When I arrived Father Jackson and his brother were in Jim’s room which was large enough to turn around in if you did it carefully. They were drinking Scotch. Father Jackson was wearing his bookie jacket again.

Jim was older, heavier and handsomer than his brother. He offered me the one chair. “Couldn’t we go somewhere else? Isn’t there a bar or something?” he asked.

“I can’t very well patronize the bars around here,” Father Jackson said. He fixed me a Scotch and water and then sat on the bed with Jim.

“Am I supposed to begin?” I asked. “First may I say I’m rather surprised that you’ve consented to this sort of arrangement, Dr. Jackson.”

“Your problem sounded very interesting.”

“It’s not exactly my problem. I mean, not in your sense. I hope your brother assured you of that.”

Dr. Jackson nodded. “Tell me about your son.”

“Hasn’t your brother told you?”

“I’d rather hear it firsthand.”

So I told my tale again. Everything, even about the dreams. Father Jackson got up a couple of times to replenish his drink, but Jim sat watching me attentively, seldom even sipping his Scotch.

“Well, what do you think?” I asked when I finished. “Is Duff a schizoid, or is he possessed by the devil?”

He took a long swallow now. “Well, I don’t think he’s the former. Not from what you tell me. And as for the other, there’s been entirely too much emphasis on that kind of thing lately. Books, movies . . .”

“Duff seldom goes to movies or reads fiction.”

“But he has seen Mrs. Reddy,” said Father Jackson.

“Yes,” Jim said, “that could be what triggered it. Have you ever heard of multiple personality, Mrs. Caine? Jekyll and Hyde. Two or more distinct personalities in the same person. Each personality has its own way of thinking, feeling and acting, its own habits and mannerisms. Multiple personality differs from schizophrenia in that the personalities in most cases are completely different and not split aspects of the same personality.”

“And could something like that come on suddenly?”

“It could reveal itself overnight. It’s very rare, however. I’ve never encountered a case before in fifteen years of practice.”

“Would the person know what was happening? Duff doesn’t seem to realize. He could be lying, of course, but when the General appeared in the car and in the kitchen, Duff honestly didn’t seem to know about it.”

“That’s possible. Almost always one personality is stronger than the other, and sometimes the stronger one is aware of the actions and thinking of the other. In this case, the General might be the stronger. From your description, it sounds as though he would be. Consequently he could be aware of what Duff is doing and thinking and not the other way around.”

“That’s it, I’m sure of it!” I was elated, but then I remembered my dreams.