His eyes never leave mine.
I shake off a shudder that runs up my spine and tip my head up a little higher.
He can’t intimidate me. I know he’s dirty, and he knows I know. So he can go fuck himself. I’m gonna get the truth even if I do get fired over it.
The light drizzle that started earlier has stopped by the time I get over to Blue Corp, leaving the streets shiny and slick. I slow for the guard but the gate lifts before I even get close enough to see who is inside. Hmmm, I’m not sure I like being so recognizable.
When I pull into the parking spot with my name on it, the depth of the chief’s accusations hit me for real. Am I working for Blue Corp? It certainly seems so.
I shut the car off and sit there for a moment, trying to put all the pieces together. Why would Blue Corp be so interested in me? Lincoln thinks they have something to do with Prodigy School, but he’s never explained the connection beyond the scientists working here. Is it a coincidence? Might be. Might not.
I open my door and get out, smiling briefly at a streak of sunshine that makes its way through the heavily clouded sky. The front doors of the Blue Castle open for me and I’m just heading over to the receptionists to ask for an appointment with the Old Man when he steps out of the elevator. I stop in my tracks because his focus is definitely on me.
“Miss Masters,” he says, a creepy smile on his face. “I thought you might drop by.”
He extends his hand, but I just stare at it for a second. A wave of revulsion invades my stomach and I know if I touch that hand, I will be sick.
What the hell? that cautious voice inside me says.
I cover for my reluctance to shake hands with him by getting out my tablet and pretending not to see the offer. “Why’s that?” I ask, feigning ignorance. I bet the reason he was expecting me is because he’s who the chief called as I was leaving. Something is very wrong here. I feel like I’m walking into a trap. “I just have some questions about Atticus,” I say, swiping my fingers on my tablet to try to appear unaffected. I collect myself, and then I look up and meet that hard gaze. “I’m just curious why you didn’t call us and report this crime? Why the psychiatric incarceration?”
“Detective,” the Old Man says with a sickening smile that makes me want to step back. “Atticus isn’t well. He hasn’t been well since the first time he tried to take his own life when he was a teenager. I thought he was in recovery, but he’s relapsed. His violent tendencies are back and I’ve taken every precaution to protect society from his instability. So I’m sorry if you feel left out, but the judge made the right decision. Atticus is a danger to himself and others, and he needs serious professional help. He’s getting that today.”
“Well…” I clear my throat and take in a steadying breath. “Well, he was fine the last time I talked to him. And that was Friday night at the party. We talked extensively.”
The Old Man tilts his head like I might’ve said something interesting. “Did you? What, might I ask, was the topic of discussion?”
Shit. “We were just discussing the suicides. He was completely lucid and in control at that time. So what happened over the weekend? Why this sudden burst of violence?”
“What makes you think it was sudden? He’s been violent his whole life. And did it ever occur to you that he was so interested in those suicides because he’s tried to take his own life before?”
“No,” I say, caught off guard with that statement. “I saw all those pictures in his office. He just doesn’t seem like the violent type. He was an outdoorsman. He surfed giant waves, climbed mountain cliffs, and sailed around the world.”
“You just made my point for me. I’ve read a lot of studies that claim extreme risk-takers like my son participate in such behavior to challenge death. You might even call it a death wish. I’m sure you’re familiar with that phrase?”
I’m taken aback at his thinly veiled reference to my family. “He seemed perfectly well-adjusted, Mr. Montgomery. That’s all I’m saying. I’m just trying to get to the bottom of the issues you’ve been having with your employees. And I checked. Atticus has no criminal record. So if he has been behaving this way, then you’ve never reported it.”
“I know, Detective. I realize I’ve been doing him no favors by hiding his unpredictable and violent behavior, but make no mistake, he’s being dealt with now. I’ve got the best psychiatrists with him at the Cathedral City Asylum. He’ll get the highest level of care until he’s well enough to come home.”
I let out a small sigh. “I’d like to go talk to him.”
“That won’t be possible. His doctors have asked that all contact with the outside world be limited to immediate family.” Montgomery stops here to laugh and I get that creepy feeling again.