A Five-Minute Life

“Jim, I’m tired. I’ve been working six fifteen-hour shifts in a row. My husband hasn’t seen me—”

“Brett Dodson is why she’s been melting down,” I said, fighting for calm. “Please, Rita. It’s him. He’s the reason she did it. He’s why Thea…”

Put her hand in the asp’s basket. Because she thought she was alone. My enemy made sure she was alone.

“The resident rooms are locked,” Rita was saying. Her voice sounded different now. Cooler. Calmer. The way she spoke to residents who were irrational and upset. “I’m going home now.”

“Rita.”

“No one can get into resident rooms,” she said again, louder. “It’s not possible. Mary Flint is a friend of mine. I have to go.”

“Rita, wait—”

“I’m hanging up, Jim.”

The click in my ear was soft but might as well have been a door slamming.

Alonzo. I had to call him and tell him…

Tell him what? That I had a completely unfounded accusation against Brett? One that conveniently took the blame off me? I already looked like a pathetic loser with a crush on a brain-damaged girl, one step away from obsessed.

But fuck, what did it matter what they thought of me? I knew I was right. Every time I thought about Brett, the surety was like a bucket of ice water dumped on my head. Over and over again. Putting his hands on Thea. Doing things to her…

I called Alonzo but got his voicemail.

“Alonzo, this is Jim. Where are you? Pull Brett from the night shift. Tell him to go home. Order him to go home.” I yanked on my boots. “He’s hurting Thea. Call me back.”

I threw on my jacket, grabbed my keys and helmet and headed out. The moon was a huge silver orb in a black sky. I rode my bike to the sanitarium and pulled up to the guard booth. Ted Johnson was on night shift. He raised his brow when I lifted my visor.

“Word is you’re on a three-day suspension, Whelan.”

“Yep,” I said. “But I left my cell phone in the break room. Let me just run in and grab it? Five minutes.”

Ted frowned. “All right. But Hank Morris is on patrol tonight. I’m going to radio him if you’re not out in five.”

Good, I thought. Hank was a former college linebacker. If my suspicion was correct, I might need him to keep me from killing Brett.

“Thanks, Ted.”

I rode up the hill, then shut off the engine before I got to the parking lot to keep it quiet. I speed-walked the bike to the front door, leaned it against the wall and went in. George Baker was at the front desk. Unlike Jules, he actually did his job.

“Forgot my cell,” I said. “Ted said I could get it.”

Slowly George reached for his desk phone. “We’ll see.” He pushed a button. Sweat dripped down my back as precious seconds slipped away. Was Brett already in Thea’s room? I closed my eyes against the thought and when I opened them again, George was off the phone and waving me in.

“Five minutes.”

“Yep.”

I walked casually past George, and once out of his sight and hearing, I took the stairs two at a time, racing up the two flights to the residents’ quarters. I forced myself to slow down and get my breathing quiet. I prayed I’d catch Brett as he was unlocking the door to Thea’s room. Prayed I’d get there before he did anything to her.

Most of all, I prayed I was wrong about everything. I wanted nothing more than to see Brett shooting the shit with Mary or playing solitaire at a table in the corner. I’d gladly lose my job or be thrown in jail if it meant I was wrong.

I wasn’t wrong.

Mary Flint was fast asleep behind her fence at the nurse’s station; door was ajar. The key to room 314 was missing from its hook.

Now I didn’t care about silence. Blood burned through my veins as I pounded down the quiet hall to Thea.