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breakfast. The lead story was the mysterious
death of Jennifer. A voodoo muda was interviewed in front of the tomb that was surrounded
by yellow police tape. The cemetery was overrun with tourists, many of whom
were chanting voodoo prayers. The muda was positive that the young woman was
killed by Zombi. Jennifer must have said something that offended Queen LeVeaux.
Of course, the police denied any such thing. Still, St. Louis Cemetery had one
more mystery. That put Parke in a good mood as he packed his bag and caught a
taxi to the airport. Then it hit him. He had enjoyed this one. He somehow felt
more alive after the killing. He wondered if his scientific study had evolved
into something more. On the way to the airport he could not stop thinking about
his next victim.  

CHAPTER 11
    (Twenty years
earlier)
     
    In the months after walking in the
park with his senior partner, Dan’s conduct deteriorated even further. Bob
Gardner had come to the end of his rope. He called Mary Lee and said that the
only way that Dan could keep his job was if she agreed to an involuntary
commitment for seventy-two hours so that two county appointed psychiatrists
could evaluate him and make recommendations. After a tearful exchange, Mary Lee
reluctantly agreed.
    While Dan was incarcerated, the
psychiatrists evaluated him and placed him on medication which he reluctantly
took. Three days later Mary Lee and Bob took the elevator to the third floor
where they found themselves in a white tiled hallway with blue walls. Four
plastic chairs faced a doorway to the courtroom. The room was small with three
audience benches and two tables facing a slightly raised judicial bench. A
probate judge came there twice a week to hear commitment proceedings. While not
a kangaroo court, it was close. The county had an attorney and one was
appointed for the patient to protect his rights, but everyone understood that if
the psychiatrists said that the patient needed to be institutionalized for thirty
days, it was going to happen.
    Judge Samuels was a kindly man who
secretly dreaded this duty. He would candidly say it was hard not to be
pessimistic about our country’s system that was charged with caring for the
mentally ill. The clerks at the hearings had a favorite phrase, “Treat ‘em and
street ‘em.” Everyone knew that it was a revolving door since the landmark
Supreme Court case of O’Conner v.
Donaldson , decided in 1975. In it the Supreme Court said that “a State
cannot constitutionally confine a non-dangerous individual who is capable of
surviving safely in freedom by himself or with the help of willing and
responsible family members or friends.” The institutions like the one that held
Jack Nicholson’s character in One Flew
Over The Cuckoo’s Nest were mostly out of business. A well-intended
decision had created a nightmare which was compounded by the refusal of society
to fund treatment for the mentally ill. When Dan entered the courtroom, he
walked through that revolving door for the first, but certainly not the last, time.
Two burly deputies sat on either side of him, ready to act if he created a
scene. The hearing was brief. The two psychiatrists testified that Dan was at
risk of harming himself and medication would be beneficial. When Dan was given
the opportunity to testify, he rose and launched a verbal attack.
    “Look, Judge. I’m an attorney. I
graduated first in my class at UT. I’m not sick. I’m not mentally ill.” By now
his voice was starting to grow louder. “I’ve had enough of this hospital and
I’m entitled to my freedom. I’m leaving.”
    His face contorted with rage, Dan leaped
from his chair and charged toward the door. Within three steps the deputies
caught him and dragged him back to his chair where they held him. Judge Samuels
had seen such behavior too many times to count. That’s why the deputies were
selected for their size. He spoke in a calm voice.
    “Mr. Little, I understand your
feelings and frustration.