Abacus

I could imagine that would be the case.”
    “What about the actual slaying?” Randall asked.
    “It’s important to make a statement when killing. In this instance the head has been chopped off, so the perpetrator has really made a strong one. The statement being, ‘I’m a fucking lunatic.’ So by taking those preparatory steps and killing with a little madness in mind, it could almost be the perfect crime.”
    “Wow, you have really put some thought into this, haven’t you?”
    “Sure have.”
    “Not a committed Christian’s way, though,” he said without expression.
    “Just hypothetical , boss. I’m a detective, so I’m expected to get inside the mind of those we pursue.”
    “You devil dodgers have always g ot a bloody excuse, haven’t you?”
    * * *
    Before long, the detectives found themselves in the reception of the Royal Prince Alfred Hospital Psychiatric Ward. Randall flicked open his police identification to the young female receptionist. “Could we speak with Nurse Florence, please, she is expecting us.”
    “Sure, won’t be a moment,” she said, picking up the phone to call the ward.
    Randall looked through the thick glass doors into the ward and saw a number of patients in their pyjamas walking aimlessly from one side of the room to the other. He looked at his watch and saw it was eleven A.M. “Poor bastards,” he whispered. “Imagine being locked up in there.”
    The ward was full of patients walking back and forth with no real purpose. “Did you ever see One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest ?” Hobbs asked, smiling and nodding at the young receptionist.
    “Yeah, go od movie,” Randall said eagerly. “But it turned out pretty nasty for Jack in the end.” He made a chopping motion with his hand across the top of his head.
    “Yeah , it was a feel good movie, you know, Jack organizing a day trip on the boat with the patients, teaching the big chief to play basketball and all that, then they had to go ahead and give him a full frontal lobotomy. The movie sort of lost its way after that.”
    Randall sat there for a minute and recounted the demise of Jack Nicholson in the movie, when he felt the presence of someone at the glass door. Looking up, he saw a stunning nurse swiping her card in the door to open it.
    As t he doors opened, he was hit with a horrible smell. It was a combination of disinfectant, bedpans and the musty smell of body odour. He quickly put the smell aside and focused his attention on the lovely vision before him. Nurse Florence was captivating. She had dark, long hair, which was tied up into a bun. The nurse’s uniform completed the picture as it hugged her slim body and left very little to Randall’s imagination. It was difficult to guess her age, she could have been anywhere between thirty to forty-five years, but was very well preserved. A chain hung around her neck with her security swipe card attached. The card dangled delicately between her two pert round breasts.
    “Don’t bother , big fella, this one’s sergeant’s material,” he mumbled out the side of his mouth.
    Nurse Florence extended her right hand and greeted the men with a warm, welcoming smile. “Hi, I’m Helen.”
    Hobbs shook her ha nd. “Hi, I’m Detective Lee Hobbs and this is Detective Sergeant Bob Randall. We are from Ashfield Police.”
    Randall reached out and shook her hand; her skin was soft and her handshake firm. Her sweet perfume momentarily masked the hospital smell. Randall smiled, “Pleasure, Helen, pleasure,” he said turning on the charm.
    Nurse F lorence smiled in kind. “Thanks for coming, guys. Come through.”
    Randall was lost in the moment and was stunned by the colour of her big bright eyes, which were a sexy steel grey colour. As they follo wed her into the ward, Randall quickly peeked at her ring finger and saw that it was without adornment. Something’s up . What’s the catch? Maybe spending all this time with the loonies has made her one, he thought . Randall always looked for a flaw or a catch; it was just in his nature to view things suspiciously. Seeing Randall was occupied, Hobbs took the opportunity to shuffle into pole position right behind the nurse.
    Randall felt a little uneasy as he trailed behind into the ward. Psych wards did that to him. To him, the wards contained a population of humans with broken minds. Minds with the potential to injure, maim or kill. Over the years, he had seen this scenario play out a number of times.
    His thoughts