The Invisible Strings

3. Claire's Mental State

Caroline is outside, waiting with Philippe, trying to calm him down while some people work on handling the situation. It's been 5 minutes since her seizures.
"What is happening?" Philippe asks with worry but still in a calm manner.
"She is having a seizure. They will manage it," she reassures him.
They place her on the table, hoping to calm the seizures by loosening up her clothing and allowing her to have open air.
The seizure doesn't stop; instead, it escalates to its climax in the ictal phase. She finally loses consciousness, her muscles rigid as rocks, her stares empty.
At this critical point, they decide to rush her to the nearest hospital for urgent medical treatment.
Just as she tries to assure him, they rush out of the room to head to the hospital. In a split moment, Detective Gagnon's car arrives.
Meanwhile Philippe follows them from behind. They rush Claire into emergency, and the rest takes several hours for Claire to gain consciousness.
"What's going on?" Detective Gagnon asks Caroline, who is standing in front of the interrogation room.
"Seizures during a psychological assessment... a very nasty one," she explains. "They've taken her to the hospital. She is mentally and physically unstable. It will take a while until she recovers." With that, she vanishes, leaving Detective Gagnon in confusion.
***
Detective Gagnon sits at his desk, photos of the crime scenes and notes from previous interviews are all scatters on his working space.
With a furrowed brow, he carefully studies each image. He begins to brainstorm, listing all the possible witnesses he needs to interrogate to connect the dots.
"Alright," he mutters to himself, pen poised over a fresh sheet of paper. "First, Léa Bergeron, the one who made 911 call and discovered the crime scene."
He scribbles Lea's name down on the list before continuing. "Next, Philippe, Claire's current partner. He arrives at the scene shortly after the incident and could provide insight into Claire's love life."
Shaking his head, Detective Gagnon refocuses his attention on the task at hand. "Then her psychologist who might have known her mental state, and last to follow up with the victim's family." He mutters.
Suddenly, a woman in her 40s enters his office. She introduces herself as Lyne Savoie, the victim's daughter.
She has come to identify her father's corpse. Detective Gagnon then asks an officer to lead her into the morgue.
A medical examiner, clad in scrubs and gloves, is standing at the far end of the room.
He approaches Lyne with a gentle demeanor offering words of condolence and guidance before confronting the pain reality.
Lyne steps into the dimly lit morgue. The examiner draws back the sheet of the table in front of them, revealing the still form of her father. Jacques Savoie now lay still and frozen in a moment of eternal repose.
Lyne's hands fly to her mouth in a futile attempt to stifle a sob, tears streaming down her cheeks. The sight of her father's lifeless form fills her with an overwhelming sense of anguish.
An officer offering a chair for her to sit his voice breaks through the haze of Lyne's grief, "Miss Savoie, I need to ask you formally: Do you recognize the body as your father, Jacques Savoie?"
Lyne nods numbly, she has no strength to respond. "Yes," she chokes out and sobbing. "Yes, it's my father."
Lyne's eyes are red-rimmed and swollen from hours of tears and an overwhelming grief. There she stays for half of an hour calming herself.
With a gentle touch on her shoulder, the officer asks, "Are you ready, Miss Savoie?"
Lyne nods silently as the officer leads her to a small room at the end of the hallway.
She enters the investigation room, where both detectives are already waiting for her. As Lyne takes a shaky sip of hot water, both detectives sit beside her.
"Miss Savoie, my condolences for your lost," detective Gagnon says with empathy. "We'll do everything in our power to find justice for your father."
"Thank you, Detective," she murmurs.
Detective Gagnon begins by explaining the circumstances surrounding the discovery of the deceased's body. "We need to go over what happened on the day your father was found."
"I'm ready," she says with determination.
Detective Gagnon continues, recounting how Léa, the house cleaner, stumbled upon Jacques's body yesterday morning, and she called 911 immediately.
Detective Gagnon continues, his tone carefully neutral. "And Claire LeBlanc has been considered a potential suspect in your father's case."
Lyne's heart sinks at the mention of Claire's name, "Claire?" Lyne replies evenly. "They had a big problem, but as a suspect. I can't believe it is detective." she says in disbelief.
"What was the problem?" Detective Côté follows up the question.
"Claire and her daughter are sly ones. They are famous for being gold diggers, as they only seem to chase after my father's money," she explains. "He kicked her out of the house several months ago," she recalls the memories of the financial support her father had given to Valerie, Claire's daughter.
Lyne provides insight into a possible motive for the case: money and inheritance. She then leaves, and they assure her that they will be in contact. The next time they have progress on the suspect, they will update her accordingly.
***
Detective Gagnon hands a piece of paper to Detective Côté. "Kim, here is the list of the witnesses."
"Gotcha," she responds, taking the paper as she sits on the corner of his desk and starts reading it. "Her psychologist, can we reach him?"
"He's out of the country," Detective Gagnon says, lighting up a cigarette. "But as previously scheduled, we can contact him via video conference or phone."
"Great," she says, checking the schedule. "Is it supposed to be scheduled for today?
"Yes, at 1 pm."
"Okay, I'll grab something to eat," she says, putting the list back on the table and rushing off for lunch. "See you at 1 pm."
***
Detective Gagnon and Detective Côté sit facing a large monitor mounted on the wall in the office. The monitor displays the face of Luc Tremblay, Claire's psychologist.
His image is slightly pixelated due to the video transmission. He sits in a well-lit hotel room on the other side of the world, wearing thin clothing, with a serious and attentive expression.
"Dr. Tremblay, thank you for taking the time with us today. I am Detective Gagnon and my partner Detective Cote. Let's start with the nature of your relationship with Claire LeBlanc," Detective Gagnon asks.
"Of course, Detective. I've been Claire's psychiatrist for nearly two decades now. Our relationship is strictly professional, but I've come to know her quite well over the years," he explains in an easy-going gesture.
"You've been an integral part of Claire's support system for some time. Can you shed some light on her mental state in general and leading up to the incident?"
Dr. Tremblay sighs, "Claire has been struggling with mental illness for years. She came from a very abusive household, which clearly affected her life in general." He explains in compassionate tone. "As to be expected with any chronic illness, she has her ups and downs. In the weeks prior to the incident, she seemed to be doing relatively well."
"Can you provide any insights into her relationship with Mr. Savoie?" Detective Côté adds.
"Their relationship was complicated, to say the least it involved domestic violence. She claimed that he was a narcissistic partner. They had their fair share of disagreements and conflicts. He was toxic mentally and physically, which undoubtedly took a toll on her emotional well-being. The climax was when Jacques kicked her out of his house."
"Can you recall any recent changes in Claire's behavior?" Detective Gagnon takes a note attentively.
"Claire is not immune to stress; she has a high level of anxiety and low self-esteem. While she's generally quite stable, there have been times when she's struggled with her health more than usual," his tone is empathetic.
"We noticed something unusual with her medical report. It is stated that she has quite long medical history," Detective Côté asks curiously.
"She complains a lot about headaches. This is due to her brain injury long time ago. In general, she is not a happy or healthy woman."
"Did Claire express any concerns or issues during your sessions that may have indicated she was struggling?"
"Our sessions were focused on maintaining her stability and addressing any challenges that arose in her personal life. Despite her ongoing battle with bipolar disorder and post-traumatic stress disorder, she had been managing her symptoms effectively with medication and therapy."
"How did it look like her period of psychosis? Is she someone who can do harm to others?" Detective Gagnon emphasizes this important point.
"I need to check my records to ensure all the information I provide is accurate. So far, there haven't been any major episodes of psychosis documented during my session." He answers in a profesional manner.
"Please note that she can experience sudden shifts in mood. That is saying it might begin with increased anxiety, agitation, and confusion, escalating into a manic or depressive state. During these episodes, she might recall traumatic past events and manifest them into hallucinations."
"Understand." Both detectives nod.
"However, I found notes from her previous psychologist indicating that she was delusional during her postpartum depression. So far, I haven't noticed any tendency for Claire to harm others. She leans more toward self-harm." He adds more statements.
"Has she ever attempted or thought of suicide?" Detective Côté asks.
"Claire is usually quite open about her feelings and concerns, but she didn't mention anything specific that would suggest she was in distress. She might experience an internal commotion that she didn't verbalize."
"Thank you for your insights, Dr. Tremblay." Detective Gagnon ends the interrogation while looking at Detective Côté for her approval.
"My pleasure, Detective. If you need anything, please don't hesitate." Luc Tremblay ends the video conference with a steady smile and sense of reassurance.
As the interrogation draws to a close, the detectives exchange a nod of satisfaction. The video conference gave them many valuable information.
***
Claire finally opens her eyes, and she finds herself standing in the center of a desolate landscape.
Towering cliffs surround her, casting long, ominous shadows that follows her.
The sky above is a deep shade of black, devoid of stars or moonlight, intensifying the sense of isolation and despair.
The ground beneath her feet feels icy and harsh, like toothed rocks scraping against her skin with every step she takes.
Each movement is met with resistance, as if the very earth rejects her presence.
The air is thick with a suffocating sense of dread, as if something malevolent is lurking just beyond the edge of her vision.
Engulfed in darkness, a suffocating veil threatening to swallow her whole. The shadow creeps closer, she tries to scream.
She wants to flee from the encroaching darkness, but her voice is trapped in her throat, suffocated by fear.
Wandering through this bleak landscape, Claire encounters scenes from her past trauma playing out before her eyes like distorted reflections in a shattered mirror.
She sees herself making choices that she now regrets, moments of weakness and betrayal that have left deep scars on her soul.
In the distance, Claire hears footsteps drawing near, slow and steady. Panic fills her as she realizes she's not alone in this nightmare, that the darkness she's facing is approaching mercilessly.
The footsteps draw nearer, Claire's fear reaches its peak, and she feels an urge to flee, to escape this nightmarish prison of her own making.
But no matter how fast she runs, she cannot outrun the guilt, pain, and fear that haunt her every step.
Nine hours after her admission to the hospital, Claire remains unconscious.
At 9:17 pm the alarms from the oximeter monitor are alerting the medical staff to the severity of Claire's condition.
As Claire's soul traverses the window of her conscious mind, her body continues to endure nocturnal seizures.
The nurse administers medication intravenously, hoping it will calm her seizures.
Unfortunately, the episode of seizures intensifies. Claire experiences severe spasms in her chest muscles, leading to a sudden cessation of breathing, and so does her vital monitor discontinues.