Today I feel the need to paper the whole story that eventually haunted much of my life. The names and places have been changed for the sake of anonymity
My name is Philippe and I, at this writing, 62 years, I hope also that my advanced age forgive some forgotten but nevertheless I will try to rewrite history as accurately as possible. At the time I have this strange case began 27 years and I've just been appointed Inspector of Police. I would not say more about myself because I just want to ask me to witness and I have, anyway, here a secondary role observer. The first official investigation that told me never scored in my mind. One man, George Cypress, had tried to poison his wife, who had survived but was in serious condition. Nothing extraordinary at first sight but Mr. Cypress did nothing and said she had poisoned herself, it was so violent that they had detained the time to make an assessment on his mental state . I found the doctor in charge of Cypress, he greeted me in his office who felt nothing else that smells of clean, empty at the time scared me so much.
"Dear Inspector, if mr. Cypress more complex than it appears, he seems to have lost touch with reality, it suffers at first from delusions of persecution involved in a delusion of delusion of doubles.
- Can you be clearer doctor?
- Well this man is convinced that his wife has been replaced by a lookalike and she wishes him harm. He denies of course have tried to poison him, and that's it that's part of his plan, I quote, devilish. We found in his blood traces of alcohol and drugs, possibly responsible for his delusions, we're wean her body, you can not interview him for several days. "So I left
the doctor with this unpleasant feeling to return empty-handed and visited libraries to find information on this illusion of doubles more commonly called, I learned, Capgras syndrome. The person recognized his family physically, but certainly felt no emotion towards them, his brain patient therefore deduced that they were look-alikes who replaced the person loved.
I had to wait for the next week to examine Cypress. According to the doctor he had stopped talking about doubles but always denied the attempted murder. I entered his room that looked more like a cell, and the little man I saw sitting on the bed, body buried in the pillow, filled me with pity. He had his fifties, hair already all white, an air of profound melancholy that marked his face with wide furrows. One felt he had lost pounds from its usual shape, his body covered with a white dress with short sleeves, flange seemed as if it had sucked her muscles or her fat. I asked the staff to be left alone with him, then he tied the hands "as a precaution." George said nothing. I sat on the edges of the bed and finally he raised his eyes to me. Its very thick eyebrows and long gave her look infinitely sad, they made me think of my old ones dog. Maybe this was why I felt so familiar with this man, but I forgot not my duty. After having recalled some formalities and charges against him, I simply asked him his story.
"My boy, you could be my son, let me call you like that. My dear I have no hope, I tried in vain to defend myself but the more I listened the less defended and the more they fell asleep with their drugs ... I've never taken drugs, they are lying. Do you know how it feels to scream their lungs to scream his innocence in front of people who smile at you with their " but yes, yes. "It banging his head on the ground. It made me mad, that, but nothing else, believe me.
- What about your wife? You know she is still in hospital. You deny ever having poisoned? "He sighed and looked out the window, he seemed to see something funny, he suddenly coughed before confessing:
" No I do not deny it more, I liked the poison. But! ... But I had to.
- How?
- It was not my wife ...
- Explain.
- Well, that's why I'm telling you from the beginning. It was about a month ago, my wife was gone a week at his mother's funeral Brittany, I could not follow it because of my work and anyway I never loved his mother. Only when she returned from her trip, this was not the same. I'm not saying that it had changed in any way, physically it was the same, yet I felt a subtle change. I can not say with words. At first I thought she was depressed because of the death of his mother and that's what I thought was different. But that feeling never left me without realizing it I began to observe more and spent more days his behavior was strange, unusual. The first thing I noticed was that his moles were no longer in the same place, it is true that it is something that we do not really care but it seemed suddenly obvious. And then there was her hair that were longer by at least two inches, do not tell me that in one week all the hair grows, it is impossible. It was for the physical features but also his habits differed slightly. She was prone to sleeplessness and rose at night while she had always slept like a dormouse. One day I found rummaging through my things, she said she was looking for pictures of his mother but I Vintage anything. Another night she snuggled against me, I had cringed, though I had never refused to intimate moments with my wife, on the contrary even, but then I felt his warm skin and it disgusts me, I do longer loved her and it was awful. I left a woman, my wife, I loved to madness and a week later I found this ... thing. Gradually I understood. It was no longer my wife. I think that during his trip to Britain has been killed and a double took his place.
- But why would we do that?
- I do not know, to do me wrong, I kill my turn maybe? After all the doctor said I was addict, she has to take me from this dirty ugly witch. You understand now, you understand that I had to get rid of, it could not continue, that this decay should die. "Despite the bonds that hindered, he took my arm and squeezed it between his fingers bone. "She is still alive, you need to do something, it will hurt me when he awoke to take revenge, she or another double, you must help me, put me in jail if necessary . Oh yes send me to jail, she can not reach me. "He continued to twist my arm, repeating insults, I called the nurses to the calm. He fell asleep and I left in shock, the doctor noticed it and took me aside.
"Inspector do not be disturbed by his ravings, patients with these disorders can be very persuasive, even puisqu'eux believe firmly that it is reality, even if they admit it's strange . This man is seriously ill, it is obvious that his place is in a psychiatric hospital and not in prison, I hope you will agree. " Of course I agree, but my superiors once more that Cypress did not deny poisoning wanted to send him to prison. The case was closed quickly, but at trial, with the help of the doctor and his lawyer, I fought for that Cypress is not interned and imprisoned. Obviously it was a prison for another one but it would be neat. We had won. Unfortunately a week later, George died of neurological disease which had caused his acts of insanity. The news overwhelmed me one time and then I learned that Ms. Cypress was, she finally left the hospital. I had an irrepressible desire to meet her. I went ringing home and found her talking with a friend. Although she had twice my age I found it very beautiful. I apologized for disturbing them and introduced myself. Her friend sighed, "How abominable story for my poor Madeleine she lost her mother and now it's time for her husband gone totally insane, a man so nice yet ... And say that accused him of being a double, it's awful is not it? Her own husband, the person you love most in the world that no longer recognize you, treating you like a stranger ... "Madeleine continued sobs in his voice
" He had not realized I was devastated of grief by the death of my mother, I do not sleep any more. You know I could not go see him once before his death? Anyway if it was to look at me with empty eyes of love it was better not. "Her friend left us and we continued to talk about everything and nothing away by a strange complicity emerging. Night fell without you noticing. Upon leaving, she kissed me tenderly on the cheek as if this was natural.
"I hope with all my heart that your pain subsides, I said
- Thank you Philippe, I know you did everything that my husband is not sent to prison. Thank you very much."
I do not review more she tried to join one day but I do not know why I preferred to get away from it as possible and in this case.
I could stop the story here, perhaps the same should I, but for the sake of honesty and because I simply need that's what happened there that two weeks.
I forgot about this story or this woman and I retired some years ago, I began to sink in "Happy Days" in my little house with my two dogs. Nothing extravagant or exciting for a long time in my life. And then I received this letter, signed Mr. Cypress, she asked me to come to his bedside as quickly as possible. Curiosity overcame me and I went to a retirement home which was strangely not very far from home. I had some pains to acknowledge lying in bed, old and almost dead. But his eyes ... his eyes were always so beautiful. She drove her nurse and took my hand. I remember every word, my heart is who gets carried away. Her voice was broken.
"Philip, I have long wanted to see you again ... and now I'm dead soon, I know a few more weeks, no doubt. I have suffered all my life. I'll die alone. I could call you. Please do not judge me and forgive me. You remember the story that made us know a day? George ... "I could never forget one time. Maybe was really sick, probably yes since he is dead. ... But he was right but I've never been his wife. My name is not Madeleine but Mary. Madeleine was my twin sister. We were separated at birth, times were hard and our parents could not meet the needs of two children, they sold me. My new parents were very wealthy but believers, I was raised hard without love where punishments were daily. When I fell in love with a black boy they chased me away from home, telling me also that they were not my real parents and I had a sister somewhere. I grew up alone in imagining that my real family was swimming in happiness, I hated them but the more I hated them, the more I wanted to feel that. I was afraid of Hell. And one day I learned of the death of my mother, my biological mother. I made the journey to Britain. There I met my sister. When she returned alone to the cemetery before I planted it I do not know what I expected. She looked at me with round eyes, I felt like watching a mirror that distorted my tears. She said, "but who are you?". I started screaming because I did not know what to say. I was nobody. So I knocked down and buried with our mother. I decided to take his place. I thought nothing would notice and I am finally happy that I Finally life deserved. But her husband seemed to feel something, I tried to vaguely stoned that he forgets or dies at the worst, I was almost more like this ... And then you know it. It was he who poisoned me but by a twist of fate I survived. Punishment, no doubt. I wanted to tell you before. Of course all this is vile, I'm sure you said the same thing. Hell is here I feel the flames bite my feet. It awaits me. Maybe you'll forgive me if I told you I could never sleep in peace and I've never been happy, except perhaps the day we met ...".
I kissed on the cheek and claimed to forgive him. Obviously it was not for me to say that I, who had been a witness, but I would have said anything to that woman is, not even a little calmer. I am of course not an absolute certainty that all this is true but I'll let one judge.
