gesture with his thumb and pinky to his ear. "One more thing before you go," he called to her. "I'll have a call in a few minutes. It's from Henry Watson. You can ask them to call later, but I need You get on Henry. Would you mind telling him the long story short?" "No problem," Ruth said, closing the door behind her.Willis took off his glasses, wiped them vigorously with a handkerchief, and squinted his eyes to scan the desk.He did this on purpose to lower his own authority.He saw Jane's shoulders relax. "Charles was a little startled too, Miss Morley, but maybe for no particular reason. I guess he didn't expect you to come."

"I wrote and told him I was coming." Willis let her continue to lie.Charles had solemnly delivered each new letter to the therapist, the most recent of which was a fortnight ago, and she made no mention of the visit at all, merely repeating the words of her previous letters: I miss you all the time...do you remember me...I'm so lonely without you...never mentioned what caused their breakup.Willis wondered: Did she really believe that the amnesia had completely wiped the event from Charles' memory, as she had mentioned in her e-mail to him? He decided to compliment her, "You and Charles must have been a very good couple, Miss Morley, you are a very beautiful woman...but I'm sure you've heard that compliment a hundred times."

She took the compliment lightly, "Thanks...yes, we were a great match. Charlie is handsome. Is that part of his problem? When I walked into his room, he wouldn't Turn around. Is he embarrassed by his face?" "Most people have a hard time accepting disfigurement. They often feel hurt by the reactions of others." "I screamed," she admitted, "and I was so angry with myself, I couldn't believe I did something so stupid." "I'm sure he understands." "You think so? The last thing I want to do is piss him off...I just want to be friends with him again." She stared at the doctor very sadly. "It's all my fault, isn't it?" "If you had told me in advance that you were coming, things might not have turned out this way." "I should have done that," she agreed. "You warned me he wasn't interested." She sighed softly. "The problem is I didn't believe you. When Charlie thought the world was When he's against it, he gets weird things going on in his head, but I'm usually able to convince him." Willis nodded. "I'm sure it's true. You're very—" He stopped to answer the phone. "Excuse me, just wait a minute. It won't take long." He put the receiver to his ear, "Hello, Henry." Ruth's soft voice came from the other end of the phone, "Before you fall under her pomegranate skirt, I want to tell you that she is not as innocent as she seems. I think she flipped your coat .I left her alone for a few minutes, and when I came back, she ran away from your coat very quickly." "You needn't worry about that. There's nothing important in the coat. Anything else?" "She was extremely fussy until she got her bag back, and as soon as she got it she ran to the bathroom. When she came out again, she was breezy and sweet. Gareth fell for her...but I didn't ,” Willis could feel the smile on the other end of the phone, “probably because I’ve never been that cute before.” Willis chuckled. "Okay, thank you, Henry. That's very helpful." He put the phone down and smiled at Jane absently. "Where did we go? Oh, yes...Charles. He looked at her in bewilderment. "He seems to think I sent you, Miss Morley. Did he get the idea from you?" She shook her head, "This can't be true." She thought for a while, "He's very jealous, Dr. Willis, and if he knew that you and I have been corresponding, he would be suspicious." "He knows," agreed Willis. "I mentioned to him that I wrote to you and you wrote back." "Did he ask me what I told you?" "No, I don't remember." He smiled apologetically, as if it was his fault that his patient wasn't interested, "was jealousy an issue between you two? You didn't mention it in your email. " "You'll think I'm arrogant." "Where?" Willis said in surprise, "I can easily imagine that you have always been the focus of men's jealousy. Every time you go out, you must attract a lot of attention. Does this make Charles very uncomfortable?" ?” "Didn't he tell you?" Willis shook his head. "He's been quiet about everything. All I know is what you said in the email. I remember you mentioning a heated argument. Was that jealousy too?" A tinge of wariness flitted across her face, as if she had realized that his humble demeanor and the trouble of cleaning his glasses was just a cover. "It's okay if you don't want to tell me," he assured her. "I'm not the type to ask questions. Charles told me he has no feelings for you, and I have no reason not to believe him. He sure doesn't want to see it today." your turn." She was a little upset to hear this, "If he didn't still love me, he wouldn't be so angry." She fiddled with the buckle of her shoulder bag, "He loves me like crazy. A friend of mine always says he is My personal bodyguard dog...one minute lying on my lap panting...the next minute baring its teeth because someone got too close." It's not an easy metaphor for Willis to pick up.The Charles he knew was too reserved to reveal his feelings so clearly.Still... "It shows he's possessive. Is that how you describe him? A controlling lover?" "Exactly. I couldn't even breathe without Charlie's permission. Another friend - the one who persuaded me to break off my engagement - said he locked me up in a cage like a rare bird, and if I didn't If I break free, I will not be free." Willis took note of the mixed metaphor.The caged rare bird could be a beautiful Australian parakeet or a siren from Greek mythology, it makes a big difference.Still... "Your friend is right," he agrees, "it sounds like you have an unhealthy relationship." But Jen didn't like that statement either, and maybe she felt that the criticism included a criticism of herself as well, "From Charlie's point of view. He has everything he wants, whenever it suits him, He'll show up ... he'll snap his fingers ... he'll show me off like a trophy." "So, why didn't he welcome you with open arms today? You said you broke the engagement?" He ended the sentence with a rising tone. "yes." He smiled. "Men are very simple animals, Miss Morley. Most of us crave a life of ease, and we stop and take a breath whenever we get the chance." He breathed into the mirror, "If you're Charles All in all, why didn't he grab the olive branch you offered?" Her large eyes narrowed slightly, but whether it was from irritation or confusion, the doctor wasn't sure. "His ego doesn't allow him to do that. He's still hurting." It was a reasonable answer, and Willis nodded thoughtfully again. "Even so, I don't know why you want to revive it, Miss Morley. You hinted that this relationship is suffocating you." "I miss him," she said simply, "and I hope he hasn't told his parents that the fact that we've broken up means he feels the same way I do." She held a crumpled tissue to her nose, "You can't Explain love, Doctor Willis, it's chemistry, it's inescapable." "Well. I'd rather think that's a better description of obsession. Chemistry has a nasty habit of producing volatile mixtures that always end in explosions." She shrugged impatiently, "It's fine when we're together." "From what point of view?" "Everything...in bed...talking...eating...drinking...when we go out." She smiled slightly, "I asked him once if he considered going with another woman and he said only Uma Thurman... But I think he was joking." "I can imagine at this point that a lot of men fantasize about Uma Thurman. Are you intentionally copying her image to encourage them to transfer that fantasy onto you?" She shrugged slightly again. "It's not up to me. God made me look like this." Willis looked at her with interest, "I don't believe in God, Miss Morley. I'm an existentialist... I think everyone's life path is his own choice, and everyone is responsible for his own choice. He put the glasses back on the bridge of his nose and folded his hands behind his head. "And, to put it politely, I'm not sure that looking like a successful actress is a good enough reason to take her reputation for free." Free ride. Right or wrong, in my opinion, it shows that you lack the confidence to be yourself." She lowered her eyelids halfway, hiding her expression, "Did Charlie say something like that?" "No. I recall a comment in your e-mail about a chameleon lacking confidence. That description seems to fit you better than Charles." "You don't know him as well as I do." Willis laughed, "If I got a pound for every time someone said that, I'd be a millionaire by now." He clasped his hands on his chest, "To Uma Thurman, he doesn't seem like As enthusiastic as you." "It's not true." "You said a few minutes ago that he thought of her as a joke." "It's not her. It's with her. He knows it's never going to happen." She dabs her eyes with a tissue. "I'm dressed like her for the best truth. Why do you think my friend Would compare me to a rare bird? I would have to dress up like Erin Cassini in Gattaca - Uma Thurman's favorite character of Charles... like Like this," she pointed to her clothes, "otherwise he can't do it." "what?" "……Love." Willis let the word settle in the air, wondering why the monkish young man upstairs had avoided all contact with the nurse.Is it true what Jane said?If true, this would explain some things, not least Charles' refusal to talk about anything sexually close. "I'm not sure I get what you mean. You mean Uma Thurman can't get an erection without being stimulated?" She smiled unhappily. "It started like this. It was just a game at the beginning." Willis tried his best to understand the hidden message in her words, "Then the game replaced the real, and Charles preferred the imaginary woman to the real woman. Is that so?" "If I say no, he'll be mad." Willis recalled a conversation with Charles about the similarities between Jane and Uma Thurman, and the Lieutenant must have mentioned a "fantasy," but not in the sexually stimulating sense. "Then I wonder why he didn't respond more positively to your presence today," he said slowly, "while you seem to have done everything you could to bring back positive memories for him." "He didn't look at me, he was standing in front of the window with his face facing outside." "It's not always like that, otherwise, he wouldn't be able to grab your hand." "By then it was too late and he had lost his temper." "To Jane Morley or to Uma Thurman?" "Is there any difference?" "That seems to me to make a big difference. If he's mad at Jane Morley, why is he choking Uma Thurman? You seem to be pissing him off with both characters." He folded his hands. Jaw shut, "Are you sure this isn't your sexual fantasy, Miss Morley?" Tears welled up from her eyes, "Why are you so cruel to me?" Willis looked surprised again, "That's a fair question. I don't think you would dress like this if you weren't here to seek intimacy with Charles. It shows that the fantasies are mutual... anyway, in your heart." "It's disgusting to say that," she said suddenly angrily. "Then I'm baffled, Miss Morley. What's the point of dressing up today? What are you trying to achieve?" The question seemed to worry her, as she checked the contents of her shoulder bag as she pondered how to answer. "You said... I was trying to remind him of the good old days. He liked the attention we got when we hung out together, and he liked people mistaking me for Uma." Willis frowned. "I remember you saying he was jealous. You compared him to a bodyguard dog who would grin at anyone who got too close to you." She stares at him, increasingly exasperated, "but he's also very intoxicated, and he loves being jealous of other men." "I'm sure he is," he said lightly. "It's an emotional duality, it's common. Do you feel the same way? He was a handsome man before he got hurt." "Are you asking me to be jealous? Well, no, I never have to!" she said contemptuously. "Men are more afraid of losing me than I am of losing them, Dr. Willis. It sounds a bit boastful, but it's true." "Not at all. You obviously have a lot more friends than Charles." "So what?" "None of those relationships seemed to last very long. Did you always end it first?" "It's almost impossible to be the man, isn't it?" Willis smiled. "I don't know, Miss Morley," he said frankly, "I just can't understand why Charles would be so reluctant to reconnect with you if it was you who broke off the engagement. From my experience, Usually it's the one who doesn't want it to end trying to revive the relationship...the one who decides to break up moves on, looking for a new life." "Charlie didn't move on. He would have been interviewed and answered the phone in that case." Willis nodded, this time sincerely acknowledging that she was right.No matter what bond held the two of them together, the connection remained strong.And yet..."He doesn't want to talk about you...he doesn't want to read your letters...in fact he's determined to distance himself from you. Why would he do that? Unless he's determined to keep you in the past. " He finally made her angry. "Because he's ashamed," she said through gritted teeth, "if you want to know why... maybe you don't want to know, because you're on his side... because he raped me, and it wasn't any old-fashioned rape .He pushed me against the wall and raped me from behind. I bet this little fact hasn't been brought up in your warm conversation with him." "No," Willis agreed matter-of-factly, "but I guessed something similar from your email that you said he was violent against you." "He treated me like a beast," she visibly shuddered. "I've never been so scared." "I'm not surprised. Rape is a terrible experience under any circumstances." Willis was silent for a moment. "You should have thought more carefully about seeing him alone today, shouldn't you?" ?” She didn't answer right away, but blew her nose so hard that when she removed the tissue, she got a little blood on her upper lip. "He's never tried to strangle me before...or seem to get intense pleasure from hurting me." She narrowed her eyes, "And, if you want to ask me if he got intense pleasure from that rape Pleasure," she continued with a combative look, "and the answer is, I don't know because I can't see his face. When it's done, he pushes me to the ground and walks away." "Was that the last time you saw him before today?" "Yes." She quickly preempted again, "and the reason I'm not afraid to come alone is because this is a hospital, Dr. Willis." She laughed angrily, "I thought it was safe to talk to him here , I thought he would be in custody...or at least with doctors and nurses around him." "Hmm." Willis took off his glasses again, breathed on the lenses, and wiped them off with a handkerchief, "It's even more surprising that you chose to cater to his fantasy of Uma Thurman... And don't want to leave when he tells you to." This constant fiddling with his glasses was starting to make her restless. "If I had reported him, he would have been kicked out of the army...maybe still. The army, like society, would not tolerate rape. If I reported to the police that he attacked me again today, you How do you think the police will react?" "They will speculate on your motives for coming here... Why didn't you report the crime immediately after being raped... Or this time, why did you tell the hospital security at the beginning that you didn't want the authorities to interfere." He looked at her expression Shakes head, "If you think you can play the victim in this, you're delusional. The police will get to the bottom of it as quickly as I did: you're the one who's been sexually manipulating the relationship , your rape allegation is poorly founded...especially if what you say is the only evidence." Her eyes grew cold. "You better hope I don't file a complaint against you with any authorities. I bet there's no statute that says psychiatrists can condone violence against women just because the rapist is your patient." "I'm sure you're right," Willis agreed easily, "but it's a big leap from when I point out the blemishes in your story to when you accuse me of condoning violence against women. I would find your allegation more believable when you say that you attempted to rudely seduce Charles. He is a very picky man - I guess he would interpret your attempt as a demeaning act of taking advantage of others — and I can imagine him attacking you out of the blue in that situation. In fact, as he did today." "You're not there, you don't know anything." Willis put his glasses back on, "Except that it's obvious you're dressing like this for a purpose—perhaps to elicit some pleasant memory—and in fact it elicits the exact opposite response. Charles to your Uma Thurman's appearance has only negative associations. Do you want to tell me why?" "No," she stood up suddenly, hugging her shoulder bag tightly, "it's too late. I have to go." "Then I'll take you to the taxi queue in the visitor's parking lot. There's a shortcut through the staff corridor." "I don't need an escort, I want to go to the bathroom. I'll leave by the front door." Willis shook his head and stood up. "I'm afraid I can't let you go alone. If you insist on going to the bathroom first, I will have to call a female security guard to accompany you." Jen looked exasperated. "Why?" The doctor shrugged apologetically, "Hospital rules. We don't allow drug abuse inside the hospital. As for what you do outside, that's a matter between you and your conscience...but if I were you, I would behave Show some restraint." She swung the bag in her hand at him, shaking her body, but missed. He looked at her, amused, "I'm just sending a message, Miss Morley, don't shoot me just because you don't like what I have to say." From the mouth of an otherworldly angel, she spit out four words: "Fuck you!" Third murder victim 'beaten to death' Following the death of construction contractor Kevin Atkins, 58, in south London, police have confirmed there may be links between the murders of Harry Peel, 57, and Martin Britton, 71. There is a connection.Police described Mr Atkins as having suffered a "frenzied attack" which resulted in fatal head injuries.Cleaners discovered his body Wednesday morning, but an autopsy report showed he had been dead for at least four days. Detective Superintendent Brian Jones, who is also investigating the murders of Harry Peel and Martin Britton, spoke of the similarities between the cases. "All three men lived alone and all died in their own beds," he said. "The attacks were all violent, but there were no signs of forced entry and we believe the victims knew the killers." He declined to comment on the men's military experience.Harry Peel joined the Army at the age of 18 and served 5 years in an infantry regiment.Martin Britton is a senior civil servant in the Ministry of Defense who was called up to the Royal Army Treasury Corps as part of his National Service.Kevin Atkins served in the military for 15 years and is best known for serving twice as a paratrooper corporal in the Falkland Islands War in 1982. He retired in 1983.Sheriff Brian Jones has denied rumors that Harry Peel and Kevin Atkins were kicked out of the military for their homosexual behaviour.He also declined to comment on whether a gay man was being sought to link the cases. "We keep an open mind." He appealed to insiders to come forward, "No matter what kind of person the murderer is, it is extremely dangerous." The gay community responded positively, calling attention to the dangers of casual sex with strangers, and police agreed. "Most of us think our homes are safe," a spokesperson said. "It's not, and that's where we let our guard down, so we're just as vulnerable." ...controversial reports concerning Charles' recuperation in London.Susan Campbell said he disappeared Saturday night after another of her guests, a young woman, tried to court him.He has since avoided contact with the woman and retreated into his hard shell.Susan concluded that when people get too close, he becomes anxious.Touching and invading personal space seemed like a real problem for him. ...Charles did not mention the young woman, but he claimed that his stay there was "difficult" because of Suzanne's kind behavior.He said Susan's friendliness (which he called "motherhood" and "imperious intervention") was "intolerable", and he kept her distance as much as possible.The two of them agreed that he would go out for a run every night, sometimes for hours at a time. … I asked Charles what he planned to do if the Army refused his request to continue serving.He said it was impossible, and therefore had no other plans.I suggested that returning to his parents' farm might be his only option if things didn't turn out as he expected, and he has since avoided any discussion of the issue. …Susan believed that his worries about the future were as damaging to his self-confidence as his disfigurement, if not more destructive than his disfigurement.She said Charles had long defined himself as a soldier — through ambitious declarations in school, and the actual training and combat of the regiment — and he was no longer able to define himself any other way.It was Susan's view—the pessimistic view—that Charles would be more self-isolating if the Army rejected him. …she felt he was struggling with deeper issues that couldn't be explained simply by his hurt and professional concerns. (Question: Sexual orientation? Also a question for Susan.) ...every mention of Jen irritated him.He said he wanted to forget her completely, and he couldn't do that if I kept reminding her of her existence.When I mentioned the allegations of rape, he said: "There are thousands of men playing the role of Jen's rapist, and she doesn't exist if men don't desire her..."