She shook her head.
‘Well, if you ever do have any, keep in mind that it isn’t always a rose garden. Raising kids, I mean.’ He turned his head away. ‘And speaking of gardens… I best be getting on with it.’
*
On the road back to town, Erin thought about something Mr Gilbert had said. How the local librarian had been a help to them. Ruth Davis it must have been. To Erin, Mrs Davis had been a wellspring of warmth and wisdom, and it was nice to know someone else appreciated her kindness and sharp mind. She’d be retired now, and it was anybody’s guess where she might be living, but if anyone had inside knowledge of the town’s secrets, it would be her. And after a whole day of wandering around town without incident, Erin’s fear she might be recognised had faded to nothing but a whisper.
23
Greenlake Psychiatric Facility
Atherton, New York
April, Present Day
Greenlake’s steel gate swung open to allow Erin through. Two weeks had passed since the ill-fated lunch at the Adirondack Café. With any luck, despite her blunder, Tim wouldn’t have lost the delicate trust she’d managed to foster between them, and they could pick up where they left off. In the morning, she would conduct another unstructured assessment, and in the afternoon complete the final evaluation mandated by the state. That would give her plenty of time to write her report and send it to the review board. Whatever happened after that was out of her hands.
The mild weather put a spring in her step that not even the incessant buzz and clank of the ward could dispel. But after being ushered into Harrison’s office by an attendant, one look at his distracted expression and deathly pallor was enough to puncture her buoyant mood.
She hung back by the door. ‘Is everything all right?’
‘I’m afraid not.’ Perspiration dotted his forehead. ‘Tim suffered a relapse in the early hours of the morning. A rather severe psychotic episode, I’m afraid. We had to put him in restraints and forcibly sedate him.’ He pulled off his glasses and rubbed his eyes. ‘It’s been chaos around here. Just last week, a patient in Tim’s ward was found dead with his throat cut.’
A chill passed through her, and she waited for him to say more.
‘I’ve been up all night,’ he continued, sinking back into his chair. ‘I should have cancelled your appointment today, but it completely slipped my mind.’
Distracted and distraught though he was, it was imperative that Erin hear the details. This new development in Tim’s case could change everything. She set her bag on the floor. ‘Can you tell me what happened?’
‘The death? Or Tim’s relapse?’
‘Are they related?’
‘Possibly.’ He motioned for her to sit. ‘It was Darryl who was killed.’
She settled in the chair. ‘Darryl?
‘The man who liked to pretend-steal Tim’s Sudoku.’
Erin felt a wave of unease as she slipped her arms out of her coat. ‘Do you know who’s responsible?’
‘Not yet. Though I have my suspicions.’ He shuffled some papers on his desk. ‘Two of our attendants are being questioned by the police. One might be arrested. He’s a fairly new hire, with a record of violence, apparently, though I’m not sure how he slipped through our vetting procedure.’ He made a note in the file in front of him and snapped it closed. ‘When I took over the reins here fifteen years ago, the first thing I did was to institute a number of reforms. The abuse of inmates that went on in this place would make your blood curdle. Though it hasn’t always been smooth sailing, I’ve been proud of our record since then. But now this.’
She examined the extreme pallor of his skin. If anything, he had grown even paler, as if he’d lost a great deal of blood. ‘So, Tim’s not under suspicion?’
Harrison looked startled. ‘Indeed, no. We’ve definitely ruled him out.’ He paused. ‘Though I can’t say it didn’t cross my mind.’
*
They passed through the ward and its series of locked doors. The air was especially stale, as if the whole place was in lockdown. Erin paused as they walked by the dayroom, where a dozen or more patients milled about, but there was no sign of Tim. In the staffroom, Harrison poured out the old coffee and started a fresh pot.
‘It began last night,’ he said, picking up the narrative he’d begun in his office, ‘when Tim refused to turn his light off. He was quite insistent it stay on. When the attendant switched it off anyway, Tim launched himself off the bed, howling with outrage.’
This was a side of Tim she hadn’t seen. ‘Did he attack the attendant?’
‘Fortunately, no. But he was clearly distressed. And the attendant was rattled, to say the least. He’s never known Tim to be violent. Not in his five years on the ward. In the end, he told Tim he could sleep with the light on. But the attendant who came in for the late shift must have turned it off, because the room was dark when Tim began shouting around two in the morning. It took three attendants to restrain him long enough to get a needle into him. About an hour ago, we moved him to an isolation room.’
Poor Tim. He must be terrified. But Erin’s heart sank at the thought of another delay. As for Harrison, he seemed not only dispirited, but physically ill. Making a mental note of the date and time, she couldn’t help wondering if they were back at square one. ‘Shall I suspend my assessment?’
He finished his coffee and poured another. ‘I think we should proceed as planned. We’ve adjusted his medication, and there’s still plenty of time. Your report’s not due until the end of May. In a week or two, your schedule permitting, we can start again.’ He glanced at the barred window overlooking the car park. ‘Oh,
