The Psychopath Maker

Chapter Twelve

Benny loosened his yellow and navy tie as he walked back into the hospital, which was annoyingly quiet. It was usually flooded with downtrodden, uninsured townies seeking aid but not today. There were no crying babies, no farmers in need of assistance after a work accident, and no kids transforming the lobby into a playground.

           He strode right to the elevator and waited a mere forty-seven seconds. He rode the elevator up to the sixth floor. His proper therapy day was every third Sunday. This Monday session was a new request that he received via text message during fourth period; which was a surprise since the good doctor couldn't be in the office.

          "Sorry, I'm late," Benny, announced walking into the office. He watched the tall woman standing in front of the file cabinet.

        "Come in!" The woman said with a peppy voice turning away from the file cabinet. "Sit down." She shuffled to the desk.

       Benny slowly entered deeper in the office, "Why are you in Dr. Fulton's office?" It was a question he knew the answer to but it was safe to play dumb. Benny placed his messenger bag on the back of the chair before sitting down watching the woman get comfortable in Dr. Fulton's chair.

        She opened a folder on the desk, which showed the picture taken of Benny when he first arrived at the asylum. She stopped perusing the file and opened her wide mouth, "I'm Dr. Vivienne Weiss." She held out her hand. Benny hesitated but leaned over and shook her hand anyway. "I will be your therapist until Dr. Fulton comes back."

         He ain't coming back, Benny thought. "Really!" He furrowed his eyebrows twisting his mouth, "Why?"

          "Family emergency." Dr. Weiss pulled the chair closer to the desk closing the file. "Tell me about yourself, Mr. Lemen. Why are you here?"

         "Isn't that in the folder." Benny's eyes glanced at the file sitting under her clasped hands then back up to her freckled face. "I'm sure it is." He nodded. "He to— takes a lot of notes."

        "It is." Dr. Weiss' butterfly wing eyelashes fluttered. "But I want you to tell me in your words...with your emotions.

        Benny rolled his eyes thinking, what bullshit was this. He collapsed back in the chair realizing she was adamant. He huffed before pulling the words out his mouth, "About two years ago, I had a psychotic break at our estate in Evening...not the time of day but the town."

        She nodded, "In Massachusetts. Yes, I know."

       He huffed again, "It was said that I killed my girlfriend" He scooted up straight. "I don't fully remember. I blacked out. Just remember waking up in a pool of her blood," He shuddered at the memory. "I'm at this hospital because, for my father and the Lemen clan, having a killer in the family is a secret that should be completely hidden."

       "Hmm," was all Dr. Weiss said before opening the file back up. "The cliff notes version."

        Yeah, it was. Benny didn't feel like diving deeper into what happened that night at the estate. Benny studied his suede shoes holding back the emotions. He hadn't seen his parents, older brother and two sisters since he was taken away in the blacked-out limo. First, they took him to a treatment facility in South Carolina where he spent three months before relocating him to Everclear, just outside of Kyren.

         Dr. Weiss fanned through the papers clasped to the file, "From your records you look like you are making a lot of progress." She couldn't see the coy smile hanging on his face since her chestnut eyes were on the papers. "You've adjusted well to living on the outside." She turned another page. "Your grades are exceptional." She let the papers fall from her hands softening her petite features focusing back on him. "There's just one thing..."

        Those words caught Benny's attention beckoning him to look away from his shoes. "Which is?"

       "You have little interaction or stimulation with your age group." She answered. "I want you to immerse yourself more with your peers. I will lift your curfew from nine to midnight in order to accommodate potential friendships and social outings," Dr. Weiss made a notation in his file.

        "Actually!" Benny inched to the edge of his chair. "I have a social, peer-driven activity planned." He shoved all the words she used in one statement. "I have a study group to get to. Will it be okay if we end this session early?" He asked grabbing his bag already."

        "Sure, sure." She gleefully uttered shaking her head prompting her thin ponytail to swing. "I'll see you on Sunday in three weeks." She pushed his file to the side.

        Benny stopped in the doorway. There was something he should tell her, something she should know about the good doctor. He adjusted the bag strap on his shoulder turning back to her, "Before you fully commit to filling in for Dr. Fulton, you should read the files in the file cabinet that's locked." He pointed to the black cabinet by the window. "If that doesn't scare you...I'm glad to have you." He smiled before leaving her. 

What's in the locked cabinet?