When Katherine arrived back at her apartment building, she immediately went to use the telephone in the hall. It rang three times before the voice of a man came over the line.
"Hello, this is Doctor Cawley." The man said.
"Doctor, I'm calling about the nursing job." Katherine said.
There was a moment of silence, and Katherine was certain that Dr. Cawley had hanged up. It wasn't until she heard him clear his throat, that she let out a sigh of relief.
"What is your name, my dear?" Doctor Cawley asked.
"Katherine Wagner, sir."
"Well, Ms. Wagner, I am pleased that you called. Do you have any experience with nursing?"
"Yes, sir. I attended the nursing school at Columbia University in 1936. It wasn't long after I graduated that I was asked to serve as a nurse behind enemy lines in Germany."
Doctor Cawley sighed. "Oh, I'm sorry. What a terrible experience that must have been."
Terrible experience? That was a drastic understatement in Katherine's opinion. It was like living a nightmare with no way of waking up.
"If you don't mind, Doctor Cawley, I'd prefer not to speak about the war." Katherine said quietly.
"Of course, of course. Though I am interested as to how you learned about the position here."
Katherine began to twirl a lock of her hair. "My sister met an acquaintance of one of the doctors at your establishment. His name was Doctor Sheehan, and he said that you needed nurses."
"That we do. Shutter Island, you see, is a very difficult place to work. Several nurses have quit, frightened off by patients and some, when tending to our most violent, have been injured severely and have no choice but to leave."
Frightening patients? Injuries to staff? Katherine felt her heart drop into her stomach, already beginning to dread her potential workplace.
Katherine swallowed. "Doctor Cawley, just what is Shutter Island?"
"You don't know? Shutter Island is an asylum for the criminally insane."
Katherine gave a small gasp and dropped the telephone. She wasn't sure what she had been expecting when she heard about the offer. Perhaps a rural clinic in a small town, or a hospital for the disabled. Never, had she imagined that she would be offered to care for murderers, rapists, and thieves. All of whom were likely declared insane.
Collecting herself, Katherine quickly picked up the telephone with a shaky hand. "I'm sorry, Doctor."
"I didn't mean to shock you, Ms. Wagner. I was sure that you'd been told that Shutter Island was an asylum." Doctor Cawley apologized.
"No, I wasn't. Doctor Cawley, I apologize, but I don't think that I'd be able to handle working in an asylum. I'm more accustomed to physical wounds, than I am mental." Katherine explained.
"Ms. Wagner, please. Shutter Island is in desperate need of nurses; the orderlies and doctors can only do so much. At least, will you come and look us over? Perhaps I could persuade you to change your mind." Doctor Cawley pleaded.
Katherine wanted to object, but Doctor Cawley sounded desperate. Perhaps it wouldn't hurt to at least visit Shutter Island; after all, she could leave anytime she wanted.
"All right. I'll come to Shutter Island." Katherine said.