Dr. Fox took a moment. ‘Was it self-defense?’
‘No. Not even close. We’re talking a heinous case of violence here.’
Dr. Fox’s eyes widened at Mary. ‘Well, in that case, then you should absolutely go to the police. Is there proof?’
‘There is,’ Mary replied. ‘But I can’t get to it at the moment.’
Dr. Fox lifted a hand to Mary. ‘Mary, if you really want my advice, then please stop tiptoeing around the subject. You asked for this meeting, so tell me what happened… what did you discover… and what were the circumstances in which you discovered it. Any advice is only as good as the information that the person giving the advice has received. I can’t form an opinion, or offer you any useful advice if I don’t know all the facts.’
Mary had another sip of her water. She had already thought of a whole new story to feed Dr. Fox. It was simple, believable and to the point.
‘While at a friend’s house,’ she began again. ‘I, by chance, stumbled upon a secret door. I should’ve left it alone. It wasn’t my house, but curiosity got the best of me, and I decided to snoop around.’
‘Alright.’ The expression on Dr. Fox’s face was curious. ‘And what did you find?’
‘A chamber of horrors,’ Mary replied, looking away from the doctor.
‘Could you maybe be a little more specific?’
Mary drew in another deep breath. ‘I walked into a room where the walls were plastered with photographs… Polaroid photographs.’ From there, Mary went on to explain what she had actually found in the basement under Quaddra’s office, including the video footage.
Dr. Fox listened to Mary’s accounts in complete silence, until she was done.
‘Are you sure about that?’ Dr. Fox asked, her mouth semi-opened, her gaze distraught. ‘Because if you are, Mary, then we’re possibly talking about a serial killer here.’
‘I am sure. Yes.’
Dr. Fox finally understood why Mary was so unraveled. ‘Did you manage to snap a photo of those walls, or of the video you saw?’
‘No.’ Mary shook her head. ‘I didn’t have my phone with me at the time. But you can check it for yourself. Kelly Holder and Aileen Thompson. Those are the only two names I remember from that wall. Kelly Holder was from LA and Aileen Thompson from Chicago. I’ve already checked the Internet for information. They both went missing – Kelly Holder last year and Aileen Thompson in 2022. And I know for a fact that this friend of mine was traveling to those exact cities when both of those women went missing.’
Dr. Fox reached for the notepad on her desk and wrote both names down. ‘Did you tell your husband about this? What did he say you should do?’
Mary did her best to control her facial expression. She didn’t want to give anything away. ‘No, not yet. He’s away on business. But he’s the type who will totally freak out and go straight to the cops. He’s an “act first, think later” – kind of person. Not exactly helpful in these situations.’
Dr. Fox took a moment, tapping her pen against her notepad, trying to organize her thoughts. ‘I’m not a lawyer, or a police officer, Mary, but as far as I’m aware, if you don’t have a photo of the walls in this secret room you’ve found… a photo of these Polaroid pictures, or of the video images you saw on that computer, then you’ll have a problem if you go to the police.’
Mary nodded. ‘I’ve got no proof.’
‘Exactly,’ Dr. Fox agreed. ‘Since this secret room is located inside a private property, the police would need a warrant to be able to enter the premises and check the room for themselves, and they won’t be able to get one without evidence. In their view, all you have at the moment is hearsay.’
‘I know.’ Mary had spent the whole morning, from the time that she’d disconnected from her call to Dr. Fox, until her emergency appointment, surfing the Internet with those exact same questions.
‘Do you think you can get back into your friend’s house and obtain proof?’ the doctor asked. ‘Use your phone and snap a few pictures of these walls?’
Mary looked back at her as if Dr. Fox had gone mad. ‘Are you kidding? I’ve seen this film before, Doc. The stupid woman who goes snooping around when she knows she shouldn’t dies next. No thank you.’
Dr. Fox could easily understand Mary’s concern. ‘OK, let me ask you this – how close would you say you are to this friend of yours?’
‘Pretty close – best friend kind of deal.’
‘And does your friend have any indication that you’ve discovered this secret room?’
‘No. None.’
‘And you said that from what you’ve gathered, your friend has been doing this for quite some time.’
‘By the looks of it,’ Mary replied. ‘Yes… years.’
