Inside Out by Unknown Author

Author:Unknown Author
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Elise Title

eighteen

All the women knew I was a favorite target. Derision, revulsion, mind-games, unjust disciplinary action. I was getting it from all sides—figuratively and literally. When it comes down to it, there is no one I can risk trusting.

L. I.

WHEN THE NURSE at Mercy informed Nat that Suzanne Holden had a visitor, she immediately assumed it must be Leo.

She was wrong. It wasn’t Leo but Ross Varda sitting in the orange plastic chair beside the inmate’s bed.

“You look surprised,” he said.

Not that it would take a psychiatrist to discern that.

“Suzanne had one of the nurses call me and ask me to come in to see her,” Varda explained. “My prison credentials got me past the officer on duty outside.”

“I didn’t know the two of you knew each other.”

“Suzanne was in one of my therapy groups at Grafton for a short time.”

Varda got to his feet, offering her the chair. She turned down the offer which left them both standing.

“Suzanne has been telling me about her terrible ordeal. That someone jumped her—”

“She doesn’t believe me,” Suzanne said plaintively. “No one believes me.”

“Now, now, Suzanne,” Dr. Varda soothed.

“No one’s discounting your story,” Nat said. “The police are doing a very thorough investigation.”

A flicker of hope briefly lit her eyes. “Leo will prove I’m telling the truth. I know he will. He has to.”

Just hearing his name uttered from her lips caused Nat’s stomach to clench.

“You look tired, Suzanne. Why don’t you try to sleep?” The psychiatrist glanced at Nat. “She says she hasn’t slept in the past two nights.”

“The nurse wouldn’t even give me a damn Tylenol p.m. It says in big red letters on my chart: no meds. Like what? I’m gonna OD on fucking acetaminophen.”

“I’ll go have a word with her,” Dr. Varda said. He paused for a moment at the door. “Don’t stay too long, Superintendent. Suzanne really does need to rest.”

As soon as he left, Nat sat down in the chair he’d vacated.

“I got a visit today from Daniel Milburne, Suzanne.”

She gave Nat a blank look.

“He was very angry. He told me a woman has been threatening him. She sent a letter to his wife a few days ago. Yesterday, she phoned her. He thinks I’m behind the threats.”

Suzanne shrugged.

“This woman called his wife ‘Bethany.’ Which is interesting because she hasn’t used that name in a long time.”

Suzanne looked away.

“In fact, hardly anyone knows she used to go by the name Bethany. But you knew, right?”

Suzanne continued avoiding eye contact. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“Lynn never talked to you about Bethany?”

“No.” Suzanne snapped out her response a little too quickly. “Bethany Graham?”

“No.”

“This is a real puzzle, Suzanne. Because very few people other than me know about Bethany Graham. And since I wasn’t the one who threatened her—”

“It wasn’t me. Shit. First you accuse me of using again. Now you’re trying to pin some blackmail scheme on me—”

“I didn’t call it blackmail.” But, of course Nat was thinking, drugs weren’t free.

“Whatever. It wasn’t me. That’s all I know.”

“Well, what worries me is that Milburne might think you know more than that.

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