the case study ~ camren

Infamous (pilot)

Perhaps, due to my profession, I'm biased, but the Cabello family seems the most famous in the world. Their surname is known in almost every household. Their faces coat pages of almost every newspaper. Every crime fanatic has watched or made documentaries describing their unforgivable actions. They are recognised the world over as the people to avoid. Those who mix with Cabellos rarely survived, after all.

Nobody quite knows how far back the deviance ran, how thick it is in their blood, but their fame began with the head of the house, Alejandro. As a youngster, his father was killed by a rival gang, leaving the family 'business' under his control. By the age of 17, he practically ran the city of Tijuana, Mexico. He was feared by all, and nobody dared cross him. They say he eventually grew bored, threw a dart at a map, and moved to Cuba by chance, but I'm fairly certain he fell under the bewitchment of his wife, Sinuhe, before he made the move to join her.

Sinuhe was also a powerful woman, though much more subtle than Alejandro. She'd worked her way above the law and didn't feel the need to break it in order to establish her dominance. Her raison d'être, if you will, was to rehabilitate those who'd fallen victim to the justice system, unfortunately in a different way than I do. She helped prisoners escape, particularly female inmates, and brought them under her wing. This is how she procured her loyal army of strong, Cuban women, all ready to drop anything for the sake of protecting their revered saviour. Some might even call it a cult.

Together, they wreaked havoc on the world, killing anyone who stood in their way. Along the way, they somehow found the time to start a family together. They raised two daughters in their world of crime, grooming and shaping them into criminal masterminds themselves. This is where I come into the picture.

My name is Lauren Jauregui. I am the top criminal psychologist here in the city of Miami. I don't mean to toot my own horn, but many would go as far as saying I'm the best in the country. I've worked with violent criminals since the beginning of my career, treating murderers, robbers, and rapists. No matter the walk of life they came from, each of my patients had been caught and incarcerated. Such is the case of my newest patient, Inmate 776, more commonly known as Karla Cabello.

The metal door is tossed open by a top-heavy officer as another drags the criminal into the room, shoving her into the seat opposite me, restraining her legs to the chair with cuffs and her already-bound wrists to the table, where her hands can be clearly viewed. I've always despised the way they treat the inmates, but I know I have no power to change that yet. Technically, I haven't yet accepted this case, and I can't request any changes in her treatment without first doing so. Clearing my throat, I nod to the guards who swiftly leave the room, though I know they remain cautiously on standby on the other side of the one-way glass behind my head.

Karla is smaller than I expected. I try to keep expectations at bay as they can prove to be obstructions in my work, but I'm only human and I always have a certain image of a person based on their file. After so much experience, I'm usually right, but apparently not this time. Maybe it's because of the way the standard blue clothing every inmate wears hangs from her shoulders, but she's smaller, frailer, and much softer-looking than I'd envisioned her. I thought she'd be the kind to have facial tattoos and an ever-present snarl, judging by the crimes she committed and the way she committed them, as well as the description of her when she was caught. It seemed she was always trying to prove herself, and self-image is often crucial to people like that. Still, as she sits before me, she seems to be nothing more than an innocent young woman. That is, at least, until she finally looks me in the eye. Even as she looks me up and down, a smirk slowly forming on her lips, her eyes remain unreadable.

Putting my confusion to one side, I put on a polite smile. "I'm Dr Jauregui. It's good to finally meet you, Karla."

Her fingers tense, splay, then relax once again as her gaze falls to the metal table between us. She doesn't say a word, so I continue.

"I've looked over your file. I know you haven't had a successful appraisal with any past psychologists, but I'm here to change—"

She interrupts me with a laugh far too airy for the situation. I watch as she shifts as much as her binds will allow her, tipping her head back and staring up at the fluorescent light. I give her a moment but, again, she doesn't speak.

"I'm here to change that. I'd like to take you on as a patient, Karla—"

Again, I'm interrupted. This time by her voice. "It's not gonna work."

"Excuse me?" I cross my legs. I'm no stranger to refusal like this. I know it's important to stand my ground, but I can't be dictatorial either. If I want her to talk later, I need her to talk now, too.

"It's not gonna work," she sings, head lolling from side to side before finally recentering. Her chin drops, and she looks back up at me. This time, her eyes are truly dark. "You're better off running like the rest of them."

...

It's been a while, but I wanted to share this idea with you guys and see what you think. If you like this first, pilot-type chapter, let me know by leaving a vote and a comment of what you think and/or what you'd like to see if I make this into a full story (which I probably will)!