Caden made West Central his first stop of the morning. Almost eight o’clock, it was clear Nurse Brenner had endured a long night. For someone he’d never seen rattled, she appeared noticeably tense.
“You should have been here last night,” she accused.
He had the feeling she wouldn’t appreciate hearing he hadn’t been on duty, and only learned about Parker’s situation an hour ago. “I understand Deputies Morris and Gardner took the call. I got the preliminary information from them.”
“I wanted you to come.” No questioning the reproach this time.
“You told me to stay away.”
The flinty look in her eyes spoke volumes. Caden was thankful for the counter surrounding the nurses’ station, which separated them.
“I’m here now.” He shouldn’t have to point out the obvious. “Why don’t you tell me what happened in your own words?”
“Fine. But you need to see Parker’s room.” Stepping away from the counter, she motioned crisply for him to follow down the hall. Unlike the first time Caden had visited, the doors to individual patient rooms were shut and secured.
“A precaution,” Nurse Brenner explained, noticing his glance. Her voice softened slightly, less sour. “Anything out of the ordinary upsets the balance of the entire floor. With the officers here last night and this morning, most everyone knows something unusual has taken place. We’re trying to keep the nature of that under wraps. If patients learn Parker escaped, it could cause a chain reaction with others trying to escape too.”
“I understand we have video footage.” That would go a long way in determining how Parker managed to pull off what should have been an impossible feat.
“Yes. The film was given to your department last night. As you can see we have cameras positioned throughout the hallways.” She pointed out a few as they walked, rectangular black boxes mounted close to the ceiling. “Parker was in the bathroom when I entered his room.”
“And you went in because you heard a noise?”
“I see you’ve read my statement. It sounded like radio static.”
“Parker said the radio talks to him at night.”
She bobbed her head, her expression grim. “I thought he was making it up. We allowed the transistor radio his father gave him, but it didn’t have a power cord.”
“What about batteries?” He seemed to recall they weren’t allowed, either.
“Not permitted because of the potential harm from the acid inside.” She scratched the bridge of her nose. “The radio was basically a prop for Parker’s enjoyment. It kept him calm. When I heard the crackling, I thought Floyd might have smuggled in a few batteries.” Pausing outside the door, she rested her hand on the knob and regarded him steadily. “I was wrong, Sergeant. I checked the compartment and it was empty. I know it sounds impossible, but the dial lit up and the tuning knob moved on its own. I don’t know how Parker did it, but he must have wired it somehow. Otherwise…” She trailed off, uncertainty creeping into her gaze.
Otherwise someone really was communicating with Parker through radio waves.
Squaring her shoulders, Nurse Brenner took a deep breath. “That’s not all that happened. I, um…blacked out for a moment.” Nervousness crept into her voice. “When I came to, Parker was gone. It’s a mystery how he managed to bypass the security measures in the hospital.”
Caden agreed. Even if Parker had Floyd’s help, which didn’t seem likely, neither father nor son was skilled enough to bypass an alarm system. “What made you pass out?”
She rubbed her hands together, growing more flustered by the moment. “Perhaps I should show you.” Opening the door, Nurse Brenner motioned him inside and gestured at the adjacent wall.
Caden drew up short. The shaded and partially shaded squares Parker had painstakingly drawn were now pieced together and plastered to the wall to form a life-size jigsaw puzzle. A puzzle in the shape of man.
“What the hell?” He stepped closer. What had looked like random blocks of shading the last time he was here took artistic shape when placed in conjunction with others. Bit by bit, Parker had constructed the silhouette of a grinning man. “Had you seen this before last night?”
Shaking her head, she inched slowly closer as if afraid the drawing would spring to life. “I didn’t tell anyone this. Not your deputies or anyone else.” She tugged the collar of her uniform, then clasped her hands together, plainly trying to work up the nerve to reveal something unsettling.
“Take your time,” Caden said.
She nodded gratitude. “It’s hard working in a place like this. You get cynical to the things people claim to see. Then last night…” She drew a steeling breath. “As crazy as it sounds, that whole wall lit up with light when I was in here…almost like it was burning. There was some kind of dark cavity in the center. I could sense something in there but couldn’t see it. Parker said he had to leave, and then I blacked out.”
Caden stepped closer to the wall. “Burning?”
The heat of her gaze was almost tangible on his back. “You don’t believe me. You think I’m as insane as my residents.”
“I never said that.” He fingered the nearest square of paper. Clean, no residue. He bent to study the floor, then kicked the baseboard. Solid. “Did you have anything to drink last night?”
“Sergeant Flynn!”
“I don’t mean alcohol.” Hands on hips, he turned to face her. “Water. Tea. Soda. Is it possible someone slipped a hallucinogenic into your drink without your knowledge?”
She pressed her lips together. “No, it is not possible, and no, I didn’t have anything to drink.”
“All right.” That thread was going nowhere. “What about this drawing?” He jabbed a thumb at Parker’s life-sized puzzle. “My guess is this isn’t something the average patient pieces together. Does it mean anything to you?
Her posture was stiff. “I’m fairly certain I know who it represents.”
“Who?”
“Indrid Cold.”