I didn’t have time to consider it, nonetheless. After calling out one more time, the door kicked in. The officers rushed in, yelling orders to me that I followed. When it comes down to it, I guess we’re all a little bit cowardly inside, even if we convince ourselves otherwise. Tears filled my eyes as the handcuffs slapped on. They led me out into the light of humiliation and fear and regret.
They must have figured it out. They figured it all out.
I’m sorry, I whispered into the backseat of the car. I’m so damn sorry.
But when I glanced out the window through the tears, shock ripped once more at my veins, at my chest. We weren’t heading toward the police station, after all. The officer who I had talked to earlier in the day, the one who had burst into my apartment, sped forward, down the road in the opposite direction. Beside him, his dark-haired companion sat stoic and silent. His head faced forward, his eyes on the road as if he were driving. I leaned my forehead against the window, looking out at the familiar sight.
And wondering what the fuck we were doing there. Wondering if the real danger, the real terror was just about to begin.
Chapter Thirty-Three
They led me through the back door and marched me upstairs. I told myself to stay calm. Certainly, this would all be straightened out. But as my jelly-like legs floundered on the stairs and the officer roughly shoved me upward, I knew things were far from okay.
She waited for us at the top of the stairs, a sinister smirk on her face. The hallway seemed dimmer somehow, quieter. It felt empty for the first time since I’d been there, as if even the haunting spirits had vacated the floor.
“This way,” she beckoned to the officers. As if I had a choice. I scanned the hallway for someone, anyone, who could help me.
We got to the end of the hall of wing A. I had thought for some reason that I’d be heading to 5B. Suddenly, I realized I had wanted to be going there.
They clicked the cell shut behind me as they shoved me on the cot. I realized too late that this had been where the janitor from floor two, Jack, had been. The key word was that he had been in the room. Where was he now? I didn’t have time to think.
“Oh, Jessica. What are we going to do with you?” Anna began as she stalked toward me, the officers flanking her. I looked at each of them, too afraid to speak. Too afraid of what it all meant. “Didn’t I tell you to stay out of it?”
“I was trying to help. 5B. He killed kids. I wanted them to find them, to bring peace.”
Anne shook her head. “So you thought you’d involve the police? You thought you’d send them here? And what else did you think they’d find, Jessica? Officer McCandless here happened to tell us what you said. About your suspicions.”
“I-I’m just worried. About the residents,” I stuttered, averting my eyes to the floor.
She stepped forward and dug her fingernails into my cheek. I could feel the burning sensation, could feel blood trickling down.
“You stupid girl. I thought you could follow orders. I saw obedience in you, loyalty. And now you’ve fucked it all up.”
I screamed a little, turning to the officers after she let go. “Please, you have to believe me,” I said, eyeing the older officer. He looked at me and chuckled.
“So naïve,” Anna said. “I told you.”
I shook my head, studying them and trying to piece it together. Anna looked at me, walked over to the officer, and kissed him fervently.
“It pays to have friends, or in this case, a husband, in the right place,” she whispered as she leaned on him. My stomach lurched. How had I been so foolish? So stupid. Of course. Of course.
“I’m sorry. Please, just let me go. I don’t want any trouble.”
“You don’t want any trouble? That’s all you’ve been here.” Anna rolled her eyes, and for the first time, I could see her for what she was.
“But don’t you want to help their families find peace? If 5B killed those kids, shouldn’t someone know about it?”
“And what, have the national media here when the story of a serial killer breaks? Have them digging into what happens here? We have a family legacy to protect.”
I squinted again, mouth agape. “You’re . . .”
“A Weathergate. Of course. So was my mother. Why do you think we work so hard here to protect the legacy of this place?”
“And what legacy is that?” I spat, knowing I had little to lose.
Anna bit her lip, walking over to me. She stalked across the floor, her gaze piercing into mine. “Money. Our reputation. Our opportunities. We don’t need someone like you ruining it.”
“But what about the people who disappear? Where do you send them?” I asked, puzzle pieces falling into place. I was enraged at myself for not seeing it all sooner.
“Well, there are plenty of people who pay good money to work with a troubled mind. Scientists on the cutting edge of treatments and discoveries. I like to think Redwood is helping with medicine in a modern approach. Francis Weathergate created this place as a haven for lost minds. We’re just keeping the legacy going, but we’re helping science. Helping to find the cure.”
“And making money by selling innocent people,” I spewed, hatred growing in my voice. I thought of all the poor souls, all the ones I thought were crazy. I thought of the spirits haunting the halls, the hallowed ground that felt vile somehow. It was adding up. Redwood wasn’t just a place of torture. It was a place to get lost, a place to disappear.
“We only sell the ones no one will miss. We have a reputation to uphold, after all. There are plenty of wealthy
