An Unquiet Grave

CHAPTER 41

Oliver opened the door of the lake house and stood there, one hand still on the door to block their entry. Bloom held open his coat so Oliver could see the badge.

“We’d like to see Dr. Seraphin.”

Oliver’s chin dipped in a quick nod and he walked away, leaving the door open as he disappeared down the hall. Louis and Bloom made their way to the living room. Louis was drawn to the fireplace and moved to it, holding out his hands. Bloom went to a window.

“Lake’s not frozen over yet,” Bloom said.

Louis didn’t answer.

“Pretty isolated area for a woman who might be in danger from a crazy man,” Bloom added, turning back to Louis.

“I think the man who let us in is her bodyguard,” Louis said. “My guess is she’s had him for years.”

“Why?”

“Because she knew Ives might come after her someday.”

Bloom looked at Louis, his face wrinkled with the same doubt as it had shown in his office. Louis let it go, edging closer to the fire. He heard footsteps coming back down the hall, then Oliver’s voice.

“The doctor will see you in the den.”

Dr. Seraphin was standing near the glass doors that led out to the snow-covered deck, a glass of white wine in her hand. Behind her, the lake moved with an icy slowness, almost blending into the smoke-colored afternoon sky.

Her eyes went to Louis and stayed there. She seemed to sense something was different and her face reflected first a glimmer of curiosity, then changed to a mask of defiance. Maybe anger.

“Good afternoon, Officers,” she said.

Bloom introduced himself, flashed a badge Dr. Seraphin did not look at, and started speaking slowly, first telling her about Ives, the latest victim whose name was still unknown, and the cemetery tunnel, then adding a few words about Louis’s being trapped in it.

“I had forgotten about that tunnel,” she said softly. “How long were you trapped, Mr. Kincaid?”

“Over twelve hours.”

Seraphin showed no expression. “How terrible for you.”

“Yeah.”

Bloom moved forward. “Doctor, I need to ask you a few questions about Buddy Ives.”

“I’m afraid that’s confidential.”

“Well, now,” Bloom said, “if what Kincaid told me about you visiting E Building is true, I don’t see how you can hide behind confidentiality now.”

Her gaze finally swung to Bloom. “What do you mean?”

“Kincaid tells me you two went through the patient files last week and you picked him out four suspects, Doctor. Ives included.”

“That’s absurd.”

“What?” Louis said.

Bloom threw a hand toward Louis, then gathered a breath. “How about we ask your bodyguard, Doctor?”

“My what?” Dr. Seraphin asked.

“That big fellow that answered the door.”

“Oliver is my driver and personal assistant. Nothing more.”

“How about we ask anyway?”

Dr. Seraphin set her glass down and walked to the door, calling softly for Oliver. He was there in a second, his bulk filling the frame, his beefy face expressionless.

“Oliver,” Bloom said, “did you and Dr. Seraphin visit Hidden Lake last week?”

“No.”

“Anytime in the last month?”

“No.”

“Anytime in the last year?”

“I have never been to Hidden Lake Hospital,” Oliver said.

Louis lowered his head, working hard at staying level. He should have expected this. Seraphin would never have made that visit without first making sure she could deny it later.

“Tell me, Oliver,” Bloom said. “What’s your job here?”

“I am a driver and an assistant.”

Louis watched Bloom, worried he was buying all of this crap. Damn it. He had to figure out a way to get to Seraphin. Make her admit something.

“Why would I need a bodyguard?” Seraphin asked.

“Kincaid thinks Buddy Ives is after you,” Bloom said, “that you’re the ultimate victim, so to speak.”

She was unfazed. “Why would this patient want to hurt me?”

“Because of the rapes,” Louis said.

Her face gave a little, her upper lip moving with a tiny tremor, but Louis knew Bloom hadn’t seen it. His head was down to his notebook.

“Rapes?” Dr. Seraphin asked.

“Ives raped at will for over two decades,” Louis said. “While he was in your hospital, while he was under your control, while his victims were in isolation.”

Bloom quickly stepped in. “Kincaid, let me handle this.”

Seraphin’s eyes shifted to Louis. “Detective, have you had Mr. Kincaid examined since his experience in the tunnel?”

Louis moved forward and Bloom caught his arm, holding tight. “Hang on there, Kincaid.”

Bloom looked to Seraphin. “How about we just get a statement from you on this rape thing, Doctor? Just for the record?”

“This is abominable,” she said. “If Ives managed to hurt anyone while he was institutionalized, I had no knowledge of it.”

“He raped Millie Reuben,” Louis said.

“Who is she?”

“A former patient. I talked to her. She remembers ever ything.”

“I’m sure she does,” Seraphin said. “In her own way.”

Louis felt everything starting to slip from under him; Seraphin was studying him; then she shook her head, pulling gently on the sleeve of her sweater.

“Detective Bloom, you’re wasting my time and yours and you’re only furthering Mr. Kincaid’s trauma by letting him pursue these ridiculous thoughts,” she said.

“Trauma?” Louis said.

“Yes,” she said. “You’re not a stupid man, Mr. Kincaid.

You have training. You know what fear and isolation do to the mind. Certainly you recognize you’re irrational right now.”

“I know exactly what I’m saying,” Louis said.

She looked at Bloom, a sad smile on her lips. Bloom closed his small notebook. “I do have one more question, Doctor. How could you release a man like Ives?”

“I was not at Hidden Lake when he was released,” Seraphin said. “And even if I had been, there was probably little else I could have done.”

Bloom looked at Seraphin, tapping his notebook on his hand. Then he turned to Louis. “Come on, Kincaid.”

“No,” Louis said. He faced Seraphin. “I can prove you were there in E Building. I can find someone who saw you. Your fingerprints will be on the files. And when we find Ives, he’ll tell us what you did inside that place.”

“I hope you do catch him.”

“Kincaid. Let’s go now,” Bloom said.

Louis stared at Seraphin. Bloom pulled at his arm, but Louis shrugged it off.

“You need to deal with what happened to you,” Seraphin said. “I can help you.”

“I don’t need your help,” Louis said.

Louis turned away from her and pushed past Bloom. He heard Bloom say something to her, but he wasn’t sure what it was and didn’t care.

He was standing outside in the driveway, trying to sort his thoughts, when Bloom came out the door.

“She’s lying, Detective,” Louis said.

“Maybe, maybe not,” Bloom said. “But if she did allow Ives to rape whoever he wanted when he wanted, why would he hate her so much?”

Louis glanced back at the house, then at the ground, a jab of panic working its way through his chest. Suddenly it felt as if his whole body were shutting down, that even the simplest thought-like the way home-was hard to bring into focus.

“I don’t know,” Louis said.