Chapter 11

Helmut, though he held his peace, was not quite satisfied with my answer, that much was certain. Alfred rejoined us after some lengthy interlude and addressed the problem immediately.

"Helmut, it is as I suspected. Your wife has been subjected to the most convoluted and cruel brainwashing imaginable throughout her childhood. Yet, she has shown astonishing resilience. Without that, she would not have been able to marry you, would not have allowed you to become intimate with her. This conflict, between what she felt and what had been drummed into her through all her formative years, would have destroyed her. Her manipulations, her deceptions and, yes, her accusations, however wrongful they may have been, enabled her to get as far as we are here now.

"Please, I beg of you, accept that she did not act out of a free will. She was left with no choice. She managed to survive by creating an entirely false world, drawing you and your daughters into a maelstrom you had little hope to escape. Thank God, Berthold interfered."

He held up his hands. "Yes, Helmut, I know. His methods leave lots of room for improvement. But you have to accept that he was sincere in his actions, tried to salvage what appeared to be a lost cause. Whom would you have believed in his stead? You are a tall man, powerful both mentally and physically. Karla seems to be a helpless waif, guileless by comparison. Helmut, she would have destroyed you, certainly not by choice because she loves you as well, looks up to you even. But solely because she was being driven by those dark and twisted thoughts and emotions her parents instilled into her. If you are looking for a culprit, you don't have to look any further. And yet, they in turn must have been corrupted by some sinister influence. Who knows of where and when and how and by whom? The damage has been done, we have to pick up the pieces now and put them all together again."

"Mr. Richter, I can't cope with all this. You people come here, out of nowhere. Yet you and Berthold seem to have known each other for a long time. Jake here hides behind his ignorance of my language. But give me some credit. I am not totally daft. I too can feel it when someone is shirking. The way you reacted to the doctor, and the disdainful way you treated him, proves that you must have some inroads which are closed to me. Because you are right. I too feel that he is not an honourable man, but cannot put a finger on it. Please?"

"Helmut, call me Alfred. – Berthold told you already that the treatment he gave Karla also increases awareness in people. This is, to a limited extent, mutual. The giver becomes somewhat more perceptive than the recipient. The astonishing response shown by Karla to Berthold's ways proves that she also felt, on a strictly emotional level, that he is sincere in his approach. He was, for all purposes, an outsider. He did not want to harm her, did not try to push her this way or that. Even throughout the most intimate ministrations he did not ever act towards her in any way which could have been interpreted as sexual. I believe him, because he told me. He proved immune to her attempts at manipulation. Once she accepted that, she started to turn around. – No, Helmut, please. I did not read this information from her mind. Karla told me. Dr. Theben was most upset since she did not open up to him at all. So there you have it. If you are honest with her, Karla shall be honest with you. At least she will try. For the time being, she might avoid certain areas which are too painful for her. Allow her some time, do not crowd her.

"I shall have a final talk with the good doctor. Some sort of agreement has to be reached, since I have no official status at all in this country. You, of course, have the final say. We shall not go behind your back. You can trust us on that. Shake?"

Helmut, an emotional wreck by all appearances, stuck out his hand and we all shook. Dr. Theben chose this moment to rejoin with us, much perturbed and bellicose to boot.

"Mr. Richter, I will not tolerate your presence any longer. You undermine my authority, destroy the trust I had built up with my patient and expect me to go along with your unorthodox ways of treatment. Not so. Our Medical Council will hear about this. In the meantime I insist that as of now you have no contact whatsoever with my patient. All of you.

"Helmut, you of course will be allowed access to Karla according to a schedule I will set up. Should you hinder my treatment in any way, you will be barred as well. I have the power to do so and trust me, I will. For the slightest reason. Now get out. All of you. The schedule will be send to you in a day or two. Till then, this clinic is off limits to you. Out."

Once again, Helmut showed his mettle. He walked up to the doctor, put his big paw on his shoulder once more and started to squeeze him down into his chair.