The Imposter (12 page)

The
Commander looked at Monique sideways.  "Does that mean you're gonna
misbehave when I'm done? If so…."

"No,
no.  I promise!"  Monique was so emphatic that the entire group laughed.

"This,
this, I've got to see," said Robert.  “Monique could never stay quiet, you
know that Jack!  She was always in trouble when we were little.  I'm holding
her to her word!" Robert was serious, but his eyes were laughing. 
"Go on, Jack.  Do your thing."

Françoise
took a deep breath and continued, "Supposing the door was left unlocked. 
It's highly possible that a patient could have easily escaped from the Pavilion
and committed the crime.  Nadine and I reviewed three medical records and two
of them stuck out conspicuously.  The records of Jim McMurdie and Anthony Gavette
are the most suggestive.  Their medical histories both report psychoses and
dangerous behavior.  Anthony even has a rap sheet with a number of arrests for
A & B.   He's been arrested several times for malicious assaults on
strangers.  The shrinks think he was psychotic when he committed the
acts."

"Yes,"
Monique agreed.  "Anthony is schizophrenic.  He has delusions and
paranoia.  He's even talked in group about having sexual fantasies involving
several of the staff.  I believe, I'm not absolutely sure, but I think he was
arrested in Alabama for attempted rape.  Was that in the chart, Jack?"

"Nope,
but we will run a check with Alabama and Florida.  Is Anthony prone to violence
on the unit?"

Monique
laughed.  "Why don't you ask Alex? Anthony put on quite a show for her
today! Tell them, Alex."

Alex
didn't think Anthony's behavior was quite as humorous as Monique did, but she
smiled to be agreeable and replied, "I'd say he got pretty violent this
afternoon with another patient named Rose.  She was just talking.  Then she
started crying, and he went after her in a rage."

"Why?
What precipitated the attack?" Robert asked.

Alex
looked to Monique for guidance, but she didn't offer any.  "I don't know
for sure.  I had interrupted the community meeting.  The group was trying to
decide if I could stay and finally agreed that I could, except for Anthony.  He
wasn't too keen on it.  Then, Monique was having them express their feelings
about what happened to Angela.  Rose was talking about her feelings when
Anthony got mad, called her a slut, and went after her.  Fortunately, the staff
acted quickly and no one was hurt." Alex finished breathlessly, her heart
racing a little at the memory.

Françoise
was intrigued and asked, "What else did Anthony say? Anything specific to
Angie?"

Alex
was trying to remember.  "He did say that Angie came to work for a
paycheck and that she was afraid of the patients.  That's about it.  Do you
remember anything else pertinent, Monique?"

Monique
shook her head, while Robert remained silent.

Jack
was rethinking the scenario.  "Well," he finally said, "Anthony
knew that she was afraid of him.  It also sounds like he dislikes women in
general from what he said to Rose, especially the bit about her being a slut. 
What do you all think?"

Monique
responded quickly.  "Short of giving you a long dissertation in
psychobabble, it's possible that Anthony was transferring his feelings about
Angie to Rose.  It's hard to say, Jack.  Anthony's paranoid.  None of this is
conclusive." Monique's voice was skeptical.

Jack
looked irritated.  "Of course, it's inconclusive. 
It's a theory
. 
These are just possibilities, what ifs and wherefores, so to speak.  What is
conclusive is a DNA match on the hair follicles and other evidence pulled from
the crime scene.  I'll check on our boy with Alabama tomorrow.  You never
know."  Jack was trying hard to be neutral.

Alex
broached the next question.  "What about Jim, Jack? Do you know he's
former NOPD? I think he's on disability of some type now."

Jack
heaved a heavy sigh.  "I know Jim McMurdie well.  Good cop, good guy.  I
rode with him when he was a rookie.  He was a good man, an outstanding police
officer.  I'll never understand why he flipped.  What about him, Monique? Do
you think he could fit into this?"

Monique
was clearly annoyed at Jack.  She responded in an irritated voice, "Jim
McMurdie is a good man.  He's
still
a good guy.   He's just sick.  I
haven't finished working him up yet.  He's been on the unit for about three
days and I've made a tentative diagnosis."

"Why
was he admitted?" Robert asked.

Monique
continued, "Mrs.  McMurdie, Lynette, called me several years ago and told
me that she thought Jim was having some psychotic episodes.  Since Lynette's a
registered nurse who worked at CCMC before their first child was born, I gave
her telephone call credibility."

"I
remember Lynette McMurdie.  Didn't she teach critical care nursing over at
LSU?" Robert asked as he searched his memory.  "From what I can
remember, she was a real knockout! A beautiful girl."

Monique
said, "I don't know.  She may have taught over there.  I only remember her
from the E.D.  She and Jim met in the CCMC emergency department.  But, you're
right, Robert.  She's gorgeous.  Tall, fair skinned, with long, curly dark hair
that she usually wears down.  Anyway, …."

Robert
nodded his head.  "Yeah.   That's her!"

Monique
continued, "Lynette and I had lunch shortly after her phone call and she
told me that Jim, out of the blue, started accusing her of having extramarital
affairs.  She said she was becoming a little frightened of him because he had
become so irrational.  She told me that the week before she called me, Jim had
run outside their house and threatened a male stranger who was out walking his
dog.  He apparently swore at the stranger, accused him of having an affair with
his wife, and threatened to kill him if he ever saw him within eyesight of his
house again!"

Alex
was wide-eyed.  "Humph.   Wow, that's pretty intimidating.  Bet that man
never walked his dog that way again," she quipped, trying to lighten the
mood.   It didn't work.   She paused for a moment, then asked, "What did
Lynette do?"

"Well,
she tried to reason with him later.  Her four-year-old had witnessed the scene
and had been frightened by it.  Lynette said that when she mentioned it to Jim
later, he denied it ever happened.  She believed he had no recollection of the
event."

"Damn. 
How long ago was this?" Jack asked.

"It
was several years ago.  Anyway, I asked Lynette if Jim had been under any
unusual stress or pressure and she …."

Jack
jumped up from the table and exclaimed.  "Damn, that's just about the time
Jim was assaulted and beaten in the Quarter.  From what I can remember, he was
on foot patrol when he and his partner were jumped from behind by a gang of
druggies, cop haters so they said.  Anyway, Jim and his partner were badly
beaten.  They were hospitalized for quite a spell."

Monique
looked at Jack and marveled at his ability to remember things, from the biggest
things in his life to the tiniest details of a crime committed 20 years
earlier.  "You're exactly right, Jack.  Jim was hospitalized for about two
weeks with a head injury.  He recovered nicely in the hospital.  However, about
three months after the beating, he experienced a sudden onset of dizziness, headaches,
vomiting, ataxia, and left-sided weakness.  He came to the CCMC emergency
department for a workup."

Robert
was absorbed, his medical mind working.  "It sounds like he was having a
stroke secondary to the beating.  This is sounding like a very sad story."
Robert said, lamenting over the Jim McMurdie story.

"Yes,"
Monique said, "It is a very sad case.  On neurological exam, there was
evidence of left dysmetria and decreased sensation to touch on the left side. 
Jim had no history of hypertension or any other risk factors for stroke.  His
head CT scan revealed a left cerebella hemorrhage with massive effect.  He had
edema present near the fourth ventricle.  He also had some mild atrophy of
…."

Jack
interrupted in an irate voice.  "Yo.  Wait a damn minute! Don't forget I'm
here.  Talk my language!" Françoise was once again furious because he
couldn't understand the medical jargon.  "Talk to me, not above me!"

Alex
intervened, "Basically, Jack, Jim had a stroke.  It also sounds like parts
of his brain weren't working based on the atrophy of .…"

"What
in the devil is atrophy?" the Commander barked at them.  "Dammit,
talk to me, too.  I'm sitting here.  You medical people are a pain in the
…." Jack stared darkly into his Irish coffee, irritated that his friends
were talking above him.  He hated that worse than anything.

Monique
smiled and patted his hand.  "Sorry, Jack.  Atrophy just means parts of
his brain hadn't been used lately.  You know the old saying that if you don't
use it, you lose it?  Anyway, the jealous accusations of extramarital affairs
started after his injury."

Robert
was intrigued.  "This is fascinating, Monique.  Do you think that his head
injury caused his psychosis?" Robert leaned forward eagerly in
anticipation of Monique's answer.

"I
think it's possible.  There is research to support the premise and .…"

Françoise
interrupted rudely.  "I don't think it's fascinating.  I think it's
generally shitty.  A policeman gets injured in the line of duty, has a stroke,
and goes wacko.  What the hell is fascinating about that.   I don't admire the
science of it.  I just see the loss of a good, honest cop.  Sorry."
Françoise's voice was bitter as he continued to stare darkly into his Irish
coffee.

Robert
looked apologetic.   "Sorry, Jack, I just ....”

Françoise
interrupted, "Save it for the medical books Bonnet, I am not interested.”

There
was an uncomfortable silence.  Alex surveyed her nails and made a mental note
to call for a manicure tomorrow.  Robert took a long swig from his Irish coffee
and wished he'd ordered another one.  Monique and Jack stared at each other.

Finally,
Monique began again.  "Jack, the entire Jim McMurdie story is pure
speculation.  May I finish?" Her voice was calm, cool.

"Yes,
of course, Monique.  I just feel differently.  McMurdie's a good man, was a
fine cop.  Now it sounds as if he could be implicated in this crime.  It's
unfair, it sucks, to say the very least.   Of course, finish." Jack's
voice was diffident as he raised his shoulders.

"Okay. 
Anyway, after I talked to Lynette the first time, she called again and reported
that Jim was becoming increasingly depressed and irritable.  His mood swings
were frequent, and he'd begun drinking more than usual.  She said she was
becoming more frightened of him.  She told Jim he had to go for help or she
would leave."

"How
did that go?  Did he come to see you?" Alex asked.

"Yes. 
He came three times.  He was quiet, withdrawn, and cooperative.  He seemed to
know he had irrational behavior, but didn't know why.  He did better for a
while and he and Lynette got some marriage counseling.  Things were better.  I
put him on a course of psychotropic drugs that seem to help, when he took
them…."

"Only
a short period … what happened?" Robert remained absorbed in Monique's
story.

"Typically,
he stopped taking his medicine.  I guess there was some sort of incident at
work and the internal affairs division of the New Orleans Police Department put
him on involuntary leave.  Jim then experienced extreme melancholia.  He was
acutely depressed."

"Why
was he admitted to the pavilion last week? What was the reason?" Jack
asked.

Monique
shook her head sadly and answered.  "Lynette and Jim were shopping for
baby furniture at the mall when Jim saw a man he believed Lynette was having
another affair with.  He went berserk and attacked the man.   His attack was
vicious.  Jim was psychotic and delusional at the time.  Finally, the security
guards at the mall subdued him and he was TDO to us.  It's extremely sad."

The
group digested this information slowly.  Finally, Alex asked, "How badly
was the man hurt?"

"Pretty
bad.  He'll recover, though." Monique threw her hands up in frustration. 
"The worst part is that Lynette, who is seven months pregnant, took their
daughter to her parents' home in Baton Rouge.  At this point, she's refused to
be a part of Jim's therapy."

Alex
thought about this for a moment and said, "Can't say I blame her.  She's
probably frightened to death of him.  I would be.  Has he ever attacked
her?"

"No,
he's verbally abused her, consistently verbally abused her, but he hasn't
attacked or physically -- at least not yet, but it is within the realm of
possibility." Monique's voice was low.

Jack
was once again annoyed.  "What kind of bull shit response is that?  It's
within the realm of possibility that I will attack each one of you at this
table.   Now tell us what you really think, Monique.   I'm sick of this
psychobabble."

Monique
bristled and her face flushed as the blood poured to it.   She managed to hold
her temper.   "Yes, I think it's highly probable.  I think Jim has Othello
syndrome.  If he'd attacked Lynette, my diagnosis would be final."