The first thing the next morning Tracy decided to walk the couple of miles from her apartment to Kaylna’s therapist’s office. It was good to be out walking the streets of the city, a rust autumn coat wrapped around her. Walking was always the perfect opportunity for Tracy to go over things. She thought about all that had taken place last night as she walked. Even during a case such as this, there were touchstones of one’s ordinary life that had to be kept in order. They grounded you, kept you from losing touch with the larger reality.
Last night, before she went to bed, Tracy finally had a brief chat with Wess. She’d called, he picked up and seemed agreeable enough. Fortunately, Wess was going out of town this weekend and that definitely took pressure off. She’d felt relieved. He’d commented that Tracy didn’t seem bothered that he was going. She’d reminded him, once again, that she was on an urgent case. The case wouldn’t last forever, though; it never did. She and Wess would catch up soon, go to the movies, hang out in each other’s arms. Tracy said she looked forward to it.
As Tracy walked along now, the city streets were humming with early morning traffic. She had to wait awhile for the lights to turn green before she could cross the street. She’d forgotten how crowded the city could be during rush hour. There were still about five blocks to go until she arrived at Dr. Fern’s office, which was located in Clinton, on the West Side. Tracy could certainly understand why Kaylna would arouse suspicion. It was crucial to learn more about her and it could also help Tracy get a new roommate for Ashley. Tracy made a note to talk to Aldon about that today.
Tracy arrived at Dr. Fern’s office a few moments before the scheduled appointment. The office was in an old building, which was tall and musty. Tracy took the elevator to the fifth floor, got out, and walked to the office. Then she opened the unlocked door and walked in.
To Tracy’s surprise the waiting room was surprisingly small and messy. Magazines were strewn around one on top of another. On the wall hung two paintings of boats adrift at sea. As soon as Tracy entered, she saw an older couple sitting there glumly, not talking to each other. They looked over at Tracy when she walked in and then turned away. Could they possibly be related to Kaylna? Tracy wondered. Had Dr. Fern invited her parents to the session as well?
In another moment, a tall, lanky woman in her early fifties opened the door of her office and walked into the waiting room. She had thin, black hair, carefully pulled back from her face, and was dressed in a dark gray, pin-striped suit that was slightly too tight.
The woman first nodded at the older couple, then glanced at Tracy.
“Tracy Wrenn?” she said. “I’m Dr. Fern. Of course we’ve all heard of you.”
Tracy stood up and extended her hand. “Thank you so much for your time this morning.”
Dr. Fern then turned to the couple. “Please come in now and join us,” she said. Obviously, they all knew each other well.
The couple got up and followed Dr. Fern into her office as Tracy trailed in behind them all.
Dr. Fern’s office was formal and stark. Except for a beautifully framed photo of a ballet dancer on her desk, the room was filled with heavy wooden furniture, upholstered in dark, drab blue.
The older couple took two chairs opposite Dr. Wrenn, who went and sat stiffly behind her desk.
Tracy pulled an extra chair over to the couple and sat down.
“How can I help you?” Dr. Fern said to Tracy.
“Have Kaylna’s parents joined us?” Tracy asked, glancing at the couple and reminding Dr. Fern that she hadn’t as yet introduced them.
“Oh yes, of course,” Dr. Fern replied. “Kaylna’s parents have kindly agreed to be part of our interview this morning. Naturally, they’re as concerned as everyone about what’s going on at Ashton and about their daughter’s safety.”
“Thank you for joining us,” Tracy said to them, wondering if they were actually a foil for Dr. Fern. There was a great deal Dr. Fern wouldn’t be able to say about Kaylna with her parents present.
“I wanted to start by asking you about your impressions of Kaylna.” Tracy directed her question to Dr. Fern. “I don’t know how much you can tell me with her parents present?”
Dr. Fern took exception to that and her face drew taut. “There are absolutely no secrets between us,” she said tartly. “The records are clear anyway. Kaylna has had visions and heard voices since she was a young girl. Delusional psychotic disorder.”
“I assume you saw her on an outpatient basis,” Tracy went on.
“Yes, I did, for a while,” Dr. Fern replied.
“Why was Kaylna then admitted to Ashton? What happened?” asked Tracy.
“Kaylna got worse and worse.” Her father jumped up from his seat and glared at Tracy. “The visions started coming every day and so did the voices. Dr. Fern didn’t want to admit her, but what choice did we have?”
“Sit down, Angie.” His wife started pulling at him. “Don’t talk against Kaylna.”
“He’s not talking against your daughter,” Tracy stepped in. “He’s helping her, he’s helping me.”
“No one can help Kaylna,” her mother retorted, throwing Tracy a bitter glance. “Kaylna belongs right where she is. Let them take care of her. We have two other daughters at home and they deserve to have a normal life, don’t they?”
“Of course they do,” Tracy murmured.
“And we do, too,” Kaylna’s father insisted. “Kaylna has a way of driving everyone crazy.”
Tracy felt mixed feelings toward Kaylna’s parents. She understood how difficult Kaylna’s condition could be, but there seemed to be a lack of empathy for her. They were rid of her and glad of it.
“Do you miss Kaylna?” Tracy couldn’t help but ask her father.
To her surprise, his face changed. “Every day.” His voice choked in his throat. “Every day I wish I had my baby home.”
“What’s the point in upsetting Kaylna’s father further?” Dr. Fern took exception with Tracy’s question. “Institutionalizing a child is always a painful decision, though it also can be in the child’s best interest.”
“Can be,” Tracy commented. “But her father said you didn’t want to institutionalize her?”
“No, I didn’t,” Dr. Fern replied. “I never felt that Kaylna was a threat to herself or others. I felt that she and I could find a way for her to live in the world with her disability.”
Tracy found that interesting. She wondered why Dr. Fern agreed to the hospitalization then.
“So what was the tipping point?” Tracy asked her. “Why did you go along with it? Did Kaylna display any signs of violence?”
“Not really,” Dr. Fern uttered.
“Not really? What does that mean? Either there’s violence or not,” said Tracy.
Dr. Fern half rose from her seat and then abruptly sat down again. “It’s never black or white, is it?” she snapped. “Firstly, I was under tremendous pressure from her parents. Secondly, Kaylna’s dreams were filled with violence, as were her drawings and thoughts. The only time I ever saw her actually express violence, though, was when she stepped on the paws of a stray cat.”
Horrible, thought Tracy.
“Why bring that up again and again?” Kaylna’s father glared at Dr. Fern.
“I am legally bound to say what I know,” Dr. Fern responded. “It’s in the record anyway.”
Kaylna’s father’s face became flushed as he took a step toward Tracy.
“Listen, if there’s someone to worry about there, it’s not Kaylna. It’s the lousy nurse there, Enid.”
Tracy shuddered. “Why Enid?”
“She’s mean and rotten to the core,” he continued. “Kaylna told me that over and over. That nurse hates the world, she hates the patients. I believe she could have killed them.”
The room became silent and chilled.
“What do you base that accusation on?” asked Tracy, carefully.
“Based on what Kaylna said to me,” he answered promptly. “Kaylna said that Enid hated her and everybody. I told Kaylna not to pay attention to her. Kaylna told me she had to do just the opposite. Find out every last thing about Enid.”
“Did Kaylna have it in for Enid?” Tracy had to clarify.
“No, she just wanted to find out who Enid really was. Is something wrong with that?” he asked.
“Of course not,” Tracy murmured.
“Even though Kaylna was sick, she wasn’t stupid,” her father insisted. “Sometimes I thought she knew more than us all.”
“What did Kaylna find out about Enid?” Tracy was interested in that point.
“Kaylna found out that Enid had once worked in Anguilla,” her mother suddenly joined in. “It bothered her.”
“Anguilla?” Tracy was taken aback. That was where Dr. Jarnow had secretly worked.
“That’s right, Enid worked in Anguilla, and no one knows about it, just Kaylna,” her mother continued.
“How did Kaylna find that out?” Tracy was amazed.
“She wouldn’t tell us,” her mother continued. “But she mentioned it again and again.”
“There had to be a way she found out.” Tracy wouldn’t drop it. “There had to be someone at Ashton who dug the information up for her.”
“Kaylna never said anything like that,” said her mother.
“Then how can you know it’s true?” asked Tracy.
“If Kaylna says something over and over it’s usually true,” her father chimed in.
Tracy needed to know how Kaylna had gotten that information and if it could be corroborated. It was an odd fact and it bothered Tracy because Dr. Jarnow had worked in Anguilla as well. And neglected to tell anyone about it.
“Is that why you agreed to come here this morning?” Tracy asked Kaylna’s mother, “to tell me about Enid?”
“Exactly.” Kaylna’s mother stood up, her eyes tearing. “There’s a killer in that hospital and I want my daughter safe. Forget about checking out Kaylna, she’s harmless. Check out Enid instead!”
Tracy took a deep breath as her phone suddenly rang.
“Answer it!” Dr. Fern ordered from behind her desk.
Tracy quickly took the call. To her amazement Ashley was on the other end.
“Dr. Wrenn, Dr. Wrenn.” Ashley was having trouble speaking. “Get to the hospital immediately. Something important just happened. I’ll tell you when you get here,” Ashley insisted.
“What is it? What’s wrong?” Tracy felt herself go cold. “Tell me immediately.”
“No,” said Ashley, “not over the phone. Meet me at the hospital, down the hill, at the bottom near the grove. I’ll be waiting for you. Hurry, please.”