Forgotten Girls, The (16 page)

“Listen up,” Billy barked into the
phone. They were sitting in their car in the parking lot. “You ready?”

Mack and Bella shared a look.

“You got him?” Bella asked.

“Who?” Billy grunted.

“Ridley!” Her expression was one
of impatience.

“This has nothing to do with
Ridley,” Billy said, sounding grave. Bella looked surprised and disappointed.

“OK, so what’s up?” Mack asked.

“Mikey burned the midnight oil on
your hunch, my dear. We may have hit pay dirt.”

Mack raised his eyebrows, surprised.
Bella drew a blank. For a moment, she did not follow what Billy was referring
to. She was so consumed with thoughts of Ridley that she forgot Billy had
promised to have Mikey look into Weber’s past. Bella switched gears.

“Talk to us,” Bella said.

“Apparently, Weber worked at Dunmore
from 1984 to 1986, just like she told you. What she neglected to mention was how
she stayed on after her boss, the head psychiatrist in the female ward, was
fired amid accusations of sexual abuse. Weber took over the position from him
and remained there for the next four years.”

Billy paused and they could hear
him taking a deep breath.

“She inherited some pretty crazy
shit,” he continued. “The only reason the hospital weathered the bad publicity that
came with those accusations was because of the support it received from its patron
saint, Bobby Barker, a wildly popular television entertainer for children. He
gave the place millions of dollars. Took the hospital under his wing as his pet
project.”

Again Billy paused. Bella was glad
he did. She was trying to process where he was going with this and why someone
would have a vested interest in a hospital for the criminally insane.

Billy continued. “He donated so
much money, in fact, that he was given his own set of gold keys, a suite in
which to stay during his frequent visits, and free rein and access to all of
the patients, most importantly the women.”

Mack and Bella looked at one
another. They understood instinctively that whatever was coming next wasn’t going
to be pretty.

“What the public and authorities
did not know at the time, and what would eventually come to light, was that Bobby
Barker was a sadistic sexual predator. His name and involvement were protected
during the first eruption of accusations, those in which Dr. Weber’s boss was
fired. But, four years later when the second and final wave of accusations hit
Dunmore—that’s when the hospital was finally shut down. Those four years when
Bobby reigned were the ones when Weber ruled the female ward.”

There was complete silence on both
ends of the phone now, as if all three of them needed to digest this
information, to process what it meant. Bella finally broke the silence.

“How’d he get away with it so
long?” she asked, incredulous. She thought of what Ryan had told her about the
place.

“Money,” Billy said simply. “He
bought people off and gambled that accusations by patients wouldn’t be heeded.
He was right. They were criminally insane inmates, for Christ’s sake, doped up
half the time, growing old behind bars, forgotten by their families. Who the
hell was going to take their word over his?”

“But Weber’s boss got shown the
door,” Mack observed.

“A lucky break and an isolated
incident,” Billy replied. “One of his targets choked on her vomit and died in
bed. The autopsy showed she’d been raped. She was nineteen. DNA nailed him.”

They were quiet.

“The chaos at the hospital grew
worse,” Billy continued. “Bobby wasn’t satisfied with only raping the women. He
befriended the most violent patients in the place, who helped him run the
hospital. The staff turned a blind eye. Bobby and his posse held female-only
dance parties as social relief for the patients, visited any room they wanted
at night, even those—ahh, it’s too sick to say—even those who were paralyzed. He
befriended Jerry Janson—you might remember him better as the Creepy Crawler?”

“Mother of God,” exhaled Mack. Bella
stared into the phone, shocked.

Billy continued. “This may never have
come to light, but for the grace of God. Two female patients saved years’ worth
of evidence and went straight to the authorities when they got out. A federal
investigation followed into the hospital, its staff, and Barker personally,
culminating in his being charged with hundreds of counts of aggravated sexual abuse
and rape.”

Mack and Bella didn’t say a word.

“You still there?” Billy growled
into the phone.

“Still here,” Mack answered
solemnly.

“Weber, maybe sensing the imminent
storm—who knows—resigned before it got into the press,” Billy continued. “She
was asked to testify against Barker, but invoked doctor-patient privilege—most
of his victims were her patients. There were no formal charges brought against
her, although there were rumors she liked women too. No one could prove a
thing. Barker never admitted wrongdoing and died awaiting trial.”

Bella leaned back and put her
hands to her forehead.

“Motherfucker,” exhaled Mack.

“So she’s worse than I even
expected,” Bella whispered.

“Don’t get too excited,” Billy cautioned.
“We have no connection between her and those girls, nor do we have evidence or
motive with our victim. Ridley’s still the star suspect at this point.”

“No motive my ass,” replied Bella.
“Freed was calling her out, going to expose her to the ethics board as a highly
paid drug pusher. And those two girls were gay. Maybe Weber...” Bella trailed
off.

“They had a fight, plain and
simple. People have fights all the time. Carve me a path from there to murder
and I’ll be all ears. Three murders, that is. Gotta go, kiddies. Got some heavy
shit going down here. Talk later.” Billy was abrupt. And then he was gone.

“Jessie, my dear, I don’t like
being lied to,” began Bella. “I get real sensitive about that, ya know? Here I
thought we were having a heart-to-heart. Then I find out we weren’t.”    

Doug and Jessie sat crammed in the
airless back seat of the police car wondering why they had been pulled from the
Freeds’ home at such a time of grief. The unmarked car was one of many lining the
Freeds’ cul-de-sac and driveway. A police barricade kept the media at bay, and
officers directed foot traffic to and from the house. The sun hid behind a
large cluster of clouds but it was still sweltering, and its light cast a deep
orange and pink glow over the treetops, houses, and lawns.

Bella didn’t crack a smile. Mack
had wanted to speak to these two and Bella had deferred, as he seemed convinced
Ridley was their guy. After hearing about Weber’s past, however, Bella wasn’t
sold yet. She thought there might be more to this triangle of death than they
were seeing so far. She and Mack sat in the front of the car, each turned
backwards so they could get a good look at their two occupants. Doug looked
confused.

“What are you talking about?” Doug
asked Bella.

“Why don’t you tell him, Jess?”
Bella suggested.

“I don’t know what you’re talking
about,” Jessie snapped.

“No? Let me refresh your memory
then.” Bella smiled knowingly, like she had been down this road before, only a
million times. And she had.

“I asked you point-blank about
your relationship with JJ. And I believed you when you said you didn’t know him
well. And then a little birdie informed me that you do know him well. Very,
very well,” Bella sighed.

“Who’s JJ?” Doug asked.

“He’s your friendly neighborhood
drug dealer, Doug. Works out of your beloved high school selling Adderall to
all the precious, coveted straight-A students, like your daughter—at least the
ones who want to stay that way.”

Doug looked at his daughter in
shock. Jessie didn’t so much as flinch.

“I don’t know what you’re talking
about. I told you what I knew,” Jessie replied deadpan.

“You told me a story, not the
truth,” Bella corrected her. “We have you on video giving JJ three thousand
dollars in exchange for a bag of those babies. He’s going to jail for a long,
long time.”

Bella lied, both about the video
camera and about JJ going to jail. He and Mack had cut a deal. A look of deadly
seriousness came over Doug’s face when he saw Jesse’s mouth hang open, aghast.

“What are they saying, Jesse?”
Doug looked desperate.

“What video?” Jessie asked
nervously, her composure slowly giving way.

“We had one set up,” Bella lied
again.

“You knew from what we told you?”
Jesse whimpered, not playing the role anymore.

“We knew about him before you told
us,” Bella told her. “We knew about him way back, as early as this winter.”

She let that idea sink in for a
moment.

“Not only will this ruin your
chances of ever getting into Vanderbilt, or any other college for that matter,
but this is a class C Felony and you’re eighteen. You’ll be tried as an adult. On
top of that, you lied to me during the course of a homicide investigation.
That’s obstruction of justice. You’re in deep, deep trouble, young lady.”

Jessie buried her head in her
father’s chest. Doug looked at Bella and Mack with terror.

“Why are you doing this?” he
wailed.

“We’re homicide, Doug, not
narcotics. We didn’t come up here to do a high school drug bust. But your
daughter and her friend have lied during the course of our murder investigation.
We want to know why. No more bullshit.”

Bella’s tone was deadly serious as
she played Doug like a violin.

“If she works with us, we will be
able to back off,” Bella added. “If she doesn’t, then you will need to hire her
a lawyer, and a good one, fast. Because by morning, your daughter’s connection
to this case and her arrest will be all over the morning news.”  

Doug was speechless. He looked
like he might have a heart attack then and there, as though he had just been
told his life was over as he knew it. And it was.

“Jessie,” he said, his voice
trembling. “Please. You have to cooperate and tell them what you know. You have
no choice. This is not the time to protect anyone.”

Doug choked back a sob, which seemed
to affect his daughter. When she lifted her head her demeanor was softened. She
looked scared. Really scared. She cleared her throat and began:

“I bought Adderall from JJ this
year when I was studying for my AP exams,” she said softly and reluctantly. “I
had AP Physics, AP Calculus, AP History. I mean, I had to get a five on them if
I wanted a shot at Vanderbilt. Then there was the ACT. This summer I had to
study for it again. It was going to be my third time taking the test in
September. If I didn’t break a thirty-two, I wasn’t getting in.”

She stopped for a minute then went
on.

“I got used to it. I kept buying
more and more. It was easy and cheap and I, I don’t know. I needed it. I couldn’t
study without it.”

“It was cheap?” Bella asked. “One
pill alone is forty bucks.”

The car was quiet.

“Like I said—it was cheap.”

Mack and Bella looked at Jessie,
then at Doug.

“JJ made it really easy,” Jessie
continued. “Everyone uses him and I knew what I was getting. It didn’t feel
like I was buying drugs. It felt like I was getting some stuff to help me study.”

Doug looked at her as though she
were so young and naïve. Bella and Mack felt less pity.

“Carly was so stressed during
finals. I gave her one of my pills—she loved it. She wanted more.”

She looked nervous.

“I took her to JJ. I introduced
them. She started buying from him too.”

“Bags full?” asked Bella. “Three
grand worth?”

Doug hung his head. Jessie looked
embarrassed.

“Why so much?” Bella pressed on.

“We just…” She stopped and looked
at her dad, then looked down at her fidgeting hands in her lap and sheepishly
replied, “We just, I don’t know, we wanted more.”

“Are you snorting? Selling? Both?”

Doug looked aghast, but Jessie
didn’t miss a beat.

“We snort it sometimes. I’ve never
sold any. I’ve lent some pills to friends when they ask. But mostly we just
snort it.”

“Oh my god, Jessie,” Doug wailed.
He looked crestfallen. And petrified.

“Did Carly’s mom confront JJ?”

“Not that I know of.”

“Did you ever hear JJ say anything
about Mrs. Freed?”

“No, I swear to God. Never.”

“Did you ever hear him mention who
he got it from? Or where?”

Jessie hesitated a moment and
looked nervously at her hands in her lap. Bella could see she was thinking of
something.

“Once I met this guy. I was
supposed to meet JJ but he sent this guy instead. I don’t remember his name.”

“What did he look like?” Bella
asked.

“He was like, tall. Skinny. Kind
of high-strung. He had long blond, wavy hair and a beard.”

That sounded exactly like Ridley.

“Where did you meet him?”

“In the park, behind Grovers Field,”
Jessie replied quietly.

“Would you be able to recognize
him in a photo?”

Jessie nodded her head.

“You never heard his name?” Bella
asked.

Jessei shook her head no.

“What happened when you met him?”

“We just met in the park. I
brought money and he brought me a bag of Adderall. We talked for a few minutes
and he left.”

“What did you talk about?” Bella
pressed.

“I don’t know. Like small talk,”
Jessie answered nervously.

“Did he tell you his name?” Bella
asked.

“No,” Jesse replied.

Then turning to Doug Bella asked,
“Have you heard the name Ridley Westin?”

Doug’s face was contorted into a
fearful grimace as he tried to focus on what they were asking him.

“Ridley Westin?” he echoed,
confused. “Why do I feel like I’ve heard that name before?”

“He lived in Greenvale years ago
and was sent to prison for the murder of one of his mother’s friends. You may
remember the name from all the publicity,” Bella pointed out in a deadpan tone.

Doug took a moment and then a look
of horror crossed his face.

“You are not saying he’s the man
Jessie met??” Doug almost screamed.

“We don’t know,” Mack answered
truthfully.

Doug and Jessie exchanged
petrified glances.

“Where have you been getting the
money for all of this?” Bella asked, switching the subject.

“Carly got money from the wad on
her dad’s night table when he was sleeping. He never noticed.”

“And you?”

Jessie looked nervously at her
dad.

“Mom lent me money,” she said
quietly.

Doug jerked his head up.

“What do you mean she lent you
money?” Doug asked, aghast. “Are you saying she knew about this?”

“I don’t know what she knew, Dad.”

“Wait a minute. Be clear, Jessie.
Are you saying your mother gave you money knowing you were buying Adderall at
school?” Mack asked calmly.

For the first time Jessie looked
panicked, like she realized she said something wrong. Doug had a frenzied look
in his eyes.

“I don’t want to get her in
trouble! She was just trying to help! And be a good mom!” Jessie wailed.

“Are you kidding me?” Doug
exploded.

“Calm down, Doug,” Mack said
gently. “Does this sound like something your wife would do?”

Doug peered out the window of the
car, his face red, looking like he was doing all he could to contain himself.

“I don’t know,” he stammered. “I, I
don’t know what goes on in her head sometimes. She’s not the sharpest tool in
the shed. She means well, but,” he hesitated. “She can act more like a friend than
a mother at times.”

“That’s a nice way to put it,”
Bella replied, not hiding the sarcasm.

“I am sure she thought she was
helping Jessie, doing the right thing. It was bad judgment. She only wants the
best for the girls.”

There was that phrase again.

“Is there any way you can think of
that Mrs. Freed may have found out about any of this?” Bella asked Jessie. Jessie
only shrugged.

“Yes or no, Jessie?”

“No. I mean I would have known or
heard about it. She would have killed my mom if she knew.” She stopped when she
said that, realizing the irony, then shrugged like she didn’t know what else to
say.

“Was your mom and Joslyn close?”
Bella asked.

“Not lately,” Jessie admitted
grudgingly. “But you heard what Sav said. Joslyn and her mom weren’t getting
along either,” Jessie exclaimed.

“I remember what Sav said about
her mom. Why wasn’t she getting along with yours?” Bella asked. Doug looked
tense.

Jessie didn’t say anything for a
minute, and when she did, she looked embarrassed.

“My mom was really upset that
Carly got into Vandy and I didn’t. I don’t think they spoke much after Mexico.”

Doug didn’t say a word. He looked
pained. Bella was about to ask about Dr. Weber when Mack jumped in.

“Where did you meet your wife Doug?”
he asked, suddenly curious.

“In New York City,” was all Doug
offered.

“Is that where she’s from?” Mack
continued.

“No. She has no family. She was an
orphan.”

“An orphan? Really? Who raised
her?” Mack sounded conversational.

“Her grandmother. Why are you
asking me all these questions?” Doug suddenly asked.

“No specific reason,” replied
Mack, flatly. “Just trying to get a sense of the woman who hands her daughter
thousands of dollars regularly to buy Adderall from a guy at school, instead of
asking her psychiatrist for help. That’s all.”

Doug’s lips clenched and he averted
Mack’s gaze.

“Yeah, it was really, really
stupid. I could kill her for getting Jess into this mess.”