It was the next day and I couldn't be more ready to start my day. I went to my closet and picked out a white button-up shirt and a black skirt. I made breakfast and took some to-go, I figured I would share some with Archer. I hopped in my car to head to work. I walked into my office to see my boss in there waiting for me.
"I'm impressed. Most shrinks are dead within the first hour," he stated nonchalantly.
"You are a man with words, how kind." I blurted back. His attitude towards me was really annoying.
He snorted, unamused. "Just be careful Ms.Jones."
I take a quick glance through Archer's file again to see what we should talk about today. I have gathered a few topics in mind and with that, I leave and head to the interrogation room. Seeing him in those binds hurt my heart again. I know he was deemed legally insane, but it still hurt. I sat down and laid the breakfast out for him to eat and asked the guards to unbind his hands but keep his feet strapped down.
The guards unchained him from the table but kept his feet tethered together like I said. As Archer sat down and started eating I noticed he seemed less angry, less cold, maybe even a little less dangerous than before. I felt in control of him.
"Do you like it?" I asked, in hopes he would.
"Yes, it's quite good." He nodded his head, even his smile was a bit less sharp. I noticed with every bite of food he took, he seemed to become less dangerous and more like himself. When he finished he looked up at me.
"I have a few topics I would like to discuss today with you."
"Sure, what's on your mind?" He had finished eating the food, and the smile was still on his face, a bit less sharp than before. It was clear he was starting to like me, in a nonromantic sense. But he also liked me..in a different way.
"The patient Elizabeth. You had broken out of your room multiple times and started a relationship with her. Can you tell me more about that?" I asked while grabbing my notebook.
The smile disappeared from his face entirely, he went back to being serious. His face darkened, and he looked down at the table as if he was deep in thought. He was thinking about the Elizabeth situation, whether he wanted to revisit that thought or avoid it completely, whether he wanted to tell me about it or keep it a secret. After a moment he spoke."She was probably the only one who ever treated me..with respect."
I write this down in my notes. "How did she treat you with respect?"
"She never tried to change me or fix me, she didn't care that I was labeled as insane, she didn't care that I was dangerous even." He thought about it for another moment."She didn't really care about anything except getting to know *me*, the person behind the label. She liked *me*, not this fake 'fixable' person that everyone else wanted me to pretend to be."
I pause at his statement. How sweet he has felt this before. "Has anyone else ever shown this type of affection to you?"
"No." The words were sharp and short. Elizabeth was probably the first one he'd ever let get through to him like that. He continued eating and thought for a minute before his face darkened again. "She's dead." Those words were said with a bit of sadness."I guess I was too attached to her, too dependent. I lost my temper, lost control, and I killed her. After that event, I decided to never let myself get attached to anyone again."
I stiffened a bit at his remark, but I am a professional so I cant allow it to get to me. "Tell me, what caused you to get angry?"
There was a slight pause, his face darkened again, a small twitch of his hand. "I caught her betraying me." The words were sharp, and there was no emotion in them whatsoever. He didn't seem to care about Elizabeth or her betrayal of him, he didn't even seem to care that he killed her. He'd probably do it again if he could. "My temper is what caused me to react the way I did."
I write down in my notes everything he has said so far. "Can you go into detail about the betrayal?"
"She was talking about me, sharing my secrets, things that were told between her and I." He seemed slightly angered just by the thought of it."I couldn't help but get mad, and when I got mad.." He didn't finish the sentence, his tone was sharp, and his eyes were hard to look at.
I sat my notebook down. "This is a safe place. Continue. What did you do?" I said with a comforting voice.
His hand twitched again, and he seemed to get lost in thought again."I lost control. I lost my temper. I killed her, and the people that were trying to protect her." His voice had become more monotone and less sharp."I remember my thoughts after the fact, I knew exactly what I had done. I didn't feel regret, I didn't feel a damn thing."
I nod my head. "Thank you for sharing."
"Can I ask you something?" His voice was still flat, completely monotone, but there was a slight hint that he wanted to know something.
"Of course."
He thought for a minute, as if he was trying to find the words to express himself properly."How do you think I see you?" The question was completely genuine.
I pondered for a moment on the question. Elizabeth and I seemed to share things in common. "I would say you see me as Elizabeth and you are scared of that."
That seemed to catch him off guard and he was visibly surprised that I had guessed that right away. The surprise was only there for a moment before he hid his face with a blank stare and emotionless tone. He'd gotten comfortable with me, he had even started to trust me to some degree, and now I have made him realize how much I resemble Elizabeth. And in his mind, I was likely going to betray him like she did once I found out what he really was.
"I knew what I was getting myself into when I became your shrink. Your secrets are safe with me." I winked.
He stared at me as if he was really analyzing me, trying to see if he could trust me like he trusted Elizabeth.There was silence for a moment before he spoke."That's exactly what Elizabeth said."
"I don't expect you to believe, I am aware actions speak louder than words."
"I guess they do." His tone was cold, but he was thinking. He thought for a moment, his eyes still boring into mine while he analyzed everything about me."Does that mean if I tell you something, you'll keep it to yourself?"
"Would it make you feel better if I told you one of my secrets first?" I asked hoping to gain some trust.
He paused for a moment before speaking."Sure, that seems fair." He seemed to be analyzing the whole idea behind that, it seemed like something that had never been offered to him before.
"I will tell you my secret during our next session. Sadly, our hour is up for the day." I grab my belongings and allow the doctors to bind his hands back down.
"Ok." He stayed silent for a moment before speaking."Can I ask you a question before you go?"
"Of course," I said, as I tilted my head.
"Do you know if the doctors are monitoring our conversations in here?" He looked out the room a bit but he was still facing me. He seemed to think there was a possibility the doctors were keeping a close eye on him, but he also seemed to doubt in his mind that they were doing that.
"Yes. If you would like, we can have our session in my office tomorrow so you can feel more comfortable speaking freely." I suggested.
"I'd like that." He nodded his head."But do you know how much the doctors are listening to? Do they hear everything we are saying?" As much as he was interested in having privacy, he was also intrigued by how private they'd actually allow this session to be.
"In the interrogation room, everything is recorded. We are on camera, in my office, there are no cameras, no recordings."
"I see." The thought of possibly being recorded didn't sit well with him, he didn't feel as though he was able to be 100% genuine, because he didn't know how many ears were listening in. But hearing that none of the conversations in my office were being recorded really intrigued him. And he did trust me more here than he did anyone else in the entire place.
"It's settled. I will see you in my office tomorrow."
"Alright, I'll be looking forward to it." He seemed genuinely interested in seeing how the sessions would go. "I hope you know that by allowing me to speak freely to you, you've made yourself my target." His smile was sharp. "I will always do my best to remain honest with you, but you will also be the one person I'll be looking to use and manipulate."
"I will be looking forward to it." With that, I leave and head to the head doctor's office.