Chapter 8


"Her own sister? You can't be serious!" Al exclaimed in shock of Sam's
words. "The woman jumped from a skyscraper because she thought I killed
Susan and you think she may have killed her? Sam, are you listening to
yourself?"

Sam looked at him firmly. "Please, Al. Just get the psychiatric record.
If I'm right, we have a much bigger problem on our hands than just
Dick."

"Like what?" Al questioned with a frown.

"I think Angela has Multiple Personality Disorder," Sam told him
bluntly.

Al's eyebrows rose. "She has what?"

"Multiple Personality Disorder. It's a mental dis'"

"I know what it is, Sam," Al interrupted. "So, you think maybe what we
saw back there was Angela switching personalities on us?"

Sam nodded. "It's the most obvious explanation. That is unless she's
pulling our legs but I don't think she is. Susan was obviously very
scared for her so I doubt it's an act."

"And you think that one of her personalities could have done it," Al
concluded.

Sam exhaled. "We have no proof either way. It could have been one of her
personalities or it could have been Dick." He took a breath. "What does
Ziggy say?"

Al raised the handlink to find the answer. "Odds are 50/50. Both odds
against Susan's favor."

Sam exhaled. "Get back with Ziggy and see if she can't get anything more
specific. And talk to Beeks. I want to know exactly what we are dealing
with."

Al nodded with definite agreement. "You got my vote there." He opened
the Imaging Chamber door. "Just be careful, Sam, because this leap…
Well, I don't even want to think what could happen with Angela being a
wacko like Dick." He closed the door before Sam could comment on what he
said.

---

Verbina's sleep was short. It had only been twenty minutes after Al had
left her quarters when she sat up in her bed with a sudden realization.
She quickly tapped a button on her nightstand.

"Ziggy?"

"Yes, Dr. Beeks."

"Where is Admiral Calavicci?" she questioned.

"Admiral Calavicci had just exited the Waiting Room. He is about to
enter the Imaging Chamber. Shall I delay him for you?"

She was out of the bed the moment Ziggy had finished her first sentence.
Cursing, she quickly put on a robe and tied it. "No, let him go. I'll
catch him on the way out," she said abruptly, obviously unhappy with Al.
With those words, she left the quarters in a hurry, heading for the
Control Room.

Therefore, when Al left the Imaging Chamber, he was greeted with a
frown.

"I thought I told you to get some rest," he told Verbina, who now stood
at the bottom of the ramp.

"And I thought that I told you to keep clear of the guest. You could've
been killed!"

Al shook his head. "Don't exaggerate, Verbina," he told her as he walked
to the control console.

She glared at him. "I am not exaggerating, Al. Mr. Anderson-Kemp is very
dangerous. He has no control over his actions, Al. He is extremely
volatile. His mood swings are erratic. He obviously has a poor sense of
judgement and has no concept of reality as you or I would know it. We
can't be sure what's going through his head only that the perception is
extremely warped." She looked at him firmly. "These people don't accept
responsibility for their actions, Al. I'd lay twenty dollars he blamed
me for his actions," she said as if defying him to prove her wrong.

"In not so few words," Al replied after a moment. "

"What did he say?"

"He said that, because you're a woman, it is your God-ordained place to
be a companion to man and that you shouldn't be a psychiatrist because
it distracts you from your destiny. Basically, he thinks that he was
only doing what God wanted him to do as being the dominant gender of the
species."

"So, he blames me and God for his actions," she summarized. "This is
typical of antisocial behavior. These people usually blame someone else
for their actions and usually it's the victim." She looked at him
firmly. "And what the hell did you think you were trying to do in there
arguing with him and being confrontational? The man's a time bomb just
waiting for the opportunity to explode!"

"You could have told me that before," Al commented.

"I'm sorry but I was still in a bit of shock," she told him, not
sounding in the least bit sorry. "I've never been sexually assaulted
before."

Al gave her an apologetic smile before speaking again. "So, what do you
suggest we do concerning him?"

"Well, first of all, no one should be in there with him, especially not
you," she said with a commanding glare.

"Why not me?"

"He's already identified you as the enemy. One wrong word from you and
he could go off. Believe me, Al. You may be a very well trained officer
but this guy could kill you. He's crazy but he's also extremely
intelligent."

Al nodded at her words. "Noted," he told her. "What else do you
suggest?"

"I listened into you conversation with Sam. He thinks Angela may have
Dissociative Personality Disorder?"

Al nodded slightly. "Is that what they call it these days?" He looked at
her firmly. "We both saw her switch - twice."
	
Verbina thought about his words. "Then I suggest you do exactly what Sam
said. Get Angela's psychiatric record and let me see it. I also want to
see Susan's physical and mental history."
	
Al frowned at that. "You think Susan's nuts too?"

"I think that there may be a chance that she has some emotional
problems. She seems to rely heavily on her relationship with Dick,
despite that he may be abusing her both physically and mentally. You
told Sam Susan liked things kinky."

Al blinked a moment as his own words were given back to him. "Yeah, I
did. But even Susan wasn't THAT kinky. She would never LIKE being
abused. She was more the kind to play games with someone, lead them on
and then push them away, that sort of thing."

"Sounds like she liked to emotionally abuse her dates," Verbina
commented.

Al frowned at her with a hint of anger. "She wasn't like that. Believe
me. I nearly married her, remember?"

Verbina took a breath with a nod. "Very well. Nonetheless, for her to
remain in a relationship with a person like Dick indicates that she
herself has her own emotional issues. I only want to see if we can find
out why she is so attached to Dick."

Al exhaled with surrender. "I'll get her records too."

Verbina gave him a sad smile. "Thank you. I know this has to be very
hard on you, Al."

Al gave her a firm look. "You have no idea."