I followed the orderly silently up to the chief quack's office.

"Ahh ! Come in Angelica.. ".

The room smelt of stale tobacco and that aniseedy smell that you cannot recognize but you know it from a doctor or dentists' waiting room.

Doctor Zimmerman smiled at me, his stained teeth broke the brush of gray beard on his face. "Sit down Angelica".

"Now how have you been ?"

"All right thank you Doctor Zimmerman".

"Please, call me Peter, we're all friends here. "

"I see you've been off your medication for some weeks now, any problems ?"

"no sir"

"no more evil voices inside your head telling you what to do ?"

"no sir"

-"good, good. I see your behavior has improved dramatically these last few months and I feel there is a good case for returning you to the community"

He leant over the desk and placed his sweaty hand on mine, I resisted the impulse to snatch up the glass paperweight and smash his skull in.

"And so the medical board have agreed that you be released on condition that you do not have contact with any of your former victims or their families, and that you stay in touch with your psychiatrist Dr Manson. -Good luck !"...

...The sound of the heavy metal gates closing behind me signaled the return of my freedom.

"Told you they'd fall for it ! " the voices gloated

"Yeah, Suckers ! " I replied.

"... And now they're gonna pay".