The only problem with Roger's condition is that he isn't entirely coherent either. We're left sifting through the flotsam and jetsam his muddled brain throws out.
"He attacked--he attacked--he attacked--" That's how it begins, when I ask Roger what he remembers. He gets stuck there, like a record unable to complete a revolution.
"He attacked you," I say. "Do you know why?"
"Girl. The girl." He finds my face, and his scrunches up. "You? Yes, you. In the forest."
"You saw me in the forest. During the storm. You attacked me."
"Attacked? No. The storm ... Yes. But not then. After. With him."
I struggle not to put words into his mouth. "Where were you when you first saw me?"
"In the forest. During the storm. You had her. His girl."
"Whose girl?"
"His."
"You saw me during the storm."
"Yes. You. With him." He nods toward Anders. "You had her. You'd found her. In the cave."
"Did you see me later, during that storm? Alone?"
He shakes his head. "Went home. Needed to sort it out. What I heard. What I saw."
"What did you hear and see?"
"You two. With her. In a cave. He put her in a cave."
"He? Who is--?"
"You got her out. You two. Saw you."
"And the next time you saw me?"
"Behind the village. In the forest. With a dog. A puppy."
"What were you doing there?"
"Chasing him."
"The man you were chasing?" I word it carefully. "When's the last time you saw him?"
His face screws up. "When he attacked me. You were there. I heard you. Saw you."
"That's the man you were chasing?"
"Yes."
"Why?"
"To catch him."
A grunt of frustration from Anders. I nod, echoing the sentiment.
"Why were you trying to catch him?" I ask.