Chapter Text
Eventually, she lowered the windows in the rental car, letting the much-needed air blow through the vehicle. Loose stray strands of her hair that had escaped her bun whipped her face, catching and lightly battering her sunglasses.
Sunflower County was deep in Delta country, and home to the Mississippi State Penitentiary, formerly known as Parchman Farm, and it loomed large just up ahead. From a distance, Rey could just barely make out the sprawling campus, composed of several old, decaying buildings. They were all as gray as the landscape.
Parchman Farm had such a rich history; Rey had been intrigued by her little bit of research. Dating back to the days of chain gangs and work farms, now it was home to almost five thousand inmates, and was the only prison in the entire state that housed a Death Row.
Rey was astounded that Holdo had actually given her the ‘go ahead’ to come down to help out Finn. Amilyn, her mentor and colleague, seemed surprisingly supportive. She told Rey that the experience would offer her a tremendous opportunity for growth. She often encouraged Rey to get out of her comfortable box - the box that allowed her to be selective and pick and choose her cases.
After thirteen long hours of being on the highway, it was entirely too late to further entertain any of her misgivings. The drive from D.C. to Mississippi had been so boring and tedious. Rey had exhausted all seven of her playlists, not wanting to have to endure the local radio. She suffered through a few dismal roadside food stops and a litany of monotonous billboards along the way.
Miles and miles of rice paddies along the road started to become almost hypnotic. It seemed endless - marshy damp furrows of wet green and brown striping the terrain against the grayest sky. She found it to be very dark, and the repetition unnerving.
Rey had always been quite the urbanite. Unlike some, she never had a yearning to experience rural America - especially not the Deep South. Admittedly, Rey hated the Deep South. Although hated was a harsh word, it definitely applied. That disdain was never based on any of her own actual experiences, she, however, always believed that great pain can stain a place… it could stain an entire population. She would never admit to it publicly or even speak of it out loud for that matter. Accustomed to being called inappropriate and constantly accused of being brutally honest, Rey was used to being misunderstood, but she would never risk offending almost half the nation of her newly adopted home.
She thought to herself, Why did I even commit to this? No turning back now.
Rey pulled over on the side of the road and parked along the shoulder. Dragging her shades up over her forehead, pushing her hair back with them, she let her eyes travel slowly down the road leading to the prison’s main gate.
She wanted to see the place first - Rey needed to see it. It sat off in the near distance, heavy, dark and almost woeful. And with it, there seemed to be a silent omen.
Foreboding. Sinister. Like some huge specter -- A harbinger, or perhaps even a herald of death.
Pressing her lips hard together, forcing them into a thin line, she squinted. “Because it is.”
Giving way, she gave voice to her relent.
*****
“Hey, Rey!” Finn ran over to her car the second Rey pulled into the motel parking lot. Before she knew it, he was at her car door. “Look at you… a sight for sore eyes! Ya look great, Rey!”
He hugged her tightly, squeezing and nearly lifting her off her feet.
“Did you read it, Rey? Seriously --- Did you finally read it all?” Finn sounded pressed, anxious.
She paused for just a second. “Yes, Finn, I read all of it.” Frankly, she couldn’t help her monotone response.
“So, you can see, then? Not just for another appeal or a stay, this really looks like we’ve got grounds for a dismissal and possibly a re-trial. Right… right?”
Rey leaned against her rental. Squinting terribly from the low sun, she promptly pulled her sunglasses back on.
“It is very compelling… it is.” She nodded as she spoke. Then, Rey turned and reached into the car to nab her keys. “It does seem as though there was a great injustice done to your client. That’s why I decided to take this on.” She began to shake her legs out one at a time. They needed it after being cramped for such a long drive.
Finn nodded excitedly. “You agree then? Great! Really need your help with this one, Rey.” He fell into a sneezing fit, one right after another. He quickly drew a pack of Kleenex from his inside jacket pocket. “Sorry about that… but there isn’t a soul down here I would trust with this one.” Sniffling, Finn rustled tissue roughly over his nose while Rey watched him, amused.
“You know I wouldn’t have asked unless I was all out of options or if I could do this without you.” He let loose another series of rapid-fire sneezes.
“Gesundheit.” Rey quickly shot back in response. She tried not to laugh at him.
Rey loved Finn, and she definitely owed him one. He had been supportive of her career in more ways than one. But most importantly, he was her dearest and oldest friend. This favor, though, sounded like an awful lot, but really should have been a no-brainer.
This time, Finn blew his nose directly facing her. “Sorry again… This place has kicked up my allergies something fierce.” He blew again harder then returned his focus to her, with a wheeze. “So glad that I can count on you, Rey. It means a lot.”
Rey pressed the trunk release on her key fob, then circled around him to the rear of her car.
She broke the silence with a sigh. “Oh, I’ll need the rest of the case files, and you forgot to send me the transcripts from the trial.” Being proactive, Rey didn’t want to afford herself an opportunity to relax. She wanted to dig right in. Grabbing her pen and small pad from her inside jacket pocket, she scratched through the few items on a short list.
“Awesome! You got it - Oh, and by the time you and Ezra get back, I’ll have everything else you think you may need.”
“Good - Okay, well-- I certainly hope he’s got plenty of time set aside. I’m definitely gonna need three more things just to get started.” She pressed her pen to her chin and thought about whether to make the requests now or later. Rey decided to keep him guessing. “Tell Ezra it may involve a little bit of a tour.”
It occurred to her now that she was definitely all in. There was absolutely no turning back now; Rey was truly… committed.
“Are you going to just stand there, or are you going to help me with these?” She pointed to her modest set of luggage. It was only a wheeled carry-on and a hanging suit bag.
He sniffled once more and brushed his shoulder against hers as he grabbed her bags and headed to her room.
Rey literally ran to the motel’s front desk. After checking in and nabbing her room key, Rey found her way to her room. She unlocked her door and entered, kicking her luggage through the threshold.
*****
Sight unseen, there was absolutely nothing to go on - well, very little. And from listening to Finn the man sounded like quite the contradiction, but Rey knew she would have to see for herself. See him -- The Subject.
Anxious to dig in, her mind began to race. This was not necessarily going to be about a black and white diagnosis. Right off the bat, Rey knew she had to rule out several personality disorders to start. She decided it would be best to take a very systematic approach using several criteria, variants and indicators.
Well, enough of that for now, she thought. You’re getting ahead of yourself.
Ezra was waiting for her in the parking lot of her motel the moment she returned from the store. He waved anxiously, and gauging his level of enthusiasm, Rey realized just how excited she was after all to get started.
“Hey, Rey!” Ezra leapt out of his car and hurried over to her driver side door. “Wanna get going? Or do you need to grab a bite first? Need to shower and change?”
“No, thanks, Ezra. I just got a few snacks to keep in the room. Just give me a second to run this in. And then let’s just get going…” Rey rolled up her window, quickly grabbed up her jacket, her handbag and fished a legal pad out from her briefcase as she jumped out of her car.
“I really am anxious to get this started.” After hurrying to her room, she unlocked the door and nonchalantly chucked the bag just inside the door. Rey dashed back over to him.
He stood there looking stymied, then loomed awkwardly. “Oh, so you wanted me to drive?”
“Why sure, Ezra. You know where we’re going. I don’t. You know Meridian. I don’t.” Rey spoke matter of factly, as she stretched out her legs a little and stuck a pen through the back of her bun.
The simplicity of her logic was not wasted on him. “Oh - right, right! Sure! Sorry!” He shoved his hands in his pockets and headed back toward his vehicle. She watched him take even steps backwards toward his car. She followed close behind, and when he hit the power lock button to his door, she hopped in.
“Don’t know what I was thinking.” He smashed his palm to his forehead. “That makes sense -- Plus, I’m sure you’re tired of being behind the wheel anyway.”
They drove through town, heading toward Solo’s childhood home. Rey essentially ignored all Ezra’s efforts at making small talk. Ezra was only a few years younger than she and Finn were. But at a glance, he was often mistaken for a teenager. Finn always spoke highly of him. His skills as a PI were reputable. Finn bragged that he had great instincts, and that Ezra had been born with a nose for it.
The ride went by rather quickly. Once they pulled up to a simple, understated stone and brick house, Ezra made quick work of parking, turning in his seat, placing his arm behind her passenger’s headrest. “Here we are! Our first stop. This is where he grew up. From birth to nineteen.”
They sat there staring up at the house. Rey began to examine the house floor by floor, taking in every single little detail.
It was a brick and dark shingle, cottage-style house, possibly a three bedroom. It was surprisingly well kept, given the age and how long it had gone abandoned after the trial. It had a lovely flagstone walkway. There was a young black family on the porch; two smaller children and one teen. There was also an adult man who seemed to be fixing something, possibly a bird feeder, at the base of the steps. An adult woman watered a small garden from a manicured path alongside the house.
Ezra squinted at her. “Did you want to see it up close?” He swiveled in his seat and faced her directly. “Speak to the new owners, maybe…?”
Rey took out the legal pad and began scribbling away. “No, actually I’m fine right here, thank you.” She made a point to jot down any and all relevant firsthand observations. She stared up at the smaller of the bedroom windows briefly. Seconds later, she said, “Okay, next stop.”
Rather surprised at how quickly she gathered whatever information she needed, Ezra put it in drive and pulled off without protest.
Meridian High School looked a little run down but still open and operational. She peered through the iron link fence. There was peeling paint and weeds growing up through the pavement. The school wasn’t exactly dilapidated, but it did, however, suffer from neglect. It seemed to have a ninety percent black student population. Rey knew she would research it further, but assumed that probably wasn't the case twenty years ago.
This may have some significance, she thought. She began rapidly writing down notes once again. Then Rey pursed her lips, staring straight ahead out the windshield, deep in thought.
Ezra shook her concentration. “This is where he transferred after being kicked out of Lamar.”
Tucking her pad between her seat and the console, she nodded. “Well, then -- That has to be our next stop,” Rey stated plainly with conviction.
****
Very methodically, Rey googled the Lamar School, immediately realizing that she had stumbled onto something. The Lamar School was an independent school founded in 1964 as what was once known as a segregation academy. Its creation was spurred by the Brown v. Board of Education ruling. Clearly a knee-jerk response to integration laws, Lamar admitted whites only. The school was later forced to integrate in the late seventies. It boasted high academic standards and yet, even up until today, minorities were severely underrepresented. She quickly closed the window on her phone.
Rey sighed and scooched down in her seat. The ride was much longer this time. She hadn’t asked nor anticipated that, but it stood to reason. After she leisurely gazed out the window, watching the terrain transform, Rey turned to Ezra. “Thanks for helping me and Finn.”
Keeping his eyes on the road, Ezra merely tilted his head toward her and scoffed. “Hah-hah, he pays me.” Ezra chuckled at his own joke. “... and he offers me other little perks like ‘bird dogs’.”
She cocked her head slightly, trying to figure out the unfamiliar expression via context. “So … What do you mean? Like referrals ...?”
Ever chipper, Ezra nodded and grinned. “Yes, indeedy.”
This time, as they pulled up into the well-maintained and sculpted driveway and viewed the expansive campus, Rey felt she just had an epiphany. She mulled over the notion. He was bright enough to go to this school and yet, he transferred out after only one year.
No sooner had Ezra put his car in park then Rey remarked, “We can keep going, Ezra. I believe I’ve seen enough. Let’s go on and head back.”
Ezra pulled away from the curb to head back. They were more than halfway to her motel when Rey pulled out her pad once more and scribbled what appeared to be only a few words.
It read, Privileged vs. Disenfranchised.
*****
Once Ezra dropped her back after visiting his childhood home and old high schools, she asked him for Solo’s last known address before his arrest. Confident she could navigate on her own after entering it in her GPS, Rey wanted to take that trip by her self.
“Thanks so much for everything, Ezra.” Reaching across her body, offering him her hand, she firmly shook his, her lips forming a thin line. “And I really do appreciate your helping Finn and me. It means a lot.” She shared an awkward nod and left his vehicle.
What a dive, she thought, Finn, you’ve gotta be kidding me. Slipping out of her shoes, Rey scanned the room quickly and took inventory. She wasted no time pulling out her work and set about unpacking.
She immediately nuked some mint tea. Plagued by all the recent conflicting information, she pulled out his file once more. She just had to.
Rey began reviewing all the most pertinent data. She had already read it several times, but knew this time would be one of many, many more. Mindlessly tapping her pen furiously on her legal pad, Rey dug into all the documents once more – hoping for something, anything -- even a flicker, or any new insight.
“Solo, Benjamin - six foot three, two hundred and twenty-eight pounds, Brown/light brown eyes, dark brown/black hair, no distinguishing marks/tattoos (other than several clusters of freckles/moles), originally from Meridian, Mississippi, Born and raised, thirty-six years old, Only Child, High School Education, Average to Above Average Student, Father: Han Solo, Naval Officer, Mother: Leia Solo, Homemaker (originally from Memphis), Lower/Middle Class family, Single, Never married, No children of his own, Minimum Wage Job, Cashier at a local Superstore.”
Rey made a quick additional notation to pursue that high school issue during one of their later sessions. There had to be some type of stressor between high school and his turning twenty-one.
“Uh-huh...” She issued out loud and then read on. After a while, she found herself getting quite flustered.
“Ugh…no, no, no.” Clearly nothing new had emerged, nor would it, and yet the very idea frustrated her all the same. Rey continued to take more notes as she read on. “The subject doesn’t have any early indicators at all.” She jotted down a few more notes in the margins while sipping the last of her tea.
“No priors/no past record. No past therapy or treatment. No history of alcohol or drug abuse. No learning disabilities… none screened anyway. No documented family history of mental illness. No strict religious upbringing or history of any to speak of - No signs of abuse - No childhood trauma - No stressors.”
Nearing the end of the file, Rey slammed the folder shut hard, pushed it across the desk with disdain, then stretched her arms up to the ceiling. She let her eyes wind around the meager motel room. After staring at the dismal floral print wallpaper, Rey yawned and admitted to herself that this assessment would be a terribly complicated one.
She collapsed back into her chair, pushing out of her lungs every last bit of her breath. Knowing she was in dire need of a hot shower, but dreading having to actually get up to take one, she sat there silent and completely still. Reconciled, she admittedly now knew that the real truth would only be found in their sessions.
*****
“So, listen, I won’t be able to meet with you, there have been some minor complications with one of my other cases that’s pending in Alabama. Jannah offered to handle it, but she’s already done too much already. She’s gone above and beyond for me.”
“Not a problem. I’ll miss having you there, but it’s not a problem.” She shrugged. “I’ll be fine, Finn.”
“Your contact will be a Deputy Warden Peavey.” She grabbed a pen in case there was more information involved as Finn continued. “A bit of an eccentric, but I’ll let you form your own opinion. I know you, Rey. You’re gonna do that anyway.” Finn chuckled low.
“You’re right. And I will.” She smirked playfully, acknowledging her friend did know her all too well.
“Let me go, Finn. About to walk in right now.” She lied.
He started in on all the things he thought would be helpful in her first session. Rey debated whether or not to stop him. She hated whenever Finn was an overbearing, control freak and total worry wart all rolled up into one. But Rey gave him just enough rope before he started to hang himself.
“Rey, I mean it, though. I think it’s something kinda like ‘Split’ or a ‘Primal Fear’ multiple personality thing going on here. Only I don’t think Solo is faking it.”
He pushed the unforgivable button of crossing over into her territory - diagnosing her client. She couldn’t stand for that.
“Please, Finn, just stop it. Leave me to do my work.” She felt the smallest prick of anger slightly clench her jaw.
"Rey..."
“Finnnnnn …” She did not need this clouding her mind before the very first session.”I don’t need—“
“Seriously, Rey, you’ll see it for yourself. Even Ezra agrees with me.” He grew more insistent.
“Oh, does he now? Does Ezra agree? Said the one therapist to the other.” Had she not used sarcasm, Rey most likely would have shrieked and ground her teeth instead. “That’s simply ludicrous!”
“It's my grounds for the appeal, Rey.” It was easy for her to envision him when she heard Finn pointedly sucked his teeth. “I really, really … Need for this dude to be crazy.”
“Do you want to insult me right now, Finn? Honestly --- Do you want to insult my intelligence, my professionalism and my integrity all at once?”
“Rey…”
“Look -- You asked me down here, Finn!” Her voice raised in irritation. “You clearly need my help. Now, please, let me do that. Let me do my job. But I will not have my objectivity questioned nor in doubt. I plan to treat this case just like any other, Finn. Do you understand me?”
Releasing a low soft sigh in defeat, Finn let out a loud whoosh of air into the phone. “Understood...” He whispered. “Sorry, Rey.”
“I’ll catch ya later, sis. And Rey…” He paused for a reason. “Thanks again for doing this.”
“Sure thing, Finn.” Rey need not have been assured he was grateful, she already knew.
After a very lengthy pause, Rey acquiesced. “No problem at all. Talk to you afterwards.” She hung up, fretting a little bit, but hardly regretting having to rail Finn like that. Rey truly respected his work ethic, his skill and competency. And yet, she never thought she would have to remind him of hers.
Finn was an incredible attorney. He was both brilliant and extremely dedicated. She had always admired his passion. It was something they shared. Rey assured herself their friendship could easily withstand their little blow up. They went back entirely too far, went through far worse together, and had always remained close.
He truly was her best friend. She loved Finn and never doubted his love and admiration for her.
Finn often gave into fits of overwrought emotional displays and drama. Her role had always been the level-headed one. Even before college, Rey was his Mr. Spock, and he was her Captain Kirk. But Finn was no doubt under the gun with this case. Rey knew it was simply the stress talking. She didn’t need him to tell her that there was immense pressure to deliver on it. She already knew.
Rey had done her research. Meridian had suffered miserably under the weight of the media frenzy surrounding the number of victims alone. The smaller city had never experienced anything remotely as heinous in quite some time. It ripped the community apart, and there were still vestiges of the angry villagers with torches mentality. It was still a highly sensitive and delicate situation.
Capital punishment was something she and Finn had always shared an opinion on. They both agreed that it was indeed a modern form of barbarism. Over the last few years, it had become a bit of a crusade for him.
This case, like many others, was far more than some notch in his proverbial bedpost.
Rey was keenly aware that there was a lot riding on it. She just hoped he knew just how committed she was to help him succeed. Rey truly wanted to help Finn win this one.
*****
On the drive back to Parchment, Rey took an alternate route Ezra recommended. It was a much smaller two lane back road. She hadn’t seen a speed limit posted for quite awhile. Then, the atmosphere seemed to instantly change. It was heavily tree lined, with what appeared to be white oak rising up, up, arching over the roadway and creating an eerie canopy all covered in Spanish moss.
Rey always thought it reminded her of cobwebs blowing in the forgotten corners of a haunted house.
Up ahead, she saw two old pick-ups along the side of the road with their tailgates down. Fresh produce, fruits and vegetables and wooden for sale signs were posted either in the dry earth, or perched atop the truck’s hoods and rooftops. For a moment -- only one moment, she had very vivid images flash through her mind of inmates lining that very same stretch of road chained together dating back almost sixty to seventy years ago.
She was accustomed to often having history literally smack her right in the face. And the not so recent past was never quite the specter for her. These occurrences had become so frequent that she welcomed them like old friends. Rey would simply dust them off and make them useful in some strange way. Great pain stains a place.
As she neared the prison, she felt a small, subtle prick along her consciousness. Rey let it run through her raw and unfiltered, then she discarded her empath and readied herself to become the clinician.
She put on her turn signal and pulled into the prison parking lot. She put the car in park and grabbed her handbag and valise to head inside the gate.
*****
“Dammit, Finn!” Flustered, she tried to clear her mind after the dust up with him. She could not afford carrying it in with her on this first day. Rey became determined when she walked through the main gate.
Rey never argued with laymen about the existence of documented cases of dissociative identity disorder - or what was once deemed multiple personalities. She recognized that everyone nowadays thought themselves armchair shrinks, solving true crime shows on cable television. Rey never waded into the murky waters of practicing law, and wished he would leave the psychology to her. Deep down she knew Finn meant well, but he was wrong… Dead wrong. He just had to be.
Although she had always been taught to remain open minded, Rey never ascribed to the notion that many true Dissociative Identity Disorders cases existed. There were very few - and very rare - cases documented, and were very difficult to diagnose and substantiate. To her, it always just seemed like fodder for suspense films.
She patiently stood at the metal grated window, waiting anxiously. The guard politely handed her ID back to her, and she followed closely behind the guard assigned to take her to Deputy Warden Peavey’s office.
Rey always dreaded visiting prisons. She thought at some point she would grow a little more accustomed to them, considering how often she found herself in them. Living the life of a criminal forensic psychologist would most likely demand that she’d have to, eventually. Amilyn had assured her of it. But Rey made it no secret that she preferred courtrooms to prisons.
Rey had never been claustrophobic, but the endless corridors and hallways with their loud metal locking mechanisms always made both her heart and head pound. She attributed it to the doors steadily locking behind her before the ones ahead of her were unlocked. She detested that constant feeling of being trapped.
Well -- Here we go, she thought to herself.
The balding middle-aged gentleman stood waiting by the door. “Dr. Kenobi, come right in. Please have a seat.” He smiled cheerfully and gestured toward his desk.
“A pleasure meeting you, sir.” Rey leaned in and shook his hand. They both took their seats directly across from each other at his large desk.
“Well, you’ll be pleased to know we have all of your equipment and other things you’ve requested set up in the lounge. You’re pretty much all set to go. Mr. Bowen arranged it.” He pushed back in his chair and crossed his legs. “That Finn Bowen sure is a firecracker. That boy is fired up about getting Solo a retrial.” His eyes cautiously sought out her response as he cleared his throat. Rey offered none.
“Well, he saw to everything -- that all the arrangements were made for your little interviews ahead of schedule. So - er, um, you’re all ready to go, Miss… I mean doctor.”
“Why, thank you. It’s much appreciated.”
“Yeah, that Ben Solo. I’ve come to believe that boy’s name suits him. Hah - Well, especially since he’s been on the Row.” He reached across his desk to lift the lid of a cut glass candy dish. “Care for some?”
She was inclined to push past all his efforts at small talk and get on with it. After Rey glanced over at the foil wrapped chocolate mints, she declined. “Thank you, no.” He grabbed one, beaming.
“But ya know, even when he was in Gen Pop --- A huge loner, that one. Definitely not a talker. And the entire time he’s been serving.” Peavey carefully unwrapped the sweet and popped it in his mouth.
“Oh…?” Rey doubted he could offer any real insights, and yet, she needed to remain approachable - although she didn’t really care to hear his opinion.
“Yeah, I don’t envy you. Rather an odd fellow. But he’s a stellar inmate. Haven’t had any problems with him on the Row and, matter of fact, we never have. Ya know, come to think of it, not even during his trial. And he had only one visitor the entire time.” Peavey considered his comment and sealed it with a solid nod.
Distracted and overly focused on this first interview, Rey mindlessly tagged on her response… polite but mechanical. “Oh, really.”
He raised an eyebrow, astutely aware of her wandering mind, Peavey continued. “I sure don’t know what you hope to find, but I wish ya luck. And if there’s anything else I can do to help ya -- Why, lil’ lady, just you let me know.”
“Thank you, Deputy Warden. I will certainly do that.”
There fell a quiet in the room that was almost uncomfortable, each waiting for the other to move first. Then the deputy warden rose to his feet. “Suppose you’re anxious to get started then. Let’s be on our way.” He made his way around his desk, then headed out his office door with Rey close behind him.
She was very grateful to Deputy Warden Peavey for personally escorting her, and for taking the special precautions to ensure the space and all that she required. Once they crossed the threshold, Peavey barely took two steps inside the lounge. “Hope everything’s to your liking. And just let me know if you happen to need anything else.” He offered Rey a wink and a weak smile. “Aight, now.”
Rey scanned the lounge the moment he left her standing there alone. All her video camera equipment was set up behind the one large, metal table positioned in the very center of the room. Rey had requested two cameras in order to capture different angles and perspectives. She carefully set down both her bags and began arranging everything on the table.
Long chalky tubes of fluorescent bulbs in the ceiling droned with an irritating buzzing. As the lights sputtered and flickered on endlessly, Rey concentrated only on her release forms, legal pad, her one pen, and the heavy table which she now only noticed was clearly bolted to the floor. She knew she needed to be calm and relaxed.
She became painfully aware that she was completely alone in an empty room in an all-male prison. The faintest hint of fear flew through her brain, and she expelled it as fast as it emerged. She knew this exercise too well, and with a jutting of her chin, she strengthened her resolve.
The pale mint green walls, highly waxed floor, and even the air in the room held quite the chill. Rey was grateful to have worn her sweater under her blazer. The atmosphere seemed highly charged - like right before a storm.
Then the heavy metal door was pulled open, and a gust of seemingly warmer air rushed in against her ankles. Just outside the doorway in the hall, there were clanking sounds of dragging shackles which preceded their arrival and entry. The sound was grating -- almost disturbingly so. Rey was very careful not to raise her eyes from her paperwork until both the inmate and the guard drew much closer.
She cautiously stood up from her seat. “Good Afternoon. I’m Dr. Kenobi.” Her gaze rose up sharply to meet his eyes. He was a very large man - every bit of that six foot three and thick, muscular. She tried not to stare, but it was difficult not to. He wore a short sleeved pale gray jumpsuit, which was obviously standard MSP issue. Although it fit him loosely, it hugged in places, emphasizing his stature and imposing physique. Drawn to his odd handsomeness, contrasting both folksy and rakish, Rey swallowed while quickly averting his eyes.
He politely nodded. “Why, hello, Doctor. I’m Ben… but ya already knew that.” He then lowered his head, shoulders and chest bending at the waist in what appeared at first to be a bow. Ben extended his wrists outward, assuming the position. Typho, the CO escorting him, reached for his cuffs, fastening them to the interviewing table directly in front of her. The officer pulled the chains taut with one final, loud jangle. Keenly observant, the officer posted up flush against the wall to her right.
Once taking his seat, he stretched out in his metal chair as if he were a man glad to have the space. The lounge, for want of a better word, that Deputy Warden Peavey had secured for them to meet was rather large, but this man seemed to swallow up the room entirely, completely dwarfing Rey.
She shuffled nervously, although meticulously, through the forms she had for him to sign, and was grateful not to have her hands visibly shaking. “I’ll need you to complete these, please, before we begin.” She pushed them across the table to him, laying the pen on top.
Rey caught his deep caramel-colored eyes as they swept the room cautiously, for a brief moment -- and only a moment, and then he locked onto the video camera equipment. The inmate brought his constricted, clasped hands up to his face and scratched his chin, raking his nails through the dark manicured goatee. It matched his hair, dark and full of seemingly soft waves. It was in direct conflict with the angular, severe features of his face -- Chiseled, almost.
His movements spurred the sounds from his chains, dragging metal on metal, their clanking echoing once more. Rey ceased to linger, all too aware that she could not afford to. But she sensed his gaze had finally fallen back to her. Ben grasped the pen and barely skimmed the forms and then signed.
After he finished signing the releases to videotape and record their sessions, Rey scooted her chair up closer to the table as he slid the papers back to her. "I also have several intake forms for you to fill out as well.”
Repeating the same exercise, Ben barely read the forms and signed them without hesitation. He tilted his head slightly while his eyes squinted then widened, fully considering her.
“Why, you’re awful pritty...” His full lips mildly curled up in the corners, yet his eyes revealed little.
She cleared her throat, attempting to ignore the random - not so random - statement. “We also need to set some boundaries here. We’ll be having five sessions in all, possibly six, and the focus will be you.” Rey rushed through her statements, attempting to avoid his remark and yet, made a point to emphasize the ‘you’. “Now, I realize that’s not a lot of time, but if you’re willing to work with me, Mr. Solo….”
He interrupted. “Ben …” Again, his eyes were drawn to the cameras on either side of her. They drifted from one to the other then back again.
Rey nodded politely. “Ben.” Rey removed her glasses and set them on the legal pad gingerly. “If you’re willing to work with me, I’m certain it will be beneficial.”
Nodding slowly, he laced his fingers, bringing his hands up to rub at his chin again, but this time with his thumbs. “Okay.” The accompanying sounds of his chains shifting accentuated his subtle movement.
“Are you aware of what our purpose will be here? I need to make certain you understand our goals.”
“Yes, ma’am.” He nodded slowly, still riveted to the camera equipment behind her.
“We’re hoping there’s a chance to get your conviction overturned, or a new trial at the very least.” She looked at him directly and weakly smiled. “Legally, you should have been provided through your first counsel, psychological evaluation or screening at best. Are you following me so far?”
“Yeah, ya mean the ol’, ‘for reasons of insanity defense’.” Just under his left eye there appeared to be a slight twitch. She likened it to a muscle spasm, but Rey was certain she’d seen him do it earlier. He continued. “So, you’re here, basically to prove that I’m crazy, huh?” He leaned in over the table, cuffed hands clasped between his wide-spread legs.
She shook her head. “No, Ben. That is not why I’m here.” She went on.
“First, let me explain.” Pushing aside her notes, Rey laced her fingers and rested her wrists on the edge of the table’s cold metal surface in front of her.
“The legal definition for Not Sound of Mind is someone who can be manipulated or swayed by others and sign documents or make major life altering decisions that they may not understand.”
Retrieving her pen, Rey waved it pointedly in the air, gesturing naturally and yet, punctuating her statement.
“Now, the legal definition for Insanity/Mental Illness is an impairment of such a severe nature that a person cannot distinguish fantasy from reality, cannot conduct her/his affairs due to psychosis, or is subject to uncontrollable, impulsive behavior.” Rey stopped herself, realizing this may all be overwhelming.
“Understand?” She watched him nod slowly in response, and his eyes clearly indicated he grasped every bit of the information. “But we will further explore those distinctions much later with Mr. Bowen.”
“Finn.” He seemed to rock with the affirmation.
“Yes, with Finn.” Rey smiled fully, glad to know that their attorney/client relationship was obviously one he had become comfortable with. Her smile seemed to have lit his. It was almost as if he had been waiting for it. His kind smile was genuine, exposing his crooked teeth that were now freed finally, simple, honest and unpretentious.
“Well, I only have a few more questions for you today.” Rey thought to herself, first things first.
“During the trial, were you ever, at any point, seen by any therapists, psychologists or psychiatrists?”
Ben answered simply and plainly. “No, ma’am, n-never.”
Rey made the decision to address the next topic head on. She focused on him with a fixed stare. “I understand that you’ve always maintained that these crimes were the work of a brother. A twin brother. Is that true?”
Immediately the atmosphere in the room changed as well as the tone… his tone. The sudden shift was clearly felt and heard.
“Yup.” His voice deepened, his eyes fell to the floor tiles, staring at something rather non-specific. Staring off at something far away, distant - perhaps his past.
Solo swallowed. “He killt all of ‘em, ya know.” Bringing his hands up again, this time he twisted his mustache at the corner of his lip between his thumb and forefinger. The clanking sound followed once again.
Rey blinked, steadily taking more notes. “And so --- you had NO role in any of the murders at all?” She brought her eyes up to sharpen her focus on him while he answered, but was momentarily distracted by the slow bob of his Adam’s apple when he swallowed once more before he finally spoke.
“No, ma’am. I did not.” He tore his eyes away from the camera finally and dragged them slowly to meet hers. They appeared to widen with some strange form of recognition. “Understand, I was always the good one. And he found me… ya see? And now, I’m payin’ for all his crimes -- payin’ for all his sins.”
Her breath caught deep in her ribcage and lodged there. She gulped, desperately hoping to free the knot that was forming. Totally incapable of speaking then, Rey was relieved that he continued.
“Naw… I ain’t never done nuthin’.” Subtly shaking his head, his eyes were so penetrating now, never leaving hers -- direct and dead on. “I never hurt any of them women.” He sat up on the edge of his seat with intensity.
His voice lowered. “Ya have to b'lieve me, Dr. Kenobi.” His eyes seemed to soften as he gradually brought his hands into his lap, clasping them tightly together. “It’s really important that ya b'lieve me.”
His pleading had left her stomach in even more knots. He was personalizing. She forced herself to ignore it and still offered no response. Rey chose to deflect. “Well, we can certainly address more of these issues in our next session, but I believe we can wrap up right here for the day. Thank you.” Attempting to diffuse the situation, Rey began busying herself. She hurriedly rifled through all his release forms, tapping their ends neatly on the table into a stack before sticking her pen through her bun.
In her meager attempt to reassure him, Rey added, “All of this is going to be most helpful.”
She felt his fixed stare heat her entire body. Rey, however, sought safety in following Typho’s movements as he readied him to leave. She stiffened as she shut out the sounds of his unhooking Solo from the table and re-securing his restraints once more. Her eyes blinked rapidly while they tracked them both closely as they headed out into the hallway.
It wasn’t until well after the door shut hard behind them that she finally released her held breath.
*****