The Case of Lisandra P. by Hélène Grémillon

me.”
    â€œBecause he came to you? But you should have spat in his face, you should have kicked him out of your office, literally, smashed his face in, that’s all he deserves. And then you saw me, after that? As if it were no big deal. And you tried to comfort me for Stella’s disappearance, even though only a few minutes earlier, you might have been comforting her murderer.”
    â€œEvery patient is a unique human being, independent of my other patients. They come to me with their problems and I try tohelp them; it’s my job. He worked for the ESMA, * that’s all I know. No sooner did we bring it up than the subject was closed.”
    â€œThe Navy School of Mechanics—they were the worst.”
    Vittorio waves his hand in space.
    â€œThe worst was everywhere in those days, and you know that very well. In any case, Felipe didn’t tell me any more about his work back then than he does now.”
    Eva Maria seems even more upset.
    â€œâ€˜His work back then’—I don’t understand. How long have you been seeing him?”
    â€œThere’s no point counting the years, but yes, I was already seeing him . . . back then . . . if that’s what you want to know.”
    Eva Maria leaps to her feet. She shouts.
    â€œYou’re just like them!”
    The guard moves closer to her.
    â€œIf you don’t calm down, señora, I will have to interrupt your visit.”
    Eva Maria sits back down. The guard moves away. Eva Maria collapses.
    â€œBy helping that butcher, you were part of their murderous system! And how many others did you see?”
    Vittorio leans closer.
    â€œWhat did you think? That Felipe came to see me to ask me to help him kill? Don’t be grotesque. His only problems were always his childhood, his brother, and his wife. Let me repeat, he never spoke to me about his work.”
    â€œThis man doesn’t come to see you because he has a bad conscience about torturing and killing but because things are not going well with his wife—and that butcher, that piece of shit, has found someone he can talk to, and that someone is you! My daughter was killed by a guy like him—he may even be the one who killed her—and you want me to accept the fact that you are his shrink?”
    â€œWho knows whether Felipe might not have done even more harm if I hadn’t been seeing him? I’ve always hoped to change him, but not by attacking him head-on about the things that seem as unacceptable to me as they do to you. One time I did try to open his eyes, but the conversation quickly turned ugly. He went into an icy rage; his rationale was as solid as a rock; his convictions were unshakable; he said he was acting for ‘national security,’ that the communists and all the
subversive elements
were dangerous—he had to prevent them from causing harm, he had to neutralize them. Felipe believes that it is thanks to these methods that he got the job done. He has no remorse. He gives orders and takes them, no qualms; all that matters is success. After all these years, I have figured out what makes him tick. I told myself that if I managed to help him deal with his childhood trauma, I would help the man he had become. I was under the impression that I had some sort of control over him, but I was wrong, completely wrong. I could never have imagined he would do such a thing. Why didn’t I see the connection earlier? It seems so obvious to me now. But I didn’t see a thing, I didn’t suspect a thing. I had to be in prison to understand.”
    Eva Maria sits up straight.
    â€œUnderstand what?”
    â€œI can’t say for sure, but everything points in that direction. It’s a known fact that they were reserved for officers.”
    â€œWhat are you talking about?”
    â€œThe child. His little boy. He wasn’t adopted. He’s a stolen child.”
    Eva Maria stifles a cry. Vittorio stares into