Chapter 31 Chapter Thirty-One

The next morning, Steve boarded a United Airlines flight to Chicago.At Chicago's Oriel Airport he hailed a cab. "Where are you going?" the driver asked. "Reed Psychiatric Rehabilitation Center." The driver turned to look at Steve. "Are you okay?" "I'm not sick. What's the matter?" "just asking." ※※※ At Reed Asylum, Steve walked over to the uniformed guard at the concierge's desk. The guard looked up at him: "Is there something wrong?" "Yes, I want to see Margot Posner." "Is she an employee here?"

Steve didn't think about it. "I have no idea." The guard looked at him carefully: "You don't know?" "I just know she's here." The guard opened a drawer and reached out to take out a list.After a while he said, "She doesn't work here. Could it be a patient?" "I... I don't know. It could be." The guard glanced at Steve again, then reached into another drawer and pulled out a computer printout.He scanned the list, stopped halfway and said, "Margot Posner." "That's right." Steve asked in surprise, "Is she a patient here?"

"Well, well. Are you a relative of hers?" "No……" "In that case, I don't think you can see her." "I have to see her," Steve said. "It's very important." "I'm sorry, but I have to obey the order. Seeing patients requires prior clearance." "Who's in charge here?" Steve asked. "I am." "I mean the head of the hospital." "Dr. Kingsley." "I asked to see him." "Okay." The guard picked up the phone and dialed a number. "Doctor Kingsley, I'm Joe the Porter. There's a gentleman here asking to see you. He's looking up at Steve. What's your name?"

"Steve Sloan. I'm a lawyer." "Steve Sloan. He's a lawyer...well." He put down the phone and said to Steve, "Someone will come and show you to the office." Five minutes later, Steve was ushered into the office of Dr. Gary Kingsley.Kingsley was a man in his late fifties, but looked haggard and older than his years. "Mr. Sloane, what do you want from me?" "I need to see one of your patients, Margo Posner." "Ah, there is such a patient. The condition is very special. Are you related to her?" "It's nothing. I'm just pursuing a suspicious murder case. I must talk to her. I think she may be the key person in this case."

"Unfortunately, I cannot assist you." "You've got to let me see her," Steve said. "this is……" "Mr. Sloan, I couldn't help you even if I wanted to." "why?" "Because Margot Posner is in a closed ward, she attacks anyone who comes near her. This morning she tried to kill a female guard and two doctors." "what?" "She kept changing her identity, kept calling her brother Taylor's name, kept calling the names of the crew on her own speedboat. We had to give her a strong sedative to keep her quiet."

"Oh my God!" Steve said. "Could you tell me when she will come to her senses?" Dr. Kingsley shook his head. "We'll be watching closely. Maybe after a while she'll calm down and we can rediagnose her condition. Only then..."