Inglewood Psychiatric Hospital

Inglewood, California

 

Zeke sat in his car for a long time, not only to wait for the time appointed for his meeting, but also to clear his head. It’d been a long three days.

He went to the office to write up his report, only to have Jackson Chamberlain call him on his cell phone.

“Can you stop by my office? I’d like to talk to you about Finley Calloway.”

Zeke was curious enough that he went. Jackson welcomed him with a handshake and a furtive glance over his shoulder. He closed and locked his office door, making Zeke wonder if this was more than just a casual meeting.

“Have you had much luck in locating Ms. Calloway?” Jackson asked as soon as they were settled in armchairs in the center of the room.

“No, sir.”

Another lie. But they were coming more and more easily, yet he didn’t feel like they were compromising his sobriety. And this one was necessary to protect Finley.

“When she first had that breakdown, I believed Norman when he said she hadn’t been well for a while. Writers are sensitive creatures. They are susceptible to things like alcoholism and drug addiction. And some of the best had mental illnesses. Look at F. Scott Fitzgerald and Ernest Hemingway. Look at Kurt Vonnegut and Sylvia Plath.” Jackson looked almost haggard as he spoke. “I believe Finley Calloway is a brilliant writer. So, I wasn’t horribly surprised, just disappointed.”

“Her breakdown was that bad?”

“It wasn’t a sight I’d like to see again.” Jackson tilted his head slightly. “But now that some time has passed, I’m beginning to wonder if maybe Norman might not have engineered it somehow.”

“How would he do that?”

“I don’t know. Honestly, I don’t. But Norman’s behavior since Finley went to that hospital has a lot of people in this town talking. He’s not acting like a man who’s worried about his mentally ill wife. He’s acting like a man who’s just won the lottery.”

Zeke nodded, still wondering what this meeting was about. “I’ve noticed that about him.”

“I think he might have hurt her. I don’t know her well, but I don’t like to see an injustice perpetrated on anyone, especially a woman that talented.”

“What would you like me to do, Mr. Chamberlain?”

“I want you to not try too hard to find her.”

“But you hired me to look for her.”

“Yes. However, I don’t think it would be a terrible thing if she never went back to that hospital.” Jackson leaned forward. “My son owns your security firm, son. I know the kind of people he hires over there. And I know that many of his operatives have gone out of their way to make sure justice was done. I’m hoping you’re one of those.”

Jackson was preaching to the choir, but Zeke wasn’t ready to tell him that. It would be safer for Finley, Stevie, and Zeke if no one outside their circle knew what was going on except for those who needed a piece or two of the puzzle to do their part. For that reason, he just nodded.

“I’ll do the best I can to respect your wishes, Mr. Chamberlain.”

Jackson tilted his head slightly. He seemed to be assessing Zeke, trying to decide what kind of man he was. Then he simply nodded.

“Thank you.”

That was Monday.

On Tuesday, Zeke went to see Finley’s business manager.

“I’m not at liberty to discuss my clients unless they give me permission,” the man said. He was about seventy, a tall, thin man with little white clouds of hair just above his ears and nowhere else. He seemed nice enough, though.

“Finley believes that her husband drugged her and set this whole thing in motion. We have some proof that she might be right, but we can’t present it in court because…well, we didn’t exactly go about discovering that evidence the legal way.”

The man’s bushy eyebrows rose. “What is it you want from me?”

“I want to know if you’ll stand up in court and tell the judge that her husband has attempted to misuse her bank accounts.”

The man frowned. “I specifically asked the judge to give me final say on what he did and did not use from those accounts.” He crossed his arms over his chest and studied Zeke for a long moment. “I don’t know how well you know Finley, but her aunt worked for me for nearly thirty years. I consider her family. I wasn’t about to let that man get her money.”

“And she appreciates that. I appreciate that.”

“I’ll say anything I need to say in court to protect that girl.”

“That’s what we need to know.”

The man hesitated a moment longer, then reached into a drawer to pull out a very large binder filled with reams of paper. “And I wouldn’t have to lie. This is every email that man ever sent me, asking for money to be transferred from her main account to their joint account.”

“All of that in just six months?”

“Yes. Can you believe the balls on that man?”

Zeke laughed. “He must have some pretty big ones.”

“I told that girl he was only after her money. You know what she said to me?” He didn’t wait to hear Zeke’s guess. “She told me it didn’t matter because she loved him. She wasn’t saying that the day she came to my office with a black eye. Damn bastard! If I was twenty years younger, he’d be in a grave right now.”

“I’m sure he would be.”

The old man pushed a card across the desk to Zeke. “This is a lawyer I’ve used from time to time. He knows his stuff. Call him and show him your evidence. Maybe he can find a way to make it admissible.”

Zeke did just that, and the lawyer couldn’t have been more helpful. In fact, they had an appointment in front of a judge in three hours.

All they needed now was for Finley to be released from the clinic with a clean bill of health.

Zeke left the SUV slowly, praying with every step that this doctor knew her stuff and could recognize a perfectly sane woman when she saw one. As much as he believed that Finley was as healthy as he or Stevie, he still had this little voice of doubt in the back of his mind. What if Dr. Martinez agreed with the other doctors? What if all this was just a figment of Finley’s insanity, and Zeke had just fallen for it because he was that desperate to not be alone anymore? What if it was all about lust and loneliness? What if he saw only what he wanted to see?

But he couldn’t make himself believe that. What kind of insane person would insist on taking the trash out before leaving an empty house? What kind of crazy woman would take herself back to the hospital voluntarily just because she thought the man she just met might find a way to free her?

Well, that last part might be the product of insanity. But the trash? Why would she care if she was that far gone?

He had to believe that this was going to work out, and Finley was going to be okay.

When he said his name to the nurse at the front desk, she immediately walked him down a long corridor into an office. He was left alone—more time to contemplate what was about to happen—his thoughts a whirlwind as he tried to focus on what was about to happen. The what ifs wouldn’t leave him alone no matter how much his heart screamed that he couldn’t be that wrong about her.

“Mr. Maxwell? I’m Dr. Martinez.”

Zeke stood as a petite, attractive woman walked through the door. They shared a handshake before she gestured for him to resume his seat. She took the chair next to him and rested the files she’d been carrying in her lap.

“Finley is something of a firecracker,” she said with a little smile. “Refused to fall for any bullshit and called me out on every little thing each time we met.”

“Did she?”

“She questioned me almost as much as I questioned her.” The doctor sighed as she sat back, regarding Zeke. “I understand you’re not a relative. You’re not appointed by the court or some social service agency, correct?”

“Yes, ma’am. I just work for a security firm.”

She nodded slowly. “And your relationship to her?”

He rolled his shoulders, not sure what to say. But he didn’t really need to say anything. The doctor got it.

“Well, I can’t give you specifics because that would impede on doctor-patient privacy laws. However, I can tell you that I’ve gotten notice that she will be appearing before a judge later today, and that they’d like me to make a report there.”

“Yes.”

She nodded slowly. “I will be there. I’ve already had my schedule cleared.”

“And Finley?”

“She’ll be waiting for you at the front desk.” She stood to leave, but paused in the doorway. “I would like to suggest to you, Mr. Maxwell, that you be patient with Finley. She’s endured a lot in the past six months, as well as the past three years. It will take her some time to figure out what she wants to do next. But I can see you have her best interest at heart.” She looked him up and down one more time. “Just be patient.”

She was gone before he could ask her what the hell she was talking about.

Finley was indeed waiting for him at the front desk, dressed once again in the clothes he’d found in the closet back at her aunt’s. She smiled when she saw him, throwing her arms around his neck the moment he was within reach. He pulled her close, breathing in her familiar scent.

“She let you go!”

“She did. But she wouldn’t tell me anything. They just brought me the release papers a few minutes ago.”

“You’ll find out soon enough. We’re due in court in a few hours.”

“Seriously?” Finley pulled back and stared up into his face. “How did you do that?”

“Your business manager.”

“Richard did that?” She laughed. “Well, good for him.”

The got out of there and went to a nearby restaurant so that Finley could get something to eat. She complained about something she called a floating hamburger, something about too much gravy and not enough red meat. Then she devoured a hamburger and a pile of fries. From there, they went to her aunt’s so that she could take a quick shower and put on a dark dress that fit her curves like a glove. Zeke pulled her close the moment she stepped out of the bedroom, running his hand slowly down some of those curves.

“You are so beautiful,” he whispered against her temple.

“You make me feel beautiful.”

She lifted her chin, and he stole a kiss, letting it linger for a long moment. Then he just pulled her close. He’d forgotten how good it could feel just to hold a woman close. It was probably the closest thing to heaven he would ever experience.

 

***

 

The courthouse was crowded. There was some sensational trial going on, drawing a lot of media attention to the old building. They circumnavigated it, making their way to the small office where they were supposed to meet the lawyer Finley’s business manager had put them on to. The moment they walked through the door, they found not only the lawyer, but also Richard and Dr. Martinez, both early and ready to testify on Finley’s behalf.

“Baby girl,” Richard said softly, offering her a big bear hug. She teared up a little as she accepted the hug, smiling up at him like he was a sight for sore eyes. Zeke imagined he probably was.

They were called into the office a moment later. They all crowded in—the lawyer, Richard, Dr. Martinez, Finley, and Zeke—beside the lawyer representing Norman. Norman himself hadn’t bothered to attend, maybe thinking it was just a formality. Zeke wondered if he even realized that Finley would be there.

“We’re here to discuss the power of attorney granted to Norman Sumner over his wife, Finley Calloway Sumner,” the judge’s clerk said. “Present are the complainant’s lawyer and the respondent’s lawyer as well as several witnesses.”

All this was copied down by a court reporter tapping quickly on her little machine.

The judge kind of waved the clerk off. “Why are we here, gentlemen?”

Finley’s lawyer stood. “We’re here to present to the court evidence not only that Ms. Calloway is not legally insane, but also that her husband presented false evidence to the court in order to gain control over her finances.”

“I object, Your Honor!” the other lawyer immediately cried. “My client is being slandered, and he’s not even here to protect his reputation!”

“Why isn’t your client here?” the judge asked.

The lawyer choked a little. “I’m afraid he was unavailable today, Your Honor.”

“Does he know everyone is here?”

“He does.”

Finley glanced at Zeke and rolled her eyes. They both knew that Norman wasn’t there because he didn’t think it was that big of a deal.

He was wrong.

The judge listened to the two lawyers bicker for a few minutes, then waved his hand, and they immediately stopped.

“I want to hear from the doctor,” the judge said.

Dr. Martinez moved up to a chair that had been set to one side of the judge’s desk.

“You had a chance to evaluate the respondent?” the judge asked.

“Yes, Your Honor,” Dr. Martinez said. “She was a patient at a clinic where I have privileges, and I was able to evaluate her over a three day period.”

“And what did you find?”

This was the moment of truth. Finley slipped her hand into Zeke’s, her fingers entwining with his. He squeezed, not sure if he was trying to reassure her or himself. Maybe a little of both.

“Ms. Calloway and I had an opportunity to speak about many things over those three days. We discussed her relationship with her husband, her childhood, and her relationship with her aunt. We also discussed the breakdown that led to her diagnosis of paranoid schizophrenia.”

“And what did you conclude?”

Dr. Martinez looked directly at Finley as she said, “I believe Ms. Calloway is one of the most honest and self-aware patients I have ever had the pleasure to speak with. She has a strong understanding of her own emotional and physical needs. She is intelligent in her dealings with other people. And she is clearly well-equipped to face any challenge that might come up in the future.”

The judge glanced at the doctor, clearly not expecting what she had to say. “But she was diagnosed with schizophrenia. How do you explain that?”

Dr. Martinez was quiet for a moment, her jaw stiffening slightly. “I hate to say anything bad about other doctors in my chosen profession, but I believe she was grossly misdiagnosed, and I think the mistake was intentional. Any doctor who had seen the blood work results from the night of her supposed breakdown would clearly see that the episode was caused by a hallucinogenic drug that was likely administered to Ms. Calloway without her knowledge. I also believe that the stories of her attempted suicide on that night—and on a night three years previous—were exaggerations. I believe someone wanted her to appear mentally unstable and fed her drugs that would make that possible.”

The judge was clearly surprised. The room grew so quiet that Zeke was sure no one took a breath for a solid minute. And then Norman’s lawyer stood and began to protest on so many legal grounds that Zeke couldn’t keep up with what he was saying. But the judge shut him down in an instant.

And then he asked Finley’s lawyer to present his evidence. All it took was one look at the binder Richard provided for the judge to reverse the power of attorney document. Just like that, and Finley had her life back.

It was all over, and she didn’t have to say a word.