An Apple A Day

“ Peculiar, very peculiar ”

I said to Major Joe Barbrady.

“That’s why we needed you” he retorted with a gruff, eyeing the fresh Vermont apple I was munching.

“Oh I know, by the way, you should try an apple Major “

“I’d rather we stick to business Doctor Luke ”

“But it's good for the nerves I reckon old chap” I offered

“No thanks” was the prompt but firm reply.

You see, we were investigating this very peculiar death of young Dan Adams, 11 diagnosed with Schizophrenia and who barely had spent two weeks in this asylum ;

‘ The De Quito Centre for Children with Mental Disabilities ’

“Whad’ya reckon did it, doctor? There were no post-mortem reports of any physical violence or mutilation of body parts, the body's in a pristine state"

" We'll see " I replied intuitively. This case was indeed peculiar. The boy seemed to have fallen from that old clock tower bordering the north-western walls of the premises.

" Wasn't there another incident there Major? I reckon they should demolish it all together"

"Oh Yes, the young De' Quito himself. What a blow to that poor family! First, they lose their firstborn Jenny, then their beloved boy on these very ground they built in her honor "

" Really? How so? " I shot dartlike glances at the major, this was a new revelation.

" The Miss DeQuito died of a terrible headache that deteriorated further into convulsions until she passed away silently at the stroke of dawn ”

“And the boy? ” I probed further

“ He couldn't bear the grief of losing her doctor, they were very close they said." He replied politely.

" Hmm, they didn’t take that well I suppose, The DeQuitoes; what happened to them? "

" Some say they left immediately for good, others reckon they moved back to Mexico, and yet the general verdict was that they gave up the ghost "

Suddenly, we were interrupted by these very official-looking men clad in blue and black suits, who were asking around for Joe.

" Major Joe Barbrady? " They inquired

"Yes, that's me gunner " Joe stepped away from me and faced the feds.

" And you Sir are ?" They looked at me inquisitively.

" Oh that's Dr. Lucas Wallerbridge, he's the specialist we called from England " Major Joe chipped in mt defense.

" Major, you called a shrink from a foreign country to investigate this case? " The fed agents were now cross-examining Joe.

When Major Joe reiterated my role and contribution to cracking the 1988 Munro Case, they were reassured.

Dorothy Munro, I remember that name so distinctly ! 5 '6, diagnosed with severe bouts of delusions of persecution.

And post her discharge, she died tragically in a car crash.

This was ruled off as an unfortunate coincidence until my probe further led to the discovery of a potential affair with the attending ward boy, David Levithan.

We tried tracing him, we did. It took ages even, but the investigation never materialized for he might have slipped through at Buffalo, bordering the Canadian town of Fort Erie.

It was almost funny, I delved so deep into this case file that I could almost envision how he committed the crime, the way he set off a slight rock down the mountain road - which on any other day would pass by harmless, but if set at the right angle and the very precise moment, it would be enough - just enough to slightly tilt the front right axle of the motorcar and send it toppling down the rocky cliffs.

“ Doctor Luke, these are for you ”

My thoughts were interrupted by Joe who pushed a bulging brown paper envelope onto my hands.

My eyes paced religiously through Dan Adams’s autopsy. Again, a clean chit. Given his schizophrenic history, it would not be surprising if this was a case of suicide triggered by severe hallucinations and delusions.

" He was such a wee boy, almost Jason DeQuito's age "

Major Joe's voice grew very grave.

This DeQuito kid intrigued me, no two deaths that occurred in the same place could be so much of a coincidence.

I threw on my grey parka, and steadfastly made my way to the Office of the Asylum Director, we were sure that we'd get some information on this lad.

As I crossed the yard and made my way across the garden, the apple trees rustling delicately in the chilly Vermont breeze caught my eye.

The luscious apples laden with snowflakes reminded me of a trip I took a long long time ago.

Le Manzanas they used to call it, the vivid red blossoming apples down the streets of Valencia, me and my step-sister. Oh, how we fought over these very apples. Well to be honest - Our fights would be concerning a vast array of things but they would always resolve with her handing me a freshly plucked apple. She’d take great care in removing the cores.

“ Mi Hermano Una Manzana al día Evita ir al médico ” She’d always chuckle and say pretentiously in her newly acquired accent.

Suddenly, the sight of the ominous gray office door transported me back to the present moment, and I found Joe already barging through the confidential DeQuito family archives.

They were immigrants from Mexico, the second generation that too.

Mr. DeQuito had struck gold in the tequila business and soon they were one of the most up-and-coming names in America.

What caught my eye was a small family photo tucked behind one of the folders.

The children stood out with their differing features. The girl Jenny was about 5 feet, with black eyes and European features.

While the boy had piercing blue eyes like me and shiny blonde hair.

The kids seemed to have been adopted by this Mexican - American couple.

My thoughts were again interrupted by Major Joe who came with a dashing smile.

" Look at this will ya "

" I was rummaging through the county library archives and I got some stash on that DeQuito boy "

The column claims he disappeared a week before his demise and was meddling around in the nearby village. Tommy, he called himself there, until he was busted and brought back to the center.

" And what did they diagnose him with? " I inquired very well knowing that these were very clear signs of Dissociative Identity Disorder.

" Nothing " Major Joe replied.

" He was the owner's son, they just brushed it under the carpet "

"Who was the witness? The primary one? " I questioned.

" Well, there is that mention of a certain Juda, the clock chimer's son "

And with that latest revelation, we were already on our tiptoes to cross-check the presumably decade-old post-mortem reports.

The DeQuito boy, his body was so mutilated that even his father could not recognize him.

This struck a sudden chord in my mind.

"What if? Just what if this Juda boy’s body was swapped with that of the young scion, whose demise was under the most mysterious of circumstances "

Just as I and Joe walked into the Doctor's chamber, the only intimate acquaintance to the family - It was said that he was the only one who was there with them throughout all their misfortunes and ….."

" Nice to meet you, doctor, how'd you do? "

Dr. Gabriel Rosetti, 5'9 and most probably in his 70s gave me a sharp soul-staring glance as he firmly shook my hand.

Almost as if he'd seen a ghost from the past.

And likewise, I couldn't help but feel that maybe we'd have met somewhere before.

" The body of young master DeQuito was pushed off with the help of a very minute instrument, so delicate a push that one would think it was a ballpoint pen for all you know "

He joked, while still throwing furtive glances at me.

A very odd time to joke I thought as I jotted down his statements with my Parker pen.

This one I was scribbling with had a gold sleeve at the tip instead of your usual lead-laden pens.

Ain't she a beauty I thought to myself, this tiny heirloom being the only remnant reminder of the parents I lost a long time ago.

Realization flooded into my mind like a dam that had been deliberately left behind broken,

I was him,

I was It.

I was Jason DeQuito,

I had killed Juda.

I poisoned my step-sister Jenny with apple cyanide.

I was David ,

I killed her too - "Sweet Dorothy" they used to call her.

I looked at Major Joe's face who was now looking at me funny and …

I just kept quiet.