Robert Bloch's Psycho (29 page)

Abandoned, misunderstood, martyred, on the brink of the Great Abyss with no hopes of rescue. What lies ahead for me is shame, dishonor, arrest, imprisonment in a place even worse than what houses these dregs of society, even death itself at the hands of such as my recent attacker.

I cannot face such a future. That I, who wished only for the betterment of mankind, should be driven to this end makes me question the existence of the Deity. I see only one way out of this situation.

The last of my staff has just left the building. I have paid everyone what they were owed. My debts, at least the financial ones, are settled. The only living souls within the walls of the Ollinger Sanitarium are myself and the four caged denizens of the basement ward.

When I finish writing this final entry in my journal, I shall place it with my books, there to perhaps be read in years to come by some new pioneer in the field of mental health. If it inspires him to revisit and refine my therapy for the uses of a new generation of patients, then I shall not have lived in vain. I do not wish to leave it as a suicide note, however. In that case I fear it might be used only in the courts that investigate this final action, and then be forever buried in some legal storehouse. Far better to place it among my reference volumes and trust to an unforeseen future.

As for my final act, there is an underground gas pipe to the kitchen, a short section of which runs through a corner of the basement ward near the ceiling in the northwest corner. I intend to enter the ward, seal up the door (there are no windows to be concerned about), and then use a crowbar and a hacksaw, if necessary, to break that gas pipe and let the gas rush into the ward. In a short time, I suspect that the residents and I will drift off into a sleep from which we will never awaken. This will be a blessing for those souls that have known no rest for so long, and the final palliative for my own torments.

I have no idea if anyone shall find us or not, or if the state board, now that the patients are released, will simply ignore this facility and allow it to sink into ruin. If so, I could not have a more appropriate tomb. Yet I suspect that those who invested their money to have the sanitarium built will find some use for it, in which case the dead will eventually be discovered. I will be discovered, with my poor patients, who trusted me to heal them.

I now write the final sentences in this journal and place it among my books. May he who someday finds it be wiser than I. And may whatever God exists have mercy on whatever part of my spirit may survive my death.

Adolph Ollinger

 

16

When Marie Radcliffe arrived at work the next afternoon, the first thing she did was go to Dr. Reed's office. He was seated at his desk with the door open, working on some case files, but looked up when she knocked.

“Marie,” he said. “Come in, please. Have a seat.” She entered and closed the door behind her, earning a curious look from Dr. Reed. “Strange times indeed, aren't they?” he asked, shaking his head.

“They are,” she said, sitting in the chair on the other side of the desk. “I take it there's been no news about Dr. Goldberg?”

“Not a word. But a lot of rumors. The most popular one seems to be that he was actually another Adolf Eichmann.”

“What?”

“Yes, it sounds crazy,” Dr. Reed said, “but it's really caught fire. The idea is that the man who broke in was an Israeli, and that Goldberg wasn't really Goldberg. When he knew they were on to him, he took off.”

“I … don't see how that could have happened,” Marie said. “There was no way for the doctor to know about the man. And I would have seen Dr. Goldberg leave. I went to his office as soon as they caught the man in the cellar.”

She went on to tell Dr. Reed about how she had found the office empty, and how the opera recording had been stopped after side five. “I found something else there,” she said quietly, then paused. “Dr. Reed, do you know if Norman Bates was ever inside Dr. Goldberg's office?”

Dr. Reed rubbed his chin for a moment, then said, “No, not that I know of. And I think I would know.”

“Has Norman ever had … I don't know how to put this … Have you ever given him free rein inside the building?”

“Free rein? Do you mean have I ever let him wander about? On his own?”

“Yes.”

“Of course not, Marie. You know he's always in the company of at least one attendant when he goes from one place to another, or on his walks for exercise.”

“Is there any way he could have gotten into Dr. Goldberg's office?”

“Absolutely not.” Dr. Reed gave a short shake of his head. “That would be impossible.”

“As impossible as his getting out of his cell at night?”

Dr. Reed leaned back in his chair and crossed his arms. “Nurse, exactly what are you getting at?”

“Last night,” she said, “when I went in to look for Dr. Goldberg, I found something in his office. Something of Norman's.”

“Something of Norman's?” Dr. Reed repeated, as if trying to fathom it.

“This,” she said, reaching into her pocket and coming out with the piece of polished petrified wood. “I gave this to Norman as a good luck piece. It was on the floor under Dr. Goldberg's desk.”

Dr. Reed took the stone and turned it over carefully in his hand. “And you say you gave this to Norman.”

“Yes. I'm sorry, I should have told you.”

“No, that's all right. This is well within the limits of what patients may have. No sharp edges, too small to use as a weapon. A good luck piece, you say?”

“Yes. It's a long story.”

“Well,” Dr. Reed said with a reassuring smile, “maybe you'd better tell me anyway.”

So Marie told him about her father giving her the stone, and about how she had given it to Norman to help him feel braver. “I should have let you know,” she concluded.

“Well, you probably should have, but no harm done.” He frowned. “And you found this in Dr. Goldberg's office?”

She nodded. “Dr. Berkowitz and I met with him at the end of the day. I don't recall seeing it on the floor then, but I might not have noticed it.”

He looked up at her. “So what are you thinking about all this?”

Mouth still closed, she bit her lower lip before she spoke. “I'm thinking that there's a possibility that Dr. Goldberg never ran away. That something might have happened to him, here, in the building.” She took a deep breath. “And that maybe Norman somehow had something to do with it.”

Dr. Reed was silent for a long moment. “Wow,” he finally said. “That's something that I'd rather not have heard.”

“And that's something that I'd rather not have had to say,” Marie said. “I think we both have a lot invested in Norman. Professionally and—”

“And emotionally, yes,” Dr. Reed said. “I've bent over backwards to try and keep him from harm, and I know you have too … that day with Myron Gunn. That's why the mere
thought
of Norman reverting to what he was before…” He shook his head, and his mouth became a hard line. “Have you mentioned this to anyone else?”

“No. I thought I should discuss it with you first before I … before
we
let anyone else know about it. If that's necessary.”

“I'm glad you did. As for it being necessary,” Dr. Reed said, “I just don't know.”

Marie held out her hand for the stone. Dr. Reed took one last look at it, then handed it over to her. “There's something else that concerns me,” she said. “And that's the fact that everyone who's disappeared has posed a threat in some way to Norman.”

Dr. Reed thought for a moment. “I see what you mean. Norman was certainly relieved when Ronald Miller escaped.”

“If he
did
escape.”

Dr. Reed nodded slowly. “Yes. And Myron Gunn and Nurse Lindstrom—he wasn't sorry to see them go either. As for Dr. Goldberg—”

“He was anxious to try shock treatments on Norman,” Marie said. “And Norman was very upset about that.”

“Exactly,” Dr. Reed intoned, then jerked up as though coming out of a trance. “But it's just so …
impossible,
Marie. I mean, think about it—how in God's name could Norman Bates get out of his locked room, dispatch people, then hide their bodies where no one could find them, and get
back
to his room, all without being seen?”

“I have no idea. But then I wonder about
this
…” She held up the stone. “How did it get into Dr. Goldberg's office? How did Dr. Goldberg leave his office without me seeing him? And how likely is it that
four
people, all of whom posed a threat to Norman Bates in some way, would simply disappear over a period of several weeks?”

Dr. Reed seemed to consider what Marie had implied, then said, “That's not beyond the realm of the possible. There are reasons: escape, elopement, and flight. But that Norman Bates could have … killed them all
is
impossible.” He sighed. “Look, let's keep this between ourselves for now. I'll talk to Norman—today. I'll ask him about the stone. Maybe Dr. Goldberg took it away from him, or maybe there's another way it got into that office, I don't know. But I'll find out. In the meantime, I don't want any crazy rumors flying around. Norman has enough to deal with inside his head as it is, okay?”

“I won't say a word,” Marie said, slipping the stone into her uniform pocket. Dr. Reed thanked her for sharing her thoughts, and she left the office.

When she was gone, Dr. Reed slumped back in his chair and rubbed his temples hard with the heels of his hands. “Oh, Jesus Christ. Norman, Norman…,” he whispered. “What have you done?”

*   *   *

Dr. Reed visited Norman Bates in his room shortly before dinnertime. Norman smiled when he saw him. “Dr. Reed,” he said, “I'm so glad to see you. Something happened today, something really good, I think.”

Norman was surprised to see Dr. Reed frown. “Are you talking about Dr. Goldberg, Norman? About what happened to Dr. Goldberg?”

“Oh!” Norman said. The thought made him feel guilty. “Oh, no, not that! I mean, I don't really know what happened, but I hope it was nothing bad, honestly.”

“You're not at all
relieved
about what happened? So you won't have to undergo shock therapy?”

“Well, I guess that part of it, yes, that's … that's a good thing for me. But I don't want anything bad to have happened to Dr. Goldberg. You believe that, don't you?”

Dr. Reed sat on the stool. “Yes, Norman. I believe that. Now. Tell me what happened today that you thought was so good. I'd like to hear it.”

Norman excitedly told him about getting upset because he thought he had heard Mother, and about his outburst. He was almost pleased to see Dr. Reed's look of concern. But then he told him about how he had talked to the two attendants. “I talked to them just like I talk to you,” he said, “or to Robert, and they looked surprised—it was great! So that's why I said I didn't feel happy about Dr. Goldberg, because I think I could have talked to him too.”

“That's fine, Norman, fine,” Dr. Reed said. “I'm very glad that happened and that you discovered that you were strong enough to engage with those men. That's excellent, and I hope it continues. However, there's something else I'd like to talk to you about.”

Dr. Reed didn't seem as happy as Norman had hoped he'd be. He looked almost sad, and Norman wondered why. “Okay,” he said. “Do you want me to lie down?”

“No, not yet. I have a question for you.” He paused. “Nurse Marie gave you a good luck piece, didn't she?”

“Y … yes. How did you know that?”

“She told me. Do you still have it?”

“No. I don't.”

Dr. Reed's face got very serious then, and Norman felt almost scared. “Where is it, then, Norman?”

“I … I gave it to Robert.” Dr. Reed raised his eyebrows as if he were surprised. “Last time I saw him.”

“You gave the stone to
Robert?
” It seemed to Norman that Dr. Reed was having trouble understanding something that seemed quite simple to Norman.

“Yes. For luck. You see, we were talking about luck, and he was telling me that he thought he needed some, so I gave it to him. Why? Did I do wrong?”

“No, Norman. At least … I don't think so.”

“Did Robert …
do
something?” Norman felt his heart beating faster. “I told you before … I was worried about Robert, that he might be … oh, God. Did you, did you find the stone somewhere?”

“I didn't. Nurse Marie did. In Dr. Goldberg's office last night. After he … disappeared.” Dr. Reed pursed his lips. “Norman, do you have any idea how it might have gotten there?”

Norman swallowed hard. “No. I don't. I really don't. It's like you said before when I … I brought this up, Dr. Reed: there's no way Robert could have gotten into the building, no way he could have done what … what I was afraid he was maybe doing.”

“Then how did that stone get into Dr. Goldberg's office, Norman?”

Norman had no answer.

“Robert is going to be visiting this evening, Norman. Perhaps you could ask him.”

Norman thought it through. “I could. But … well, what if
you
asked him, Dr. Reed?”

“I think he'd open up to you more readily than he would to me, Norman. There's probably a simple explanation—maybe he dropped it and Dr. Goldberg picked it up, something that simple. But we won't know until you ask him. Tell me,” he went on, “have you mentioned anything about Robert to Nurse Marie?”

Norman shook his head. “No. Not to anyone.”

“All right. Well, depending on certain things, we may have to tell her about him. But I'd like you to leave that to me. She's very curious, very concerned about having found this stone, as am I. I wouldn't like to see your relationship with Robert endangered. I think it's been quite good for you. But we have to know certain things so we can be confident that nothing bad has happened, you understand?”