“And the psychologist is the teacher?”
“She is the main teacher,” Caroline said. “But sometimes she chooses one of us, once we’ve been here for a while, to start passing on our knowledge. We’re like training teachers, junior professors. I’ve just been moved up, into that position.” Her voice dropped. “But there is no way. I’d rather go through ... what they do to me ... than have to pass this on to other girls. I will never do that to them.”
“What will happen to you if you don’t?” Kate asked.
Caroline didn’t speak for a moment. She turned her head and looked Kate straight in the eye. “I have a plan,” she said. “I can’t tell you right now. I don’t want to lose my nerve. But if they keep you here for a while, you’ll see.”
“Okay,” Kate said.
“I just can’t figure out why you’re here. You’re too wise, you’ve learned too much about life for them. They have a big thing about age, about girls when they’re inexperienced. I’m already at the outer edge of what’s acceptable. So why did they take you?”
“It began the night before my wedding day ...” Kate said.
“You’re married?”
“I was supposed to be. But someone ruined it—the original Belle.”
“The ‘original Belle’? Do you mean Belinda Tyler?”
“Yes.”
“She was Dr. Tyler’s widow ... they used to worship her here almost as much as him. What did she do?”
“She showed me a baby picture and said that my fiancé was the father.” Kate paused. “You said ‘used to’ worship her. So you know she’s dead?”
Caroline nodded. “Yes, they told us. She was very important to them—one of the biggest recruiters. She was the best at psychological manipulation—she’d learned directly from Dr. Tyler. I didn’t know herwell at all, but she could twist things around, make me believe that what I was feeling wasn’t real, that I was misinterpreting what she’d said, that I wasn’t seeing things that were right in front of my eyes.”
“Making you doubt yourself,” Kate asked.
“Yes,” Caroline said.
“That’s unforgivable,” Kate said.
“It’s what they do here,” Caroline said. “People think Maynard-King is a place to be treated and regain mental health, but it’s the opposite. Once you come here, if you’re a young woman, it’s a place to be driven crazy. Sometimes I feel I’m insane.”
“It sounds like that’s what they wanted,” Kate said. “But you’re not insane.”
“I know,” Caroline said. “I’m holding on. I keep thinking of William, how I have to get out of here for him.”
“That’s good, Caroline,” Kate said, and she thought of Conor, how she needed to get back to him. “Do it for yourself, not just William. Fight with everything you have.”
They heard a commotion in the hallway. Kate was dying to ask Caroline more questions, to see if she knew who the father of Belinda’s daughter was. But the footsteps in the hall got closer, so she stopped talking. She sat straight up, turning to face the door to see who would enter.
Someone Kate had never seen before stepped in. The woman was looking at a notebook she held in her hand.
“Is that her?” Kate whispered. “The woman who trains you?”
But before Caroline could answer, the woman smiled and spoke.
“Hello, ladies. Good to see you, Caroline. And you must be Kate,” she said. “I’m Darla Vandeveer. I’m so pleased to meet you.”
Tuesday, July 6; 4:30 p.m.
Conor thought they should drive to Maynard-King, but Tom argued that since their focus was on the two vessels currently tied to thehospital’s dock,ZémireandRosebud, being aboard a boat made more sense, in case a water chase became necessary. Conor had to admit that made sense. Also, if they drove, they would alert the security guard right away.
The three Reid men boarded Tom’s boat,Meteor. It was a thirty-two-foot custom Paul James lobster boat. People seeing it out on the water expected it to be puttering through coves, the engine idling while Tom took his time pulling pots; but instead, it was a sleeper, tricked out with an 800-horsepower 550 Chevy engine.
And now, Conor was very glad for his brother’s fast boat. It wasn’t a high-performance powerboat like a Donzi, but it could really move. It surprised boaters, seeing what they assumed was a sleepy work boat go flying through Block Island Sound. Tom was at the wheel in the cockpit, with the throttle open. Conor stood, bracing himself against the console, and Mike was seated.
