A Dangerous Mind

A DANGEROUS MIND

By Kim Hunter

Kim Hunter

Copyright © 2015 By Kim Hunter

The right of Kim Hunter to be identified as author of this work has been asserted in accordance with sections 77 and 78 of the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.

All rights Reserved

No reproduction, copy or transmission of this publication

may be made without written permission.

No paragraph of this publication may be reproduced,

Copied or transmitted save with the written permission of the author, or in

accordance with the provisions of the Copyright Act 1956 (as amended)

This is a work of fiction.

Names, places, characters and incidents originate from the writers imagination.

Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead is purely coincidental.

OTHER WORKS BY KIM HUNTER

WHATEVER IT TAKES

EAST END HONOUR

TRAFFICKED

BELL LANE LONDON E1

EAST END LEGACY

EAST END A FAMILY OF STEEL

PHILLIMORE PLACE LONDON

EAST END LOTTERY

FAMILY BUSINESS

Web site www.kimhunterauthor.com

FOREWORD

I have little left in myself -- I must have you. The world may laugh -- may call me absurd, selfish -- but it does not signify. My very soul demands you: it will be satisfied, or it will take deadly vengeance on its frame.

Charlotte Bronte, Jane Eyre

CHAPTER ONE

Freddy Lancing placed his legs over the side of the bed, stretched out his arms and yawned. Standing up he ambled proudly across the room to admire his physique in the mirror, though in all honesty there was little to admire. Tall and extremely thin, the white vest and baggy y-fronts that were now grey and had long since been ready for the bin, hung limply on his bony frame. At fifty-nine years of age, he felt as though life had passed him by. Pulling down the skin from under his eyes with his index finger he studied closely and noticed the small red veins that were invading the surrounding white tissue. When a voice screamed out it startled him but only for a second.

Fredrick!!!!!

Allowing his lower lids to slide back up he sighed deeply.

I'm coming Mother.

Swiftly pulling on a silk paisley dressing gown Freddy ran an open hand through his silver-grey hair in an attempt to smarten himself up but it was a futile exercise as his overly long side parted fringe immediately flopped back down onto his forehead. Sighing heavily he slowly shook his head from side to side and then walked downstairs and into the kitchen. Even though she was nearly eighty-seven, his mother was still very agile and had a razor-sharp tongue, which was mostly used to chastise her son daily.

Well about time, I don’t know why I bother with you, you're a waste of space most of the time. Why couldn’t you have been a surgeon or a solicitor like Esther Montesino's son? Now he looks after his mother, foreign holidays, a lovely house, oh yes and he takes her out to dine at a different fancy restaurant once a week. What do I get from you? Nothing that's what I get, bloody well nothing.

Freddy took a seat at the table and as always tried to block out his mother's nagging. It was the same every morning but just lately it was getting more and more difficult to cope with. Recently he had started to have dreams, bad dreams verging on nightmares where he strangled his mother and hid her body in the wardrobe. Freddy enjoyed the night visions and was always disappointed when he woke up. Now staring at the skinny petite woman his thoughts once again turned to murder but instead of acting on them, he smiled sweetly at her.

Here's your breakfast though why bother I don't know, you're nothing but a disappointment to me, Fredrick. Now Esther's boy, he's a credit to her not like you, well don't sit there like a spare part, eat your breakfast it's the least you can do after I've slaved over that stove for the last half an hour and besides, I can't afford to go wasting good food on the likes of you!

Thank you, mother.

His sarcasm didn't go unnoticed but Miriam Lancing wasn’t sure he was bright enough to even be sarcastic so for once she let it go.

The Lancing’s, or Lebovitz as they were originally known, had arrived in England in 1944 having somehow evaded capture by the Nazis in what is now Poland. Married for only a month Miriam Lebovitz, nee Baranoskie, had insisted that her husband not only change their surname but also his first name. Eran Lebovitz was besotted with his wife and wouldn't deny her anything, so shortly after their arrival he became known as Eric Lancing. Miriam didn't change her name as it was an accepted woman's name all over Europe and didn't denote in any way that she was Jewish. It had taken months for Eran to get used to his new name when called but eventually, he managed it and even came to like it. Settling in East Finchley London, Eric obtained employment with British Rail. Their house on Abbots Gardens was small but homely and Miriam was content with her lot. When she became pregnant late in 1951 she started to think more about her own family, those who had all been lost to her during the holocaust. The realisation that if it wasn't for Eric she would be alone worried her. Miriam decided to seek out some of her own kind and make friends, it had been seven years since she'd first stepped foot on English soil and in all that time she had kept herself to herself. Working on the presumption that members of the Jewish communities would also be in the same boat as her, the most obvious place to start would be at the local synagogue.

Her first port of call was Belsize Park but she wasn’t made to feel welcome. The other women who all dressed to impress, appeared to look down on Miriam so she didn't return but moving on to Hackney was a different story. Eric was pleased that his wife was making an effort and when he came home one day to find a strange woman sitting at the kitchen table, knew that Miriam had made her first friend. He didn't think for one minute that because of this their lives would change but that's exactly what would happen. Esther Montesino was married to a Harley Street doctor and whatever she wanted, she could have as there was never any shortage of money. Eric on the other hand, in comparison earned a meagre salary, they were by no means on the breadline but it was nothing compared to what the Montesinos had to spend. When Baby Fredrick came into the world there were no prouder parents and Miriam immediately started talking about what school her son should attend and what a fine career he was going to have. Eric could only smile at his wife's enthusiasm but deep down all he hoped for, was that his son would have a happy healthy life.

As Fredrick grew he worked hard at his studies but it didn't come easy and when his exam results left a lot to be desired, Eric saw how cruel his wife's wrath could be. By the time their only child had finished his schooling, he had become withdrawn and spent all of his spare time alone in his bedroom studying. Finally, three years later he gained a degree in psychology and even though it wasn't the career choice his mother wanted for him, his parents were as proud as punch at his graduation. It took many failed applications before Fredrick was finally offered a junior position at Broadmoor Hospital and the thought of moving away from his mother made him the happiest man on earth. He would return twice a year to London to celebrate the festivals of Chanukah and Yom Kippur but even then it was under duress. Other than on those occasions, he would make the odd phone call but in all honesty, he was content to be alone. Romance was something that seemed to evade Freddy and he was constantly reminded of that fact when he had any conversations with his mother. Anyway, the distance between them was enough and he could easily put up with the snide remarks knowing that he didn't have to see his mother for at least another six months.

Things took a drastic change in 1999 when Eric died suddenly of a heart attack. At that point, Freddy had been on his own for over twenty years but after returning to London for the funeral, the words ‘moving in with my son’ were repeated over and over again to anyone who would listen. Now feeling it was his duty to invite his mother to live with him, he could only pray that she had mellowed over the years. How wrong he was, from day one she had barked orders at him, even when he'd driven to London to collect her. Her razor-sharp tongue didn't hold back for a second, he wasn't making the most of himself, he should be ashamed of driving such an awful car and when was he going to make her a grandmother? The list was endless, from his dreadful dress sense to the spots on his face and the spiteful nagging continued for the whole of the journey. Now some ten years later the incessant nagging was worse than ever. Freddy missed his father and often wished that he had lived and his mother had died. Sometimes he imagined that she would live forever and the idea made him feel physically sick. All he had was his work and he relished the dawning of a new day. From Monday to Friday, he was able to wipe out all thoughts of the old bag back at home but at weekends if he was lucky enough to sleep, the nightmares would return with a vengeance. Miriam would start nagging him as soon as he arrived home on Friday to celebrate Shabbat and she wouldn't let up until he set off for work once again on Monday morning. Fredrick followed his religion out of duty but the weekly rituals crazed the life out of him and now as Friday approached, he was dreading the next forty-eight hours.

And what time can I expect you home? I need the chicken collected and if you’re late there won’t be any time to prepare it. You promised me you’d be early today but I suppose you’ll break that promise just like you’ve broken my poor heart so many times over the years

Freddie inhaled deeply and then sighed heavily but at the same time he wanted to wring her scrawny neck.

Mother I will get back here as quickly as I can but people don’t stop being ill just because it's Shabbat you know.

Miriam, decked out in her silk negligee with feathered cuffs and matching fluffy slippers, flounced out of the kitchen in a huff. Thankfully her friend Esther would be calling later and together they would set the world to rights, which would of course include discussing the massive disappointment that Fredrick had become. Miriam loved having a friend but she was also a very jealous woman especially when it came down to all the worldly goods that Esther Montesino had acquired over the years.

Driving over to the hospital, Fredrick removed his mother's classical CD from the player and replaced it with one by Queen. When Bohemian Rhapsody reached the instrumental, Freddy began to shake his head wildly. Anyone looking into the car would have seen it as strange, that a man who was close to sixty, was still head-banging to the music of a rock group but Freddy couldn't care less. At least until sundown, he was his own man and he was going to make the most of it.

Parking up and after going through security, he headed in the direction of his office. His stereotypical linen jacket was so creased that it looked as if he'd slept in it and its pockets bulged out from having to accommodate an array of pens, handkerchiefs and anything else that the good doctor couldn't fit into his worn-out briefcase. His schedule was already laid out on his desk and from the list of names already printed he knew it was going to be a busy day, still, if he could just find that one person he was looking for then everything would change.

Doctor Fredrick Lancing was desperate to write a paper for The Lancet, one that everyone would sit up and be interested in reading. He was also desperate to find a patient who could help him with his research and one that could be blamed for killing his mother. Freddy had been looking for the last couple of years but as yet there hadn't been anyone remotely suitable. He had been fighting with his conscience for some time and used the unsuitability of the patients as an excuse but in his heart of hearts, he knew that he was just plain scared. When those thoughts entered his head he would sink into a deep depression that could only be lifted with the aid of medication but Freddy didn't seek out professional help, instead, he self-medicated with Prozac. He always took a high dose and as a result, suffered two of the many side effects attributed to the medicine. The first was a decreased libido, which had never bothered him anyway and the second was insomnia. Lying awake night after night unable to sleep wasn't helping as the medicine was now causing him to think more and more about his so-called problem. To begin with he had tried to convince himself that they were nothing more than silly thoughts and not worth worrying about but in reality, he knew that wasn't the case. When Freddy finally accepted that he did want his mother dead, he began to make plans.

Walking along the corridor he entered the group discussion room just as five of his patients had taken their seats.

A little lacking in numbers today aren't we Steve?

Yes we are Doctor but I can't physically force them out of their beds now can I?

Freddy nodded his head but didn't comment as the question was rhetorical. Turning to the patients that had bothered to turn up he smiled warmly.

Right gentlemen, shall we get started, who would like to go first?

Peter Finlay raised his hand. Pete the Paedo or at least that's what the other patients called him, had been in Broadmoor for seven years. Molesting children had suddenly escalated to full-blown rape and he was now here for the foreseeable future.

Please go ahead, Peter.

I was thinking Doc about what you said last time, you know about how to control situations and I put some of your techniques into practice.

Can you give us an example?

Well, I had a difference of opinion with Michael Barrett. When he wouldn’t see my reasoning I started to get stressed, I could feel the anger begin to build up inside.

And, what happened?

I continued talking but as I did so I laid down on the floor. Flat on my back just like you said and you were right Doc, when you lay down you can't get angry. I instantly felt like I'd won the battle of wills.

Well done Peter and what did Michael think of that?

The fucking cunt kicked me!

The rest of the group fell about laughing and it took all of five minutes to settle them down again.

So who would like to go next?

Peter Finley raised his hand again.

No, let's have someone else if we could. Roger how about you?

There was silence.

Okay, so not today. James, how about you giving it a go?

Again the room was so quiet you could hear a pin drop.

Doesn't anyone want to talk today?

Once again Peter Finlay raised his hand.

"Okay Peter, we seem to have plenty of time left so go ahead.

Well Doc, I've been having this recurring dream, really vivid it is.

In your own time tell us what happens in the dream, Peter.

It's about a school playground and I see little children in uniforms. I'm there watching as they take off their......

You can stop right there Peter, we've all heard it before and it's not a topic fit to discuss in a group session thank you very much.

The dream Peter wanted to talk about was a mental re-enactment of one of his crimes. When the man had begun to speak he appeared to get excited by his own words and Freddy noticed how two of the others were becoming agitated.

I can't help myself, it's all in God's plan and when you let me out again I know I will have lots of little girls and boys as my special friends.

Some days Freddie thought he was going round in circles. Just as he seemed to be making headway with a patient they would throw a spanner in the works by showing that nothing seemed to register with them, nothing he discussed would convince them that the things they wanted to do were wrong and wouldn’t be tolerated by the rest of society.

Peter, please! I really think we should leave it there thank you.

But I haven’t finished, I want to talk about the dream I had last night. There were three little boys and....

Freddy slammed the palm of his hand down hard on the folder resting in his lap and his voice was loud as he rasped.

I said, not now Peter! Now what about you Roger? Come on young man it helps to participate.

Roger Humphries had murdered his best friend and then proceeded to eat his flesh. He was a very withdrawn man and as Doctor Fredrick spoke to him he shook his head violently.

I don’t want to talk, I don’t want to I don’t want to!

Okay, Roger calm down, no one is going make you do anything you don't want to do.

Turning to another patient Freddy smiled warmly. Geoff Ramsbottom had also been convicted of murder but he was also profoundly deaf so why he attended these meetings when all he did was giggle was beyond Doctor Freddy.

Well, I think that concludes the discussion for today gentlemen. I will see you all tomorrow and hopefully, there will be a better turnout and a bit more interaction.

Doctor Fredrick returned to his office and took a seat behind his desk. Various sized envelopes not to mention numerous emails all sat waiting to be opened along with a copy of this week's Lancet. Freddy sighed, he had begun to accept that his dream of having an article published and finding the perfect patient to research would remain just that, a dream. Opening the first of his mail, he discarded the junk and then turned to the large manila envelope with interest. Inside was a case study that he was being asked to evaluate. The man in question would shortly be sentenced and the judge wanted some information regarding mental health issues. As Freddy read on he became more and more excited, this could be the break he'd been waiting for. The subject sounded ideal for research purposes, he also sounded a perfect candidate to help Freddy with the little problem he had at home, namely his mother. Miriam Lancing may have been approaching her eighty-seventh birthday but she was still very alert and had all of her marbles. It would have been easier if she was suffering from dementia then he could have just shut her away in a home but that wasn’t the case and there was only one possible solution, murder. True it wouldn’t happen for a while and would need careful planning but finally there was a light at the end of the tunnel, finally Fredrick Lancing might just have a chance of freedom and making his dreams come true.

CHAPTER TWO

The cell door slammed shut behind him and Simon Mason glanced around the room. The walls were painted in what had once been an ice-white gloss which ironically felt cold to the touch. Names were scratched randomly into areas of the walls and studying them Simon wondered what someone called 'Big Boner' might have looked like and more importantly, what he might have been guilty of. Taking a seat on the concrete bench he leaned forward and placed his head in his hands. He had lost control of his life and the one thing Simon Mason had to have was control. From now on there would be no more Mr Nice Guy, from now on they would all pay dearly for treating him this way. He would bide his time no matter how long it took but one day he was sure he would have his revenge.

Born in Bedfordshire, Luton to be exact in 1985, from day one Simon didn't stand a chance of leading a normal life. His mother was an alcoholic and he couldn't ever remember meeting his father but the fewer people Simon had around him, the happier he had seemed to be. Judy Mason would spend her days in an alcohol-induced stupor and Simon had been forced to fend for himself since the age of nine. Judy would berate her son for the smallest thing and give her love only to the two small Pekinese dogs that never seemed to leave her side. The rats, as Simon called them, would like his mother, often go to the toilet where they lay and he was always expected to clean up the mess they had created which made him hate the very sight of all three concerned. He had never made any friends of his own, even at infant school children would run up to him but one look into his eyes saw them run away in fear. He was polite and the teachers would comment that he was a charming little boy but they also noted that something seemed to be amiss. Even as a small boy Simon was crafty, if someone upset him or told him he couldn't do something he would seek out his revenge. It may have only been a small payback like the time he spat into his mother's vodka bottle or when he put a worm into one of his classmate's sandwiches but to Simon it was still a triumph, a little personal victory. No matter what life forced upon him he was determined to succeed, at least as far as his education was concerned and although from a broken home, he had excelled in all of his studies.

Sailing through every exam he was given, by the time he finished secondary school Simon had been accredited with having a brilliant mind. After sixth form and then a two-year stint at the local college, he gained a place at Cambridge University to study biology and chemistry. There was no one to pat him on the back and tell him how well he had done the only thing his mother said was 'Who will look after me now'? Simon didn’t reply and picking up the solitary suitcase he had walked out of the hovel he called home never to return.

Cambridge was everything he'd hoped for and more but still a loner, he didn't try to integrate with the others and preferred to spend his free time holed up in his room or wandering around the many parks in the centre of Cambridge. It was around this time that Simon first laid eyes on Katherine Eden, or Katie as she was called by all who knew her well. A shy, slim brunette, for some strange reason he felt empathy towards her. Whenever he saw her Katie was mostly alone so Simon naively took it to mean that like him, she was friendless. Nothing could have been further from the truth but by the time he realised his mistake, he had fallen madly in love with her or at least what he imagined love to be. Every time Katie left her room Simon would be lurking close by, sometimes he spoke to her and sometimes he would just follow her from a discreet distance. It hadn’t taken Katie long to notice what he was doing and she would quietly giggle to herself regarding his boyish crush.

As well as Katie Eden, Simon had a second passion that was known only to him. Come rain or shine Simon would spend hours just walking and when the