Never before has there been a man as effective and efficient as Detective Andrew Smart, someone who was born with the gift and cunning to decipher the most mysterious and amazing cases that could be found in the whole city. His reputation is already a living legend that has aroused the admiration of many and the hatred of others. It has been more than twenty years with an immaculate career in which he has never encountered an unsolved case.
His fame has awakened the respect of his colleagues and close friends, but others continue to question his achievements and even question his successful career. Among them is the doctor and director of the state psychiatric hospital, Paul Hanscock, a man recognized for his long career in the field of psychology and medicine, being at the top of his class during his life as a student, and leading the way in his own psychiatric institution where the help and care for patients is the best in the entire region.
Doctor Hanscock has decided to make public a case present in his institution, one that has served to challenge and prove everything that is said about the detective Andrew. Through the media, the doctor has challenged the detective to solve his case, a situation which he is sure will once and for all expose the false character that has been created about Andrew. He is absolutely certain that the detective will not be able to solve the case, and if he does, the doctor and director of the institution will make public his resignation.
At first the detective Andrew has rejected the case, but at the insistence of the media his decision has had to change. Therefore, Dr. Hanscock has invited him to his institution, where he will present him with the case in question and the conditions to be followed. The time and day have been set, while the eyes and attention of an entire town are focused on them.
-Dr. Hanscock. Detective Andrew is here at the reception desk and would like to speak with you.-
The secretary's call announced Andrew's early arrival on the scene.
-Ok. Tell him he can come in- the doctor replied in a hurried tone.
And just as he entered the office, the doctor was removing a picture from the wall while saying:
-Welcome, Mr. Andrew!
And a fleeting silence fell between their gazes.
-Tell me what is the case that presents itself in your institution, Doctor Hanscock.
-You see, I have a case of an impostor in this place.
-An impostor?- asked the detective.
-That's right! It turns out that one of my patients has been posing as mentally ill, feigning an insanity that allows him to live in this psychiatric facility and take advantage of the comfort and care we offer-
The detective still did not understand the explanation and the argument of such a case, and being about to ignore it then the doctor insisted:
-In this institute there is an impostor, and you must find him. If you do not leave here with this impostor, you will be exposed for the first time as a false detective.
-And how am I to find the guilty?" asked Andrew.
Then Dr. Hanscock laid out his plan:
-After an arduous investigation, we have found three suspects. We are sure that the impostor is there. You will be able to interrogate them briefly, and then you will have to tell us who the impostor is. If you don't accept, you will lose all your fame and finally accept your defeat.
And without any comment, the detective accepted the case. So, he was taken to the room of the first suspected patient, and the argument against him was that in the last two years he had shown exemplary conduct. With the patient now aware of his accusation, Andrew asked him directly:
-Are you the impostor?
And the man immediately reacted:
-Well, at last I've been found out. I really didn't want to reveal it, but I accept that I've been pretending to be unwell all this time. When am I going to be released?
And that was enough for Andrew to move on to the next suspect. In this case, it was a woman who at one point had beaten the Doctor Hanscock. She had no trouble eating or taking her medication, and she was now the most peaceful person in the entire institution. Because of this, everyone claimed that she was faking dementia to be near Dr. Hanscock and thus take advantage of the opportunity to harm him.
-Do you really want to kill the director of this institution?- asked the detective.
And the woman only lowered her gaze while she squeezed his hand.
-I can set you free and then you can carry out your revenge against the director- said Andrew.
And so a bright look and a placid smile appeared on the patient's face.
Finally the last patient arrived, a man who conveyed a lot of peace and serenity. All he did was play chess over and over again. He had no problems with anyone, and he took his pills normally. Andrew really admired this man's character, and at the patient's kind response he asked him:
-Why is chess so appealing to you?
-Because I will never understand why the queen is better than the king.
And glancing at the board, the detective nodded at the answer.
At last the afternoon arrived, and the moment to reveal the impostor. For this, Dr. Hanscock called in many reporters to record the verdict on the case. The office was surrounded by tape recorders and cameras, as the three suspects appeared before the doctor, the detective and all present.
-So, my friend Andrew, do you know who the impostor is? Is he here with us right now? Hanscock asked.
-Of course, doctor!
And hearing this, Dr. Hanscock smiled with great assurance. All until the detective began to speak:
-In front of us we have three people with three fascinating stories. The first admits his guilt, although he believes he is in a prison and not in a psychiatric hospital. The woman is the opposite and she has any conscience at all: she wants to kill the doctor here. And finally, there is a man with more intelligence than all of us, and although he expresses stillness and sanity, he still insists on the debate between the queen and the king on a chessboard where the pieces are not there.
But the astonishment of such an analysis was interrupted.
-Who is the impostor? You said that the impostor is in this room-
-That's right! because the impostor is you, Dr. Hanscock- and the echo of such an accusation went deep. The people were totally confused while the doctor feigned his confusion.
-You have really been the impostor in making us believe that these three people are of sound mind. They have every reason to be in this place, a place where you are now pretending to be the director. And to top it off, you called me a friend, which made your role as an impostor even more obvious.
-You have failed, Detective Andrew, you have to leave here with the real impostor- and with a defiant tone, Dr. Hanscock finished digging his own grave.
-Can you show me the picture you kept just as I arrived?- Andrew demanded.
-What are you talking about?- Hanscock hesitated.
-I'm talking about the diploma you took off your wall when I arrived.
And before the pressure of those present and the security of the detective, the doctor had to show the diploma. Detective Andrew took it and put it in the hands of the authorities while he told them:
-The case is solved. I can now leave here with the impostor-
And after some investigation, the authorities discovered that Hanscock's doctor's degree was a fraud. It was a set-up, a bought degree, which served him to achieve recognition that was never real. It was considered the case of the decade, the case of an impostor that tested the best detective that existed at the time. Detective Andrew Smart put a new star in his career, and his legacy was framed as a true legend.
THE END