Regarding patient confidentiality, there was no doubt that the doctor would be completely trustworthy. That was one of the reasons she hired him. Only after making sure of this did, she undergo treatment, precisely with him.About that she was right. He took it so seriously that even students and colleagues believed he exaggerated. The names in patient records and charts were pseudonyms. And the notes, made by hand, looked more like hieroglyphics. As for the ribbons, they were as well guarded as they would be if they were gold.From the initial visit of that strange man, who revealed nothing more than his first name and remained locked up with Mrs. Rúbia, who still, inexplicably, had been avoiding her handsome husband for a long time, generated distrust among the servants.One of the maids couldn't contain her curiosity, especially when she accidentally heard some strange sounds coming from the room that she and the others described as “the room with the velvet bed”. And to feed the i
Eighth session, eighth week....Very close to “birth”As she takes a deep breath, Rúbia relaxes and decides to narrate, in a more succinct way, the second nightmare that constantly torments her.“In this..., the scenario is different...” she says, in a technical way. “I'm very young, like 15 years old and... I can even see my parents alive and happy... I'm mentioning this because they were very in love when I was very young. For the record, when I was a teenager, my father kind of avoided her. I even witnessed him say that it was her fault for her behavior... When he said that, what I found most strange was that she simply lowered her head, as if she really were to blame..." reveals Rúbia, somewhat confused...The doctor seems to find this information relevant, so he takes note of how the patient behaved when faced with this detail.After a pause, as if they were reflecting, she continues saying:“Going back to the dream..., I'm very young, about 15 years old and... I can even see my
Twentieth session, twentieth week.... It's a Friday and it's almost late afternoon... Weekends became the most tense and reflective moments for Rúbia, from the first emotional shock she experienced, to the present day. During working days, she tries to fill her time with business responsibilities, and this has become very effective. Even though she hates dealing with business, such routines have had the effect of transporting her to a world far from emotional reality, from intimate problems. However, something similar to a wad of cotton inside her gives the feeling that each tear contained makes her heavier and heavier. Being alive on a Monday was the same as surviving a battle. Once upon a time, as a child, weekends were the happiest and most anticipated days for her. Her parents had a good relationship with each other and always took her to the city parks. It was not for nothing that feelings were eating away at her, pushing her towards depression. Every day, life showed her wh
On the outskirts of the capital, in a building that looks abandoned...“Both the worst and best things depend on a first step, to actually happen.” Reasons a dark-looking man. “In life, not everything that precedes a success is a mistake and vice versa.... We take risks in all our actions or, in the absence of them...” argues Magalhães with the cocktail supplier.“The rats and monkeys had some reactions and so we added something else to the cocktail. But regarding prolonged use, we didn’t have good results, so… I suggest regulating that.” Alert the stranger.“I promise to take it into account. But I don’t have more time and… I could lose the ideal patient for this at any moment.” The doctor concludes and leaves shortly afterwards with a certain amount of the product.Eight days later...It was early in the morning and it had been raining a lot, for so long that it was already very cold. The sound and the ideal atmosphere for those who liked and could sleep or, for thos
The conclusion of this was that: “... The range of articles written around this game increased her eagerness even more. Considering that she was encouraged to take time off from business to focus on herself, the time available became a contributing factor to all the rapid learning.Similar to a parasitic worm, her unconscious forced her to acquire more and more nutrients from books.On the other hand, every detail, peculiarity, curiosity and technique of the hobby gradually replaced the space once occupied by the memories that corroded her.The process went further... Her brain was regenerating and gradually the old connections were being disconnected. What would normally take years, according to neuroscientists, in her case was happening as a daily process, with very noticeable results.The memories remained in the mind, as I was able to see and access through the sessions, as well as the pain they carry, but in a compact form, without details. Something that resembles photographs th
This was not the first nor the last time that she went to the library early in the morning, and even during the day, with the aim of learning more and more.Visiting books on this same topic became a routine for successive nights on end, fueled by the surprisingly effective medicine provided by the psychiatrist.One night, in the private library, while reading with excitement and fascination, her mind remained active, on the other hand, her body and eyes seemed exhausted and, in front of this picture, she fell asleep with the book on her lap.It was no surprise, because, unlike previous times, when I read in a chair, with the book resting on a table, I was sitting in a comfortable reading armchair, similar to a royal throne, which I had ordered from Europe.The wind blew so steadily, bringing with it droplets of rain that it cooled the walls and windows where she was more and more. The cold only increased, but she was completely wrapped up.Minutes later she reaches the deepest state
Night after night she dreams of an episode...On a certain occasion when she is once again comfortable in her armchair, as on all previous nights, moments later, she falls asleep, plunging into the fantasy in which she already appears as a majesty.In the kingdom, after an apparent period of peace, now everything indicates, from the uproar of people with clouded faces, that they are in the middle of a war.The queen does not focus on seeing the appearance of each of those closest to her. It seems pointless, but she feels comfortable with this impossibility.To complete the strangeness, the voice of each person addressing her is also undefined. However, this also does not seem to hinder communication or each person's role.The previous dreams were exactly like this.When strangeness is constant and normality is rare, what was once strange becomes seen as normal.“Your majesty... Forgive my intrusion...” the subject bows, “your majesty, the king desires your presence...” one of the cour
Despite her impetus, she feels insecure in the face of all the power granted to her. She refuses to sit on her husband's throne, rejecting him and considering herself unworthy.The next day, the kingdom's prominent men meet and when they realize that they are faced with situations that require the monarchy's decision, they decide that they have to convince the queen to accept and act according to the decision she made.“Defending him is fundamental to our remaining in power, your majesty...” she hears the voice of what looks like a court priest. Referring to the king he continues adding:“It is known to your highness and... the rest of the court that... your majesty, the king, is vulnerable, he is old and has no skills... not even to walk..., as even locomotion is a problem. as much as limited...”She listens to them attentively, however, she remains thoughtful. After a few seconds she raises one of her hands, interrupting everyone and says:“Your Excellency...” she says, addressing t
As in a flashback, the old detective can review some words of his corrupt colleagues, where one of them said:“Santiago..., everything in life has a value..., it has a cost or a motivation. Tell me how much a fair... is worth? Some compliments like: congratulations on having done your duty well...!?But if we are paid for this and... if we are ready to receive payment for it, what value does praise have after a duty done? When you do what must be done, it is nothing more than a duty that we are morally obliged to...!”In parallel to this, investigator Santiago found himself receiving, not surgery for his wife, but what he received from a doctor and, from the health system that his taxes paid for, was a compliment.But even though at that moment the price paid for integrity was irrelevant to covering the old detective's real need. He remains intact until now, aiming to receive the agreed amount from the client who hired him, making it worth the effort for the service provided which, de
Now, since taking on this first case as a private investigator, he has enough to pay three professionals who come back every 8 hours to take care of his wife's needs at the most expensive hospital in the state.He passes straight through the double bedroom, which is more reminiscent of a hospital, and goes straight to the second bedroom where there is barely enough space for a wardrobe and, upon opening the doors, he looks for a specific set of clothes.He takes out a well-tailored black suit that he had only worn a few times, only on special occasions, and places it under the bed, then takes off the informal clothes he often wears and goes into the tiny bathroom to take a shower.When you change, you look like another man. Add a nice red tie and a pair of shiny shoes.One night he had had a nightmare where he performed the same ritual as now, but to go to his wife's funeral.He looks at one of the walls in the room and sees the last photo he took with her.The smile that became not o
“I'm sorry..., but the good news is that everything can be fixed, everything can be fixed..., even if it's just one way...If there is any unforeseen event, we will talk to you by phone. From today onwards, we won't see each other in public... I don't want you to suffer anything because of my recklessness in talking to that model and her ex-fiancé’s lawyer. The stupid thing was done by me.”, the old detective still laments.“I clearly understand, boss!”, she shows that she is willing to be guided by the old man, even though she knows that she still has a broader vision of everything that needs to be done and the necessary care.“Know that I will make an effort to overcome this situation that ended up exposing us to danger.... I still don't know how, but I have to find a way around it...Maybe releasing us from the case to the Police Department... anyway, I'll think about it.”, he says, showing concern.“I'll also think about something and, if I come up with an idea, I'll let you know,
“I got the message, honey. You can rest assured about me!I admit that it's good to hear this to be aware...Just a moment and I’ll give you the address and opening hours of the clinic”, he promises, as he opens his leather jacket and takes out his notepad.“Boss, if I finish it soon, I can go to the production company.It’s no problem for me... I could even pretend to be a fan or someone from the press, who knows...”, she suggests when offering.“It could be, but in cases like this, in my experience, the places we go to initially can take us to others successively, and if more and more is contributed to our line of investigation the best thing to do is to follow the flow or like me and my colleague called it: “the path of stones”.I didn't mention this to our contractor, but based on good investigative experiences, that's how it always worked in the cases in which Garcia and I got very far into the evidence. When we start an investigation, it guides us...What we need is similar to a
The next dayIn the same meeting place.During the days in which the two found out about the case they were supposed to investigate and were also able to meet in person, it was the time in which the suspect was on a series of recordings in different parts of the world in one of his own productions. Where he was also working as a director.Now, according to the actor's schedule, he is back in the country.The moment has come when the pair of investigators will have access to both the suspect and everyone professionally linked to him. Where, for the most part, I was also accompanying him on trips.One of the factors that led the client to believe that the third crime would happen on the same day as the others within a year was the detail of the suspect's agenda to bring him back to the same country where the last two occurred.“Now let’s start and the most challenging part of our work...?” asks investigator Rebecca or old detective."That's right! The list starts with one of the suspect
“But I see that even so, you appear to have overcome this, let’s say, deficiency in structuring.”, believes the old man.“Thank you, boss, but what you see now was the basis of a lot of therapy and medication..., which I still depend on.”, she confesses.“I'm very sorry, unfortunately I don't have much to say about this because I had a family who provided what I certainly needed...”, he reveals.“But it's okay... I'm surviving...!Thank you for listening to me, it made me feel better...”, she thanks.The old man's humble and sincere manner has always worked well in providing comfort to whoever he chooses to listen to.“My mouth doesn't always come out with the right words... and at the right time... on the other hand, my ears don't usually disappoint me...”, he acknowledges.“I understand..., but we ended up losing focus, boss. My story is another story. Let's focus on what brought us together. That's what interests us at the moment. After we help put this killer in jail, it will defi
“I don't know if it's any consolation, boss, but I was also in the corporation and at the time it also seemed like another system, or rather, it was another system.Now I'm also trying to understand... and adapt without having to take risks.In short: we don't know exactly who we are dealing with, but from the photos of the crimes I saw, even though there was an explicit degree of cruelty, which if it were made public would leave many people outraged.There is clear evidence that these crimes are being treated with total disregard by the bodies responsible for investigating them.We are not fools. Everything shows that whoever is behind all this has the power to intimidate, bribe and even silence people...”, she says, showing complete indignation.“What you are telling me makes sense and, given the fact that we, police officers, took an oath to commit ourselves to defending law and order...We must morally seek justice or justice to be done.I see that it seems that I have focused a l
“Now it makes sense that you were late. Disappeared in the blink of an eye, appeared only after the model left...”, understands the old man.Knowing that he was deceived by her was a very bad feeling for the old detective, as it went back to some episodes during his police career in which several colleagues deceived, manipulated and even accused him of treason.“I'm sorry, I'm really sorry... I even wanted to remind you about the importance of being discreet in accordance with what I had already studied and because it was one of the details highlighted by your client and, thus, justifying my absence.But I want to take this opportunity to say that there was still another factor that contributed to my sudden disappearance, which was when I noticed an agent, from the police department you were about to go to... coming towards us...”, she tries to complement and thus justifying even more abandonment to the boss. She made it clear that everything had gotten out of control.Boss, I hope I'
The two remain silent for a few moments. She worries more and more about her boss who proves to be a sprinter in a competition who already feels defeated, even before taking the first steps. Still behind the starting line.“Think about your wife who, despite being in the hands of professionals, sustained her life. This is only possible thanks to her determination to accept this case..., boss...”, she recalls.Listen This is nothing new for the old retiree.Before the assistant presented this scenario and the right thing to do, his conscience had already convinced him to do so after consulting his old heart.“But speaking of a valid motivation, which justifies commitment to a complicated and risky case like this Rebecca, tell me what motivates you to continue even though you seem to be, and in reality, are, much more aware of the complexity of the case than I am. ...?” asks the experienced investigator.“I asked myself that question too, boss.And I would have been left without a convi