“Because,” he said simply, “as I just told you, Lester is in the hospital.”
“It doesn’t make any sense,” Maria said to Colin. They were in the parking lot, the sun inching out from behind thin strands of clouds. “I’ve never met Mark Atkinson. I’ve never talked to him. As far as I know, I’ve never even seen him. Why would he be stalking me? He wasn’t even dating Cassie when Laws went to jail. He didn’t come into the picture until later. It doesn’t make any sense.”
“I know.”
“And why the hell would Lester think I’m out to get him?”
“It’s a delusion.”
She glanced away, her voice becoming quieter. “I hate this. I mean, I feel like I know even less than I did before I came here today. And now I have no idea what I’m supposed to do, or even what I’m supposed to think about all this.”
“I’m not sure what to make of it, either.”
She shook her head. “Oh, one thing I forgot to tell you. I had to cancel with Jill and Leslie tonight because it’s my mom’s birthday. I’ll be at my parents’ place tonight while you’re at work.”
“Do you want me to come by after my shift?”
“No. Dinner will be over by then. My dad makes the meal – it’s the one time a year that he actually cooks – but it’s not a big deal. It’ll be just the four of us.”
“Are you going to stay there overnight? Or head back to your condo?”
“I’m thinking of going home. It’s probably time, don’t you think?”
Colin was quiet for a moment. “How about I meet you there? Just hang at your parents’ and I’ll call you when my shift is done.”
“Would you mind?”
“Not at all.”
She let out a sigh. “I’m sorry that as soon as things started clicking between us, all this had to happen. I hate that you’re having to deal with it.”
He kissed her. “I wouldn’t have it any other way.”
CHAPTER 21
Colin
When he got home, Colin pulled the computer from his book bag and set it on the kitchen table. He was as confused about the whole situation as Maria was, and his instinct was to try to learn as much as possible.
The first step was to understand the mind-set of Lester Manning. Or rather, persecutory delusions of the nonbizarre type. He’d wanted to ask Margolis more about it when it came up, but it wasn’t his place to ask, and Maria had let it go. Fortunately, there were dozens of web pages on the topic, and he spent the next hour and a half learning as much as he could.
He’d been under the impression that the disorder was similar to schizophrenia, but while certain symptoms like hallucinations and delusions were common in both types of patients, a patient was diagnosed with either schizophrenia or a delusional disorder. Schizophrenia often also included disorganized speech or delusions of the bizarre type. Bizarre meant impossible – the belief that the patient could fly, or read the minds of other people, or hear voices that could control their actions. Nonbizarre delusions – the kind that Lester suffered from – were at least plausible, but untrue.
In Lester’s case, assuming he suffered from a delusional disorder, it made some sense that he might believe the police were out to get him. According to Avery Manning, the police had used Tasers on him and put him in jail; while there, he had been beaten by other prisoners. And in the end, the charges had been dropped, which might underscore Lester’s belief that he never should have gone to jail at all.
His paranoia regarding Maria also made sense, Colin admitted, if plausibility was the sole criteria. Not only had Maria failed to protect Cassie, but if Lester hadn’t written the notes – as Dr. Manning maintained – then Maria had sent the police after him for no reason. Not just once, but twice now…
Margolis had also been right in that a person with the disorder could, as a general rule, function normally, depending on the severity of the disorder. The spectrum of delusions could run from something as simple as overvalued ideas to near psychosis; another couple of the articles stated – just as Avery Manning had told Margolis – that delusions weren’t rigidly fixed. They could fluctuate in intensity and could be aggravated by the use of certain drugs.
Still, as much as everything he read made sense, and while he understood that Lester truly believed his delusions… there were aspects of the disorder that didn’t line up for him. If Lester was terrified of Maria, would he have delivered roses to her? Would he have sent over a drink? And if those were meant to be peace offerings of sorts, why would he have included the messages he had? Why taunt if what you wanted was to be left alone? And why come to Wilmington to do it? Wouldn’t he have wanted to keep as much distance between them as he could?
Initially, Colin had wondered why Margolis had bothered looking into Mark Atkinson, but Margolis was smart enough to recognize the same inconsistencies and wonder how to reconcile them. Hence, he’d called Atkinson’s mother, and from there the story got even more confusing.
He may or may not be missing?
As vague as it was, Margolis was accurate in his description. A quick search brought up a photograph of a missing persons poster on Pinterest, no doubt created by Atkinson’s mother. Other than that, there was nothing at all. He supposed he could do the same kind of search he’d done for Lester Manning, but what would be the point? According to Margolis, any information that might be helpful was inaccurate as of the date Mark Atkinson left for Toronto. Or went missing.