Chapter 5

Jackie placed Jones’ portfolio on the floor and consulted her map of Goethner-Varner before exiting the administration building. The facility consisted of the outer parking lot, the main gate and security, several hundred feet of grounds leading to the inner parking lot and administration building, and several smaller buildings for staff and equipment. Behind and to the right of the administration building stood Building A and Building B, which contained troubled but typically harmless resident patients. Tucked far back and to the left, a thick wall of planted trees, labelled as ‘wind breaks’ on the map, surrounded Building C. Jackie tucked the map into her jacket pocket, grabbed the portfolio, stepped outside, and headed for her car in the parking lot.

After placing Jones’ portfolio in her vehicle, Jackie’s nerves gathered force as she walked the paved pathway toward the ‘wind breaks’ obscuring Building C. She cynically noted she didn’t see any crops that needed protection from the wind. Clearly, the true intent was to conceal any view of Building C and the towering barbed wire fence surrounding it. The structural strategy seemed to be “out of sight, out of mind”.

Jackie punched her temporary code into the console at the gate outside Building C, noting the small camera mounted at the top of the barbed wire fence and pointed at the gate. A disembodied electronic voiced demanded her name. As Jackie complied, her voice trembled with nervousness. Surprised at her sudden lack of confidence, she reminded herself that studying dangerous psychosis in college was far different from studying a real psychotic in person. Potential psychotic, she corrected, striving for fairness despite her own self interest in the final outcome.

As she approached the building, dread assaulted Jackie and she fought the urge to flee. Picturing the crazy women holding vigil in the parking lot, she emitted a bitter laugh. She imagined dozens of Jones’ fans would regard her as lucky, who would give their right leg to be in her position. Maybe literally.

Jackie entered the building and spotted two men sitting behind a wide metal desk, a middle-aged heavyset black guard whose name tag proclaimed him to be Hotchkiss and a younger overweight white man named Wilrey. Jackie pasted on her best smile as she gave her name. A cold professional demeanour would be ineffective with gentlemen of this ilk. It would cause them to brand her a bitch. She’d be seeing a lot of these guards in the next few weeks and her safety might depend on them.

Hotchkiss handled her check-in with a friendly grin, “Welcome to Building C, Dr. Thorpe. Ms. Carter called ahead and told us to expect you, though when she described you she didn’t mention how beautiful you are. Did she, Wilrey? “

Wilrey didn’t look at Hotchkiss, his eyes fixated on Jackie’s high breasts and long legs. “No, Hotchkisser, no idea at all. You’re welcome here Dr. Thorpe any time day or night. Especially night. Welcome with wide open arms. “

Jackie struggled to keep a friendly smile on her face, especially after she noted an odd smell wafting from their twin desk. Sweaty but also bleach-like. She thought her sense of smell was tricking her until she saw little beads of sweat on Hotchkiss’ forehead. Same thing with Wilrey’s temples. It didn’t seem hot in the room to Jackie. Maybe they had just walked rounds? Maybe they had passed the time with an arm-wrestling contest. Guards were famous for finding unconventional ways to combat the boredom. Jackie congratulated herself on the keen observation.

Hotchkiss shook his head at Wilrey’s comments. “Never mind Wilrey, ma’am. Us guards get a little lonely. In Wilrey’s case it’s made him dysfunctional. Few more years likely he’ll go from guard straight to patient. “

Wilrey tore his avid gaze from Jackie’s well-concealed breasts and shot Hotchkiss a look brimming with hatred. For the first time Jackie’s smile faltered. Quick as a lockdown, Wilrey’s face reverted to simple lust and his greedy gaze returned to Jackie’s body, scanning her trim waist, skirt, and the small amount of leg that showed.

Hotchkiss failed to notice Wilrey’s hatred. “Head on inside. If you’re not comfortable talking to Jones on your own, one of us can go with you. Otherwise, we’ll watch on the monitor. We’ll be in there in an instant if you need us. He’s in suite eight, on the right, just before the hallway turns. I’ll buzz you into his room. “

“I’ll be fine on my own. I understand Mr. Jones is cooperative and incident free since his incarceration. But I appreciate your offer. Thanks guys. “

Wilrey grinned, “Mr. Jones is very cooperative. Hell, he’s downright helpful. He’s a real Godsend. “

Hotchkiss scowled, “Shut up, Wilrey! Miss, we’ll be right here watching. You need anything, let us know. If you think you’re in some kind of trouble we can’t see – like, theoretically, Jones issues some kind of verbal threat – just put a hand on top of your head and we’ll know to come running. “

Wilrey failed to shut up, perhaps just to spite Hotchkiss, “Yeah, we’ll be watching. Hotchkiss can watch whatever he wants. I’ll keep my eyes glued on you Dr. Thorpe. I’ll study every move, every little twitch, just looking for any sign of trouble I can help out with. “

“Good God, shut up already, Wilrey. Miss, don’t mind him. He’s ugly as a barn spider but just as harmless too. “

“No bother, Mr. Hotchkiss. I have a good sense of humour. “

Jackie didn’t feel Wilrey’s comments were at all humorous, but she would tolerate it to make her task as smooth and efficient as possible.

She moved toward the entrance to the ward, feeling highly attuned to the crawl of Wilrey’s wet eyeballs up and down her legs. As the door buzzed unlocked, she made a note to wear slacks on her future visits.

As the Thorpe woman moved through the ward Wilrey’s eyes stalked her, flicking instantly from camera view to camera view. He didn’t like how she dressed, like an uppity bitch who thought she was better than him. Her prissy dress suit left far too much to the imagination. Her skirt covered her legs to her knees and she made no attempt to show any cleavage.

“That bitch should dress a lot sexier. “Wilrey scowled when Hotchkiss was too engrossed to respond. “Hey, my turn, give me some! “

Licking his lips, Hotchkiss closed his eyes tight and swiped at the sweat beading by the white hair streaks above his ears. “Fuck off, Wilrey. You just keep watching Miss Thorpe. That should be enough entertainment for you. “

Wilrey pursed his lips in frustration but turned back to the monitors. Thorpe stood outside Jones’ door, waiting for the guards to buzz her in. On another monitor view Jones reclined on his bed, lost in thought, meditating or just plain zoning. He did that a lot. Wilrey hadn’t figured out the reason though he didn’t much care.

ilrey purposely waited extra seconds until he saw telltale signs of Thorpe’s impatience. He enjoyed watching her check her watch, glance at the camera, and shift her feet restlessly. Oh yeah, watching Jones break the Thorpe bitch was going to be fun. As Thorpe entered Suite Eight, Wilrey turned back to Hotchkiss. As much as he liked keeping a pretty woman waiting he himself did not like to wait.

“Now, Hotchkiss. My fucking turn! “

“Fine. Four minutes then we switch again. “Hotchkiss leaned back and pushed his chair back, widening his legs as well as he could with his pants down to his knees. His penis stood fully erect and gleaming with spittle from the woman under the desk. The woman wordlessly crawled on her hands and knees over to Wilrey and immediately swallowed his shaft into her tireless mouth.

The woman, Wilrey thought her name was Kianna, was one of Mr. Jones’ fans. Life was good for those who helped Mr. Jones. Wilrey grabbed handfuls of Kianna’s short blond hair and slammed her face harshly against his groin. Wilrey had no worry the woman would bite him or allow her teeth to scrape him. All she cared about was pleasing others at the direction of Jones. Like all of his fans, that was her whole life now.

No one watched the monitors any longer. Wilrey concentrated on the oral though he fantasised it was Thorpe sliding her soft wet tongue all over the underside of his engulfed cock. Hotchkiss watched the action while one hand stroked up and down his cock to maintain his erection. They were unworried about Jacqueline Thorpe. She was in Jones’ hands, and he alone would now determine her fate.

After the door electronically buzzed unlocked, Jackie knocked politely and waited for recognition. She had butterflies in her stomach. She couldn’t help it.

Jones in person was less threatening than the images she’d seen on television and in newspapers. She suspected news organizations doctored his photos to make him appear more malevolent, as evil villains made for compelling news and larger profits. Nowadays the inflammatory news programs outperformed the fair and objective ones.

Jones sat on the side of the bed watching her with interested eyes. He was very pale, albino-looking, with gray stubble speckling his shaved head. He was surprisingly slight and short, perhaps 5’8” standing. At first, Jackie felt disappointed. Jones seemed entirely average, nothing special. Then their eyes locked and she gasped as fear zipped through her body. Strange lines shot through his hazel eyes making them look like cracked glass marbles. Something dominating, predatory, and completely unpredictable lurked in their depths. Jones truly looked insane. Jackie steadied herself, slid her professional smile like armuor over her face, and prepared for battle.

“Hello, Mr. Jones, my name is Dr. Thorpe. I’m a Psychoanalyst, and I’ll work with you over the next few weeks. I wish to better understand your unique needs in order to best help you. “

“Welcome to my humble abode, Jackie. I know who you are and exactly the nature of why you are truly here. I look forward to my complete exoneration. While you are “working with me” in order to “best help me” I will also be working with you in order to best help you. “

Jackie froze for a moment in shock. Jones called her Jackie. How did he know her first name? She hadn’t told him yet, so who had? Who informed him of her visit and its purpose? She gathered her wits, knowing she couldn’t retreat. She had to forge ahead and figure it out as she went along.

“Mr. Jones, I want us to form a working relationship based on respect. Please address me as Dr. Thorpe. I’ll continue to call you Mr. Jones. Mutual respect is one of my rules, another is complete honesty. As such, I’ll tell you I am here on behalf of the state to determine whether you belong at this facility. In return, I’d like to know who told you I was coming. “

“Establishing ground rules. Very nice! “ Jones’ cracked glass hazel eyes lit up with a lantern glow and he leaned forward on the bed. Heart thrumming with fear and eyes darting to the camera overhead, Jackie shrank back, certain Jones was about to launch off the bed and attack her. A flash of smug satisfaction flashed through Jones’ eyes as he remained composed on the bed, “I like ground rules. They provide a framework to accentuate and propagate the game. It is a two-way street, though. Since you want to base the relationship on respect there must be allowance for my own ground rules. Yours have nice potential, like an egg in a womb. I’ll fertilize your egg and we’ll see what grows. Each rule is like a gene. If rules are in disagreement the dominant gene will supersede the recessive one. What is a recessive gene if not a submissive one? Domination and submission exist in every level of creation from the atomic to the galactic. By the way, both my genes and my rules are, of course, dominant to your own. I’m sure you won’t mind given your nature. “

“Mr. Jones, as I said, I’ll treat you with respect but we are not equals, we have different roles. “

“I could not agree more, Jackie Rose. “

Jackie felt herself go pale with shock. How did he know her middle name? She struggled to maintain a calm pleasant expression. “I thought we agreed on titles and surnames, Mr. Jones. Please refer to me as Dr. Thorpe. “

“We agreed to nothing, other than that rules should exist. You suggested using titles and surnames as one of your ground rules. I have yet to present mine. Your other rule was that we would be completely honest at all times. I approve of that one. As for names, my rule is we call each other whatever we want. My name for you will likely change over the course of time as I get to know you better. I know my rule and yours are at odds but the solution is simple, my rules are dominant to your recessive, submissive ones. “

Wayne Jones watched her, his eyes as bright and alert as an owl’s on the hunt. She still felt bewilderment and panic that he knew her middle name. What other tidbits did he know about her? Though she tried to be stone-faced, she could tell the extremely perceptive Jones saw through her facade.

He had used her middle name as a drill to bore through her defences. This realization added anger and frustration to her unexpected cauldron of emotions. Blessed with a superior intellect and education, she typically possessed more knowledge than other people. Knowledge was power. When others had knowledge she didn’t, they held some degree of power over her. She hated that feeling.

“Mr. Jones, how do you know my middle name? “

“I’m psychic. “

Jones had an amused crinkle at the corners of his eyes. Jackie didn’t reply and stared at him with a calm, slightly bored expression, trying to wait the truth out of him.

“I am psychic,” Jones said. “My power, besides allowing me to know your middle name, also lets me see your innermost self. Your truest desires, ones you hide even from yourself. Should I tell you what they are? “

“Mr. Jones, I’m here to help you, to understand you. Let’s focus on that. “

“Of course, Jackie Rose, I do understand. It would be inappropriate, embarrassing even, for a psychoanalyst to get counselling from a patient. Sometimes the nature of the messenger is more important that the message. At least that’s how you feel now. As you learn you will change. Would you like me to come over there and teach you? “

Jackie sat at the small table a good distance from Jones’ bed. “You look comfortable, Mr. Jones. You can stay over there. “

Jones smiled tolerantly examining her body as thoroughly as she planned on examining his mind.

“Now, you were placed in this facility by judge’s order nearly six months ago. That was based on the recommendation of state appointed psychologists. They found you a risk to others and ill-equipped to fit in with society. For safety reasons they recommended admission until such time professionals deemed your mental state no longer a threat. I’m here to re-examine your mental state, assess progress, and to make recommendations. “

“I know, Jackie Rose. “

“Please don’t use that form of address, Mr. Jones. “

“Apparently you did not pay attention to the ground rules. I’ll name you as I see fit. You can always leave. Unlike me, you are free to go. I’m not. This room, and, to a lesser degree, this entire facility and everyone in it is part of my environment. You are now part of my environment. For the time being, I’ll call you Jackie Rose. Why do you find Jackie Rose so unwelcome? “

“It ignores my title and status. “

“Your title and status are still in question. Tell me, who last called you Jackie Rose? “

Jackie studied Jones for few moments. Obviously, she would have to tolerate his mannerisms to accomplish her mission. So who had called her Jackie Rose last? It had been years.

“My mother did, just before she died. “

“Tell me, did your mother treat you with respect? “

“Of course. “

“Then it is settled. I’ll call you Jackie Rose. It seems appropriate. If the woman from whose womb you slid out called you Jackie Rose it seems right the man who will slide his cock into your own womb should address you the same way. Of course you must first prove yourself to earn my cock. “

Jones’ words shocked Jackie into silence. His passive aggressive but eloquent conversation had almost lulled her into thinking him sane. Now she knew the man was truly mad and understood why he’d been committed. The only question now was whether Jones was actually dangerous. Unfortunately, this was now more than an academic or legal question. At this point, Jackie felt vulnerable to the man. He seemed guided purely by his own will without regard to social norms. For the first time in her professional capacity, she feared she was in danger!

Even as the thought developed, Jones levered himself off the bed and moved fluidly towards her. Jackie immediately put one hand on top of her head, palm flat against her tightly wound blond locks. Hotchkiss and Wilrey would be in the room in a few seconds, maybe ten, maybe fifteen.

When Jones reached her side, Jackie remained sitting in the chair, perfectly still to avoid provoking an attack. She estimated they were around the same height and weight, but as a man, he would be far stronger. She wouldn’t have a chance if she fought him on her own. Thank God for the guards!

“Look, don’t do anything foolish. You won’t help your situation. I’m here to see if you’re dangerous. You attack me and you won’t be free again for a very long time, possibly never. “Jackie didn’t know how long she could stall Jones with talking. Where were those goddamn guards?

“Jackie Rose, fearing me is like fearing your destiny, your calling in life. Instead of fear, you should feel eagerness. I will teach you. You have no need for the protection you so desperately pray for, your false idols will not answer your prayers anyway. You could say I’ve used my powers to block their view of us. But I won’t touch you until you want it, until you beg me to. Politely, might I add. All in good time. You are indeed here to help me, more than you know, and in ways that are foreign to you now but will soon become the fabric of your existence. “

Jones stood over her another moment. “Jackie Rose, I will be free again and it will be thanks to your recommendation. I won’t be attacking you. I’m not an attacker. I never even did what I was accused of. They knew it. Fabricating a story was the only way for them to lock me up. I just give people what they need though they often don’t yet consciously acknowledge what they want at a deeper level, a level I can always see. I will not touch you until you’ve made me a free man. You see, that is another one of my ground rules. That one is personalized just for you. It does not apply to any other females I met or will meet here. “

Jones pulled out the chair opposite her and sat down, putting them at equal eye level and defusing her trepidation.

“Oh, well, thanks, Mr. Jones, for your special allowance to me. “ Jackie struggled a moment to extinguish her sarcasm. “I wanted to meet you today, but I still need to review your file in detail. Ms. Carter gave it to me and it is quite thick. I’ll be back in a couple days. “

“You do that, Jackie Rose. You’ll find lots of thought-provoking photos in the file and even some of my favourite personal tools. Look at every photo carefully. They should be quite enlightening. You want to know me? I understand my journals of personal thoughts are also in there. Remember what curiosity did to the cat? Curiosity can also enslave a pussy and make a mind slave to the pussy. Your pussy, your mind. “

Jackie realized the conversation was over. She wasn’t about to argue with him. There was no point. Jackie backed out of Jones’ room as he smiled at her, his eyes full of mad energies.

Still no guards Jackie thought in numb dismay. When she pulled her hand off the top of her head it left a damp patch.

Jackie was furious but kept her anger drowning below the surface as she stood on the other side of the guard desk. Jackie breathed through her mouth, wondering what the guards had been up to during her visit with Jones. The room smelled worse and Wilrey and Hotchkiss were even sweatier than before.

“Did you watch my meeting with Wayne Jones? “

“Wilrey did. Those are his monitors. “

Wilrey leaned forward. Both of them had their bellies pressed firmly up against the desk. “I watched you every second, Miss Thorpe. Your visit almost makes me wish I was a patient here. “

Jackie ignored his leer. Obviously, Wilrey hadn’t seen the hand on top of her head, the signal of possible danger. Probably too occupied with trying to see down her blouse. Thank God she dressed conservatively. There was also a chance he had seen the signal and chose to ignore it. Maybe he’d wanted Jones to attack her to take her down a notch. A man like him had no respect for women. Jackie knew a woman like herself – confident and well-educated – would threaten Wilrey’s perception of women’s role in society. He was a caveman without the hairiness and with a lot of extra fat.

“Why do you ask, Miss Thorpe? “ Hotchkiss asked deferentially.

“No reason, just checking. Thanks, guys. “

Jackie realized it would do no good to make an issue of it. Nothing bad happened and she didn’t want to show any weakness to confirm Wilrey’s view of women. She planned to ask Hotchkiss to watch over her next time.

She walked to the exit a few feet away, highly aware of Wilrey’s creepy crawly eyes scurrying up and down her body. She heard sucking slurps like a fat lollipop pulled from a mouth and then sucked back in. She turned at the door to give a falsely friendly wave goodbye expecting to see Wilrey had been popping his finger out of the corner of his mouth just to harass her. But both guards sat quietly with their hands below the desk, their sweaty faces placid.