Chapter Twenty-One

After Fanny had been taken back to her cell Jerry returned to Jacoby’s office. Harold was sitting in a chair outside the closed door. Jacoby was standing at his desk talking on the phone.

Harold stood up as soon as he saw Jerry. “How is she? Can I see her now?”

“Soon, Harold. My guess is she has suffered some extreme trauma. It doesn’t look like she has any serious physical injury but I want to have her examined by a doctor – and a psychiatrist – as soon as we can arrange it.”

“Psychiatrist? Jerry, Fanny is the sanest person I know.”

“She’s not herself, Harold. You have to keep that in mind when you see her. She doesn’t know who she is, Harold. She won’t know who you are.”

Harold sat back down and tried to digest what Jerry was telling him.

Jerry could see that Jacoby had finished his call. The detective looked perplexed and annoyed. Jerry knocked on the glass and Jacoby waved him in. “Wait here, Harold.”

He opened the door and immediately launched into Jacoby. “Has Fanny Britt been examined by a physician, Jacoby – and a psychiatrist. You’ve seen her. My client has obviously suffered a serious trauma. She doesn’t belong in a cell. She should be in a hospital.”

“Just wait a minute, Benson. Listen. That call I just had – I might as well tell you. It’s going to be all over the news soon.” Jacoby took a pencil out of the cup on his desk and brought it toward his mouth. “That call was from the Sheriff in Calvert County. He wanted to let me know that they’d just discovered the body of another tattoo artist. He had been stabbed in both eyes.”