"Good," Cary said. "Now go get a supervisor or someone. Do it!" Cary ordered, so fiercely, the man rushed off. Cary and I followed and entered the lobby. There was a counter with a glass window ahead of us. To the right were sofas and chairs, small tables, magazine racks and a television set. The door directly in front of us most probably led into the institution, I thought.
We waited and finally heard footsteps on the other side of the door. It was opened and a very heavy woman in a nurse's uniform came charging out, her dark brown hair chopped rather crudely at the nape of her neck and ear lobes, her hips rubbing against the stiff material of the uniform, producing a loud swish.
"What's this all about?" she demanded, directing her beady black eyes at Cary. She folded her arms over her heavy bosom like a battering ram and walked within inches of him.
"My sister was illegally brought here," Cary said. "We've come to take her home."
She stared at him a moment, grimaced with confusion and then glanced at the redheaded man.
"Should I call the police?" he asked.
"Not quite yet," she said. Her curiosity was piqued. "Who are you and who is this sister you are looking for?" she asked.
"I'm Cary Logan. This is Melody Logan. My sister's name is Laura. Show her," Cary said and I produced some of the documents taken from the metal box. She eyed me suspiciously and then took them and began to read. When she was finished, I saw that her face softened a bit.
"You just found out about all this?" she asked.
"Yes, today," Cary said. "Those papers are incorrect. My sister did have parents and not a legal guardian," he said.
"Where are your parents? Why didn't they come here, too, if this is so?"
"My father recently died
and my mother . . . my mother is not able to make this journey. In fact, she doesn't know the truth yet," Cary explained.
The nurse handed the documents back to me.
"This is a legal matter," she said. "It has to be handled in a proper way."
"Look--"
"But as for your coming for your sister," she continued, "I'm afraid you're too late."
"What?"
My heart stopped. I stepped forward and took Cary's hand quickly.
"This young lady unfortunately died a short time after she was admitted," she said.
"Died? How?" I asked.
"She drowned. We informed the grandmother about it. She was listed as next of kin."
"How could she drown?"
"It was deliberate, self-induced," the nurse confessed after a moment. "I'm not permitted to discuss the details. There are always legal issues when something like this occurs. It wasn't our fault, however," she added quickly. "I really don't understand who you are and why you're here," she continued.
Cary just stared at her, refusing to believe her. "I want to see my sister now," he said.
The nurse looked at me to see if she had heard right. "Don't you understand what I'm saying?" she said. "Cary, come on," I said.
"No. I want to see her right now. I'm not leaving until I do," he insisted.
"Call the police," the nurse told the redheaded man. He spun around and disappeared inside.
"Cary, it's no use," I urged. He shook his head. "You're lying," he told the nurse. "She got to you. You were told to say this in case I ever arrived, weren't you?"
"Absolutely not. I don't know anything about you," the nurse said. "And I don't lie about my patients."