BY REASON OF INSANITY by Edward L. Woodyard

By Reason of Insanity Chapter Seventeen

I made it in time for my first appointment of the afternoon. It was with Duke Grissom. Like a parent was not supposed to have a favorite child, I was not supposed to have any favorite patients; however, if I could so accommodate myself, it would've been Duke. For someone who was adored by millions and was fodder for tabloid journalism, he had an unassuming ease about him that was heartfelt and genuine. He didn't use charm to persuade and cajole since he, knowingly or not, presumed that he lacked such requisite allure. I knew well from my practice that once charm had a purpose or motive behind it, it no longer existed, usually disappearing into a selfish web of enticement, narcissism, manipulation and personal avarice.

I had Duke wait two minutes so that I could get myself something to drink and to get myself relaxed and settled before dealing with him.

Duke seemed jumpier and twitchier than usual. He was clutching his eFone which was pinging constantly with calls and text messages, all of which he chose to disregard. He did smile at me when I entered the small waiting room. He was dressed conservatively that day, featuring an open black leather fringe vest that framed his extensive upper body tattoos which stopped at his neck and wrists. He wore silver high-top sneakers and red-and-blue striped bellbottoms. His streaked blond hair was pulled back into a man bun, but he hadn't shaved in a while. He was letting gray hair sprout on his chin, reminding me of an aging Rottweiler. He was one of the sweetest guys I had ever known and I cared about him very much. He was also modestly worth $200 million.

"I'll be right with you, Duke. I apologize."

"Take your time, Adam," he said, but his nervousness indicated that he didn't really mean it.