A Five-Minute Life

My hands balled into fists. He joked about Thea. About touching her…

“Jim Whelan?” one of the officers said. “We need a statement.”

I told them everything I’d seen and heard before I’d bashed the door in. Which wasn’t much. The only reason I’d heard anything at all was because I’d been momentarily petrified with rage at the sight of that bastard’s dick in his hand and Thea’s teary, fearful expression.

“He said she wouldn’t r-r-remember anyway,” I said. The rage returned on a red haze, awakening the stutter, but the cops didn’t notice.

Rita came down with the results of the examination. “Negative,” she said, and my eyes fell shut in relief. “Seems Brett was telling the truth about the nature of his assaults. Good news, if you can call it that.”

Anna nodded, her lips pursed. “I’m glad, but the damage is done.”

As the police conferred with Rita and Anna, Alonzo pulled me aside.

“The damage is done,” he said. “Not just to Miss Hughes but to us too. I

t’s going to be bad at that meeting tomorrow. But no less than what we deserve, I reckon. And by ‘we,’ I mean myself. Not you. You did right, Jim. Since the beginning, you been doing right by that girl.”

“So have you,” I said. “You’ve been doing right by all of them, with no help from the director. They have to see that.”

Alonzo put his hand on my arm. “Go home, Jim. Get some sleep and I’ll see you tomorrow.”

I walked out the front door to my Harley. I’d already been dreading the meeting with Delia, the doctor, and the director. But now, with that bastard assaulting Thea… When I walked out of Blue Ridge tomorrow, it might be for the last time. Delia Hughes might have the entire sanitarium shut down. Good people would be out of jobs.

And Thea would remain trapped in her five-minute prison for the rest of her life.

Chapter 16

Jim

Monday morning, I showered and put on my only dress shirt, jeans, and my leather jacket. I rode to Blue Ridge with my guts in a knot.

The parking lot was fuller than usual, with a few sedans and one medical van with Roanoke Memorial emblazoned on the side. Inside, the normally hushed sanitarium echoed with footsteps and voices.

I found Alonzo, Joaquin, and Anna in the hallway outside the rec room huddled up and talking in low voices.

“What’s going on?” I asked.

“The new doctor is in there with Delia and Thea,” Alonzo said, inclining his head at the rec room door. “They’ve been in a serious pow-wow with board members and other doctors for an hour.”

I frowned. “Is the meeting with Poole and Stevens still on?”

“Poole and Stevens are no longer affiliated with Blue Ridge,” Anna said. She tilted her chin. “Neither is Mary Flint.”

“Dude, it’s nuts,” Joaquin said. “Delia Hughes blew a gasket—”

“As well she should,” Alonzo said.

“—and heads rolled.”

“Somehow, none were ours,” Anna said dryly.

“Okay,” I said slowly. “Delia isn’t taking Thea out of Blue Ridge?”

“Don’t think so,” Alonzo said. “The new doctor—Christina Chen? She’s in charge now and somehow, she’s convinced Delia to stay. Said she’s going to be more involved in Miss Hughes’ care.” He nodded at the rec room again. “Starting now.”

“And that’s it? Delia was satisfied with that?”

“Strangely enough.” Alonzo scratched his chin. “Something’s going on with her. I can’t put my finger on it…”