The Case Files of Dr. Randall Herringwick
The Case of the Enslaved Nurse
Chapter 3 - Loretta's Revenge
CASE FILES - PERSONAL NOTES - PATIENT 71 - DAY 59 (Continued)
"Yes?"
Her lot in life was not one of degrees. She was very young, very pretty, very petite and very desirable. I was pleased to observe that my assessment from the numerous photos I'd seen was correct. She was also very shy and very easily led. The only place where I would not have used that particular adverb is that she was NOT very bright. Also, I wouldn't have thought her to be the perfect trophy wife. She undoubtedly made the cocktail crowd uncomfortable whenever she was present. The congressman was in his mid-fifties. The only possible reason to wed a girl who was barely twenty (and who looked even younger) would be for the sex. That was about it. I guessed that she could hold a meaningful conversation about the rigors of cheerleading, but not much else.
"I'm doctor Herringwick," I said, smiling. "I phoned you half an hour ago." In a brazen act of overconfidence, I had decided to use my real name.
"Yes," she said uneasily. "I told you then ... my husband is not home. Neither is Hardy. They're in D.C. I'm ... I'm alone here."
I took off my hat and moved toward her. Startled, she backed up a step and inadvertently allowed me entry. "I didn't come to talk to them, my dear. I came to talk to you. You have a very nice home. May I have a cup of coffee?"
"Um ... I don't understand. What do you want?"
"I've already explained, Tawny. May I call you Tawny? I need to speak with you. I haven't had any coffee today. Do you have some? We could go out together and get a cup. I saw a restaurant just up the road." I pointed in a general direction.
"Oh, no!" she stammered. "I mean ... no, I mustn't ... I mean ... my husband doesn't let me ...." She stopped trying to verbalize for a moment and she forced herself to take a deep breath. "I don't drink coffee. But I could make some."
"That would be lovely," I told her behind my brightest smile. "Please, lead the way."
Casting frequent glances over her shoulder, she walked the length of a short entryway, through a huge living room with a vaulted ceiling, and into a bright kitchen. She filled the reservoir on a single-serving coffee maker. "We have all these different types of coffees and teas," she explained, opening a cabinet above the machine. I walked over and stood very close to her, peering at the assortment and making her fidget. She gulped nervously.
I leaned even closer as I pointed. "That kind would be wonderful. Thank you." She smelled of Ivory soap and some kind of floral shampoo. I backed away and went to sit at a round claw-foot oak table.
"W ... What kind of doctor are you?"
"I'm a psychiatrist. I came here to talk to you, while my nurse is at our hotel in Bellevue talking to John."
She looked up at me, away from the hissing coffee maker. "John? John Sinman? Ralph's son?"
"Yes. The congressman's son. What do you think of him? I understand that he thinks the world of you."
Without thinking, she reached up and touched her naturally curly red hair. "Me?" She thought about that for a second. "Gee, I hardly know him. I've only met him a few times. I've only been married to Ralph for five months, and John has been in school until just a few weeks ago."
"What are your impressions of him?"
The machine quit spitting, and she took a mug that sported a totem pole picture and carried it to me. I smiled again. "He's ... um ... very nice," she faltered. "Handsome. Tall. And big. You know ... a big guy. He's got a nice smile." She shrugged. "I like him." She stood, shuffling her feet a little, unsure what to do. Finally, she pulled out the chair opposite me and sat down. "What ... um ... did you want to talk to me about?"
"Well, to start with, why don't you tell me about those bruises on your arm."
Her left hand jerked up and started massaging her right arm and shoulder. "Oh ... um ... that's nothing, really. I ... uh ... ran into the door. Yeah ... the door. The bathroom door. In the night. You know ... when I got up to use the bathroom. You know?"
I took a sip of the coffee and practiced my best withering stare. That obviously went a bit overboard, because she literally recoiled and dropped her gaze from mine. Fortunately, because of that, she couldn't see me smile. Her degree of submissiveness was extreme ... as was everything else about her. Well, almost everything. "Tawny, you really shouldn't do that. You're no good at it."
She tried to meet my eyes, but only managed it for a brief instant. "I ... uh ... I'm sure I don't know what you ...."
"Your husband is good at it, isn't he? Whether it's a few friends at a party or the whole congressional district during a campaign, he's very good at it. But ... you are not. And, you know that, don't you? You'll never be a good liar. Everything about you is open and sincere. That's why he wanted to marry you. He needed to be seen with someone who is honest and wholesome, but who wouldn't dare question him if HE was not. Now ... let's try that again. Tell me about your arm."
She started crying. "It was my fault. I should have known better." She looked up beseechingly. "Really! I was stupid to even suggest there was another woman. Any man would have reacted that way. I was a ... um ... bad wife, and I got what I deserved."
I got up and moved around the table toward her. She quickly pushed her chair back in preparation to rise, but I halted her with a gesture. "Just stay right there, Tawny." She looked like a trapped animal.