Detective Falls

“Missing women?” he asked as he raised an eyebrow.

I nodded, looking around his apartment casually to see if anything seemed amiss. The first of the women to go missing had been living two floors down and another had worked in the same office building as he had his practice. That was circumstantial, not even enough to get a warrant to search his place but I was hoping that he might give up a little more through direct questioning. That’s why I’d come alone, this was a long shot and I didn’t want my partner’s disapproving looks.

“Four actually, one from this building and one from near your office,” I said and pretending to check my notes, “Near your hypnotherapy office.”

He did not seem surprised, but did not seem to be giving anything away, “Well maybe they just forgot where they lived.”

“Four women just forgot where they lived and haven’t come home in two weeks?” I asked, incredulous at the suggestion.

He nodded, looking me in the eye. Guilty people tended to avoid eye contact, but his was intense, as if he were trying to see right into my soul. It was a bit unnerving.

“The human mind is very tricky. You can be thinking of something very hard, focusing so hard on it and yet it just slips your mind and the more you try to think of it the more it just slips your mind. Like right now officer your name is gone, every time you try to think of it or say it you just find it slips away,” he said.

“Right, but the women,” I said, trying to get back on topic.

“What did you say your name was again officer?” he asked.

I blinked, surprised to be asked, “I’m officer…”

I shook my head, breaking eye contact as I tried to find my name. It seemed odd to say that it was just, not there. I looked back at him and tried again, “I’m… my name is…”

He nodded, “Isn’t that interesting, you seemed so confident and yet your name is gone. Now as we talk you realize that your name is Doll, and that’s always been your name.”

“Doll, I’m Officer Doll,” I said glad to have remembered my name, forgetting it made me look weak in front of the suspect.

“Good Doll, and now you feel much better that I told you your name don’t you?”

“Yes,” I agreed.

“Doll you look tired, your eyes are tired, you look like you’re just letting go of your thoughts now. As easy as your name floated away so does everything in your head, why you came, who you are, what you want. Just floats away, away, why are you hear Doll?” 

I blinked, everything seemed farther away than before. As much as I tried to think of what I was doing in this strange apartment it just slipped away. “I dunno,” I mumbled.

“I’m a hypnotist Doll, you must be here to be hypnotized,” he said.

I nodded, my speech slurring slightly “Yeah, hynpnotizeded.”

“Come to the couch and we’ll watch a video, something to tell you know exactly why you’re here,” he said.

I kissed Master as I rolled out of his bed, “I have to go back to work Master.”

“Good Girl Doll. Keep me informed about the investigation,” he said.

I shivered, glad to be his toy and happy to obey, “Yes master.”