Terror on the Way

by Ron Finch

  WHEN I WALKED UP BESIDE Det. Fredericks’s desk a little after nine in the morning, he looked up and said, “According to my chief, you and I are now special people.

  “The chief is almost as certain as I am that we have the killer, but we won’t know for certain until we can get some rational comments out of him. We tried to interview him yesterday afternoon but that was a lost cause. All he would do was chant Jason, Jason, Jason. We had to sedate him.” Det. Fredericks looked irritated.

  “Then I recalled you told me you knew Dr. Khryscoff,” he continued, “so I gave him a call about 4:30 yesterday and he agreed to come to the police station today, at 10 this morning. When I told him you were here in Toronto, working on the case, he insisted you help him with the interview. Ah, here he is now.”

  “Hello, Cst. Franklin,” said Dr. Khryscoff, coming to join us. “I was surprised to hear that you were here in Toronto, but Det. Fredericks tells me that it was your insight, and your call to the Calgary newspaper, that eventually led to the capture of this deranged killer.

  “It’s very good to see you again. How is your bride, Georgie? She’s a wonderful woman. You were lucky to marry her, Joel. Make sure you do what you’re told.” He added this last with a smile: “You must miss her daily advice.”

  “Oh, I’ve been very fortunate,” I said. “I’m still receiving my daily advice. I’m staying at Georgie’s aunt’s. Muriel is a real taskmaster.”

  We both laughed.

  Det. Fredericks escorted us to an interview room. “Do you want me to get Thessalus now,” he asked.

  “No,” said Dr. Khryscoff. “I need to talk to Cst. Franklin first. I’d like to get some background on this man before we interview him. Bring Thessalus to us in about half an hour.”

  As soon as Det. Fredericks left, Dr. Khryscoff turned to me and said, “Tell me everything you know about this man. I’m assuming, because of your special ability, that you know far more than you’ve told Det. Fredericks.”

  “Thessalus thinks I’m a messenger from Nemesis,” I said.

  “I’m interested to hear why he thinks you’re connected to the goddess Nemesis,” said Dr. Khryscoff, “although I’m sure the explanation you give me will be something I’m going to find hard to believe. It involves an essence doesn’t it?” He raised his eyebrows quizzically. “Anyway, continue with the information.”

  I hesitated. “Do you remember those terrible dreams I was having? The dreams where I was acting out and Georgie was getting hit?”

  “I remember them, and I also remember that you wouldn’t tell me what the dreams were about. Perhaps I should have persisted and asked you to tell me the content of the dreams. But continue with your story,” he said, regarding me somewhat skeptically. “I’m certain there will be some information in it somewhere that is going to help us understand this man.”

  “In my nightmares, I’m drawn to a scene where Thessalus is committing a murder. I always arrive too late. We have a battle, and then Thessalus escapes. It’s the same every time. Because his delusion involves these Greek gods, and he sees that I’m connected somehow, he seems to think I’m a messenger of Nemesis.”

  “I could say this makes sense,” said Dr. Khryscoff, “but if I did, I’d be joining the two of you in your delusion. What do you know about his mission?”

  “Very little,” I replied, “except that on a couple of occasions, like when we captured him yesterday, he chants Jason Jason Jason.”

  “Do you know who Thessalus was historically?” asked Dr. Khryscoff.

  “I’m not certain,” I said. “I’ve just assumed that it’s an ancient

  Greek name and that it maybe has something to do with Greek mythology.”

  “I studied the classics,” said Dr. Khryscoff, “and there are a few important Greek figures with the name Thessalus. But I think he’s chanting Jason because he thinks he’s Jason’s son.”

  “I’m afraid I don’t follow.”

  “Have you heard of the Greek playwright Euripides?” Dr. Khryscoff continued, not expecting an answer. “He wrote a play around 430 BC called Medea. In the play, Jason is the father of Thessalus, and Medea is his mother. Jason betrays Medea with another woman, and in order to exact her revenge, Medea murders their children. But Thessalus escapes. From everything you’ve told me about Thessalus, it seems as though he’s seeking revenge against his mother.”

  “That does seem to fit everything we know about Thessalus and the murders,” I said. “If we can manage to question him successfully, maybe we can find out his mother’s name. How do you want to conduct the interview?”

  “He has some familiarity with you already,” said Dr. Khryscoff. “Det. Fredericks tells me that you were able to convince him to submit to an arrest. I think you should conduct the interview.”

  We only had a couple minutes to chat about other things before Det. Fredericks appeared and said, “They’re bringing Thessalus to the interview room now.”

  “We would like the handcuffs removed before you bring him into the interview room,” said Dr. Khryscoff. “Just have someone wait outside the door in case there’s a problem.”

  WHEN THESSALUS ENTERED the interview room, his face brightened a bit. He saw someone he knew. Hesitantly, he said, “Servant of Nemesis.”

  I nodded and said, “Call me Joel.”

  He repeated my name, emphasizing the last two letters to make it sound like Jo El. I made no attempt to correct him. Our primary goal was to establish communication and rational communication if possible.

  “This is my friend, Dr. Khryscoff,” I said. “He is a very learned man and can help us in our discussion.”

  Dr. Khryscoff nodded in greeting and Thessalus nodded an acknowledgement. Because Dr. Khryscoff is a huge bear of a man with a friendly demeanor, I thought there was a good chance that Thessalus would accept him as another acolyte of Nemesis and another character in his delusion.

  “Where are you from, Thessalus?” I asked.

  “I belong in two places,” he said. “Now I grew up near Vancouver.”

  “Tell me about growing up,” I said.

  I was worried he would withdraw and start chanting again, but Thessalus was comfortable talking about his youth. He talked about the farm, about his mother, about what they did, and about what happened when she died.

  “What was your mother’s name?” I asked.

  “Medea Redd,” he said.

  Dr. Khryscoff looked at me and nodded.

  “Can my friend talk to you?” I asked.

  Thessalus nodded. He appeared to be interested in talking to Dr. Khryscoff.

  “What did you think of your mother?” asked Dr. Khryscoff.

  “When I was a child, I loved her,” said Thessalus. “We had nothing but each other. But after she died, I learned things, and now I don’t think she was a very good person. I think she murdered my father and possibly an older brother or sister.”

  “Why do you think she killed your father?”

  “I don’t remember ever seeing him; and she wouldn’t talk about him, or about any other relatives. I don’t know if I have any other family anywhere.”

  Thessalus suddenly became very agitated. “I think my mother felt guilty. I think that’s why she impressed on me that I was important, and that I had a special mission to complete. I think she wanted me to go on this mission because if I can complete it, I will have atoned for her terrible acts.”

  I realized – and I think Dr. Khryscoff did as well – that it would take several sessions to unravel all the details of his delusion involving the mission, as well as the details of the real tragedies involving the five murdered women.

  Khryscoff nodded at me and I said, “We thank you for the conversation, Thessalus. We will speak again.”

  Much to our surprise, Thessalus responded by saying, “I look forward to our next meeting.”

  ONCE THESSALUS HAD been taken from the room, Dr. Khryscoff turned to me and said, “That was excellent. That interview provided me wi
th some insight into his delusion. And – even more important, Joel – the manner in which you introduced me to Thessalus, and involved me as a part of the conversation, will now enable me to have a dialogue with him.”

  “Thank you,” I said, adding with a smile, “Do you now believe in essences?”

  “No,” he said, smiling back. “But I do believe you have an ability to communicate over a wider range of electromagnetic frequencies than most of us. Actually, I really don’t know what I believe. I’m just willing to accept the results.”

  Det. Fredericks knocked and entered. “Did you learn much?” he said.

  We told him what little we had learned. When we’d finished, Dr. Khryscoff told Det. Fredericks that, with his permission, he would like to come back regularly and visit with Thessalus to obtain more relevant information, if possible, and to complete an assessment that would allow him to figure out a plan of treatment. One that would likely include medication that could restore Thessalus to a normal, non-psychotic state.

  Det. Fredericks turned to me and said, “The chief tells me Friday is your last day working with me. Do you remember the bet we made about whether Thessalus would be at Union Station? If you lost the bet, you owed me a fancy dinner; if I lost, I told you all I’d owe you was my gratitude. But I’ve decided I’m taking you out on Friday for the best lunch in the city. The chief is so pleased with our work, he’s going to join us for lunch. He’s even going to pay for the meal.”

  Then, with a large smile, Det. Fredericks added, “He told me he was tempted to try and hire you away from the Chaseford Police Force, but he already promised Chief Petrovic he wouldn’t. Lucky for Chaseford, there are no openings in our detective department at this time.”

  Friday, December 1st

  WE HAD LUNCH AT THE King Edward Hotel. The food was excellent. Though it was December 1st, it appeared that the hotel was already celebrating the Christmas season.

  Because of our success, the chief of police was in an expansive mood. The chief was familiar with the King Edward Hotel and he proceeded to tell us all about it. Det. Fredericks and I learned that the hotel had been built in 1903, and then, just a little over ten years ago, in 1922, a huge tower addition had been added, giving it almost one thousand rooms. He told us the top two floors of the addition contained the famous Crystal Ballroom.

  “I love this huge hotel,” he said. “It gives our city a touch of class. I’m proud of Toronto. Someday this city will be as large as the biggest American cities; but it will be a much nicer place to live.

  “That reminds me. I’d better pick up my tickets while I’m here. Duke Ellington and his band are playing in the Crystal Ballroom this weekend and I promised my wife I would take her.”

  Just as we were finishing our lunch the chief glanced down at his watch and said, “Good heavens, I have to go to a meeting with the mayor. You gentlemen will have to excuse me.

  “But before I go, I want to tell you, Joel, that you have been very helpful to the Toronto Police Force in the capture of this crazy man. Your help hasn’t gone unnoticed, and if I had an opening here, I’d offer you a job in a minute. It’s just not possible during these depression times. However, I have written a letter to your chief, Petrovic, congratulating you on your effective work here and congratulating him for producing such a good constable.

  “I must be off; goodbye. Oh yes, and Det. Fredericks, I’m very proud of your efforts. Please come in and see me Monday at 2 o’clock. Also, before I forget, when you two are finished lunch, you are finished for the day.”

  BY THE TIME I GOT BACK to Aunt Muriel’s place and got the car packed it was 3 o’clock.

  As I went to go out the door, Aunt Muriel came to me and took my hand. She gave me a peck the cheek and said, “You’re okay, Joel. I’ll let Georgie know she picked out a good man.”

  I PULLED UP IN FRONT of our house in Chaseford just before 5:30. When I opened the front door, Georgie said, “I’ve missed you,” and she gave me a big hug. “I’m not sure what happened in Toronto, but it must’ve been a success, because your stay was only a week.” Then she started to laugh.

  “What’s so funny?” I said.

  “Oh, I just got the giggles because when I said the word ‘success’ it reminded me that Aunt Muriel phoned about an hour ago and told me what a great guy you were. You must be a great guy, Joel, because Aunt Muriel doesn’t hand out complements easily.”

  “Oops,” I said. “I almost forgot. I’ll be back in a minute.” I went to the car and got the bouquet I’d picked up for Georgie.

  That got me another hug and a kiss.

  “You’re probably tired,” she said, “but sometimes a change is as good as a rest. I was thinking that after supper we could relax for a while and you could tell me all about your adventures in Toronto; then maybe we could go downtown and catch the 9 o’clock showing of the Marx Brothers in Duck Soup at the Chaseford Odeon.”

  “That sounds perfect to me,” I said.

  Monday, December 4th

  I ARRIVED AT THE CHASEFORD police station Monday morning, just before 9 o’clock. There didn’t seem to be anyone around. That was unusual, because Cst. Herman and Cst. Jay Jarvis were always early for everything.

  Chief Petrovic stuck his head out of his office door and said, “Joel, would you please come in here for a minute.”

  I opened the door and walked in and immediately heard cheers and whistles. Someone – probably Cst. Smith – exclaimed in a falsetto voice, “My hero!” There were five coffees on the table and a box of donuts.

  “The chief told us Friday that you’d been instrumental in catching a crazy killer in Toronto,” said Cst. Herman. “He said he got a very nice phone call from the chief of police in Toronto thanking him for your assistance.”

  Chief Petrovic interrupted. “The last comment he made to me was, ‘You must have a remarkable group of policemen in Chaseford.’”

  This produced more cheering.

  “I thought it was a good time for us to have a little celebration,” said Chief Petrovic, “especially since we also wrapped up the furniture factory theft ring.”

  “What are the latest developments in the furniture factory thefts?” I asked. “Remember, I’ve been away for a week.”

  Chief Petrovic looked at us in a serious manner that immediately had our attention. “I think I can talk about this now,” he said. “Last Monday, Judge Bernard met with me and the four factory representatives to listen to their suggestions about sentencing for the eight young local men.

  “The four factory owner representatives had met on several occasions at the end of the previous week and after some considerable discussion came up with what I think was a really good solution to our local dilemma. And it is a dilemma because those young men are not bad people. They took a wayward path that got them involved in criminal activity. A large factor in their downfall was the atmosphere produced by the failed labour negotiations with the factory owners and then the mayor calling the Army into Chaseford. It created a situation where most people in town felt the workforce was being treated unfairly. Because of the depression, the majority of people have nothing, and now that was going to be taken away from them. So, the resolution of this case and the charges have to be seen to be fair to the public.

  “Judge Bernard thought the factory owners’ proposal was good. I think so, too. But the judge told us we could not say anything about it to anyone until all the accused men had the opportunity for legal counsel and had the proposal carefully explained to them.

  “The judge said he wanted these matters dealt with quickly and quietly. He instructed the legal counsel for the accused to inform their clients that their decision to accept the owners’ proposal or stand trial would have to be made by 10 o’clock this morning.

  “I think every one of us has kept the secret, but since you all were instrumental in cracking the theft ring, I think I can trust you fellows to keep your lips sealed until after this afternoon’s press conference.

  �
�The Judge will be speaking to the newspaper editor and all interested parties this afternoon at 2 o’clock in the courtroom. The accused men are being offered offer suspended sentences. They’ll make up some restitution by working overtime for no salary. But otherwise, they will receive their regular wages. You’ll hear more details later.”

  We all looked at one another. We had mixed feelings about the situation. We had worked very hard to put an end to the thefts that were threatening the continued existence of the furniture companies, but we could sympathize with the young men involved in the crimes.

  Finally, Cst. Herman said, “When you stop and think about it, it’s a very clever proposal. The criminals are punished, and restitution is made. I don’t see how anyone can think this is unfair. I’m surprised. I guess the factory owners are smarter than I thought they were.”

  We all nodded in agreement. Then Cst. Smith said, “I think we all deserve another donut.”

  THE FIVE OF US ATTENDED the news conference. There were several local citizens there as well. I think many of them were relatives of the accused. Judge Bernard started his conference by explaining that the guilty parties were being offered suspended sentences and that they would also be making restitution by working overtime.

  There was a very positive response from the crowd. I heard comments like ‘wise’ and ‘fair’. I even saw people trying to hide smiles.

  Judge Bernard cleared his throat. The crowd was quiet. He said, “This wise proposal is largely due to the efforts of the representatives of all four furniture factories. They made the suggestion to me and I thought it was wise and fair. But you need to know that they are the ones that are being fair.

  “I will now read the names of each of the eight accused in this matter. After I’ve read their name, I will indicate whether they accepted their suspended sentence or if they decided to go to trial.”