Why Not Murder

51. Co-Confession

51. Co-Confession

In her desire to escape from the fog of depression that was threatening her, Winnie made other changes in their lives. She drew up a plan for the grounds. Large areas of what were lawns would become vegetable gardens with fences around them to protect the plants from the dogs running over them. The support posts would be wood but otherwise chicken wire was used so that the sunlight would shine in freely. Chicken wire was also draped over the top to keep out squirrels and other animals that may want to nibble the produce. The greenhouse was extended and more were built. Conrad and Jim did the building and digging. Dog created the heating and water irrigation systems.

Together with Winnie's approval and advice, Cook started a small bread making business. Harriet set up the website where people from the town would place their orders for at least one day in advance. Harriet delivered the bread on bicycle accompanied by her butterfly drone. Winnie was happy with the bread business. 'Who was she really supporting with her financial portfolio anyway?' she asked herself. The investment portfolio had not been changed from what Hudson and her father had set up with their consultants. For some reason she detested the wealth managers. Winnie would briefly read over the monthly statements which meant next to nothing to her, despite that she was learning as much as she could on the subject, and concluded they were specifically designed to confuse so that the wealth managers would be needed to manage the funds. She didn't trust them. Hudson was likely providing lucrative kick-backs Winnie thought and that's what justified the lower costs to him. When she confronted the wealth managers with this, they chuckled or smirked and said she should rely on experts, given the size of her portfolio. The size though, she could clearly see, was slowly dwindling. Were the profits from the architectural business that Hudson was adding to the portfolio making the difference? In any case she had made up her mind to come up with a plan to get rid of her managers, accountants and lawyers, especially for the belittling attitude they had towards her.

When Reliable Security came to change the video cameras, Winnie fired them, so they removed their equipment. The wiring and the main switch board for security was not their property so it stayed. They regretted losing Winnie's account and inquired what her reasons were. She wouldn't give any more of an answer other than they had done plenty to prove their incompetence. They gave her no added sense of security. Dog's system was enough and the rest of the household agreed.

Winnie finally agreed to be taken to the doctor and Conrad drove her in the new vehicle, accompanied by Harriet. Details of the attack on the residence were given to the doctor who confirmed there was nothing wrong with her spine and said it was a psychosomatic condition that given treatment was curable.

"Are you saying it's all in my head?" Winnie asked.

"Trauma will do that," the doctor replied, "and the attack on your residence and being shot were highly traumatic. Recovery will require a combination of the following: sessions with a psychiatrist specializing in hypnosis, medication or in the alternative an implant."

"An implant?" Winnie asked.

"That's a tiny device that is implanted with very minor surgery into the flesh on the outside of your skull which connects wirelessly with the relevant neurons in your brain in order to restore use of the nerves required to move your legs and regain the sensation. I will set up the initial appointments with the appropriate specialists."

"I'm not going to do any of that," Winnie said.

"You prefer to remain crippled for life?" the doctor said.

"I don't accept that those are my only options," Winnie replied.

The doctor turned away from his computer screen, which he had spent more attention on than Winnie, and looked her in the eye, saying, "So you know more about this than I do?"