See Me(111)

Colin





W

hen he got home, Colin pulled the computer from his book bag and set it on the kitchen table. He was as confused about the whole situation as Maria was, and his instinct was to try to learn as much as possible.

The first step was to understand the mind-set of Lester Manning. Or rather, persecutory delusions of the nonbizarre type. He’d wanted to ask Margolis more about it when it came up, but it wasn’t his place to ask, and Maria had let it go. Fortunately, there were dozens of web pages on the topic, and he spent the next hour and a half learning as much as he could.

He’d been under the impression that the disorder was similar to schizophrenia, but while certain symptoms like hallucinations and delusions were common in both types of patients, a patient was diagnosed with either schizophrenia or a delusional disorder. Schizophrenia often also included disorganized speech or delusions of the bizarre type. Bizarre meant impossible – the belief that the patient could fly, or read the minds of other people, or hear voices that could control their actions. Nonbizarre delusions – the kind that Lester suffered from – were at least plausible, but untrue.

In Lester’s case, assuming he suffered from a delusional disorder, it made some sense that he might believe the police were out to get him. According to Avery Manning, the police had used Tasers on him and put him in jail; while there, he had been beaten by other prisoners. And in the end, the charges had been dropped, which might underscore Lester’s belief that he never should have gone to jail at all.

His paranoia regarding Maria also made sense, Colin admitted, if plausibility was the sole criteria. Not only had Maria failed to protect Cassie, but if Lester hadn’t written the notes – as Dr. Manning maintained – then Maria had sent the police after him for no reason. Not just once, but twice now…

Margolis had also been right in that a person with the disorder could, as a general rule, function normally, depending on the severity of the disorder. The spectrum of delusions could run from something as simple as overvalued ideas to near psychosis; another couple of the articles stated – just as Avery Manning had told Margolis – that delusions weren’t rigidly fixed. They could fluctuate in intensity and could be aggravated by the use of certain drugs.

Still, as much as everything he read made sense, and while he understood that Lester truly believed his delusions… there were aspects of the disorder that didn’t line up for him. If Lester was terrified of Maria, would he have delivered roses to her? Would he have sent over a drink? And if those were meant to be peace offerings of sorts, why would he have included the messages he had? Why taunt if what you wanted was to be left alone? And why come to Wilmington to do it? Wouldn’t he have wanted to keep as much distance between them as he could?

Initially, Colin had wondered why Margolis had bothered looking into Mark Atkinson, but Margolis was smart enough to recognize the same inconsistencies and wonder how to reconcile them. Hence, he’d called Atkinson’s mother, and from there the story got even more confusing.

He may or may not be missing?

As vague as it was, Margolis was accurate in his description. A quick search brought up a photograph of a missing persons poster on Pinterest, no doubt created by Atkinson’s mother. Other than that, there was nothing at all. He supposed he could do the same kind of search he’d done for Lester Manning, but what would be the point? According to Margolis, any information that might be helpful was inaccurate as of the date Mark Atkinson left for Toronto. Or went missing.

Or if not missing, was he in hiding?

Colin had the sense that Margolis considered it a possibility. The timing was too coincidental for it not to be a possibility. But Maria’s point was also valid. Why would he target her? According to her, she’d never even met the man.

Closing the computer, Colin continued to ponder the questions before coming to the conclusion that he needed to clear his mind, and he knew only one way to do that.





He ran the six miles to the gym and spent an hour lifting weights, finishing with half an hour of striking on the heavy bag. Without classes in session, the gym was relatively quiet. Daly spotted him when necessary and held the bag for a few minutes, but otherwise spent most of his time in the office.

He ran home, showered, and changed into his work clothes and drove to work. Behind the wheel, he pondered the same questions he had earlier. Perhaps his defensive instincts were on high alert, but for some reason, he couldn’t shake the feeling that something bad was about to happen.





CHAPTER 22





Maria





A

fter the meeting with Margolis, Maria headed back to the office, her head swimming with all she had learned. She stopped to visit with Jill and update her on the latest, but Jill wasn’t back from lunch. It reminded Maria that she hadn’t eaten, but then again, she couldn’t even fathom the thought of eating.

Stress. If it continued, she was going to have to buy a new wardrobe in a smaller size or have everything altered; her clothes were already getting loose.

Barney was finally back in the office, though he spent the next three hours behind closed doors, meeting with one paralegal after another. She assumed he was interviewing for Lynn’s replacement – who couldn’t come soon enough, in Maria’s opinion – and though she had a few questions for him about the hospital case, she knew better than to disturb him. Instead, she started organizing her questions, making notes in the margin of the complaint, until eventually she heard a knock at her door. Glancing up, she saw Barney standing in her doorway.