“So there was no one else in the diner when you were there?”
“There was an old guy eating pie, and the cook, but he never came out of the kitchen. Oh, and a young couple I didn’t recognize.”
“What time did you leave?” he said.
She shrugged. “I don’t know. We weren’t there that long—maybe forty-five minutes?”
He scribbled something else down, then ripped the piece of paper out of the notebook, stood, and looked at a group of cops on the other side of the room. “Hey, McNally!” he shouted. “I need you to check something out for me.”
A thin, baby-faced cop hurried over and eagerly took the paper from him.
“Go to the Top Hat diner and ask for a waitress named Iris. Ask her if she remembers seeing Miss Winters there last night with a young, dark-haired guy named Eddie. I need to know what time they were there, what time they left, and what they were driving. Find out what she said to Miss Winters about her stepfather, Alan Tern, too.”
“Yes, sir,” the baby-faced cop said, then turned on his heels and left.
Nolan looked at Sage. “I need to ask your friends when they talked to Alan. And you and I need to talk to Dr. Baldwin.”
She shook her head. No. Not Dr. Baldwin. She never wanted to see or talk to that man again. “Why? Eddie helping me again is none of his business. And why are you sending someone to ask Iris about us being at the diner? Don’t you believe me?”
Before he could reply, a cop yelled from an open office on the other side of the room. “Nolan! Call for you on line three.”
“Hold on,” he told her. “Don’t go anywhere.”
She rolled her eyes. Where would she go? Back home where Alan’s dead body was under the bed? Back to where Wayne could find and kill her? Except for stopping at the apartment to get a few things, living there was out of the question for a hundred different reasons, least of which that she had no way of paying the rent on her own.
He punched a button on the phone and picked up the receiver. “Detective Nolan,” he said, impatience edging his voice. He frowned as he listened then gave Sage a worried glance. “Are you sure?” He dropped his gaze to the floor, still listening.
She kept her eyes on his face. Obviously the call had something to do with her. And it wasn’t good.
“Where?” he said. “Uh-huh. Uh-huh. Okay. Yes, Dr. Baldwin, we’ll be right over.” He hung up the phone and stared at her, his expression a strange mix of shock and confusion.
“What is it?” she said.
“We need to get over to Willowbrook right away,” he said.
“Why? What’s going on?”
“I’ll know more when we get there.”
“No, I’m not going back there.”
“Well, you’re a minor. And I hate to be blunt, but your parents are dead. We can’t just let you out on the streets. Do you have family nearby who can come pick you up?”
She shook her head.
“Do you have any idea where your biological father is?”
She shook her head again. “No, but I can stay with one of my friends.”
“Sorry, I can’t let that happen. You need to remain under my custody or I’ll have to call Social Services before I leave so they can find you a temporary place to stay until we sort this out. More than likely they’ll put you in the children’s home, so you might as well come with me.”
* * *
Slouched in the back seat of the unmarked Ford LTD behind Sergeant Clark, who was driving, and Detective Nolan, who rode in silence, Sage stared out through the snow-pelted windshield. The wipers slapped back and forth so fast they nearly made her dizzy. Despite the fact that it was midmorning, it looked like dusk outside, the winter sky filled with murky clouds so low they seemed to touch the ground. Wind and sleet clawed at the car, pushing it all over the road as if trying to get inside. A perfect day to return to the nightmare of Willowbrook. The only thing missing was thunder and lightning.
No.She wasn’t going to think like that. She’d made up her mind back at the police station to be brave. She wasn’t returning as a patient. She was free and sane and everyone knew it now. At least she thought they did.
Detective Nolan had said the phone call had something to do with Rosemary’s case, but he wanted to wait until he could check the evidence before he confirmed it. Deep down she worried it was a trick; that he and Dr. Baldwin had come up with a plan to lock her up again. What was one more soul lost in Willowbrook? Especially if Dr. Baldwin still thought she had something to do with the murders. Especially if he thought she was insane. Locking her up would be easier than going through a trial to prove she was guilty.