Page 64 of The Lost Girls of Willowbrook

The door opened, the uniformed cop moved to the side, and Leonard came into the office. When he saw the cop, he hesitated for a moment, then dropped his gaze and lumbered toward Sage. She gripped the back of the chair and held on, her knuckles turning white. If Dr. Baldwin wanted her to leave, he’d have to wrench her loose from it.

“Please,” she begged Nolan. “Don’t let them do this. I’m not crazy.” Leonard grabbed her by the arm and began trying to pry her fingers from the chair. She struggled to hold on, her eyes locked on the detective. “They’re keeping me here against my will because I look like my twin sister. But I found out she’s dead and I think I know who killed her. I saw her body in the tunnels. I swear on my life.”

Leonard yanked the chair from her grasp and pulled on her arm, jerking her toward him. She let her knees buckle to make herself heavier.

“Please do as you’re told, Miss Winters,” Dr. Baldwin said. “Or I’ll have a nurse sedate you.”

Before Sage could stand again, Leonard heaved her upright. He wrestled her arm behind her back and steered her toward the door, his knuckles digging into her spine. She yelped in pain and, using everyone ounce of strength she had left, tried to get away.

Nolan gaped at Dr. Baldwin, his forehead lined with concern. “Is it necessary to manhandle her like that?”

“Sometimes, yes,” Baldwin said. “If a resident is being difficult, we have no choice.”

Nolan held up his hand. “Hold on a minute,” he said. “I’m not sure what’s going on here, but I want to hear what this girl has to say.”

Sergeant Clark took a step sideways to block the exit. Leonard stopped shoving Sage toward it and looked back at Baldwin, awaiting his next order.

Bent over and in pain, Sage turned her head toward the detective and tried to catch her breath. “My sister’s throat and wrists were slit,” she said. “Her hair was chopped off, and her lips were painted red. I think one of the attendants killed her. His name is Wayne. Please, you have to help me. Dr. Baldwin doesn’t want anyone to know she was murdered because he never reported her missing.”

“My apologies, Detective,” Baldwin said. “I’m very sorry you have to witness this. As I said, Miss Winters is a manic-depressive schizophrenic with violent tendencies, and today has not been one of her better days. She believes everyone from Jack the Ripper to Cropsey is trying to harm her. I probably should have waited until she was gone before we spoke any more about the reason for your visit, but I didn’t expect this reaction. And if she doesn’t return to her ward soon, she’ll miss breakfast.”

“He’s lying!” she said. “Call my stepfather and ask him about me. His name is Alan Tern and his number is 212-567-2345.”

Dr. Baldwin shook his head, looking slightly amused. “I’ve spoken to her stepfather numerous times and I can assure you he has never mentioned having twin stepdaughters. Call him if you’d like, but Miss Winters has wandered off before and we’ve always returned her to Ward D safe and sound.”

“So shewasmissing?”

Dr. Baldwin hestitated, as if caught off guard. “For . . . for a day or so, yes.”

“But you never reported it?”

“There was no need,” Dr. Baldwin said, his voice smooth and confident again. “We knew she was somewhere on campus and thankfully, this time she came back of her own accord.”

“That’s not true,” Sage said. “I came here on the bus after I found out Rosemary was gone.”

Nolan looked back and forth between Baldwin and Sage, trying to decide what to do. She tried to imagine how she must look to him, a filthy-faced girl in men’s boots and an oversize jacket with snarled hair and terrified eyes. Believing Dr. Baldwin would be easy. When the detective told Sergeant Clark to open the door, she nearly passed out.

“No! Please!” she screamed. “You can’t believe anything he tells you! He’s just worried about his job! Call the bus station! They have my name and number because my purse was stolen on the way here!”

But no one listened. Sergeant Clark did as he was told, stepping away from the door, and Leonard forced Sage out of the office into the waiting area. She dragged her feet and tried to get away, but he wrenched her arm higher behind her back. Evie shut the door behind them, muffling the men’s voices, as Leonard lugged her out of the reception area, through a maze of halls, down into the tunnels and back to House Six.

CHAPTER 17

For three days Sage waited—for Eddie to sneak into the ward again with news, for Dr. Baldwin to tell her that the cops had found Rosemary’s body, for Alan to show up and get her out of there.

Struggling to hang on and barely eating, she slogged through the wretched dark nights and the long, treacherous days in silence; every endless passing hour chipping away at her hope. Thankfully Wayne did little more than watch her, as if waiting for her to run or hide again. And she tried to be grateful that at least she’d been given another shower and had long pants and a coat to keep her warm, and boots to protect her feet from the human waste and Pine-Sol on the floors. But how much longer would she last?

On the fourth day, Marla entered the dayroom late in the morning, spoke to Wayne briefly, then made her way toward Sage.

“You need to come with me.”

“What for?” Sage said.

“Dr. Baldwin wants to see you. Damn if I know why. I’m just doin’ what I’m told.”

For a second, Sage couldn’t move. This was it. She was about to find out if she was going to be set free or locked up forever. With her heart in her throat, she followed Marla out of the room and down to the tunnels, then up through the maze of halls and elevators in the main building. As usual, Marla took fast, steady strides despite her limp, but it still felt like a snail’s pace. Sage wanted to run. She wanted to get to Dr. Baldwin’s office as fast as possible.

When they finally reached the waiting area outside his office, Evie’s desk sat unattended. Marla knocked on his door instead of making Sage wait to be called in. When Dr. Baldwin’s muffled voice ordered them to enter, Sage held her breath. Surely he was going to apologize and tell her they had found Rosemary’s body. Surely Alan was there to take her home. But when Marla opened the door to let her inside, Sage didn’t know what to think.

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