CHAPTER SEVEN
As she and Lamont pulled up to the entrance of the Riverview Sanitarium, Margot was struck by the pristine normalcy of the grounds. The trees, shrubs, and flowers were meticulously arranged and maintained, casting peaceful dappled shadows across smoothly clipped lawns. The main building of the campus was a large red structure with white marble columns stretching three full stories at the front and lines of tall windows running down each wing.
Margot looked about more as Lamont paid the cabbie, catching sight of a few nurses pushing elderly or infirm patients about in wheelchairs, a pair of doctors in white coats conversing on a park bench, and other signs of life. Far to the left side of the building she thought she saw a young man drawing on a large sketch pad.
"Are you ready, Margot?" She was brought back to the moment by Lamont's question.
"Certainly," she replied, stepping in the direction of his outstretched arm and into the front entrance of the building.
The interior was as finely appointed and kept as the exterior grounds had been. Margot took note of the exceptional quality of the furnishings and other decor while Lamont informed the secretary that they wished to speak with the Director. After a brief wait, they were shown into the large office of Sheffield Walters, MD.
"I was surprised to hear that you had called on us, Mr. Cranston," he said, directing them to two plush leather chairs placed before his large desk. "As you know, we do not cater to the criminally insane."
"Yes, Dr. Walters, I know that." Lamont paused thoughtfully, bringing the tips of his fingers together. "It's just that the more upscale nature of your clientele would fit the circumstances of a series of crimes that Ms. Lane and I are researching."
"So you are merely 'researching' and not part of an official investigation?"
Cranston nodded. "We are merely interested to see if any of your clients had an interest in certain artifacts that seem to have been collected by the criminal in question."
Walters sat back and considered this, then replied:
"What sort of artifacts are you speaking of, sir?"
Lamont nodded to Margot to respond to the question. This was a common tactic they used to lesson the apparent import of the information they sought from someone.
"This list of books," she handed the list to him, " and a framed object of the dimensions indicated there."
As he studied the list, Lamont shifted forward about half an inch very suddenly, then quickly leaned back again so as to not attract attention. Margot met his eyes briefly, then looked back to the Doctor when Lamont made a dismissive gesture.
"Many of our patients attempt to find the solutions to their problems in mysticism and other such follies, Ms. Lane," Dr. Walters stated, handing back the list to her. "I can give you the names of the more...interested in this subject among our recently released patients if you like. You will find most of them to be completely harmless."
"Most?" Lamont asked.
Walters replied:
"We cannot hold many of our mentally ill patients indefinitely, Mr. Cranston. Some are released by their families when funds become an issue or when they think that their loved one has had sufficient "rest". That said, however, we have not had an incident of violence on these grounds in many years."
"And yet you still have walls and a gate," Lamont replied pointedly.
Dr. Walters rose, concluding their meeting. "Those walls have been there longer than Ms. Lane has been alive, Cranston. I will have the secretary give you those names on your way out."
A few minutes later, they were standing outside the building again, waiting for Schrevy to come and pick them up.
"What startled you so in the Doctor's office, Lamont?"
He turned to her.
"There were actually two startling instances in that office, Margot. You must have noticed the second one. First, I saw that the son of Franklin and Samantha Edwards is a patient here."
"What!" Margot exclaimed. "If he's already here, the shock of his parent's death might make him even worse."
Lamont nodded. "Yes, I fear it may make his already tormented mind that much more vulnerable. But the discovery that the young Mr. Edwards is confined here is not the more startling revelation. While in the Doctor's office, I sensed the presence of a mind of some ability."
"Ability?" Margot asked, "Can they..."
"Cloud men's minds as I do?" Lamont responded. "No, but the potential is certainly there. Many who posses such gifts are often driven to places like this. They hope that treatment will make the whispers at the edge of their thoughts go away."
"Do you think the person you sensed could be our killer?"
"No, I don't. The thoughts I sensed were almost unnaturally placid. This was not the violent maniac we seek. Our only hope is to seek out those on the list we received from Walters...
...before our killer strikes again."
Margot looked about more as Lamont paid the cabbie, catching sight of a few nurses pushing elderly or infirm patients about in wheelchairs, a pair of doctors in white coats conversing on a park bench, and other signs of life. Far to the left side of the building she thought she saw a young man drawing on a large sketch pad.
"Are you ready, Margot?" She was brought back to the moment by Lamont's question.
"Certainly," she replied, stepping in the direction of his outstretched arm and into the front entrance of the building.
The interior was as finely appointed and kept as the exterior grounds had been. Margot took note of the exceptional quality of the furnishings and other decor while Lamont informed the secretary that they wished to speak with the Director. After a brief wait, they were shown into the large office of Sheffield Walters, MD.
"I was surprised to hear that you had called on us, Mr. Cranston," he said, directing them to two plush leather chairs placed before his large desk. "As you know, we do not cater to the criminally insane."
"Yes, Dr. Walters, I know that." Lamont paused thoughtfully, bringing the tips of his fingers together. "It's just that the more upscale nature of your clientele would fit the circumstances of a series of crimes that Ms. Lane and I are researching."
"So you are merely 'researching' and not part of an official investigation?"
Cranston nodded. "We are merely interested to see if any of your clients had an interest in certain artifacts that seem to have been collected by the criminal in question."
Walters sat back and considered this, then replied:
"What sort of artifacts are you speaking of, sir?"
Lamont nodded to Margot to respond to the question. This was a common tactic they used to lesson the apparent import of the information they sought from someone.
"This list of books," she handed the list to him, " and a framed object of the dimensions indicated there."
As he studied the list, Lamont shifted forward about half an inch very suddenly, then quickly leaned back again so as to not attract attention. Margot met his eyes briefly, then looked back to the Doctor when Lamont made a dismissive gesture.
"Many of our patients attempt to find the solutions to their problems in mysticism and other such follies, Ms. Lane," Dr. Walters stated, handing back the list to her. "I can give you the names of the more...interested in this subject among our recently released patients if you like. You will find most of them to be completely harmless."
"Most?" Lamont asked.
Walters replied:
"We cannot hold many of our mentally ill patients indefinitely, Mr. Cranston. Some are released by their families when funds become an issue or when they think that their loved one has had sufficient "rest". That said, however, we have not had an incident of violence on these grounds in many years."
"And yet you still have walls and a gate," Lamont replied pointedly.
Dr. Walters rose, concluding their meeting. "Those walls have been there longer than Ms. Lane has been alive, Cranston. I will have the secretary give you those names on your way out."
A few minutes later, they were standing outside the building again, waiting for Schrevy to come and pick them up.
"What startled you so in the Doctor's office, Lamont?"
He turned to her.
"There were actually two startling instances in that office, Margot. You must have noticed the second one. First, I saw that the son of Franklin and Samantha Edwards is a patient here."
"What!" Margot exclaimed. "If he's already here, the shock of his parent's death might make him even worse."
Lamont nodded. "Yes, I fear it may make his already tormented mind that much more vulnerable. But the discovery that the young Mr. Edwards is confined here is not the more startling revelation. While in the Doctor's office, I sensed the presence of a mind of some ability."
"Ability?" Margot asked, "Can they..."
"Cloud men's minds as I do?" Lamont responded. "No, but the potential is certainly there. Many who posses such gifts are often driven to places like this. They hope that treatment will make the whispers at the edge of their thoughts go away."
"Do you think the person you sensed could be our killer?"
"No, I don't. The thoughts I sensed were almost unnaturally placid. This was not the violent maniac we seek. Our only hope is to seek out those on the list we received from Walters...
...before our killer strikes again."
