Cut to the Bone by Ellison Cooper

Author:Ellison Cooper [Cooper, Ellison]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781250173911
Publisher: St. Martin's Publishing Group
Published: 0101-01-01T00:00:00+00:00

ROAD TO THE HEARING VOICES INSTITUTE, GREAT FALLS, VA

Sayer leaned her bike into the narrow driveway toward the Hearing Voices Institute. She glanced back a few times. Someone was following her at a distance, but she didn’t see the old Porsche anywhere.

No one turned off behind her onto the smooth asphalt that wound among rolling hills toward the Potomac River.

She let out a harsh breath, trying to release the bands of tension running across her back and down her arms. The late afternoon sun shone through bare oak branches, warming her shoulders, but Sayer couldn’t turn off the internal clock counting down until another girl’s head would be held underwater while her life drained away.

The road gave way to a flat field on the banks of the river. The two-story pueblo-style institute rose in the distance like something straight from New Mexico. Made of rounded adobe, with arched windows and a dark wood-beam roof, the only concession to the local landscape was a series of spindly dogwood trees planted along the front walkway.

A small, carved wooden sign announced that Sayer was in the right place.

Though she’d known that Great Falls was a wealthy area, the understated grace of this place reeked of money.

As she parked her bike, a whip-thin, overtan man with curly blond hair hurried out the front door. His loose blue tunic and gray linen pants flowed around his body as he held a hand aloft as though Sayer were an old friend.

“Dr. Altair. Dr. Lilenhammer at your service.” He bowed slightly. “I can’t tell you how much I appreciate you coming all the way up here.” His faint British accent didn’t quite match his vague surfer cult-leader vibe. “I know you must be busy, but, as I’m sure you understand, I hesitate to break patient confidentiality. I have strict rules about where and when I can share patient information and I will only do so if I deem it necessary to prevent harm.” He flashed a blinding smile that made Sayer wonder how much he spent to keep his teeth quite so white.

“Of course.” Sayer pulled off her helmet. “I appreciate you contacting us. And please, call me Sayer.”

“Sayer it is.”

She noticed that he didn’t return the courtesy of providing his first name.

“Follow me to my office,” he said as he led her through a glossy wooden front door into what looked very much like an expensive Santa Fe spa. A fire roared in the oversized beehive fireplace in the corner. She followed across the terra-cotta tiles and up a narrow, curving staircase.

Dr. Lilenhammer smiled back at her again as they made their way through a small labyrinth of halls carpeted in soothing earth tones. They finally stopped at an intricately carved doorway and he pulled a single key off the leather necklace he wore.

“As you can see, we spare no expense making our clients comfortable during their stay.” He unlocked the door and led Sayer into one of the most beautiful rooms she had ever seen.

The coffered ceiling was clearly transported from an old Spanish mission church.

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