by C. J. Urban
Julie was stunned. She hadn’t expected Leigh to be locked away in a psychiatric hospital. Langley faced her full on now, daring her to ask another question.
“I…Thanks for the information,” was all she could come up with.
“We handled that situation just fine, and long ago, Miss Townsend. There is no need for you to get involved in something best forgotten.” Before Julie could say another word, the Chief turned, got into her patrol car and drove away.
Julie walked back to her truck and Sam, surprised at Langley’s threatening tone. Why would she care if someone wanted to contact Leigh?
Sam glanced up at his big sister. “Did you talk to the Chief of Police?” He asked.
“Yep. At least I got the information I wanted. Now, to find McAndrew’s.”
“Find what?” Sam asked innocently.
“Nothing, bud. Nothing to worry about at all.”
Julie did want to visit Jacob Leigh though, and she decided to ask Skye if he could help her locate him. Maybe he would even go with her. She knew it was silly, but Julie felt uncomfortable about the prospect of being in a psych hospital alone. And even though she didn’t know Skye very well, she did feel at ease with him. She hoped he would agree to go with her.
She drove back to the hardware store and headed toward the back. She found Skye packing up his things.
“Hey, are you done for the day?” She asked, glancing at the clock on the wall. It was only noon.
“Yeah,” Skye sighed, “the store is busy, but the key department has been pretty slow lately. My boss told me to take the afternoon off.”
Julie gave him her most convincing smile. “Well, that’s perfect, because I need your help with something.”
Her full lips and perfect white teeth weren’t lost on Skye. “And what would you be needing help with, Miss Julie?”
Julie felt her cheeks getting warmer, and wished just for this moment that Skye’s eyes weren’t so mesmerizing. The way he looked into her own eyes made it hard for her to concentrate.
But she gathered her thoughts and said, “I want to visit Jacob Leigh. And I want you to come with me.”
“Whoa, wait a second,” he said. “What makes you think I’d want to visit him? And, more importantly, why do you want to see him?”
It was then that Julie decided to trust Skye. She needed a friend, someone to confide in. “I can’t tell you here, but if you come with me I’ll tell you on the way. I promise.”
“Chief Langley told me he’s at McAndrew’s Psychiatric Hospital. Ever heard of it?”
Skye looked down, somber now. “Yeah he’s there, and yes, I know the place.”
“What’s wrong, Skye?”
“I’ll take you. I don’t think we’ll have too much trouble getting in. They know me pretty well there.”
Julie didn’t mean to, but she took a step back. “Why would you be well known at a mental hospital?” She asked.
Skye remained silent a moment, searching for the right words. Then he told her, “I’m known there because my father has been a patient there for the past five years.”
Chapter 11
Now it was Julie’s turn for silence. She didn’t know what to say to him. She finally stepped forward and gave Skye a hug. She felt his strong arms tighten around her, pulling her close to him. She almost didn’t want to let go, even though they were in the middle of his workplace.
But after a few seconds, he let go and smiled down at her.
“Thanks.” He sighed, and Julie waited for him to gather his thoughts. She didn’t think he’d been prepared to share this information with her so soon, but she was glad he trusted her. “I’ll take you there,” he said. “And I’ll tell you how my dad ended up there.”
“Thank you, Skye, for telling me. And for helping me. I doubt they would let just anyone in a place…like that…” she fumbled to a stop, not wanting to offend him.
But he smiled. That smile. “Pretty lucky you know me then, huh?”
“Very lucky. I wonder if your mom could watch Sam. They could get to know one another, before Friday night.”
“I’m sure she could. Let me call her, though.” Skye pulled his phone out of his pocket and speed-dialed his mom’s number. Julie waited while he talked for a minute or so, and then hung up. “She’d be happy to watch him,” he told her.
Sam was waiting patiently for them. Now Julie turned and knelt to her little brother. “Skye and I need to go somewhere for a little while, Sammy. You remember his mom, Gloria? She’s the nice lady we met the day we moved in. You’re going to stay with her while I’m gone, okay?”
Sam thought a moment, considering. Then he replied, “Yeah, I remember her. She’s nice. Alright. But where are you going?”
Julie gave Sam a tender brush on the cheek. “We’re going to a hospital to visit someone we think we can help.”
He seemed satisfied, if mystified, with her answer. He didn’t question any further, for which Julie was grateful. They followed Skye out of the hardware store to his truck.
“Am I following you?” Julie asked.
“Naw,” Skye answered, “I’ll drive. I do know the way, after all.”
Julie opened the passenger door and pushed the front seat forward for Sam to climb into the back, then got in and shut the door. She looked behind her to make sure Sam was buckling himself up, and noticed several black bags, one of which was open. Julie saw the sheath of a knife poking through one of the bag’s openings.
“Don’t touch it,” she told Sam, interpreting his fascinated gaze.
Skye reached back and zipped the bag closed. “Sorry about that,” he said, “I’m a hunter, and I keep most of my gear with me.”
“Phew,” Julie said, feigning relief. “I was afraid we were getting ourselves into some trouble, after all.”
Skye gave Julie an amused look as he started his truck and they began to drive. “My mom’s house is just down the street.”
They arrived in front of the small, one-story home and all three alighted the truck. Skye led them to the front door and knocked. They could hear Gloria’s muffled voice from inside. Then she opened it, and stood there in a bright pink shirt and jeans smeared with mud.
This didn’t seem unusual to Skye. “Hi, Mom,” he said, stepping aside for Julie and Sam to enter ahead of him.
“Hi, everyone,” Gloria said. “I’m sorry I’m all muddy. I’ve been weeding in the back yard. Weeds grow so thick in the summer.”
“Well, at least you know what you’re doing,” Julie said, attempting to compliment Skye’s mother. “I don’t have a green thumb at all.”
Gloria waved them all further into her home. “It takes practice, dear. Lots of practice. When I first started gardening, I killed everything…twice!”
Julie laughed. “That’s encouraging. And it’s nice for your plants that you know better now, huh?”
Gloria chuckled as well, and then smiled down at Sam. “It’s nice to see you again, young man.”
“You too,” he said.
Julie was relieved that Sam seemed comfortable with Gloria. “Thanks for agreeing to watch him.”
“No problem at all. I’ve already thought of lots of things to keep us both occupied. Sam, have you ever made a fresh apple pie?”
The three adults held back a chuckle as Sam’s eyes grew wide and he shook his head in wonder at the thought. “Really?” He asked her. “That’s my favorite! I’ll help you!”
“Well, let me wash up and then we can get started. You can help me weed while it bakes.” Gloria winked at Julie, and motioned for Sam to follow her into the kitchen. “Don’t you two worry about us,” she called over her shoulder. “We’ll have a grand time.”
Julie caught Sam’s eye and blew him a kiss. “I’ll be back by this evening, Sammy.”
Sam reached out his hand and caught Julie’s kiss, smiled, and ran to follow Gloria. Julie watched him go, tears welling in her eyes. They’d blown kisses at each other for years, but when their parents d
ied he’d stopped. This was the first time he’d caught her kiss since. She wanted to run and hug him, but he was already off with Gloria in the kitchen.
She followed Skye back out to his truck, trying to pull her emotions together.
“You okay?” Skye asked her.
“I’m great,” she answered, smiling and wiping away her tears.
Skye nodded. He didn’t want to pry, but even he could see that something significant had occurred between Julie and Sam.
He pulled his truck out of the driveway and headed out to McAndrew’s Hospital. Julie didn’t know what to expect when they got there, and she hoped she wasn’t making a mistake by going to visit Jacob Leigh. All she knew for sure was that she was going to see a man convicted of the heinous murder of her cousin Tara – and she had a hunch that he was innocent.
Chapter 12
Skye reached the main highway, cruising at a comfortable speed. “So, we’ve got about a two hour drive ahead of us. You wanna grab some coffee?”
“You read my mind,” Julie said.
They drove for about ten minutes before arriving at a tiny gas station on the side of the highway that had only two pumps and a small, dingy convenience store.
“Despite how it looks, this place has amazing coffee,” Skye said.
“Better than mine?”
“Doesn’t hold a candle to yours, but it’s better than most.” Skye got out of his truck and walked into the store. Within a couple of minutes he was back, holding two large coffees in his hands. He handed one to Julie and then pulled himself into the truck.
“Thanks,” Julie said brightly.
“No problem.”
They left the station and veered back onto the road. Julie rolled her window down, letting the warm wind blow across her face. She closed her eyes momentarily, imagining how exciting it would be if this were actually a case that needed to be solved.
“So, what’s the reason we’re doing this?” Sky asked, breaking Julie’s daydream. “You promised you’d explain.”
“Right,” Julie said, opening her eyes and pulling a hand through her wind-blown hair. “My uncle has left my cousin’s room exactly as it was when she died,” she began. “I was looking around, and came across some of her diaries. I found some odd entries about a boy who used to watch her outside her window sometimes. It scared her.”
“That would be spooky,” Skye remarked. “And yes. Odd. Odd behavior. Go on.”
“I think she knew who her murderer was. I think it was actually that boy, not Jacob Leigh.”
Skye digested this a moment. “What exactly did she say?”
“She wrote about a boy who looked through her windows at night, and how she wished he would go away. I also found a drawing of another boy that she mentioned she did like, named Lucas. But the picture had the eyes cut out. I found another hidden drawing, one of Tara and a different boy. It said, ‘together forever’ but also, in Tara’s writing was the word, ‘never’.”
Skye whistled.
“The other weird thing is some of the pages in her diary are missing.”
“Missing?”
Julie nodded. “Ripped out. I asked my uncle about it, and he doesn’t know where the missing pages are.”
“Huh. That’s a mystery right there.”
Julie felt uneasy just thinking about it. She was doubly glad that Skye was coming with her to visit Jacob.
Skye thought about it some more, then said, “But none of this proves it wasn’t Jacob Leigh who killed her.”
“I know. But Jacob was older when they arrested him. If what you say about him is true, then he had no real motive. This was a boy, a teen my cousin wrote about, and he was clearly obsessed with her. He could have killed her in some insane, jealous rage.”
“You’re right,” Skye agreed, “You might be on to something here. But we’re going to need more evidence than that, to have the case reopened.”
“And Chief Langley doesn’t like me,” Julie told him. “I don’t know why, but I can tell she doesn’t.”
“That won’t help. She’s a tough one, that Langley.”
The pair drove in silence for a while, each caught up in their own thoughts.
Julie decided to change the subject. “So, why is your dad at McAndrew’s?”
Skye didn’t answer right away. Then he took a deep breath and began his story. “A few years ago, we started noticing a strange change in my father. He would leave for days, sometimes even weeks at a time. When he returned, he wouldn’t have any explanation for his disappearance. He only knew that periodically he found himself in different places, with no idea how he got there.”
“That’s horrible, Skye. I’m so sorry. It must have been scary, for all of you.” She put a hand on his shoulder.
He nodded. “My mother and I were terrified for him, so we asked him to see a psychiatrist. He ended up being diagnosed with Dissociative Fugue Disorder.”
Julie was stunned. “That’s really rare, isn’t it?”
“Yeah,” Skye sighed, “it is. Anyway, the psychiatrist came to the conclusion that my dad should be hospitalized for a short while, for observation. Just to be on the safe side. But what was supposed to be a ten day stay has become five years. His memory is shot now, so destroyed that he barely recognizes me or my mom.”
“Oh, Skye. I don’t know what to say.”
“You don’t need to say anything. It is tough, and I don’t talk to many people about it, although, like I said, Dupont is a small town and everyone knows. I’ve kind of lost hope that he’ll get better, but I’m getting used to it.”
Julie was touched that he’d confided something so private with her. “So you want to visit your dad as well today?”
Skye shook his head. “We’ll probably have to say we are, but no, not today. I do visit him often, but let’s concentrate on Jacob Leigh.”
They both fell silent. Julie felt as if there were a big, invisible weight holding them both down. She really didn’t know what to say to Skye. She watched the road as it began to incline, winding upwards toward a mountain range.
“The hospital is in the mountains?” She asked.
“Yeah. Weird, right?”
“A little. It just seems out of the way.”
“It’s supposed to create a more natural environment for the patients. The hospital has a huge recreation area, surrounded by fencing, obviously. But still, it’s better for them than never being outside at all.”
Julie simply nodded.
Twenty minutes later, they turned off the main road and onto a narrower one. They took this road for another few miles until they reached the hospital. Skye pulled into a small parking lot labeled, “Visitor Parking.”
As they got out of the truck, Julie took in the enormous white building several hundred feet uphill from the lot. They began climbing the gray stone steps that led upwards to it. The grass on either side of the stones was lumpy, and had long, deep green blades. Beautiful pine trees surrounded them, giving off a fresh scent.
She and Skye finally reached the front of the building. There was a large metal sign above the front entrance that read “McAndrew’s Psychiatric Hospital.”
Chapter 13
“Well, we know we’re at the right place, at least,” Julie said, her voice nervous.
Skye opened one of the large glass double doors for her to enter. Julie glanced around the hallway. It seemed like a normal hospital. She heard none of the insane screaming she had always associated with mental hospitals, and considered it a good sign. There were banners every couple of feet along the walls, stating the hospital’s mission, values and commitment to quality patient care.
She followed Skye up to the front desk and listened as he conversed with the nurse sitting behind it.
“You brought a friend with you this time?” The nurse asked, batting her eyelashes flirtatiously.
“Yep. She asked to meet my father, and I thought it would be good for him to visit with someone new.”
The n
urse looked down at her computer screen a moment, clicked her mouse a few times and then looked back up at Skye. “Here you go,” she said as she tore two visitor passes from a large label maker nearby.
“Thank you,” Skye said.
They walked down the hall away from the front desk toward a large door with a sign on it reading, “Male Unit.” There was a telephone next to the door, with another sign that read, “Pick up phone for assistance.”
Skye picked up the phone and after waiting a moment said, “Yes, we’re here to see a patient named Frank Hanson.”
He set the phone back into its cradle, and turned to Julie while they waited. “Look, we’re going to have to find Jacob Leigh’s room. We don’t have permission to see him.”
“How are we going to do that?” Julie whispered, even though there was no one around to hear.
“I know the nurses in there. I’ll talk with them while you try to find it.”
“But…”
“The rooms have the patient’s names on them,” he explained. “We won’t have much time, though. Can you do it?”
“I can try,” Julie said, then caught herself. If she were going to be a PI someday, she’d have to have guts. She took a breath. “Yes, I can do it.”
“Good,” Skye said, rising from his seat.
Julie heard a soft click and Skye pulled the door open. She took a deep breath, and walked with him into the unit.
Julie was immediately struck by how sterile the place felt compared to the hallway just behind them. It was unlike any place she had ever seen.
There was a large nurses’ station at the center of the great room, and lining the walls were several doors that she assumed led to the patients’ rooms. Her nose caught the sharp scent of antiseptic solution. Julie was surprised that the hospital staff didn’t make an effort to provide the patients with more natural surroundings, given the fact that the place was located in such a lovely place up in the mountains.
