It wasn’t Rosemary. The girl’s skin was white as paper, thin as parchment. Gray clouds filled her sightless eyes, but she seemed to sense Sage’s presence and said, “Who’s there?”
“I’m sorry,” Sage said. “I thought you were someone else.”
“Is that you, Rosemary?” the girl said. “Where have you been? I’ve been worried about you.”
“No, I’m not Rosemary. I’m her sister, Sage.”
“Oh,” the girl said. “I’m sorry. I get confused.”
At first Sage was stunned that the girl had believed her so easily; then she remembered what Wayne had said: Rosemary called herself Sage all the time. “I don’t mean to bother you,” she said. “But I’ve been worried about Rosemary too. Do you know anything about her and Wayne? Were they friends?”
“Wayne isn’t friends with anyone,” the girl said.
“Do you know why Nurse Vic thinks he had something to do Rosemary’s disappearance?”
The girl gasped. “Rosemary’s disappeared?” Suddenly she clawed at her head and shrieked, making Sage jump. “Where is she? Where did she go?”
Sage reached for her, hoping to calm her down, then stopped. Who knew what would happen if she touched her? “Shh,” she said. “Please. Don’t scream. I’m sorry.”
The girl screamed again. And again.
“It’s okay, it’s okay,” Sage said. “I’m sorry for upsetting you. I’ll leave you alone.” She glanced over at Wayne. He was headed straight for them. “I’m going now. But I’ll let you know when Rosemary comes back.”
The girl went on screaming.
Sage hurried back to the other side of the room, found an empty chair, and sat down hard, her heart thrashing in her chest. Another storm of anxiety gathered inside her, making her tremble. She drew her feet into the chair, wrapped her arms around her knees, and tried to beat the fear back down, to stifle the whirlwind of panic before it destroyed the fragile walls of composure she’d somehow managed to maintain so far. Falling apart now was a bad idea. Then she noticed the brown filth on her toes and soles. She quickly put her feet back on the floor and gritted her teeth, trying not to think about the mix of human waste and Pine-Sol darkening her skin. At least the blind girl had stopped screaming—either that or her shrieks were no longer noticeable above the rest of the deafening mayhem. Cursing herself for not being more careful, she tried to push the incident from her mind. At least she’d gotten out of there before Wayne had reached her and sent her to the pit.
If only she’d talked to Nurse Vic when she was handing out pills earlier. Not that she would have listened this time either, but it might have been worth a try. The next time Sage saw her, she would ask what she knew about Wayne and Rosemary. For now, she needed a break. She needed to think for a minute and figure out her next move. Maybe Tina had more information.
Sage looked around the room for her, searching through the ever-moving jumble of bodies and arms and legs and heads. Finally, she saw Tina sitting cross-legged on the middle of a table, eyes closed, mouth moving as if she were praying or meditating. Maybe it would be better to wait until they were back in the ward to talk. It would be less chaotic, and she didn’t feel like fighting her way across the room again anyway. Exhaustion weighed her down like a thousand chains around her shoulders.
Then, to her surprise, the young janitor entered the room pushing a cleaning cart full of brooms and mops. She sat up and tried to remember his name. What had Marla called him? Jimmy? Bobby? Eddie? Yes, that was it, Eddie. After locking the door behind him, Eddie took the cart over to Wayne’s cubicle, emptied the garbage can into a bag, then tied the bag to his cart. As Wayne approached him, a gaunt woman in a grimy bathrobe limped over, grabbed Eddie’s arm, and began talking to him. It looked like she was begging. When Eddie gently freed himself from her grip, she fell to his knees, clasping her hands together as if praying. Eddie ignored her. She clutched his pant leg and started to weep, her face twisting in agony. Wayne yelled at her to go away, then yanked one of the brooms off the cleaning cart and banged the wooden handle on the wall, once, twice, three times. The woman continued to beg. Wayne raised the broom, threatening to strike her. She cowered and cried out. Eddie put up a protective hand and said something to Wayne. Finally, he lowered the broom, shaking his head and laughing as if it were a joke, and the woman got up and left Eddie alone.
After she was gone, Wayne put the broom back in the cart and offered Eddie a cigarette, then took a second one out of the pack and reached into his pocket for his lighter. While lighting Eddie’s cigarette, he jerked a chin in Sage’s direction, then said something and grinned. Eddie took a long drag and looked over at her, his face unreadable. Then he turned back to Wayne and said something to him; Wayne shrugged. While they talked, Eddie glanced over at her a few more times with a strange, solemn look on his face.
Sage couldn’t decide what to do. Should she go over there and talk to him before he left? Wait and hope she saw him again? Obviously he thought she was Rosemary, and he’d been surprised to see her in the hallway, but there was something in his expression now that she couldn’t quite read. It was hard to tell if it was concern or relief. Or maybe it was a warning to stay away, to not come near him in front of Wayne.
Eddie and Wayne talked a few more minutes, their shoulders shaking every now and then with laughter. Then Eddie put his cigarette out beneath his boot, picked up the stub, and put it in his pocket. Sage unfurled herself from the chair and stood. Wayne would get angry if she approached them, but she could meet Eddie at the door and say something, or ask him a question before he left. She started in that direction, walking slowly, winding her way through the other residents. Hopefully Wayne wouldn’t notice.
Eddie had his hands on the cart again. He was getting ready to leave. When he glanced her way, she moved faster, hoping he’d read the desperation in her eyes. Then Wayne laughed and clapped him on the back, pulling his attention away. Eddie laughed too, and started toward the door. She hurried toward him, praying he’d talk to her before he left, that he’d say something important before Wayne came over and pulled her away. She skirted around a woman with bald patches on her head. Only a few more yards and she’d be at the door. Suddenly someone grabbed her arm and yanked her to a stop. She spun around and braced herself, certain Wayne had snuck up behind her.
It was Norma.
“What the hell are you doing?” Norma said. “Trying to leave again?”
“Let me go,” Sage said, wrenching free so hard she nearly fell. She caught herself and headed toward the door again. But she was too late. Eddie had slipped into the hall and disappeared.
“Were you going somewhere without me?” Norma said.
“No,” Sage said. “I wasn’t going anywhere.” The truth of her words clogged her throat. She headed back to the plastic chair in the far corner, hoping no one had taken it. Norma followed.
“You better not be trying to escape again,” Norma said. “’Cause I’ll tell if you are.”
Sage ignored her and sat down. Norma stared at her silently for a few minutes, then turned and staggered away without another word. Sage sighed, relieved. If ignoring Norma meant she’d leave her alone, that’s what she’d try to do from now on.