Chapter Twenty-Four
Audrey Packer and Chad Remington were sitting at a table in a coffee shop when an elegantly dressed woman in her midfifties walked in.
Dr. Valerie Girard was a psychiatrist who had testified for the State in a death penalty case Packer and Remington had investigated.
Her silver-gray hair was cut short, her bright blue eyes sparkled like gems when she scanned the room, and she walked toward the detectives with the gait that she’d employed on the runway when she was a fashion model in her teens and early twenties, before she used the money she’d made to pay for medical school.
“Thanks for coming, Valerie,” Chad said.
“How could I not after you told me that you wanted to ask my advice about an alien abduction?”
The detectives sat across from the psychiatrist, and Chad pushed the caffe latte he bought for her across the table.
“Is this my consulting fee?” Girard joked.
“If we deem your information worthwhile, there could be an almond croissant in your future.”
“Yum. I’d perjure myself for an almond croissant.”
“We’ll settle for a rational explanation for a totally irrational one,” Audrey said.
“I assume this concerns United States congressman Thomas Horan,” the doctor said.
“You saw the interview?”
“I read about it. Then I found it on the internet, after you called.”
“So, what do you think?”
“You mean, do I believe that he was poked and prodded by ETs in a flying saucer?”
Chad grinned. “No, Valerie. We both know that didn’t happen. What I want is an explanation for his statements if we exclude the possibility that he’s flat-out lying.”
“I did a little research after you called, and I can give you a possible explanation for his behavior. But I need some more information. Do you know if the congressman had an experience that could have caused trauma shortly before he was found?”
“This is highly confidential. We think that Horan was at the scene of Terrance Cogen’s murder. It was very gruesome, blood everywhere, and we know that he received a blow to the head from a blunt instrument. The blow was hard enough to cause a concussion.”
“That’s helpful, but anything I say is pure guesswork and not something I would swear to in court.”
“Don’t worry. This is just background.”
“Okay. Well, I did some reading about alien abductions. Researchers at Harvard devised an experiment to determine if people who claim to have memories of being abducted by aliens would show the same psychological reactions shown by combat veterans, people who survive car accidents, and other people who have experienced similar traumatic experiences. They recruited six women and four men who claimed that they had been abducted by extraterrestrials. They were interviewed and also wrote a script that detailed their abduction. The research team made audiotapes that were spoken in a neutral voice from the scripts. While the subjects listened to the tapes, the researchers recorded their emotional responses using measures like their heart rate and sweat on the palms of their hands. The same procedure was used with eight people who were haunted by traumatic experiences that had nothing to do with being abducted by aliens. The results of the two groups were strikingly similar. The reactions for the alien abduction group were as great or greater than those of individuals who couldn’t shake memories of combat, sexual abuse, or other traumatic events. ”
“How did the researchers explain these findings?” Chad asked. “I assume they didn’t believe that the subjects had actually been abducted.”
“No. They tried to explain the findings by referencing a phenomenon that’s called dreaming with your eyes open.”
“I think I’ve heard of that,” Audrey said. “Isn’t it called sleep paralysis?”
“Yes. The phenomenon happens when people awaken from a dream. When you dream, your body is paralyzed to prevent you from jumping out of bed or doing something else that might injure you. When the sleeper awakens before the paralysis goes away, they experience hallucinations like flashing lights or some kind of living thing lurking in the room. This experience can be frightening, and the dreamer may try to find meaning in it.”
“Horan heard all sorts of tales of alien abductions during the congressional hearings,” Chad said.
Valerie nodded.
“The congressman and his car were discovered in Silverton, some distance from his home and the place where Cogen was killed,” Audrey said. “He claims that he has no idea how he got there. Do you have an explanation for how that might have happened?”
“Yes, but again, this is just between us.”
“That’s understood.”
“Okay, then. Have you ever heard of a dissociative fugue?”
“Can’t say as I have,” Chad said.
“I think it was discussed in my college psych course,” Audrey said.
“What is it?” Chad asked.
“Memory loss is a defense mechanism to protect a person from recalling disturbing or painful events,” Dr. Girard answered.
“Dissociative fugue is a symptom where a person with memory loss travels or wanders. That leaves a person in an unfamiliar setting with no memory of how they got there. This usually happens with conditions caused by severe trauma.”
“So, Horan could have driven to Silverton, ditched his car, and wandered into the farmer’s field,” Chad said.
“It’s possible,” Girard agreed.
“Will Horan recover his memory?” Chad asked.
“Fugue states can last for days or months.”
“So, he should regain his memory, if he’s not faking?” Audrey asked.
“He could, but I can’t say how quickly that will happen.”
“Is there anything you could do to speed up the process?”
Dr. Girard thought for a moment. Then she said, “There might be,” and told the detectives her idea.
The detectives and the psychiatrist talked a little longer. Then Chad sent Dr. Girard on her way with a little white bag containing an almond croissant.
“So, Chad, do you think Horan was at the estate when Cogen was murdered?” Audrey asked.
Chad nodded. “If he didn’t do the deed himself, he may have seen who did.”
“I vote for the latter possibility. Someone bashed him in the head really hard.”
“Our killer.”
“Yeah. He walks in before the killer leaves. That would explain why he was attacked.”
“If Valerie is right, he may be able to tell us whodunit when he recovers his memory.”
“We still have a problem,” Audrey said.
“Oh?”
“After that television interview, who would believe anything he said?”
Chad sighed. “You’re right. What do you think we should do next?”
“I want to talk to Francine Horan. Then I think we should bring Frank Curtin up to date.”
Thomas Horan had told Francine that he would have to hire a new PR person when they married because his opponent could use his employing his wife as ammunition in a campaign.
Francine wasn’t upset. Doing PR for Tom was exhausting, and she was grateful for the break.
Then Tom had gone public with his claim that he had been abducted by aliens, and she was even more grateful that she didn’t have to deal with the blowback.
Francine was getting ready to go to her Pilates class when the doorbell rang. She looked through the peephole and saw the two detectives who had been upsetting Tom. She debated pretending that she wasn’t in, but curiosity got the better of her.
“He’s in DC,” Francine said.
“We know, Mrs. Horan. It’s you we want to talk to,” Chad said.
“About what?”
“We think we’ve found a rational explanation for Congressman Horan’s alien abduction claim, and we know a way to help your husband. Can we come in?”
Tom’s obsession with his alien abduction was making him sick. He had horrible nightmares when he slept, and he was depressed and frightened when he was awake. Francine wished there was some way she could help him, so she ushered the detectives into her living room.
“I know everybody thinks I broke up Tom’s marriage and that I don’t love him. But Tom wanted to get away from Millie, and I do love him. And I know he’s been suffering. If you know a way I can help, please tell me.”
Chad told Francine what he and Audrey had learned from Dr. Girard.
“We’re pretty certain that your husband was in Terrance Cogen’s living room around the time he was killed,” Chad said.
“We think the killer caused the concussion that led to his hallucinations about being abducted by aliens. We want you to convince your husband to let Dr. Girard hypnotize him. That may be the key to finding Terrance Cogen’s killer and helping the congressman recover his memory. ”
“Hypnosis? I don’t know.”
“Would you be willing to meet with Dr. Girard so she can explain what she would be doing?”
“She really thinks she can help Tom?”
“She’s not certain, but she thinks this might work.”
“All right, I’ll meet with her.”
Frank Curtin was a baby-faced politician with a fabulous smile who had arrived at the position of Multnomah County district attorney by an unusual and circuitous route.
Curtin was the only child of a wealthy Portland family.
He’d gone undergraduate to an Ivy on the East Coast, but he had political ambitions, and he had come home for law school.
As soon as he passed the bar, Curtin had become a public defender who battled the occupants of the office he would eventually lead.
After four years, he had left the public defender’s office and won a spot in the state legislature.
Two successful terms later, he threw his hat in the ring when the Multnomah County DA retired, running as a reform prosecutor who would stop prosecuting drug possession cases in favor of referrals to mental health facilities and wipe out corruption in the Portland Police Bureau.
These positions had not won him many supporters in the police and the office he intended to run, but it had swayed the liberal voters who dominated Multnomah County politics.
Thomas Horan had been one of his biggest supporters, and Curtin had made it clear to Packer and Remington that he wanted constant updates on Horan’s case.
“So, where do we stand?” Curtin asked Remington and Packer after they told him what they’d learned from Valerie Girard.
“We’re pretty certain that Congressman Horan was at the estate around the time Cogen was killed,” Chad said.
“You don’t think Tom murdered Cogen, do you?” Curtin asked.
“We’re not leaning that way.”
“Good, good. Tom is a dear friend and a staunch supporter. We were on the board of the Westmont, and he was involved in my first run for the legislature.”
“We understand that,” Chad assured Curtin. “We do think that he may have seen the murderer.”
Curtin nodded. “The blow to the head. Though that may tell us that he didn’t see the killer. If he had, Terrance’s killer would most probably have killed Tom too, don’t you think?”
“That’s a good point,” Chad said.
“You said that Dr. Girard thinks Tom may recover his memory soon. When he does, we’ll know what happened. But tell me, do you think that Tom is in danger? Will the killer go after him?”
“He hasn’t so far. He may think that no one will believe anything the congressman says after his claim of being abducted by aliens. And assassinating a US congressman would bring unbelievable heat down on him.”
“Too true. Well, thanks for the update. Keep me posted if there are any new developments. You’re doing great work.”
The detectives left Curtin’s office. Audrey waited to say what was on her mind until they were alone in the elevator. “That was interesting.”
“How so?” Chad asked.
“Don’t you find Curtin’s interest in this case a bit unhealthy?”
“I don’t know. He said Horan is an old friend and big supporter. It’s natural that he’d be interested.”
“I think he’s a little too interested.”
Chad frowned. “What are you suggesting?”
“Nothing I can put my finger on. I just get the feeling that Curtin has more than a professional interest in the Cogen case.”