Therapy by Sebastian Fitzek Page B

to, Doctor,’ said the psychiatrist, unlocking the heavy door. He disappeared into the corridor to use the telephone on the ward.
    As if I could forget , thought Viktor. God knows I've tried to get rid of the memories . Forgetting was what he aspired to; it would be a release.
    Two minutes later, Dr Roth was back by his bedside. He sat down on an uncomfortable folding contraption made of white plastic. It was the first time such a chair, a common enough sight in the other wards, had been positioned by this particular bed. The patients assigned to room 1245 rarely received visitors of any kind.
    ‘Good news and bad news,’ reported the psychiatrist.
    ‘I'll have the bad news first.’
    ‘Professor Malzius wants to know where I am. He's getting impatient.’
    ‘And the good news?’
    ‘You have visitors coming – but they won't be here until six.’
    Viktor merely nodded. He had a fair idea as to who the visitors would be, and Roth's expression seemed to confirm his hunch.
    ‘That gives us forty minutes.’
    ‘Forty minutes for you to tell me exactly what happened.’
    Larenz stretched his limbs as far as the restraints allowed.
    ‘Bed-bound at the age of forty-seven,’ he said smilingly, jangling the straps around his wrists and ankles. Dr Roth pretended not to hear. He knew what Viktor was hinting at, but he couldn't oblige.
    ‘So your cabin had been broken into. Why didn't you call the police?’ he asked, picking up where they had left off.
    ‘The police had been working on the case for four years and found nothing. I knew I was getting somewhere and I didn't want them to mess things up.’
    Dr Roth nodded sympathetically. ‘Meanwhile, you were stuck on Parkum and Kai was your only point of contact with the outside world.’
    ‘Yes.’
    ‘How long did the situation continue like that? When did you realize who Anna was and what had happened to Josy?’
    ‘Two days. I should have realized sooner. The trouble was, to see the truth I needed to press rewind – to playback the tape and go over what had happened – but I was too busy looking ahead. If I'd stopped for a moment, I would have noticed that the solution to the puzzle was obvious.’
    ‘And Kai had just told you that your bathroom was covered in blood.’
    ‘Yes.’
    ‘What happened after that?’
    ‘It was dark by then, so I couldn't do much except pack. I was planning to leave the island on the next available ferry. I wanted to meet up with Kai and get a handle on the situation. As it turned out, I was forced to stay. The winds had picked up overnight and my cold had taken control over my body. Can you imagine what it feels like to be sunburned all over?’
    Dr Roth nodded.
    ‘That's how it was. On commercials, it's described as “muscle pain and general discomfort”, but there's always one part of the body that soldiers on.’
    ‘The mind, I suppose.’
    ‘Right. I needed to get some rest, so I took a couple of Valium and prayed for the weather to improve.’
    ‘But the ferry couldn't sail?’
    ‘No, I was trapped by Hurricane Anton. The coastguard issued a special warning to the residents of Parkum, advising us to stay inside except in an emergency. But in my case, the emergency was already underway.’
    ‘Another problem?’
    ‘A disappearance – and in my own house, as well.’
    ‘Who was it this time?’
    Viktor lifted his head a little and frowned. ‘Before we go any further, I'd like to propose a deal. I'll tell you the rest of the story on one condition.’
    ‘What?’
    ‘You give me my freedom.’
    Dr Roth smiled a tight-lipped smile and blew air through his nose. They had discussed the matter already. ‘You know I can't do that – not after your confession. Not only would I lose my job and my licence, I could be sent to prison as well.’
    ‘I know, you made yourself clear the first time. I'll just have to take the risk.’
    ‘What risk?’
    ‘I'm going to tell you the story, the whole story, and when I'm finished,