The Crimes Of Matthew Koby

“So what are you? Some kind of psychotherapist?”, asked Detective Humboldt, leaning across the interrogation room table and giving Ms Rosenblum a hard stare.

“No. A Hypnotherapist”, said Ms Rosenblum smiling, unphased by the detectives scare tactics, “Specializing in past life regression”.

This got a smirk and a sman from the other officers in the room.

“Some people believe that psychological problems we experience in this life; such as phobia’s say, may be the result of experience one has in a former existence”, explained Ms Rosenblum, now with a defensive air, “It’s quite a legitimate profession, I assure you. I’m a certified Hypnotherapist and I have cured many people through these means”.

“But you didn’t cure Matthew Koby. You killed him or at least you ordered him, under hypnosis, to kill himself and in a most horrific way I might add”, said the detective, his face contorting in disgust at the memory of the body they had found at the scene of the crime, “Matthew Koby poured petrol over himself and burned himself alive and you gave him the petrol and the matches and watched him burn”.

“Yes. I do not pretend otherwise. I reported what I had done to the police. I happily confess to killing that man and feel proud of what I did too. It was only what that man deserved for the terrible crimes he had committed”, said Ms Rosenblum.

“Crimes? What Crimes?”, asked the Detective angrily, slamming his fist hard against the desk, “We’ve checked out Koby and in 38 years he’s never once been in trouble with the police, not even a speeding ticket”.

“No, no”, said Ms Rosenblum, laughing and shaking her head, “You misunderstand me. When I say the crimes which that man committed, I mean the crimes which he committed in a former life. It is this former life and these crimes which Mr Koby revealed to me while under hypnosis.

It wasn’t an easy decision to order that man to kill himself, not at first, believe me. I’m not in anyway a naturally violent person but then the more that that man revealed to me; the more details about his life that I heard. I became utterly convinced that it must be true and that, somehow destiny had sent Mr Koby to my office; that perhaps I was an instrument of some divine justice for what that terrible man, that monster, had done”.

“What man? What monster?!”, asked the detective, starting to lose his temper, “Who the hell are you talking about?”.

“Mr Koby’s past incarnation, Detective”, said Ms Rosenblum looking up at him, her eyes flashing defiantly, “Adolf Hitler”.

The detective opened his mouth stunned and so did the other officers behind him, “You thought that Koby was Adolf Hitler?”, he asked, his stunned expression suddenly transforming into loud uncontrollable laughter

“In a past life. I’m sure of it. All of the details he described; even down to Hitler’s last moments, committing suicide in a bunker in Berlin. He spoke in fluent German too although, in our first session Mr Koby claimed to speak only English”, replied Ms Rosenblum, “It is Kharma, you see. Just like the hindu’s believe. He has paid, you see, though hardly enough, I think, for the evil, hideous, inhuman crimes he committed ; the murder of millions of innocent people including all of my aunts and uncles and cousins”.

Upon saying these words, Ms Rosenblum now began to cry and, switching off the tape recorder, the Detective said, “I’ve heard enough. She’s given us a full confession”, then Ms Rosenblum was handcuffed and taken back, by a uniformed officer, to her holding cell.

But, outside her cell, she could hear the sound of voices screaming with hate and shadows of a mob.

“What are those voices?”, she asked, wiping the tears from her eyes once her handcuffs had been removed.

“That’s the friends and family of Matthew Koby”, said the police officer, “Apparently he was well liked by a lot of people; had two young children and another one on the way. Seemed like a nice guy from all I’ve heard about him”.

“They don’t understand”, said Ms Rosenblum, looking towards the window of her cell and the baying crowd outside, “Whatever he was in this life. In his past life he was a monster”.

“Yeah”, replied the officer in a kindly voice, “Well, maybe, if what you say is true, we might all have been monsters in our past lives. But, maybe, rebirth is a chance for us to be better people”.