“I know you won’t listen because you think I’m Rosemary,” she said to Nurse Vic as she stepped up to the counter. “But you and Leonard are right about Wayne. I think he knows what happened to my sister.”
As suspected, Nurse Vic had “ignoring the residents” down to a science. She kept working, her caked-on face powder and thick eyeliner like a mask. “Take your pills and move along,” she said without looking up.
“I’m pretty sure he was having sex with her before she disappeared. He took her somewhere so no one would find out. And now he’s doing it to another girl, too.”
With that, Nurse Vic raised her head, a strange fire burning in her eyes. Sage couldn’t tell if it was fear, anger, or something else. “If someone is hurting you,” she said, biting off every word, “that’s something you need to talk to your doctor about. Not me.”
“When am I supposed to do that?” Sage said. “I haven’t seen Dr. Baldwin since he locked me up.”
Nurse Vic gave her an icy glare. “Take your pills and move along.”
Sage knew she ought to be careful, but she couldn’t help herself. Her anger was too raw. “What’s wrong with you?” she said. “I thought you were a nurse. I thought you were supposed to take care of people.”
“Oh, I can take care of you,” Nurse Vic said. “I can give you something stronger to calm you down if I think you need it.”
Fuming and feeling helpless, Sage took a plastic cup from the woman in the gray skirt, put the orange pills in her mouth, and, once she was far enough away, spat them into her hand again. It seemed like Eddie was her only hope.
She fixed her eyes on him. Would he acknowledge her today, or just give her the same strange look he’d given her while smoking with Wayne? Maybe he’d ignore her completely so he wouldn’t get yelled at again. When he walked by, pushing the mop bucket, he winked at her but kept going. It was a small gesture, but it gave her a tiny bit of hope.
If he came into the dayroom again, she’d find a way to talk to him this time, no matter what. And she’d stay as far away from Norma as possible. Wayne too.
In the dayroom, she tried again to talk to poor Tina, who was back to sitting in the middle of tables with her eyes closed, but got no reply. Tina no longer looked at her; she didn’t speak or sing or cry. Sage wondered if they had taken out her tongue too. Nothing would surprise her.
When Wayne circled close by on his rounds, she stared at the floor, certain he would read the truth in her eyes: She knew he was a sexual predator, a rapist who took advantage of his position. She suspected him of doing something to Rosemary, but even if that suspicion turned out to be wrong, Sage was still going to expose him. As soon as she could prove her true identity and everyone realized she’d been telling the truth all along, she would reveal his secrets and make him pay.
Around midmorning, she spotted Norma following him around on the other side of the room, like a puppy dog chasing a toy. When he headed back toward his cubicle, Norma touched his shoulder and he stopped and turned toward her. She whispered something in his ear, and he glared at Sage with furious eyes. Then he grabbed Norma by the arm and snarled angry words in her face. Norma shrank back, crying and trying to pull free. Wayne yanked on her arm one last time, then let go and stomped away. He sat down in the cubicle and lit a cigarette, then took a long drag and glared at Sage, his leg jerking up and down.
What the hell had Norma done?
Just then, Eddie entered the room with the janitor cart. Sage had to fight the urge to run over to him and tell him everything. There was no guarantee he’d believe her, but she could try. Maybe it would help that he was a janitor, just a normal guy with nothing riding on the welfare of the residents. She’d recognized the concern in his eyes when he first approached her in the hallway. He cared about Rosemary. Surely he’d want to know what Wayne had done to her. Maybe he could help find her, if Sage could convince him she was still missing. With nerves gnawing at her insides, she got up and moved toward him, keeping one eye on Wayne. If he saw what she was about to do, he might stop her—or worse.
But when Eddie saw her heading in his direction, he shook his head ever so slightly, warning her to stay away. She stopped, confused, and retreated. Eddie went over to the cubicle, emptied the garbage, and shared another cigarette with Wayne. While they talked, he dug something out of his pocket and handed it to Wayne, who nodded, grinning. Then Wayne glanced over Eddie’s shoulder and winked at her, a malicious gleam in his eye.
Fear swirled beneath her rib cage. Maybe she was wrong. Maybe she needed to stay away from Eddie too, especially if he and Wayne were friends. Maybe he already knew about the hidden room. Maybe he knew about Wayne and Rosemary, and Norma too. Maybe he was in on all of it.
When Eddie finished talking to Wayne, he put out his cigarette, tied the garbage bag to his cart, and headed toward the exit. Sage chewed on the inside of her cheek, frantic and trying to decide what to do. Even if Eddie knew about the secret room, she still needed to ask him about Rosemary. She still had to tell him who she was and why she was there. She started toward him again, but he was too far away. He had already unlocked the door and was pushing his cart into the hall. Then he was gone.
Swearing at herself for waiting too long, she returned to the back of the room. Hopefully Eddie would come back tomorrow instead of the man with the orthopedic shoes. But the next time she saw him, she resolved, she wouldn’t let anything stop her from talking to him. Even if he warned her away with that shake of his head, even if Wayne was watching, she’d hurry over to him as soon as he entered the day room, no matter what.
Suddenly Wayne appeared in front of her, sweat glistening on his bald head and thick neck. She startled and stepped back.
“You can’t listen to a damn thing Norma says,” he said. “She’s crazy as a loon and she’s lying because she’s jealous.”
“I . . . I don’t know what you’re talking about,” she said.
He moistened his lips. “I guess I’ll have to remind you then,” he said, grinning as if they were old friends. “In the meantime, your little boyfriend left you a note.” He held up a folded piece of paper, pinched between two fingers like a cigarette. “Eddie seems to think he can get away with a lot of shit around here, but take my word for it, he’s just a punk.”
Sage opened her mouth to reply, but her voice failed her. When he said he would remind her, was he threatening to take her to the secret room? She reached for the note, but he snatched it away and laughed. She dropped her hand and waited, unwilling to be provoked.
He looked disappointed by her reluctance to play along. “What’s the matter?” he said. “You lose your fight?”
He lowered the note, ready to tease her again, but a wild-haired girl in ruffled dress grabbed it out of his hand and ran off with it, laughing hysterically. Wayne chased after her, furious. The girl stopped in the center of the room and started to unfold the paper, turning it over and over, round and round, her head cocked to one side as she tried to figure out how to open it. When she saw Wayne coming, she dropped the note and sprinted away, knocking over an older woman and bumping into the other residents. Wayne picked up the piece of paper and tramped back to Sage, the blue vein bulging in his forehead.