The Doll's House

‘Dominic, it’s Anne again. I know you haven’t been well. Not sleeping can put a huge strain on a person.’ Again she allowed an interval. ‘You must be tired.’


‘That doesn’t matter. I’m not looking for your sympathy.’

‘I know that.’ Another interval. ‘Dominic, it’s going to be okay. I’m here to help.’

‘Nobody can help.’

Kate spoke: ‘Anne, he’s opening up. Even his negative response could be his way of acknowledging your willingness, at the very least, to help. Keep your sentences short, and continue to allow the intervals. If nothing else, maintaining a conversation will tire him more, but we’re still on shaky ground. With the pressure he’s under and the psychosis, this is hard to call. Focus more on his needs. He’s the older sibling in this relationship. Everything about the killings suggests he’s been on some kind of mission, taking down people who have hurt his family. We can only assume, with the drowning, that this is all tied into his father’s death, but his mother’s death is still raw.’

‘Okay, Kate. I get you.’

Kate continued: ‘He’ll feel like he’s been carrying a heavy burden. His feelings of isolation must be enormous. You need to acknowledge both those things.’

‘Dominic, can you hear me?’ Anne’s voice was clear and steady.

‘What do you want?’ A slight tension in his voice.

‘I want to help, Dominic.’ Another pause. ‘You’ve been carrying a heavy burden on your own. I understand that. You’ve had to do things that others didn’t have to do.’

‘What would you know?’ He sounded drained.

‘I know you’re the eldest in the family. That can be tough at times.’ Again there was no response, but Anne Holt pushed forward. ‘You lost your mother too.’

‘Death is part of life.’

‘That doesn’t mean it isn’t hard.’ Anne Holt moved closer to the staircase. ‘Dominic, I know you’ve felt isolated for a long time.’ She let him absorb the affirmation, then said, ‘What is it you need? I’ll try and help you.’

‘I don’t want to feel burdened, not any more.’

‘That’s okay, Dominic. I understand that.’

‘I’ve been fucking responsible my whole fucking life.’

‘I know that too, Dominic, but you don’t have to be responsible now. You can let go. It’s okay to let go.’

‘You don’t understand. Nobody does.’

‘I know you don’t want to hurt Clodagh, Dominic.’ Another interval. ‘You’re not a bad man. I know that.’

‘Things had to be done. I had no choice …’ His voice lowered.

‘I know, Dominic,’ Anne said softly.

‘Anne, it’s Kate again. With his psychosis, he could turn at any point. You need to get him to put down the knife if he still has it.’

‘Dominic?’

‘What?’

‘Do you still have the knife?’

‘Yes.’

‘Would you put it down for me?’

‘I don’t know.’

‘I want you to get well, Dominic. I want you to get help. If you could put the knife down on the floor that would be a good thing.’

‘I’ve put it down.’

‘Thanks, Dominic. I appreciate that.’ Another pause. ‘Is Clodagh okay?’

‘She’s okay.’

‘That’s good. Thanks for that, Dominic. I know deep down you really don’t want to hurt her. As I said, I know you’re a good person.’

‘I’ve killed people.’

‘Dominic, you’ve been through a lot. You haven’t been well. None of this is your fault.’ Anne waited, hearing nothing from behind the door.

‘Anne, it’s Kate – it’s a huge thing that he’s put the knife down. See if you can get him to talk to you face to face. Keep emphasising that you want to find ways to help him. Remember what he said about being tired of feeling responsible? Work on that. It’s the key. We need to take some of the burden off his shoulders. It’ll buy us time, and reduce the risk to Clodagh’s life.’

Maloney, who had been listening down the audio link, intervened: ‘Anne, do as Kate says, continue the empathy. If he does open the door, we’ll have made real progress. We’re close at hand if you need us.’

‘Dominic, are you okay? I’m sorry you’ve felt so burdened. It must have been hard on you. Sometimes we all have to let go, take the responsibility off our shoulders. You need to get better. You’ve been unwell. I know that, and everyone who loves you, including Valerie and Clodagh, knows that too. Why don’t you open the door, and we can talk face to face?’

‘I don’t know. I don’t know what to do any more.’

‘It’s difficult, I know, but thanks for answering me, Dominic. You’re doing really well. Do you think we could talk face to face? It might be easier that way. You don’t have to take all the responsibility. You can let go of it.’

There was no response.

‘Dominic, can you hear me?’

Although Kate was in a different house, she might as well have been standing right beside Anne Holt, both of them knowing that there were only two possible outcomes: surrender and arrest, or a tactical assault by the sharp-shooters. ‘Anne, can you still hear me?’