100 Ways to Solve a Murder-Chapter 92: The Calm Before the Storm III

Sometime 21 years ago.

Dr. Kevin Martin was considered an expert on Child Psychology. The 36-year-old man sat in his office, writing notes on one of his patients. He turned towards the landline on his desk when it rang, he pressed the answer button and speaker.

"Yes?" He said, knowing the call was coming from the front desk based on the number on the small screen.

"Dr. Martin, Dr. Murdoch is here to see you." Clara the receptionist informed him,

"Okay, send him in please," he said, making his final notes on the file. After finishing he closed the file and placed it back alphabetically in the drawer.

He heard a knock on his wooden door seconds after, "Come in." He said, and an older man in his 60’s walked in, with graying and thinning hair. He wore a nice blue suit and looking through his spectacles, his green eyes held wisdom, Kevin thought. Carl smiled at the younger man, offering his hand to him.

Kevin shook his hand and gestured for him to take a seat across his table.

"What can I do for you, Dr. Murdoch?" Kevin asked, getting to business. He had received a call from him a week ago, asking for an appointment saying he’d like to hire him to be his granddaughter’s shrink.

Kevin refused, of course, saying he was currently working on a Research he did in Laos. He was a very busy man, which is a fact and he had no time to spare to study a toddler without any good basis. He had recommended names, which Dr. Murdoch refused to, but thanked him otherwise. Still, the older man insisted on the phone to meet him in person. Kevin adamantly agreed, and there they were in his office.

Dr. Murdoch handed him the folder in his hand, thick Kevin noted. And upon his inspection, it was a file of a child. Kevin raised a curious brow at the older doctor, "Your granddaughter I presume?" he said, earning a nod.

"She recently turned 5," Carl said, while Kevin skimmed through the pages.

"I can see 3 doctors had seen her already and all of which diagnosed her with moderate to severe Autism? And there’s also the Selective Mutism 2years ago." Kevin stated, reading through the notes.

Carl nodded, "Yes." he answered, earning a look from the younger man, a look that said his visit was a complete waste of both their time.

Kevin sighed, "Dr. Murdoch, I know that your granddaughter is precious to you, like every child in this World..." he started, using ’every child is a Gift’ speech.

"...but Autism, from reading her records I would suggest the same things the other doctors already had. Me looking at her will not change anything," Kevin explained.

Carl remained unfazed, he was expecting a worse response if he was honest.

"Sam can group boxes in colors." he started sadly.

Kevin nodded, "It’s not uncommon for a child her age to be capable of differentiating colors, sir," he stated.

"She can draw. She can play the piano, my wife taught her. She does what she’s told." Carl elaborates. 𝙧𝙚𝙚𝔀𝒆𝓫𝓷𝙤𝓿𝒆𝙡.𝒄𝙤𝓶

"Children follow figures of authority...it’s not... " uncommon was the word Kevin was going to add, only Dr. Murdoch interrupted by saying,

"She can solve college-level algebra problems easily," His aged eyes filled with seriousness looking back at the younger lad before him.

Kevin opened and closed his mouth, did he hear him right? Algebra?

"Pardon?" Kevin asked.

Carl nodded, "Sam can solve equations." he rephrased, pulling a piece of paper from his breast pocket, and handing it to Dr. Martin.

Kevin took it from his hand and looked at it, it was a page on an algebra book, with what looked like a child’s handwriting over it, different crayons were used in answering it. Butterflies’ shapes and trees adorned its sides.

Kevin frowned, then he looked at Carl waiting for him to explain more. This piqued his interest alright.

"We’ve seen Psychologists, Psychiatrists, Pediatrics, she’s been tested numerous times, I’ve seen it. An IQ test to measure just about her level of intelligence was." Carl started, recalling all their visits to these so-called ’experts’.

"She was diagnosed with below level intelligence, moderate to severe Autism since she was 3. Selective Mutism followed after her parent’s demise. In all the times she’s been tested, not one time did she cooperate." Carl informed him, and he looked straight back to Kevin.

"I think she refused to cooperate because the tests were too simple," he said, earning an unconvinced look from Kevin.

The older gentleman sighed, "2 weeks ago, I saw her fiddling through my study, it was nothing unusual. Specifically, the bottom shelf where my old chemistry and algebra books were kept." he paused, "She was reading it. I know I sound ridiculous, but she was reading it faster than I could even read. She was flipping pages 3 seconds each. I counted." Carl claimed.

The notion was ridiculous, it truly was. A 5year old reading Chemistry books, 3 seconds per page, it sounded like a fiction novel. It wasn’t real. Can’t be real, or can it?

"I know how it sounds. I have been a Family doctor for over 25 years. I know how ridiculous I sound, but I gave her a problem.." he continued. He gestured to the page in Kevin’s hand, "that exact one, and she solved it. And the answer is right. I checked, twice." he added, and Kevin frowned, bewildered and confused. This claim cant be real, right? But Dr. Murdoch seemed like a very sane man. A man that doesn’t go around bullshitting people.The sort who had a good set of head over his shoulder. Kevin was certain that the man before him was intelligent, come on, he was a physician after all.

Kevin scanned the file again, checking the dates.

"Her last test was a couple of months ago," he stated.

"She understands, she follows instructions well, she does what she’s told. It’s far from what the doctors have diagnosed her of, below-average intelligence? I believe they are greatly mistaken." Carl insisted.

"How can a 5-year-old solve mathematical problems and not be able to pass an Intelligence test?" Kevin challenged.

"Einstein displayed a lot of signs of autism, like Sam. He has been described as a lonely and dreamy child who had difficulty making friends." Carl Murdoch started, he had done his own research. " Issac Newton barely spoke, was sensitive to criticism, rarely made intimate friends, and was extremely jealous. Researchers believe that such people are very impatient with others who have a slow intellectual and grasping power, which is why they choose to be isolated." he continued, all these of course Kevin had heard before. He had studied this topic back in school.

" Thomas Jefferson, Michelangelo di Ludovico Buonarroti, Carl Darwin, and Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart all had been suspected to have had Autism. " Carl shot back.

Kevin sighed, the old man was determined, and he did his research.

Kevin flipped the page on the file,

"Short-tempered, have difficulty trusting people, violent, destructive, she has bitten me like the others." he reads a log of one of the past psychologists out loud.

"She’ll most likely bite you too," Carl states, knowing full well that Kevin had already decided to give his granddaughter a chance.