EMOTION MARKET: the Tailor of Hearts - A gripping psychological thriller

by Dimitris Chasapis

  “Likewise... Ethan.”

  All this time Chico waited patiently nearby, but as soon as Ethan began walking towards the pathway, he took a last sniff of Caroline and ran after his boss. Ethan had strayed for about 20 yards when he heard Caroline’s voice calling for him.

  “Ethan!”

  “Yes?”

  “Which emotion would you buy?”

  He didn’t hesitate at all. He had thought this through…

  “Enthusiasm!”

  CHAPTER 12

  THE LIFE OF A STRANGER

  “Finally!” he exclaimed watching the door close behind them. He hurried past the kitchen, which still smelled of garlic from the fried chicken, and went outside to the back porch. It was filthy as usual. No one bothered to clean this porch except perhaps for Thanksgiving Day when traditionally the whole family would visit to taste Agnes’s turkey. That day the porch sparkled because with all the people visiting someone was bound to go outside to the back porch. His sister made the most delicious stuffed turkey there was! Its reputation had spread so much in the neighborhood that strangers had come into their house claiming to be distant relatives of Aunt Gladys. As if that meant something! It was very funny the way Taylor had sent them off. Some of his relatives had feared for the worst. Feared that Taylor would try to... but this was insubstantial! He was fine back then! It was the period he had sworn to himself he’d stay away from McLean Psychiatric Hospital. It was funny how these people had gone to so much trouble just to taste Agnes’s stuffed turkey. So unaware of the risk they undertook… Those people were obviously crazy or in the mood for jokes. He, on the other hand, was mildly disturbed on occasion. But at the moment he was ready to explode! Maybe the pills could no longer help him…

  Agnes was gradually withering and he, her only brother, wanted to make her happy. Poor Agnes had suffered a great deal of prejudice because of him. Taylor’s frequent visits to McLean had strained her also. With both parents having passed away, she was his only family. More importantly she consistently supported him throughout these painful years. Years that had gone by slowly. Years that Agnes’s consolation had kept his spirits up. Now that he was so close to leaving all this behind for good, a proper reward should be granted to Agnes. He thought it was the moral thing to do, although morality was rather incomprehensible for him. It was Agnes who had kept him alive. It was no doubt a difficult life, but still it was a life! A life that finally had found its purpose... To reunite with Emily. They could live happily together in this house. It could be their cozy love nest. But first things first! Getting Emily to talk to him again shouldn’t be hard. She loved him all right. All she needed was a little push… down the stairs? No, no, he couldn’t do that… he wouldn’t. He loved her and she loved him!

  His sister’s fiancé had come into her life as a savior that would pull her out of misery and he had succeeded greatly. She felt like a woman again. They made plans for a child. It was worth trying… Agnes had to lose some weight and strive on the appropriate days of her cycle. That’s what the doctor had said. Adam had left his flat and moved in with them in order to cut down on the cost of living. Only temporarily… Agnes had asked for Taylor’s permission and he had agreed. As it happened, problems in this odd cohabitation made their appearance all too quickly, but Taylor was patient as much as he could be. But now he couldn’t be any longer. He felt he had tolerated their behavior more than he cared to. All he did was for her wellbeing, but no one seemed to give a damn. Both Agnes and Adam were indifferent to his problems. They obviously thought that staying out of the McLean Psychiatric Hospital was his only problem, but they were gravely mistaken! It was all the same like before, when their parents were still alive. Sometimes he felt that his only purpose in life was to provide for Agnes and her dear Adam! The money was sufficient, but what did that have to do with any of it? He wondered…

  Agnes sort of demanded that her older brother should now be a father and a mother for her. He could see it in their eyes that apart from him providing for them on a daily basis they considered him unworthy of their trust. They feared him… They tried hard not to show it, but he knew. One time when he eavesdropped he heard Adam stating that his patience was running out with the crazy one! If only Taylor could have killed him right there on the spot… But he hadn’t. He hadn’t reacted at all because, luckily for all, he had taken his pills that day. But what would have happened if he couldn’t control himself that day? It was risky for all to continue to live under the same roof. It was the very next day that Taylor had suggested that it may be better if Agnes and Adam were to move to his city apartment. He was willing to give it up for everyone’s sake! He even made it appear as a gift for his dear sister. For her new life and the family that she would start together with this horrid person. The collateral benefit to him would be his peace. He would be alone again, alone with his obsessive thoughts. It would be for the best! Adam was lucky to have survived the day he had insulted him and sacrificing this one apartment seemed like the right thing to do at the time. It was a perfect solution! Adam would be spared after all…

  But they didn’t seem to be willing to leave the house. At least not just yet! Everything was agreed, so what more could they possibly ask of him?

  The apartment in the city’s centre had been emptied by the previous tenant three weeks ago. Taylor had artfully tried to start the conversation of them leaving several times. They would then immediately change the subject, commenting once about news Adam had read in the newspaper, and another time the debate was interrupted because Agnes let a dish slip from her hands, turning it into shivers and thus reducing the number of dessert porcelain dishes to four. He didn’t care one bit about the dishes, but this whole situation made him hysterical! Enough is enough, he thought to himself. He had his own problems. He and Emily had spoken two months after their separation! It was just a brief talk… She had wronged him and now obviously she reconsidered. What a promising encounter this was… right in front of the post office. She still was in love with him; otherwise she wouldn’t greet him at all!

  Taylor thought that his sister and her future groom didn’t seem to care a lot for him. Or perhaps Agnes cared more than she ought to.

  He tried to count how many times he had said the phrase “I do not need help” over the past week alone. He recalled his mother saying, “Taylor is some kind of a hero!” once while talking to a neighbor.

  And even though she had spoken with irony, it was true! He was indeed a hero with all that was going on in his head. He constantly refused help when it was offered to him. The neighbor’s reply to what his mother had said had been addressed to him.

  “It’s ok to ask for help, my child! If you don’t, nobody will think of giving it to you if you ever need any!” Such wise words from the mouth of a nobody.

  He sat on the threshold of the terrace and took a deep breath. The air was fresh in Forest Hills. The air that was blowing from the nearby pine forest was sending up his nostrils the unsurpassed smell of blooming nature. Something inside him was burning though.

  If only mother was still alive… everything would be different... she would watch over him... she would care and advise him...

  And then there was Emily. She was quite startled when she had learned about his psychiatric history. All the time she and him were together she only thought of him as just a weird guy that occasionally demonstrated inappropriate behaviour... But she had changed her mind. In one minute, all her love for him had turned into ashes. The idea of them getting married and having children disappeared instantly. She just couldn’t see him as a father figure anymore nor as a good husband, gentle and strong in their relationship. It had all been destroyed! And it was all due to that cursed woman. Ms. Farley! A wretched nurse in McLean’s that couldn’t keep her mouth shut! None of the patients was actually fond of Ms. Farley, and as it had turned out they were right not to be.

  All the trust and love that Emily had for him was lost because of this horrible woman!

  �
��Happiness!” he mumbled and started to laugh.

  Emily and everything about her was the equivalent of happiness for him. Her soft white skin, the density and shine of her hair, her expressive eyes full of wisdom, her contagious laughter…

  He never meant to hurt her, but he had. Unwittingly… He wasn’t the person she thought him to be. He had made her cry. She had been found in a crossroad and had to choose which way to go. The road that led to their life together was just a big lie! A lie that Taylor had been building brick by brick into a skyscraper of lies. He once had thought that telling lies was the only way to go, but now he only felt cheap… It had stripped him of every sense of morality and ethics. He had literally rotted.

  Patience and prudence were critical in a relationship. His skyscraper of lies was bound to be demolished at some point, he thought. The steps that led to hell were easy and he had rushed them.

  He needed help but who would give it to him?

  A cat passed by without noticing him standing on the threshold of the terrace, and then jumped eagerly in the bucket of garbage. The smell of fried chicken residues had lured the cat from a distance. Taylor was startled by the sudden leaping cat but didn’t budge. He sat there and stared. Judging from its size, it was a male cat. The stocky cat did not budge even when Taylor coughed twice. He continued to furiously tear one garbage bag after another, looking for the source of that wonderfully strong smell. Taylor wondered about the intensity of smells dogs and cats sensed. Most animals were attracted to smells that humans found disgusting and revolting. He wished he could be a dog, even for five minutes in order to be able to feel what it was like to have such a strong sense of smell. Being a cat never crossed his mind. He had a great aversion to mice and rats…

  Emily came to his thoughts once again. They had exchanged harsh words the night she had ended it. Her bewildered look alone had hurt him dearly.

  “How could you hide all this from me?” Emily had asked with tears in her eyes.

  “I just… I just thought you wouldn’t want me if you knew…” was his reply. He knew now he ought to have been more remorseful in his explanations. This was a response of a naïve child, not of a man.

  “You are a great disappointment, Taylor,” she had said and had turned her back while she walked away.

  He could easily have stabbed her in the back with the knife he always carried in his pocket. He could have ended it there and then, but he felt restrained. This could be the limit because Emily had survived this argument. For how long he couldn’t say, since it was clear that she was in luck that day! If only she knew in what grave danger she was in… He couldn’t stand feeling humiliated. His endurance had run out! He knew all too well that a permanent solution had to be found! His impulses were a danger for both himself and everyone around him.

  The cat climbed out of the dumpster and left with a belly full of junk. Taylor approached the dumpster to finally get rid of the trash he was carrying.

  What an odd coincidence!

  All this time he was thinking of Emily and now this piece of paper was lying there in front of him, right next to the dumpster. A blue brochure with an image of a red heart printed on a white box. The brochure quoted:

  “Do NOT be a fool” and below continued,

  “Save yourself the visit to an EM! There's no easy solution to salvation!”

  He bent down and picked it up. It was a calling to a speech of the movement against this new technology that was advertised on TV. Against emotion markets!

  Taylor did not want to be a fool but still...

  CHAPTER 13

  NOT EVERY WOMAN’S POLITICS

  Washington, DC

  Susan Parsons’ office was situated in the White House’s West Wing. It was a rather small office… Really small considering the innumerable amount of people she had to see every day. Due to this she was given access, by a presidential order, to President Eisenhower’s conference room. She met everybody there while she preferred her small office only for meeting close associates. Jacob Lafarge was a new but promising close associate.

  He now leaned between the door that separated her office with Eisenhower’s conference room and was able to communicate with seven people, on four different issues, simultaneously! In jobs like his, excellent communication skills were a prerequisite. But no resume could really prove these skills, so Jacob was on a trial period. He was gifted though. On several occasions Susan had felt grateful for having him around. He usually was exceptional in crisis management, but clearly today wasn’t a good day for him! Although Susan was talking to the President’s Chief of Staff, she gave a quick glance to Jacob who was just a breath away from having a nervous breakdown.

  "If you'll excuse me for a moment, Simon," said Susan politely to the Chief of Staff while approaching Jacob.

  Guests in the conference room consisted of work union representatives, two government legal advisors who struggled to answer the questions asked, and two vice-presidents of non-profit humanitarian organizations. Jacob listened to the discussion and coordinated responses in combination with the legal advisers. All of them wanted extra clarification on the answers they’d been given. Walters Care was a radical reform bill for health. Emotional invasive procedures in EMs were integrated in it and that alone was a matter of great concern for many. Everyone wanted a share in the predetermined success that Walters Care would have! President Walters, on the other hand, wanted this reform bill to be remembered as his own personal success. Specific orders were given. Susan Parsons, the head congresswoman for promoting Walters Care, together with her colleagues, had to sustain the element of surprise. Nobody had been fully briefed since everything about the bill should go public through the media in a few days’ time. The significance of PATOTTM’s annual conference was great! It had major political and economic gravity. Susan decided she couldn’t afford to lose such a valuable partner as Jacob over some enthusiastic union representatives. Just a few more days to PATOTTM’s conference. She whispered, “You are coming with me,” to his ear to put an end to his hassle.

  “Ladies and gentlemen, I am truly sorry but pressing matters require the end of our discussion. For further inquiries, please contact Miss Maynard at the Department of Health and Human Services. In a few days time, we’ll go public with this and we’ll be more than happy to answer any further questions.”

  Clear disappointment followed Susan’s brief statement. Her “no” was a firm “no” so everyone left quietly. The President’s Chief of Staff was on the phone at the time and left the room as well.

  “Jacob, there’s something I want you to do for me,” said Susan nodding the significance of what she was about to say.

  “Certainly Congresswoman, whatever you want!”

  Susan told him about a certain someone she herself was unable to meet at present. No one else could go with him except for the driver. It would be a brief meeting. The content of the discussion as well as the appointment itself should be kept a secret strictly between the two of them.

  “Listen to what he has to say and try to limit your personal opinions on the matter. Afterwards, come directly back to the White House to brief me. You are to leave your cell phone behind and get this cell-tracking device instead. One can never be sure nowadays with all the new software. Mind you, same rules apply to him and so if your device tracks a cell phone on him, you are to keep your mouth shut and leave the spot immediately. Is this clear?”

  “Perfectly clear, do I need to carry a gun?”

  “No, no nothing of the sort! Our only concern is to keep this meeting a secret. No danger involved!”

  Jacob left in hurry looking thrilled for the task he had been assigned. It was a smart move sending him to this appointment. It would be unacceptable if something went wrong only a few days before the vote in Congress for Walters Care. She couldn’t risk being linked to Isaac Vanderbilt! After Mary Ann West’s mischievous statement of support of Emotion Markets, all of her employees, especially Isaac Vanderbilt, had to be excluded
from Susan’s contacts. It was a Presidential order!

  She despised the way President Walters gave her orders. His face had an expression of megalomania and excellence that she couldn’t tolerate. As if sleeping with him was not enough... But she knew patience was a virtue. Her political career was solely based on her relationship with John Walters and so lately it was thriving! Everything comes with a price in life, she thought.

  Everything! From the least to the greatest things...

  ***

  Jacob Lafarge, even when he was very young, had learned to do things his own way. His selfish way of dealing with life had yielded him success. He was also a pragmatist. Even now that he worked in the White House. The job was fairly demanding and Susan Parsons was clearly attracted to him. As if things weren’t complicated already! Every time he looked at her she had the same awkward look, staring right at him with lust. At first he would ask her if something was wrong when he would see her staring at him like that. He had long stopped asking since her answer was always the same.

  “I’m just thinking about…” of this and that or whatever popped into her head at the time. What she was really thinking about was her and Jacob in bed. He, on the other hand, didn’t care for that at all. He had more than his fair share of women. Sure the congresswoman was good-looking and sexy, but his primary concern at the moment was money. Tons of it!

  Too much money was at stake with this emotion market business! For some silly personal reason, President Walters had convinced his administration to openly support the Emotion Market Company. This was a colossal company too, but he wasn’t in it for the money. The President had both the balls and the stupidity required to turn his back to his usual sponsors – multi-billion dollar pharmaceutical industries that sponsored and supported him, in both his four-year terms of presidency. It was three months ago that he had ended his diplomatic channels with those industries. According to Jacob, the President deserved a bullet in his chest for daring to confront these “giants.” Implementing Walters Care was what he craved the most… He was in it for the glory! He would rewrite modern history in the US with this reform bill! In less than a year, his second term of office would expire, but he would be remembered for generations to come. He would stay in people’s memory as the politician who dared to clash with well-established interests in order to do right for the society. Jacob couldn’t understand the need for posterity that pervaded politicians. He couldn’t understand how someone that didn’t seem to care about the chain of command ended up being President of the United States… Politicians had a certain amount of power, but it was common knowledge that they weren’t the ones pulling the strings. This was the job of others who represented colossal capital interests, carving their own path of development and policies! President John Walters was a fool who suddenly started behaving independently, feeling he had no one to answer to. This was not the attitude of a clever politician but that of a rebel...