I answered the call. “I’ve heard.”
He sighed. “A real shitshow this is turning out to be.”
“Someone must have seen you going to talk to her, or maybe she told the wrong people about that.”
“Either way, she’s dead. Overdosed on sleeping pills. No signs of struggle, but the security cameras in the building malfunctioned for thirty minutes last evening.”
“How convenient.”
“I’m not taking this further, Jonah. I see where this is heading, and I won’t die for this cause.”
I let his words sink in, surprised by how little effect they had. In a way, I was relieved not having to count on someone I didn’t fully trust. He could have easily fed me false information.
“I’m not stopping,” I said.
“That’s up to you. Just know I’ll deny any connection to this. But still, I wish you luck.”
There were many things I wished to tell him, but I had more important things on my mind. I hung up and hit the road on my way to madness.
*
It took me close to an hour to drive to San Bernardino, where Patton State Hospital was located. From a search I’d done online, I found out it was built in 1890 and had been referred to as “The Insane Asylum” for years. The place had been demolished after the 1923 earthquake and then rebuilt.
I had expected more traffic and ended up arriving too early. Eliot had said I should be there when the morning shift was about to finish. To pass the time, I went to eat at a small taco place. In the last few days, I’d been mostly surviving on caffeine, too stressed to eat proper meals. I suspected I’d need all my energy for what lay ahead.
When the sun showed signs of descending, I headed to the hospital, the three thousand dollars in my back pocket making walking uncomfortable. It was easy to get lost, but I’d checked in advance for the psychiatric ward location. It was a one-story gray building behind the actual hospital. I walked past security, then made my way to the reception desk, where an older womanwith gray hair sat reading a magazine about knitting. She slowly raised her eyes over thick glasses. Her name tag read, “Sherlyn.”
“Hey,” I said.
“How can I help you?”
“I’m here to see a patient.”
She cocked her head like she was trying to remember if I’d been there before. “Which patient are you here to see?”
I’d been debating whether to ask to see Frank, but since he could just come out to meet me, it would make it harder to enter the ward later. “I’m here for Amanda Tulip.”
She frowned and put her magazine down. “Amanda? Are you also a cop?”
Damn.I hadn’t counted on anyone remembering Hayden’s recent visit. If I had claimed to be a cop, she would likely ask for a badge. “I’m not a cop, just an old friend.”
She leaned back and crossed her arms, watching me closely through her glasses. “I didn’t know Amanda had any friends. I’ve also never seen you here before.”
I kept my face blank. “I didn’t know she was here until recently. We lost touch.”
“I see. Well, did you get your visit cleared with her psychiatrist?”
“Um, no.”
“Only family members can see patients without clearance, and even that is not recommended.” She glanced at her magazine, clearly ready to move on from this conversation.
I cleared my throat. “But Amanda doesn’t have a family. She’s an orphan; that was where we met.”
Her face softened a bit, her eyes no longer glancing at the magazine. “I’m sorry to hear that.”
I leaned on the counter. “We all deal with the cards we’re dealt with.”
She sighed. “Ain’t that the truth?”
