Chapter 5
‘What the hell is alien hand syndrome?’ Poe said after he’d done his best to wipe up the spilled Coke.
Esmerée was getting clean in the top-floor toilets. She’d banged her Coke on Poe’s meeting table until the can was dented and sugary liquid had sprayed all over his office. She had looked mortified. Genuinely embarrassed. Bradshaw had shown her where the toilets were.
‘It’s a psychological condition characterised by the belief that the affected hand doesn’t belong to the person,’ Bradshaw explained. ‘In Esmerée’s case, she believes her right hand is autonomous.’
‘You mean …?’
‘Yes, she believes her hand has its own agenda.’
Poe thought about it. ‘I suppose if you’re going to have a mental illness, you might as well have one of the fun ones,’ he said. ‘What causes it? She had a bang on the noggin?’
Bradshaw nodded. ‘AHS is usually associated with an acquired brain injury. There are three main types and I think Esmerée must have the frontal lobe version, as that’s the only one that affects the right hand.’
‘Treatment?’
‘There is no treatment, Poe.’
‘Poor sod,’ he said.
‘How you gonna find my mom?’ Esmerée asked from the doorway. ‘And please don’t feel sorry for me. My hand’s just one more asshole in my life.’
‘Take a seat, Esmerée,’ Poe said. ‘Before I get started, I need some basic details. Tilly will take notes and ask you to check them before you leave. Make sure we have the facts as you understand them. Is that OK?’
‘Sure.’
‘OK then. In your own time.’