D&C 2.7: Lunacy and Asylum

Lunacy and Asylum

I dread the call, but was a 187 ( Homicide ). That means myself have to attend, while the others are involved in their own cases. It was a bad morning; got and dressed, found my shirts were missing. I screeched out one word, and that was enough to bring the madness from Jenny.

"How would I know you ran out of ironed shirts? I am not your frigging mother." Jenny gave me the cannons barrage of those 'near to two inch wide' mouth volley. I swore if it was better days, I would had gagged her, but I was not into the mood. Shit, I was not into any of her's for sometime. She left me there holding onto the shirt while she stormed into the bathroom. I got the shirt ironed and was out with last night's slice of pizza in my mouth.

While driving, I keyed in the address into this box they called the GPS tracker. It was to show me the directions, but when I done with the address, I knew the place without its help. Grandma used to stayed there, and so did Uncle Henry. One was loony and then other was homicidal; self induced. Both of them were incarcerated there by the doctors. I used to go there with my mother to see them; I had no choice then. It was you followed or be cursed to hell by her. The City Asylum was my nightmare. It was not grandma, or Uncle Henry; he was suffering from depression, but the inmates there. They stared at you, make faces at you, and sometimes reached out to you. Take a view of mine; I was only ten then. It was made worse when your cousins tell you that one day you would end like them.

I saw the two patrol cars there but we were parked near to the main gate which was the outer perimeter of the place. I got up and looked at the immense structure that needed only a walk of a hundred paces to reach the double wooden door. What was missing was the sign that said; come in at your own risk.

"Victim was shot in the head elsewhere and dropped here." The comment brought me out of the stupor I was in. I looked over to the dead victim that was laid as if it was thrown over the eight foot high wall. Dan was attending to the victim and had made the comment.

"There was lack of blood here, and there were some outside the wall." Dan continued on. He then looked at me. He told his assistant to do the rest and approached me.

"I know its not easy for you, but just go in and checked. He could be still there." Dan knew of my past and also of Uncle Henry. I shook my head and walked back to the car. It was then I heard my name being called.

"Detective Barnes!" I turned around. The caller was an elderly man walking with a cane. He was dressed in a white frock over his suit. He was bald but that does not hide his age grouping.

"I am Director Green. Edward Green. I am in charge of this place." Director Green looked to the victim. "Would you like to come in and discuss this case? It would be more .. confidential."

Damned it! That was one offer I wished I could turned down, but it beats begging for an official warrant. I reluctant walked with him to approached the immense structure. Later in the Director's office, we confer on the homicide.

"Ms.Dennison was ..." I was stunned.

"You knew the victim?" I spattered out the words.

"Yes, I do." Director Green was taken aback. "If you are implying do we have a relationship; it was strictly professional."

"I am sorry, Director Green. I was not advised that the victim was identified and yes, I am sure there was nothing personal between you and Ms..."

"Dennison. Patricia Dennison." Director Green assisted me there. "She joined us last year. She took over from a retired staff on the filing of the records. Nice person....."

I spent over an hour listening to the Director droned on Ms Denison, and then I left. I was on my way out when I spied the man sitting alone by the window. He was looking out and aimlessly.

"That's Henry. He is our long standing citizen." The duty nurse whispered to me. The man was older by twelve years as he was the youngest in the family but he looked so much better than myself. He looked well cared and above all, younger than his age. I did not approached him but left the place. That later afternoon, I was called to meet Dan.

"Here is the brief." Dan handed me the report and then held it back. He started reading from it. "The subject died from bleeding of the internal organs due to multiple stab wounds. The weapon is believed to be a long sharp blade from the cut marks, with a smooth edges."

"Like a scalpel?" I asked.

"No, this one was longer. A number of kitchen knives fit the description." Dan droned on with his findings; no rape, no torture, straight kill with five cuts. He then stopped and looked at me.

"Do you want to drink at Di Angelo?" It was the first time he offered after a very long time. Then he offered an alternative.

"I got a steak kidney pie in my office, with a bottle of scotch." Dan winked. I knew his preference; there was the multiple murders victims during the week. He could had saved some of the kidneys for the pie. In the next hour, we sat and spoke like old times. I did not go back that day; spend the hours checking on the victim and also on the asylum. With my position, I got a more detailed access to many records on the place, and it was a concern. I also slept there that night and was at the Asylum by morning.

I met Director Green when he walked in.

'You never told me that Ms Dennison had a mother for a patient here before?" I looked at the Director. He nodded and then corrected himself.

"Yes, we missed that one out. She did not disclosed. We only knew that last week." Director Green replied. Then his expression frowned. "We do not kill on that omission."

We both laughed but I had to asked the next question.

"Who knew about her mother?"

"There is myself, the doctor in charge; Doc Gavin and of course the head Nurse; Gloria." The last I met yesterday when she introduced me to the long standing resident. I asked to meet Doctor Gavin. We met later in the garden as he was monitoring the patients in their morning routine. He was young; just joined two years ago and was impatient with the workout. He was here to do his research on some theory he was working on.

"Nurse Farthing, get them in the row." The nurse glared at him. It was obviously her name was not Farthing. He excused himself to speak to me on Ms Dennison.

"Yes, I knew Pat. Nice girl. She confided with me that her mother was here."

"Was here? Please explain, Doctor Gavin." I asked the doctor.

"Pat's mother died last week. We had just buried her two days ago. I was with Pat at the funeral." That was not in the records I read. And more was not there was the relationship of Doctor Gavin and Patrica Dennison. I asked him the usual questions and his replies were recorded. He had no alibi unless Patricia could speak from the grave. He claimed he was with Patricia until midnight and then left for his own place where he stayed alone. He denied any sexual relationship but maintain a platonic one.

"Any reason why some one would want to kill Patricia?" I asked him. He shook his head. Then he replied.

"She have a boyfriend. They broke up last month." I got the name to cross reference with. I left Doctor Gavin to his patients while I searched up a Danny Boyd. I found the person I was looking for in his apartment with another girl.

"Screw her. We broke up and I am free to choose who I bring home." Mr.Boyd was upset at my early call on him, although it was near to noon. He was a deejay at the local club and had staggered in at before dawn. I dragged him to the Precinct and made him undergo the urine test. He was tested positive for it.

"I can't remember that night or any other night. Those times I was jazzed up with ladies and booze. So f*****d it." For that last statement, I made him limped to the detention cell. I ran on more of Ms Patricia Dennison and her personal life. Prior to her appointment at the Asylum, she was working in a lawyer firm, and from what I heard; she was efficient.

So how did Patricia ended up with scumbag like Danny, and does not fall for the doctor.

"Opposite attracts, Jimmy." I loved Frank when he had one too many coffees and doughnuts. He gets all high up there with the Gods. "I was once in love with a madam, but we squared off once she knew it was not going to work out."

I saw then Di Angelo faced had lighted up. Soon the two were whispering personal details while I left them there. I met Dan and asked for more updates. The coroner shook his head. I went back to the Asylum that evening. I met up with Uncle Henry. The administrative staff were only the nurses. I spoke and he listened. I told him of my mother and the other sniveling cousins. Then I spoke of Patricia.

"I seen her. She's a nice lady. She cared to asked." Uncle Henry replied. "We spoke a couple of times when she asked me on some names. I told everything."

I asked him to repeat those names and what he said. We spoke for over an hour. I left back for the Precinct and did up my investigation papers. The next morning, I filed in for a warrant to requisition on the Asylum records. I got it and shoved the warrant to the Director.

There were no records of those names I had from Uncle Henry; not even on Patricia's mother. It was all cleaned up. I confronted the Director. He denied it all.

"I don't looked into those old files." That was my wall again. I went back to look for more clues. I soon found it.

"Director Green, how come you had withdrawn so much money from your savings, retirement fund?" I threw the statements to the Director. "All in the last week."

Director Green finally confessed.

"There were dubious testing done some years back. It was carried over from my own project. When the grant dried out, I used my position to conduct the tests here. No one concerns over a loony person. We had deaths in our morgue that no one wants to claimed. In the end, we gave them proper burial."

"It was Doc Gavin who found out when Ms Dennison showed him her mother's file. He asked for more evidence I think and she gave it to him. I found out and confronted Doc Gavin. He threatened me exposure; my career of thirty five years gone. I paid him off. I even got his grant approved by the Board. It just came in."

I saw the letter of approval for two hundred thousand for two years.

"Four days ago, he came to me after the funeral. He told me that Patricia wanted to go to the Police. I told him to stopped her. He said yes. That's all I know."

I got Doc Gavin into custody and he denied it all. He claimed that Director Green was crazy and had once threatened Patricia for her non-disclosure of her link to the patient. I found the money in the doctor's account. I also found the murder weapon among his collection of far eastern swords. It was the short blade of the samurai 'daisho'. The long blade was called the katana, while the shorter was called the wakizashi. The blade was cleaned but the hilt had traces of the blood. It matched to Patricia Dennison DNA.

At the funeral of Patricia Dennison, Danny Boyd dropped over to place the flower on the grave. I invited Uncle Henry to a new home; the ones that was ran for the older folks. He declined.

"I have lived here for over most of my life. I would die here and be with my friends." Uncle Henry looked at me. "We ain't all loony. We are just different and in here, we found our own asylum."

I went home after having stayed outside for seven nights. When I checked my closet, all my shirts were ironed. I guessed my life need to be ironed out too.

Jenny left me a note; 'Gone for the week. Conference and holiday. Buy your own dinner. P.S. Shirt pressed in the closet.'.

I guessed the extra steak and kidney pies from Dan would be my meals this weekend.