The day of Norman's bail hearing was also to be John Massett's debut in the town of White Pine Bay. Dylan picked John up so the two could go together to meet Norma at the Sheriff's Department.
"How did you sleep?" Dylan asked as they drove?
"Uh, all right, I guess."
"You?"
"Not at all. I don't think this is gonna go well. You think the judge will grant bail?"
John nodded. "Unless the judge suspects Norman to be a flight risk, it's likely. The fact that he was running away when he was found... That could work against us. But I plan to argue that he would be released into the care of you and your mother, who are responsible members of the community and who love Norman and can be counted on to keep him safe."
"I don't really live there much anymore," Dylan admitted.
"Well, you're going to now. It's critical to show the judge that Norman has a support system."
Dylan was conflicted. He wanted very much to help Norman, but he also had a girlfriend recovering from lung transplant surgery in Portland and she was preparing to move to Seattle, and he hoped to go with her. He wondered how much this trial might interfere with his and Emma's happiness. He felt selfish for even having a thought like that.
"Baby, come here."
Alex watched Norma pace around his office. He wanted her to stop pacing and let him hold her.
"Alex, I can't. I can't do this. My son Dylan is off picking up my ex-husband, who is on his way to bail out my other son, who is accused of murder. How am I supposed to just not be freaking out right now?"
"Oh by the way," said Alex, turning to his desk. Taking a seat and leaning back, he continued: "Amelia Martin. She'll be at the hearing."
Norma stopped pacing and stared at him. "How do you know?"
Alex shrugged. "She told me. She said she wants to look her daughter's killer in the eye."
Norma started fuming. "She better stay away from Norman. He does not need this right now. He's very fragile."
"Well, Norma, I mean, try to look at it from her perspective..."
Right away, he knew he'd made a terrible mistake by saying that. He looked away from her glare and exhaled. "Sorry, Norma, I didn't mean... I just meant..." He returned his eyes to her face. "She lost her daughter, Norma."
Norma's expression softened. "I know. It's awful. But Norman is still here, and he's my son, and I have to help him because lord knows I've been a crappy mother up to this point."
"Hey hey," Alex said, rising to his feet and rushing to her. He put his hands on her arms and rubbed them gently. "Listen to me. You're a great mother. This isn't your fault. Norman has an illness. Just because it's mental rather than physical doesn't mean it's not real. It just makes it harder for us to understand and know how to treat, but that doesn't mean we can't help him. We will get him the help he needs."
Norma sighed. "Yeah. He needs to be at Pineview. Not rotting in a cell right now. He's probably so scared, not knowing where I am or that I'm out here fighting for him."
He pulled her into his arms and held her until the phone on his desk made a noise. Reluctantly, he pressed a button on the phone. "Yes?"
"Sheriff," came Regina the receptionist's voice. "A Dr. Schuster is here to see you. From the county psych ward. Regarding Norman Bates."
Alex gave Norma a look. Norma looked ready to crawl out of her skin.
"Regina, Deputy Jeffcoat is in charge of that case."
"Yes, sir, I told her that. She still wants to speak with you."
Alex sighed. "OK. Let her in."
"What the hell, Alex?" Norma breathed. "County psych ward?"
"Norma, it's all right. The DA will have put this in motion to have a full psychiatric evaluation of Norman. It's standard procedure. This doesn't mean they're gonna haul him off in a strait jacket." He only said that because he knew how active and extreme her imaginative fears about Norman could be. Unfortunately, it didn't help Norma at all; on the contrary, having never pictured her son in a strait jacket before, it was now all she could see in her mind and her breathing became extremely labored.
"Right," she said between deliberate breaths. "That's not gonna happen. They're gonna evaluate him and we can use that to get him into Pineview. If we can figure out how to pay for it." She shook her head, feeling stupid and doing her little smile/almost-laugh to cover for it. "If I can figure out how to pay for it."
Norma stepped outside for some fresh air and wait for Dylan and John while Alex spoke with Dr. Schuster in his office.
"Sheriff Romero," the confident and professional psychiatrist addressed him as she stepped through the door. "Hello, I'm Doctor Ellie Schuster, from the county psychiatric center."
"Hello," said Alex. "You do understand that I recused myself from the case, and that Deputy Jeffcoat is in charge of everything relating to the death of Bradley Martin?"
"I do, yes. However, Deputy Jeffcoat is not in his office at the moment and I understand that you have been involved in prior cases involving the prime suspect, Norman Bates?"
Alex leaned back in his chair and looked at her without any expression, just expectantly. He was trying to figure out her agenda.
"Right," she said, opening one of the files she had removed from her briefcase. "I see here that Norman Bates was taken into custody for questioning over the death, concluded to be an accident, of one James Brennan."
"True," agreed Alex. He wasn't going to offer any information or make anything easy for this woman.
"Yes, well, it says Mr. Brennan fell down the stairs at his home after an altercation with his daughter, Cody, and her friend, Norman Bates. I'm curious as to how Norman Bates was involved?"
"Maybe you should try asking him?" suggested Alex.
"Oh, I fully intend to, Sheriff. Any details on a prior arrest is relevant to my evaluation."
"Norman Bates was not arrested," Alex corrected her. "He was brought in for questioning, as was Cody Brennan, because they were eyewitnesses. That is all."
Dr. Schuster looked slightly taken aback. "But Norman Bates was fingerprinted and I see here that Deputy Lin collected a DNA swab."
Alex flinched. Deputy Lin's overzealousness irritated him to no end. It was because of that DNA swab that Norman was found to be the second match for the semen sample found in the autopsy of Blaire Watson. He recalled resentfully how Deputy Lin had treated Norman as though he was guilty of pushing Jimmy Brennan to his death.
"Norman Bates was not arrested. Nor was he a suspect in the case. We were merely looking for answers from the two eyewitnesses."
"I see," said the doctor, putting the file back in her briefcase. "Well, thank you, Sheriff. I appreciate you talking to me."
"Of course. Anytime," he lied, watching her leave and determining right then and there that swift action was needed to ensure Norman's place at Pineview.