Page 102 of The Lost Girls of Willowbrook

He pulled a chair away from the wall, shucked off his coat and hung it over the back, then sat down. “You might think you’re fine, but you need fluids and rest.”

“Then take me to a normal hospital,” she said. “Anyplace but here.”

“They’re not going to lock you up again, I promise. We all know you’re telling the truth about Eddie coming to your house now. Along with everything that happened last night, we’ve also found out that a red 1972 Mustang had been stolen just outside of Bulls Head the night you said he showed up at your apartment. The car was abandoned out on Richmond Avenue. The owner was found dead in his garage with his throat slit.”

She closed her eyes, trying to work out the juxtaposition in her mind. Eddie had been sick, that much was clear, but he’d honestly thought he was helping people. Except somewhere along the way, “helping people” had turned him into something else: a killer who ended lives with ease and without remorse. How many people had he murdered? Ten? A hundred? A thousand? Would they ever know? She looked at Detective Nolan again. “Is he dead? Did I kill him?”

He shook his head. “He’s in a coma. The doctors think he’ll survive, but they’re not sure when, or if, he’ll wake up.”

“And if he does?”

“If he’s fit to stand trial, he’ll be held responsible for murdering your sister. And the others.”

“He’ll go to jail?”

“If he’s found guilty, yes. Or he might get the death penalty.”

“What do you mean,if? He told me he did it. He confessed to everything. He killed Evie and Wayne and Alan.”

“Alan too?”

She nodded, her eyes filling.

“Did he say why?”

“Because he knew I hated him.” She felt sour with shame.

“Jesus.”

“There’s more,” she said. “He killed other Willowbrook residents too. And . . .” She hesitated, not sure how to explain herself without sounding ridiculous. “When he came to my apartment, it wasn’t the first time he’d snuck out of Willowbrook. I don’t know how many times he left before, but I’m pretty sure he’s responsible for a lot of the missing kid flyers on Staten Island. He said I could call him the angel of mercy or Cropsey.”

“Good God,” Nolan said, shaking his head. “I hope he wakes up so we can crucify the bastard. And find his other victims, of course.”

“What about Dr. Baldwin? Is anything going to happen to him and the other people in charge at Willowbrook?”

“Well, thanks to that reporter breaking into House Six, there’s been a public outcry. There are rumors that the parents of some residents are filing a class action lawsuit against Willowbrook in the U.S. District Court.”

“Good,” she said. “I hope they all go to jail.”

He sat forward in the chair. “I’m going to need an official statement from you about Eddie, and anything else you can tell me. But right now we need to figure out what’s going to happen when you get out of here.”

She didn’t like the look on his face. “What do you mean ‘what’s going to happen’?”

“Dr. Baldwin called someone to come in and talk to you.”

She shook her head. “I’m not talking to any more doctors.”

“She’s not a doctor,” he said, getting up to open the door. “But she’s here to help.”

Sage gritted her teeth in frustration. What now? She’d had enough of people trying to “help.” Detective Nolan opened the door and gestured someone in from the hall. A pale woman in a tweed coat entered the room, a clipboard held against her chest. She extended her hand and approached the hospital bed, a sympathetic smile on her face.

“Hello, Sage,” she said. “I’m Diana Jay. It’s nice to meet you.” When she noticed Sage’s bandaged arms, her smile faltered, but only by a fraction. She dropped her hand. “I don’t know if Detective Nolan told you or not, but I’m with the Children’s Aid organization of New York City. I’m here to talk to you about where you’re going once you’re released from the hospital.”

“I’ll figure something out,” Sage said.

As impossible as it seemed, Diana’s smile grew bigger and more sympathetic. “I’m afraid that’s not the way things work in New York State,” she said. “You’re a minor, so we can’t just let you fend for yourself.”

“I’ll be fine,” Sage said. “I can stay with a friend.”

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