by Adam Zorzi
“Good,” Selma said. “That new medication is working. You're improving. Maybe you should mention that to the doctor today.”
Bella was pleased she had such a beneficial effect on Daniel. He could mention it to the psychiatrist, but he wouldn’t be able to explain that it was the bond between the two of them and not just some chemical improving his sleep.
CHAPTER
FORTY-SEVEN
“This is abominable,” Bella said. She was furious. She stood with Mark in front of a VCR Opal had acquired and watched the original unedited hospital surveillance tape from the night of Evan Cooper's murder. “I can't believe someone would be so cruel. Everything Larry Yarbrough said was true. He was out of his mind on bath salts, desperate to cool down, and ran into Evan's room repeatedly making a terrible racket.”
Worse, Evan Cooper's screams were audible.
Jess Cox, who sat in the bulletproof nursing station, did nothing. He didn't respond to anything Yarbrough did or Cooper's screams that turned to gagging. Yarbrough had torn off his clothes and run with purpose through the ward, screaming and cursing and begging for cool air. He pummeled the glass shield, threw a chair at it, and pelted it with bottles of medicine from the first aid cabinet he ripped off the wall. Iodine, cough syrup, and pink Pepto-Bismol splattered on and down the window. Cox yelled for Yarbrough to shut up. Yarbrough ran in and out of every patient's room at least twice. The tape was six hours of nonstop belligerence and hysteria. And death.
“I've seen enough,” Bella said at the three-hour point. “I'll draft a search warrant for the Dinwiddie County prosecutor's home and office.”
She went into the conference room and closed the door. She paced around the conference table. She wanted to punch someone. She never expected to discover so much indifference to human suffering by someone charged with at least doing no harm.
This would end their case. Bella was certain when the computers at the prosecutor's home and office were examined, evidence of tampering the tape would be obvious. Not only was the tape six hours long instead of twenty-five minutes, it included audio as well as visual tracks. No doubt software used to separate the two would be found on one of the prosecutor's computers.
Prosecutorial misconduct aside, the newly discovered evidence would make it clear that the hospital staff knew what Yarbrough was doing and failed to call for security or medical assistance. That willful blindness established the state's legal culpability in the death of Evan Cooper.
Mark could handle the rest of the case. The search warrant for the prosecutor's computers, the Motion for Summary Judgment, and a final argument were complete. Mark was on the phone when Bella entered his office. She wordlessly handed the USB drive to Mark. Mark mouthed, “See you later,” as she left. Outside, relief surged through her. One part of her mission was finished. She didn't feel even a twinge of regret for deserting Mark.
CHAPTER
FORTY-EIGHT
Thanksgiving Eve
“You're certain everyone's out?” Bella asked. She'd stopped in the pharmacy to get exactly what she needed before meeting Big. “Checked every room myself, including offices. The bomb threat is being treated as real. Everyone's out.”
The two worked their way from the third floor to the basement, pouring gasoline along the corridors and lighting matches. They threw in oxygen tanks as they found them. By the time they reached the basement, there was a satisfying blaze going above them. The soundtrack was crackles from burning wood, great groans from falling beams, and blasts from explosions of equipment. Thunderous smoke clouded everything.
They raced out to see EMS crews calling individual patient names. The teams had warrants to seize patients and transfer them to specific approved locations. That was going smoothly except for one man in a suit who was trying to get an EMS driver to take him off the premises. Bella ran to him and pulled him back by his suit jacket. When he turned around, he saw nothing. She saw the hospital's chief of staff trying to get away rather than oversee the care of his patients.
Infuriated, Bella grabbed the doctor's hand and pulled him down the gravel driveway away from the action. She withdrew the scalpel from her pocket and repeatedly sliced him in the stomach and slashed his face and arms. She made herself visible.
“Who are you?” he huffed, panting and bleeding.
“Someone whose lover and daughter spent time in this hellhole. They could have died for no reason because you weren't providing the most basic kind of care. You're not a disgrace. You're evil.”
She kept slashing him. Bella didn't want to kill him. She wanted him to suffer. His screams brought no attention to him. Patients were priority for EMS. When she had emptied her rage, Bella flung the doctor aside and walked away.
***
The twosome sat on the grass well away from the scene. The building had collapsed in some sections, but the fire was controlled.
“I can't believe we did it,” Bella said. Tears poured down her face. “It's over. All that horror is over.”
Big hugged her. “It is. It's really over.”
She stayed in his arms and cried like a child whose fondest wish had come true. He held her tightly. When she finished, she sat up and looked at him. “What's next for you?”
“I'm going back to Potts Mountain to find my children if they're alive. If not, I'll lay myself down beside my wife. I'm going home.”
Bella nodded.
“And you?”
Before she could answer, there was a shout. “Big,” called a man about her age as he ran up and threw his arms around her collaborator. Big held him close.
“What's going on?” the man asked.
“It's almost gone.” Big put his arm around the man's shoulders. “Patients have been evacuated, ghosts have been sent to their rightful places, and this hospital of horrors is burning to the ground.”
The man stood there, amazed and speechless, before Big made introductions.
“Gregg, this is Bella. She's my accomplice in destroying this place.
“Bella, this is Gregg. He…”
“LouLou's Gregg?” she asked.
“Yes.” Big nodded with a smile.
“Did you come back for her? For LouLou?” she asked.
“Yes. I tried and tried and this is where I broke through. I don't know how to get to her from here.”
“Do you love her?” Bella searched his face.
“With all my being.”
LouLou had paid for hurting Daniel. Maybe not enough, but Bella and Daniel would soon be beyond this realm. LouLou was wretched alone. Gregg had come from the other side of the globe to be with LouLou. Bella couldn't deny them happiness. It was too cruel. She grabbed Gregg's hand. “I know how to get there. I'll take you to her.”
She blew Big a kiss. He smiled and waved and then he was gone. Bella held Gregg's hand tightly as she willed them to LouLou's loft.
CHAPTER
FORTY-NINE
The network's best local reporter stood away from the scene of the fire, but it could be seen in the background.
“The fire that started about nine twenty-five this morning in which no lives were lost marked the end of what has been a turbulent time for Commonwealth Psychiatric Hospital. Yesterday, Federal Judge Madeline King granted Summary Judgment against the state for its role in the death of Evan Cooper three years ago.
“She awarded the plaintiffs sixty million dollars in damages, which is treble what was asked, and ordered the immediate closing of the hospital according to a plan based on individual patients' diagnosis, age, and gender. Warrants to transfer every patient were being executed when a bomb threat was called in to the hospital.
“The threat caused evacuation of the building. EMS teams responding to the scene transferred patients according to the warrants signed by Judge King. The hospital's chief of staff, whose name has not been released, suffered injuries and was arrested along with other key staff as accomplices in the murder of Evan Cooper.
“This follows the arrest at
dawn of the prosecutor from Dinwiddie County who led the case against another patient, Larry Yarbrough, for the murder of Evan Cooper. The prosecutor is charged with tampering with evidence and obstruction of justice. He's believed to have edited the six-hour surveillance video from the hospital cameras on the night of the murder down to twenty-five minutes and deleted the audio portion.
“Sources close to the arrest say the missing hours show hospital staff allowing Mr. Yarbrough to rampage through the ward and in the rooms of other patients without restraint while high on bath salts. Bath salts, the name for a lethal combination of synthetic drugs, is known to trigger violent outbursts over a period of several days. Mr. Yarbrough was convicted of second degree murder and died in custody last month. The cause of death was cardiac and liver failure due to prolonged use of bath salts.
“The attorney representing Evan Cooper's family in its case against the state is Mark Hoffman. Our network's chief legal correspondent has a live interview with him coming up. The state's attorney general has made no remarks.”
***
Bella watched the television coverage in Roy's diner near LouLou's loft. She was invisible and didn't detect any Sensitives nearby. She was pleased LouLou had been reunited with Gregg. He seemed ecstatic that she’d been able to take him to his beloved LouLou. She didn't know how long Gregg would be able to stay in this realm with LouLou, but it wasn't her concern. She'd reunited them. The two of them would make choices that worked for them.
She hadn't seen Mark since the day they'd watched the surveillance video. She'd made an invisible visit long enough to make sure Mark realized her departure was permanent. Mark hadn't noticed until late afternoon, when Opal entered his office with the phone Bella left behind from the genius phone system. She no longer needed it.
“What's this?” Mark asked.
“Bella's phone. It must have fallen out of her bag. She's too meticulous to forget it.”
Opal asked if there was anything else for her to do and when Mark said no, she left. Mark continued to review the Motion for Summary Judgment he intended to file the next day. When he hit sleep and the computer screen went dark, he picked up Bella's phone.
“I'm going to give her a hard time about losing this when she comes in tomorrow,” he said aloud. “Finally, a mistake by Ms. Brilliant and Gorgeous.” His eyes crinkled with mischief. Before he put it down, he saw there was a text addressed to him. He opened it, read it, and pushed his chair back away from the desk.
Kick Ass.
Those two words were all the notice she left. She watched as it dawned on him that the message meant she wasn't coming back. He loosened his tie, made himself a scotch, and when he sat on the white sofa, closed his eyes. She saw he was fighting tears. He finally let them flow. He looked heartbroken, but there was no one to see him.
She knew she should feel something, but all that came to her was relief. Mark was a changed man. He'd finished the trial with bravado and a win for the Coopers and his loyal three-member team. Eventually, he'd realize she'd just been an eye-opener for him. Bella hoped he'd take a long vacation after the case was won, find a woman to love, and live happily ever after in some place other than Richmond. Maybe his sister in Australia had a friend who would appreciate and love him. At least Mark now knew there were possibilities in his life that he shouldn't waste. She'd given him that and he'd served as her human conduit for justice. Bella considered it a fair exchange.
CHAPTER FIFTY
Daniel sat in the armchair in his bedroom sobbing with his face in his hands. Surely, he wouldn't be upset at news reports of the finale of Commonwealth Psychiatric Hospital.
“Daniel,” Bella said softly as she approached him. “Daniel, what's wrong?”
“Ivan died,” he mumbled with his hands still covering his face.
“I'm so sorry. When?”
“This morning, I woke up and he was there.” He pointed to the foot of the bed. “He must have died in the night.”
She sank to her knees in front of Daniel and put her head in his lap. Bella had spent the night on the grounds of Commonwealth Psych to start the fire as soon as Big gave her a signal. She hadn't slept with Daniel so she hadn't seen Ivan. Maybe he understood Bella was coming for Daniel and his job was done.
“The vet just left with him. He had kidney disease. I gave him the pills every day, but I guess he just finally wore out. He was old.”
When he stopped sobbing, Daniel realized who was with him. “Bella?”
“Yes, Daniel, it's me.”
He pulled her onto his lap and cried into her neck. She held him and stroked his hair and murmured nonsense to calm him. He clung to her.
“Bella, they told me you were dead, that it was impossible for us to have had an affair. The police, my lawyer, Rob. Everyone said you were dead.”
“Daniel, I don't live in human form anymore. It doesn't mean I don't exist. I'm here for you. For us.”
He held her tightly and continued to cry softly. Finally, he sat back and wiped his eyes with the back of his hand.
“I went to a paranormal specialist. He said you and I had been together because of what he called our extraordinary bond. He said our love knew no bounds. He was the only person who believed me.”
She kissed him. “He was right. I'm sorry no one else understood.”
He sat silently, content to hold her. When he did speak, it was through tears. “Bella, why didn't you tell me about our child?” His brown eyes were rimmed with sadness.
“I couldn't tell you in a letter. I wanted you to come to Paris. I was afraid to fly while pregnant. I didn't know anything about pregnancy, really.” She paused. “I didn't want you to be with me because of the baby. I wanted you to want me and us. If you didn't, then I wasn't going to play the pregnancy card.”
“I did want you. You know that. We talked about it that year when we were together. Before my father died. I was just depressed and stubborn and proud.”
“Shhhh,” she whispered. “It doesn't matter. We're together now.”
“You were alone and pregnant.”
“I had friends from the Sorbonne. I met the Flemings through the adoption agency while I was pregnant. They were nice people and wanted LouLou very much. I couldn't keep her without you.”
“I'm sorry. I was such a fool.”
“We're together now. LouLou is as happy and healthy as her illness allows her to be. The Fleming family adores her. Gregg, the man who loves her, returned to her today. They're happy.”
“That's all that matters,” he said.
***
Their lovemaking was languorous, sensuous, and rapturous. They took time to appreciate the bodies each knew so well. Bella closed her eyes and luxuriated in the feel of Daniel, his touch, his mouth on hers. She felt like she was seventeen again.
Daniel lay on his back and pulled her close. “We're back in a single bed. Where we started.”
“Are we?” She smiled as she looked into his eyes and held his face in her hands.
“Time drops away when I'm with you. I feel whole. Please, never leave me,” he pleaded.
He was ready.
“Daniel,” she whispered. “It's time.”
“Now?” He immediately understood.
“I came back for you. I came back to close that psychiatric hospital and I did. It burned to the ground this morning. The patients are safe and the ghosts have homes.”
“I can come with you now?” he repeated. She watched him struggle to understand.
“Yes. Only if you want to come.”
“I don't want to be without you ever. Where will we go?”
“Anywhere you want.”
He spoke through tears. “I'd like to go to St. John where we swam, made love, and slept in a hammock between coconut trees under the stars. That was where we were happiest, I think.”
“I was happy wherever I was with you, but I think St. John is the best choice.” He continued to cry. “Bella, I'm tired. I hate Mørk. I used to accept it
. Then I disliked it. Now, I despise it. It runs my life. I want nothing more than to be free with you.”
He looked down at her. “You are the most beautiful woman in any universe, Bella. I've always loved you and will through eternity.”
Everything had been worthwhile just to hear him say those words.
CHAPTER
FIFTY-ONE
“You really want to do this?” she asked softly as she sat upright.
He nodded.
“Then we must plan. Where do you want to leave?”
“Here, in his room with you.” He held her hand.
They discussed details. Bella brought morphine she'd grabbed from the hospital pharmacy. Daniel would take pills so it would look like suicide. The family would probably think the loss of Ivan triggered it.
Daniel didn't want his mother to be the one to find him. He sent a text to Rob asking that he stop by in three hours to pick up something for Thanksgiving dinner the next day. Rob had a key to the villa.
“One last thing for Rob to do for me. He must be as tired as I am. He's run two households, parented Kate on my behalf, and looked after me for too long. I owe him a lot.”
“I'm sure he doesn't mind. He loves you, Daniel. By pure grace, he's not the one who lives with Mørk.”
“Do you think so?”
“Of course, Daniel. Your dad is a Sensitive. You have Mørk. Both your children have a mental illness. Neither Rob nor either of his sons inherited anything.”
“I never thought of it that way. You make me see things differently, Bella. You always have.” She kissed him. “I want to write Mom a note. Just to tell her I'm happy. She'll be free of taking care of me.”
