Alicia Berenson’s Diary
Alicia Berenson’s Diary AUGUST 8 Something odd happened today. I was in the kitchen, making coffee, looking out the window—looking without seeing—daydreaming—and then I noticed something, or rather someone—outside. A man. I noticed him because he was standing so still— like a statue—and facing the house. He was on the other side of the road, […]
Chapter Thirty-Four
CHAPTER THIRTY-FOUR DIOMEDES WAS WRONG ABOUT IT SNOWING. It didn’t snow; instead it started raining heavily that afternoon. A storm with angry drumbeats of thunder and lightning flashes. I waited for Alicia in the therapy room, watching the rain batter the window. I felt weary and depressed. The whole thing had been a waste of […]
Chapter Thirty-Three
CHAPTER THIRTY-THREE THE MEETING TOOK PLACE in Diomedes’s office, but Stephanie Clarke assumed control from the start. Now that we had left the abstract world of psychology and entered the concrete realm of health and safety, we were under her jurisdiction and she knew it. Judging by Diomedes’s sullen silence, it was obvious so did […]
Chapter Thirty-Two
CHAPTER THIRTY-TWO “HOW IS ELIF?” I was waiting in the goldfish bowl and caught Yuri once he returned from the emergency ward. “Stable.” He sighed heavily. “Which is about the best we can hope for.” “I’d like to see her.” “Elif? Or Alicia?” “Elif first.” Yuri nodded. “They want her to rest tonight, but in […]
Chapter Thirty-One
CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE I ARRIVED AT THE GROVE THE NEXT MORNING, intending to talk to Alicia about what Barbie had told me. But as soon as I entered reception, I heard a woman screaming. Howls of agony echoing along the corridors. “What is it? What’s going on?” The security guard ignored my questions. He ran past […]
Chapter Thirty
CHAPTER THIRTY BARBIE’S HOUSE WAS ONE OF SEVERAL ACROSS the road from Hampstead Heath, overlooking one of the ponds. It was large and, given its location, probably fantastically overpriced. Barbie had lived in Hampstead for several years before Gabriel and Alicia moved in next door. Her ex-husband was an investment banker and had commuted between […]
Chapter Twenty-Nine
CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE “THIS IS RIDICULOUS. I’ve been coming here for years and nobody ever told me to call ahead before. I can’t stand around waiting all day. I’m an extremely busy person.” An American woman was standing by the reception desk, complaining loudly to Stephanie Clarke. I recognized Barbie Hellmann from the newspapers and TV […]
Chapter Twenty-Eight
CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT “WELL, WHAT DO YOU THINK, ALICIA? Lots of light, eh? Do you like it?” Yuri showed off the new studio proudly. It had been his idea to commandeer the unused room next to the goldfish bowl, and I agreed—it seemed a better idea than sharing Rowena’s art-therapy room, which, given her obvious hostility, […]
Chapter Twenty-Seven
CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN “WHAT TIME ARE YOU MEETING YOUR FRIEND?” I asked. “Seven o’clock. After rehearsal.” Kathy handed me her coffee cup. “If you can’t remember her name, Theo, it’s Nicole.” “Right.” I yawned. Kathy gave me a stern look. “You know, it’s a little insulting that you don’t remember—she’s one of my best friends. You […]
Chapter Twenty-Six
CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX THE CANTEEN WAS THE WARMEST ROOM at the Grove. Piping-hot radiators lined the walls, and the benches closest to them were always filled first. Lunch was the busiest meal, with staff and patients eating side by side. The raised voices of the diners created a cacophony of noise, born from an uncomfortable excitement […]