Born, Darkly (Darkly, Madly 1)

I’ve been attracted to patients before. As I admitted to Sadie, I’ve dealt with transference plenty…but never at this level. Never with this much intensity and temptation. And I have never submitted to those temptations; never allowed to happen what transpired in my office today.

I close my eyes and fall to the bed. My skin still tingles, still feels heated from his touch. I was more than tempted to stay lost in that moment of ecstasy, to risk too much…and that’s the danger. That’s why I’m leaving early for New Castle. To put six-hundred miles between us and get this trial over with.

My cell vibrates on my nightstand.

I frown at the phone before I roll over and grab it. “Dr. London Noble.”

“Yes, Dr. Noble. This is Attorney General Richard Shafer. Do you have a moment to talk?”

I sit up. “I do, yes. How can I help you, Mr. Shafer?”

“I just wanted to extend the proverbial welcome mat, and make sure you received the material I had my office forward you.”

I clear my bangs from my eyes. “Thank you. I did, though I didn’t realize you’d be heading up the prosecution yourself.” My laptop rests at the foot of the bed. I pull it toward me and flip the screen open.

Honestly, between completing Grayson’s evaluation and our sessions, I have not looked at the evidence. Another psychologist would argue I’m subconsciously avoiding, unable to cope with the probable outcome, and that could be true.

As the Attorney General proceeds to elaborate on why he’s heading up this case personally, I look over the evidence. They have their own expert witness; a local therapist specializing in the criminally insane, who is testifying that Grayson will be a danger in prison. To himself, and to others.

I scoff.

“I’m sorry?” Mr. Shafer interjects.

“I appreciate your convictions in this case,” I recover, “but having expert testimony attest that Grayson Sullivan will be a dangerous incarceration? Mr. Shafer, with all due respect, he’s spent over a year in prison with no disciplinary write-ups. He’s been a model inmate.”

The lawyer clears his throat. “Yes, a model inmate…in solitary confinement. With no interaction with other prisoners. New Castle Penitentiary doesn’t have the funding that Maine has, I’m afraid, to provide Sullivan with the kind of monitoring he requires.” A beat. “You’re the chief psychologist in your field. Your opinion is testament in trial murder cases…”

My back tenses. Be wary of people who compliment too soon, before they even know you—they’re lowering your defenses in preparation for the strike.

“And it was you who proclaimed that one cannot prove rehabilitation without first testing a subject in an unregulated environment.”

And there it is. He’s done his homework.

“So you can appreciate the state’s hesitancy here. Sullivan is simply too untested, too much of a risk.” He releases an audible breath. “And then there are the families, Dr. Noble.”

“What about them?”

“Did you know that the Supreme Court only just recently overturned the ruling to have capital punishment banished in Delaware? Primarily in anticipation of this case. That speaks volumes, doctor.”

“It speaks to fear and ignorance, Mr. Shafer. Sullivan is not, in my professional opinion, a threat to anyone on the inside. That structured environment lacks the chaos he desires to stabilize in the world.”

There’s a lengthy pause before he continues. “As a psychologist, I’m sure you understand the need for closure. These families deserve and need that closure.”

He’s set in his views. Nothing I say now or on the stand will change that. “I have

the deepest sympathy for the families. I always strive to convey that during trials.”

“But this is your final stance.”

I square my shoulders. “It is. I would be doing a disservice to my profession, otherwise.”

“I understand. Well, thank you for your time, Dr. Noble. Safe travels.”

The line clicks dead, ending the call.

I set my phone aside and glance at the manila folder that holds Grayson’s evaluation.

Regardless of my personal feelings, professionally speaking, having a patient put on death row is a heavy burden for any doctor to bear. The weight of Grayson’s trial rests on my shoulders, his life hangs in the balance. This second attempt to sway me by the prosecution proves that.