Phantom pain shot through Olivia’s body, the words conjuring up the tortures that took place in that medical room. Had they done something worse to Mabel? Had their so-called treatments caused the girl’s death? Mabel had been only nineteen and had given birth just after Olivia had come to the reformatory. Still, Mabel had never lost her cheery disposition, always quick to tell a joke or offer a sympathetic ear. She’d been looking forward to starting her life over at the end of her sentence. Now all her dreams had ended before they’d begun.
Olivia’s jaw muscles tightened as she fought back tears. Crying solved nothing, especially not in here. With every rapid blink, anger seeped through her body until her limbs shook. “It’s not right what they’re doing here,” she said in a low voice so the guard couldn’t hear. “We don’t belong in a place like this. Yes, we made mistakes, but we still deserve somewhere safe to go. Somewhere we wouldn’t have to worry about people hurting us or taking our babies.”
Joannie swiped at her red nose with the sleeve of her uniform. “I wish a place like that existed.”
Staring into the girl’s tearstained face, something fierce came alive inside Olivia. Something stronger and more intense than her anger. Olivia had escaped this house of horrors, but the women still caged within these walls continued to suffer. These women needed somewhere else to go. A place where people understood what they were going through and treated them with kindness. But how would one begin to bring about such a change?
With great effort, she focused back on Joannie. “When is your release date again?”
“September twenty-fifth.”
“Where will you go? Have you had any word from your family?”
Joannie shook her head, a strand of hair falling across her cheek. “They don’t want anything to do with me. I don’t know what I’m going to do.”
In spite of the rules, Olivia reached over and squeezed Joannie’s fingers. “Don’t worry. I’ll have somewhere for you to stay by then. In the meantime . . .” Olivia dug in her purse and pulled out a scrap of paper and a pencil and quickly scratched down some information. “Here’s the telephone number where I’m staying. If you need me, just call.” She swallowed. “I’ll try to come back for another visit soon.”
“Thanks. It will give me something to look forward to.” Joannie’s eyes seemed huge in her thin face.
Olivia rose and went around to pull the girl into a tight hug. “Don’t lose hope. Things will get better, I promise.”
A frowning guard came toward them. “No touching the prisoner.”
Olivia stepped back but did not apologize. “Say hello to the others for me. And tell them not to give up. Time will pass quicker than you think.”
She brushed past the guard on her way out into the corridor. Though every cell in her body urged her to flee this place, her conscience would not allow her to take the cowardly way out. Instead, she marched to the front office.
The startled receptionist snapped to attention as Olivia entered. “Can I help you, miss?”
“No, thank you. I know the way.” Before the woman could stop her, Olivia strode to the inner office door and entered without knocking.
Mrs. Pollack looked up, a scowl marring her plain features. “What is the meaning of this?”
Olivia’s hands shook, but she stood her ground. “I need to speak with you.”
“You have some nerve barging in here like—”
“After everything I went through in this place, you owe me this much.”
The woman’s face blanched, though she held Olivia’s gaze with a steely glare of her own. “You have two minutes to say your piece and leave. Or I’ll call the authorities.”
As the woman intended, the words sent chills through Olivia’s limbs. She lifted her chin. “I want to know the truth about Mabel Stravinski’s death.”
Mrs. Pollack’s mouth hardened. The loud ticking of a clock on the beige wall seemed to taunt Olivia. She used to stare at the same industrial clock across from her cell when seconds passed like hours. Back then, time meant nothing, but now the ticking reminded her of the days she’d lost and would never recover.
At last, the woman released a breath. “Mabel was being treated for the advanced stages of venereal disease. During treatment, she suffered a massive seizure, and Dr. Guest was unable to revive her.”
Olivia stared. “Did you call an ambulance? Get her to a hospital?”
“There wasn’t time. It all happened too fast.” She spoke with no emotion, as if Mabel’s life meant nothing. “I’m sorry. I know this must have come as a shock.”
Rage pulsed through Olivia, shooting pain through her temples. “Don’t pretend you’re not aware of what goes on in that clinic and the horrors that woman puts us through. How can you allow her to get away with it?”
“Dr. Guest is a well-respected physician. I will not allow you to malign her reputa—”
Olivia slammed her palm down on the desk, causing papers to scatter. “Have you heard the screams coming from her examination room? Have you ever once visited the isolation chamber where I was kept for over a month? That dirty, disgusting room with only rusty bedsprings to lie on when I was writhing in pain for days?”
A spark of fear leapt in the woman’s pale eyes.
Olivia gave a harsh laugh. “No, of course not. You wouldn’t want to witness what goes on behind those doors, because then you might have to actually do something about it.” She straightened and drew in a ragged breath. “How can you live with yourself for allowing such atrocities to happen? I hold all of you here equally responsible for Mabel’s death.” She glared at her for another second, then whirled around and strode out into the reception area.
“Miss Rosetti. Wait.”
But Olivia had borne all she could take for one day. She slammed out the main doors and didn’t look back.
5
After getting off the bus, Olivia walked
