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Back The Double Save as PDF
Chapters (63)
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  63. Acknowledgements

How simple it would be for the man to disappear into the void where no one would find him. The chance to start anew must have been too seductive to ignore. L’appel du vide. So easy to answer the call, and having consigned both Vidor and Malik to the flames, why not drag Gessen with them into the fire? After reducing to ash the life’s work of the man who’d destroyed him, he would rise from the flames like a phoenix and create a new life.

What better revenge than this, for daring to disturb the mysteries of the mind?

62

Zurich, Switzerland
21 May 2009

From the window of his office on the eastern edge of the city, Gessen looked up at the sound of a passing car. His new suite of treatment rooms was located on a quiet, tree-lined street with little traffic, though he had yet to get used to the sound of tyres on the macadam. The office was small, with just enough space for himself and an assistant, and a view of the distant mountains, so there was some consolation in that. He’d moved into the building a week ago, and rather than sleep in his office, he’d also rented a furnished flat nearby while he looked for something more permanent.

After the fire had razed much of the clinic to the ground – only the swimming pavilion and two of the chalets were left untouched – he had no other recourse but to transfer his remaining patients to another facility. Hélène was staying on in her home, fortunately spared from the fire, and had gladly offered to keep Fernanda with her until he was settled. He missed the dog to an absurd degree, even though he understood she was likely happier in familiar surroundings. She was getting on in years and the move to the city might be too much for her.

The insurance company were dragging their feet on paying the claim, having declared they were not legally obliged to pay since the fire had been ruled as arson. Gessen could take the company to court, but his lawyer said the fees would be costly and he would likely lose. Even if he were to win, he didn’t have the heart to rebuild in the same location. The view and isolation had been ideal for a certain kind of individual, but perhaps it was time to find other ways to help his patients heal from their troubles, while living in the world.