Misunderstood

Sam Cowley is an extremely nervous man, and he prefers his own company. Although level-headed, especially when money was concerned, he made the choice not to get married. He knew all too well how expensive women could be. He watched his brother and his wife argue over money. There was never enough; Mark gambled, and she loved shopping sprees. His fear of being deprived of his little intricacies frightened him. Sam needed to know he could have what he liked, whenever he wanted. Unlike Sam’s twin brother, Mark, who was the total opposite. Mark was loud and obnoxious and could have any woman he wanted. Mark was a loose cannon with everything he did. Sam and Mark, who are fraternal twins, shared the same hair and eye colours: blond hair and hazel eyes, and nothing more. One day, Mark shows up unannounced, in a rather agitated state, asking Sam for help. He needed a large sum of money to pay a gambling debt. Mark never could hold down a steady job either. He preferred to play as a high roller, always believing he would make it big someday.

Unbeknownst to Sam, Mark had solicited a rogue policeman to kill his wife because Mark found her cheating, and he had also become bored with her. She is always telling him what to do and what not to do, and why isn’t there enough money, and so on. As far as Mark was concerned, she must go. Sam Cowley is a 40-year-old accountant who was wrongly accused of killing his brother’s wife. Listening to the court proceedings, Sam had realized that his fraternal brother, his close sibling, had set him up. He wonders how to proceed in clearing his name, but where to begin. He had no idea. Mark had asked for a large loan, but Sam refused him this time. Mark was furious, furious enough to kill or at least get rid of Sam somehow. So, Mark framed Sam by leaving a note for the rogue policeman in Sam’s apartment. The police were tipped off by an anonymous caller; hence, Sam was jailed until his hearing. On the day of Sam’s hearing, the psychologist who spoke to Sam had taken the stand. Dr. Canon had been asked by the lawyer about Sam’s mental state. Dr. Canon’s reply was, “Sam appears to be of sound mind and body, but he does display a certain amount of nervousness. I perceive him to be very much a loner, and because of his antisocial tendencies, I advise that he be sent to the prison’s mental institution for a while for evaluation. Sam Cowley could be showing or experiencing jealousy towards his brother for marrying. A fear of being replaced.”

The psychiatric hospital that Sam was sent to is separate from the prison, but still on prison grounds. The two were separated because of a previous incident. About 5 years ago, a maximum-security prisoner got into the psych ward and raped and strangled a woman receiving psychiatric care. So, to keep patients safe, the two institutions were separated, which has turned out pretty well. After the hearing, Dr. Canon remained Sam’s treating physician at the hospital. Sam was placed on a strong antidepressant, which alternatively altered his memory. After 6 months of medication, Sam Cowley seemed to be pulling through when the doctor suggested that Sam stay on the hospital grounds and live in their newly developed housing scheme.

Around the perimeter of the psychiatric institution and prison, a 20-foot wall with high voltage runs through an electric fence that keeps inmates inside the compound. At the back of the compound, it is surrounded by large woods, and in front of the buildings are large fenced-off open grounds for prisoners to exercise and for fresh air. The first building in the compound is the psychiatric hospital. Then, the actual prison where most of the inmates were murderers is towards the back of the compound. Between these two buildings lay a vast vegetable garden where the hospital inmates worked during the day. This garden is utilized as a feeding scheme for the prisoners and used as a daily exercise routine, as well. The housing project is located near the woods behind the hospital. Because it is only in the experimental phase, there are only 10 small houses. Each house has one bedroom with an ensuite bathroom, a kitchen, and a living room. Only half of the 10 houses are occupied by a patient who has shown an improvement. This housing program was set up to ensure that the patients had the capacity to live an almost ordinary life for at least a year. Then, possible parole would be considered if they succeeded. The program is used to try to rehabilitate patients to become model citizens once again. After being in the hospital for a year or so, Sam was placed in the housing program. About a month went by without any hitches, and Sam was feeling good about himself. He had resigned himself to the fact that a mix-up between himself and his brother had taken place, but on the other hand, this problem had given him a deeper insight into life. He felt more assured within himself. He had wondered if this had been what he needed to get back into a positive and more outgoing personality.

Sam fell asleep in front of the TV for the third night in a row. He had been watching a true-life detective series of unsolved cases. This particular case involved a savage killer who escaped from a maximum-security prison. The FBI announced that the killer held refugees hostage in an undisclosed location, and when he did not get his allotted money from the government, he bombed those poor souls. The FBI, with the help of the police, hunted him for 5 years, but the clues eventually ran dry. The killer was never found, and the case went cold. The rain was pelting down when a clack, clack, clack pounding on the window woke Sam. He checked his alarm clock, and it read 3 am. Thinking it was just raindrops tapping on the window, he pulled a throw blanket over himself and closed his eyes. Clack, Clack, Clack, there it was again. This time, he rolled off the couch, and in two strides, he reached the window and peered through. Sam drew in a sharp breath, and panic struck. Sam peered through the window again, and this time, the figure beckoned to him. Sam shook his head. The figure insisted. Sam reluctantly obliged. He opened the front door, walked out onto the porch, and stepped into the icy rain. The tall figure dressed in a black raincoat, his hair smeared flat with water, leered at Sam. Sam shivered slightly, and not from the icy rain. The figure's eyes were black as the night, his nose hooked like a vulture's beak, and his evil grin showed blackened teeth with a few missing, and those teeth that remained were crooked. The man seemed to glide towards Sam as if he were a ghost. The man bent closer to Sam’s face and whispered, “I seek refuge.” His breath stank of a mix of stale smoke and coffee. Sam tried to turn his head away, but the man pulled him closer and said, “I seek refuge.” “I can’t give you refuge. I don’t want to be involved with you. Please leave.” Said Sam bravely. In a flash, the glint of a razor-sharp blade shone in the moonlight, aimed straight at Sam’s throat. Sam felt the cold blade against his skin, digging in. He felt the tip edge its way in, and blood oozed out, dripping down his neck. The man was so close that Sam watched the raindrops gently drop from the end of his hooked nose and disappear. Sam gave in to spare his life and ushered the man inside. “Was that so bad?” He sneered, “And where’s the fire?” Sam prodded the dying flames with a poker and added more logs, giving the fire life once more. As the fire warmed the cold living room, the dark figure asked, “Do you know who I am?” Sam turned to him, watching the man seat himself in a comfy high-backed chair. Sam shook his head. The man grinned and said, “Good. I like it that way. Now, I want food!” Sam prepared a roast beef sandwich and gave it to him. The man devoured it. “Whiskey!” Sam poured a double and gave it to him. In one gulp, the fiery liquid disappeared. The man leaned back and closed his eyes. The firewater he drank warmed him from the inside, and the fire in the grate warmed him on the outside. He slowly relaxed, and a slight snore reverberated from his nose. Sam moved towards his cell phone, which lay on the side table near the man. He bent to pick it up, and a filthy hand shot out and picked up the phone, and he slid the device into his pocket. The snore reverberated once again. Sam stood for almost an hour, and eventually his aching legs and back forced him to sit down. He chose an uncomfortable chair so he could stay awake and watch. The man slept for a few hours, and by 6.30 am, he rose and demanded food and coffee. By morning, the rain had subsided to a mere drizzle. The man returned Sam’s cell phone minus the SIM card. Sam watched him snap the card in two. With his stomach full and his bladder emptied. The man bid his host adieu and disappeared without a trace.

Sam woke with a start, relinquishing the fact that it was only a dream. With bleary eyes, Sam noticed a dark figure sitting in a high-backed armchair watching him. His nightmare is back. Sam pinched himself. This is real. Sam reached for his phone and dialed the prison’s emergency number. An operator answered, “What is your emergency?” This emergency number was put in place for prisoners in this special program to phone in case they felt overwhelmed or needed emergency medical help. “This is Sam Cowley. I have a killer in my house. Please come quickly.” The operator asked, “Are you harmed, sir?” “No. Just hurry,” came the reply. In no time, two prison guard cars screeched to a halt outside Sam’s house. The officers banged down the door and rushed inside to find Sam waiting in the living room. “Sam, are you alright?” Sam nodded and pointed toward the dark figure. The guards turned to look where Sam was pointing, still holding their weapons at the ready. The elderly man stood up and stretched. He introduced himself. “I am Dr. Drew Winters. I am Sam’s psychiatrist. He phoned me last night in a panic that someone was outside. I searched the area but found nothing, so I stayed the night. The guards lowered their guns. Dr. Winters said to Sam. “I warned you not to watch bad movies. This is what happens.” Sam stood rooted to the ground in surprise. Dr. Winters said to the guards, “It appears I need to re-evaluate Sam’s mental state once more and keep him in the hospital for a short time. I am sorry for the false alarm, officers.” The guards nodded. Sam pulled back, “No officers, please stay. There is nothing wrong with my mental state. I don’t know this person. This person isn’t my psychiatrist. Dr. Canon is my psychiatrist.” “Dr. Canon has passed Sam onto me as a patient, believing that a fresh mind could assist Sam better.” Sam had begun to trust Dr. Canon. Why would he want to change now? A guard warned Sam, “If this ever happens again. We will throw you in the main jail for good. We will let those inmates deal with you.” The guards left. Wasting no more time, Dr. Winters rushed forward, pulling his knife from his jacket sleeve, stabbing Sam in his heart. Sam died instantly. Sam was misunderstood.

The rogue policeman, alas, Dr. Drew Winters, was sent by his brother. Mark accidentally found out he was to inherit his brother's fortune upon Sam’s death. He wondered how to dispose of Sam, and then the thought struck him.

While Sam is in the hospital, Mark broke into Sam’s apartment to scrounge for more money. When he came across a container holding important papers, including Sam’s will, of course. He read through the document and realized his brother was leaving him everything, which meant money, which amounted to R3 million, so far. Sam Cowley had to be silenced for good.

The End.