The Devil You Know
by Angela
03-03-06
part two
The Kingsboro Psychiatric Center was on the far side of Brooklyn. Riding with Blanca was faster than taking the train, but it still seemed to take ages longer than Ash expected. He stared out the window, wondering what kind of place it was and why Griffin was there. Something serious must've happened to him. Something so huge that it changed everything, that it made him not come home.
Everyone assumed he was dead. 'Missing in Action and Presumed Dead' was what the telegram called it. Ash remembered that day – he'd just turned six and he was waiting for his happy birthday letter from Griff. His father hadn't even broken the news kindly. You won't be getting any more letters from your brother. He's dead. Even then, Ash hadn't believed it. There was no body, no proof. No one had seen him fall. His brother had just disappeared.
It wasn't until Dino started whoring him out to military types that it occurred to Ash that he could make his own connections and start his own investigation. It hadn't taken too long, considering the randomness of the encounters. Just three years of asking the right questions and now he had an address. It might just be another link in the chain, but Ash didn't think so. This felt different; he was going to see his brother that day.
But spending ten years in a psychiatric ward must be difficult. Ash had no idea what kind of drugs his brother might be taking, what kind of treatment he was receiving or what symptoms prompted the doctors to commit him in the first place. He reminded himself that it wasn't going to be the kind of loving reunion he'd seen in the movies. Griff might not even be Griff. Not yet. Not until he could be weaned off the drugs, until he could be made to believe that he wasn't really crazy. He shook his head, wondering again what could've happened. Once he'd believed that nothing in the world would've kept Griffin from coming come to him; now it was clear that he'd been wrong. He just needed to know why.
"So this person is a friend of yours." Blanca was careful not to phrase it as a question. Ash ignored him. Since they'd gotten in the car he'd been doing that, trying to get information without asking direct questions. Ash wasn't about to fall for it. He watched the pedestrians crossing at the light in front of them, all of them bundled up in coats and hats – the forecast called for flurries.
Blanca sighed. "I agreed to your stipulations, but you're going to have to tell me something. Surely you have a plan of some sort."
He was right. Ash looked sideways at his tutor. Even a fighter as brilliant as Blanca wouldn't be of much use if they weren't organized. "I figure we'll go to room 261 first, just to make sure that Griff is really there. Next we'll track down Joseph Morrow and get him to tell us about his condition. Then we'll take Griffin someplace else." Ash had a place all lined up – someone he knew who couldn't refuse, once he explained it all. But he didn't tell Blanca this. With any luck, he'd be able to tuck Griff away without anyone knowing where to find him.
"And if Dr. Morrow doesn't wish to discharge his patient? Do you have a contingency plan?"
Of course he had a contingency plan. Ash was pretty sure that Morrow wasn't just going to let him walk away with his brother. With that in mind, he packed a little extra that morning. Tucked inside one sock was the biggest roll of cash that Ash had ever had at one time. Dino funded this excursion with all those fancy suits and other presents he'd given him over the years. It all sold for a little over twenty-one hundred dollars, and Ash was prepared to spend every last dime to make sure that Griff was somewhere safe. "If he won't give me Griff, I'll bribe him." He lifted his sock to show the bulge to his teacher.
Blanca nodded appreciatively. "And if that doesn't work?"
It wasn't something Ash wanted to do. He hoped against hope that it wouldn't come to anything so serious, but he knew the possibility was there. "If that doesn't work," he said slowly, "we fight." Blanca wouldn't argue. After all, he hadn't been training Ash all these months for nothing.
----
By the time they parked the car, Blanca had taken his plan and improved upon it. "How do you expect to be let in to find your friend?" he'd asked as they exited from the highway. "I doubt that the Kingsboro Psychiatric Center has a policy of letting little punks mess with their patients."
Ash didn't have an answer for him. It hadn't occurred to him that the nurses at the desk wouldn't let him by. Usually he got what he wanted from women, who liked to coo over his pretty face and speculate about what he'd look like when he grew up, but Blanca made him realize that he couldn't necessarily count on that. "Men are becoming nurses more and more these days," his teacher reminded him with a smirk. "And believe it or not, most men won't be as taken with your tight little ass as the company you've been keeping."
So when when they walked through the doors of the psychiatric hospital, Blanca was in charge. "Follow my lead," he whispered, walking confidently toward the front counter.
In one fluid movement he removed his sunglasses and leaned casually against the counter. His smile had never been more charming as he greeted the young brunette nurse. Ash resisted the urge to roll his eyes and instead paid close attention to his tutor; he could learn from this.
"Hi there," Blanca began in a friendly voice, somehow erasing all traces of his European accent. "My name is David Simmons. I'm a tutor for special needs children; this is my pupil, Ash."
Ash wondered exactly what Blanca meant by 'special needs.' He supposed it could mean poor kids, which is exactly what Ash looked like. He hoped his teacher didn't expect him to act slow. The nurse, whose name was Angie, if her name tag was any indication, glanced at Ash. Her slightly distracted look changed suddenly and she grinned.
"And how can I help you two gentlemen?" Angie asked, turning her beaming face back to Blanca.
"Well, Ash needs to do a project at school, a short biography of a Vietnam-era vet. He has no relatives who were the right age to fight, but my sister's friend, a nurse here, I believe, suggested one of your patients might fit the bill." He looked at the blond boy, his eyes shining in a safe, friendly way that Ash had never seen before. "What was that fellow's name again?"
"Griff." A lump seemed to form in his throat and he swallowed hard. "Griffin Callenreese. He's in room-" he pretended to check the postcard in his pocket. "Room 261."
The nurse's face fell "Callenreese? But I think he's in a restricted ward . . . " She keyed something in the computer, her expression tense. "I don't see how you could interview him."
"Ah," Blanca sighed. "My sister's friend – I wish I could remember her name – Jessica? Jennifer? She said that she'd already spoken with Dr. Morrow, that it was all arranged."
The mention of the doctor's name seemed to change everything. Angie's face melted back into a smile, one she seemed happy to share with both Blanca and Ash. "If Dr. Morrow has already okayed it, then everything should be fine," she said, pulling a clipboard from a drawer. "If you handsome young men would just sign in here, I'll be happy to show you how to get upstairs." Her lashes batted a touch too deliberately for Ash's taste, but Blanca seemed to be enjoying the show. He gazed at the pretty nurse with unmasked appreciation.
They signed in, Blanca under his pseudonym and possibly masking his handwriting. Ash just scrawled 'Ash Lynx' on the paper in his usual way. No database would be able to trace that name to him, after all. With a deliberately sexy walk, nurse Angie took them down the hall to the elevator. "On the second floor, turn right. I'll tell Nina, the nurse at the checkpoint, that you're coming."
Blanca admired her backside as she left them. This time, Ash did roll his eyes. "You got us in exactly the same way I would've," the boy hissed at him as soon as they were on the elevator. For all of his nay-saying in the car, wasn't it sex appeal that got them where they were?
His teacher's mouth twitched. "I think our cover story convinced her," he said lightly. "Everything else was just gravy. Besides, don't you think you're a bit young to be relying on sex to get what you want?"
As soon as he said it, Ash could tell that Blanca regretted that last comment. He shook his head, looking like he wanted to apologize. "Forget it," Ash said wearily, wondering what it must be like to think like his teacher. The man was ruthless in every possible way, but somehow still believed in the innocence of childhood. Of course Ash was too young. Anyone in the world would be too young for what Ash had gone through, but you didn't see him crying over it. No, Ash was determined to use whatever he had to get where he was going – if sex was all he had just now, that would have to do.
The nurse at the next station giggled as she waved them through a set of swinging doors. She followed, keys jingling as she searched for the right one. A few feet down the hall was a locked steel door with a reinforced glass window. Nina unlocked it and smiled. "Room 261 is on the left," she said, her eyes lingering on Blanca's face a touch too long. "I don't know if you'll get anything out of him, but good luck."
---
Ash barely waited for her to close the door behind him before he darted down the hall. Griff's door was ajar, and he shoved it open with unchecked eagerness. "Griffin!" he cried excitedly, forgetting everything he'd told himself about not getting his hopes up and taking things one step at a time.
Griff didn't answer. He was awake, staring into space with an overdosed, empty expression on his face. His eyes barely flitted to the doorway as Ash skidded through it. After a half-second's glance, they were gone, focused somewhere far in front of him again.
"Griff?" Ash asked in a shaky voice. It was obviously him. He looked a lot older; with dull blond hair and a lifeless expression, he could have passed for five years older than his twenty-eight years, but he was unmistakable. This was him, Ash's long lost big brother. The only other person he'd cried bitter tears for, the only person he was sure he couldn't really get along without. "Griff, can you hear me? It's me – it's Aslan."
Blanca was in the doorway. If he heard Ash use his real name, he didn't react to it. He put a hand on the boy's shoulder. He didn't speak, but Ash understood the gesture. Support. He hadn't expected it of his teacher.
"What the fuck did they do to you?" he whispered under his breath. He stepped forward, away from the doorway and away from Blanca's comforting touch. He crept close to the bed and reached a hand slowly to his brother's, trying not to startle him. Griffin didn't react to the touch, not at first. "Griff, are you in there?" Ash asked him desperately, his quiet voice breaking a little.
His brother turned to face him, his eyes not quite focusing even as his other hand reached out to touch Ash's golden hair. The ghost of an expression – maybe a smile? – crossed his face as his fingers smoothed the blond tangles.
Ash barely breathed. "Jesus Christ," he whispered. "You recognize me, don't you?"
Griffin opened his mouth, trying to speak. His lips were cracked and dry, and he had trouble forming the words. Ash squeezed his hand; he tried again. "Banana fish," the invalid croaked. His voice was weak and raw, unused for god knows how long. "Banana fish."
Ash was taken aback. "What the fuck does that mean?" he asked desperately, glancing back at his teacher for some kind of answer. Blanca shrugged. His face was void of expression as usual, but to Ash he seemed a little tense. It took a moment for him to register why, but then he heard the footsteps in the hall. They were hurrying – possibly running – toward them. Blanca stepped into the room, leaving the doorway empty.
"How the hell did you get into this ward?" In a second the space was filled. A small man, not much taller than Ash stood there, outraged. One hand was braced on the door frame and he seemed out of breath. "Who authorized you to see this patient? Leave this instant or I'm calling security." He was dark and almost rodent-like, with a sharp nose and a well-groomed beard.
Ash was trying to think of an answer when Blanca reacted. He smiled, offering his hand for shaking. "You must be Dr. Morrow," he said in a soothing voice. "I'm Blanca and this is Ash. We work for Dino Golzine."
Morrow blanched. Evidently he'd heard of Papa Dino. It wasn't surprising; he made the local and state-wide news often enough. "I don't understand. Why are you here?"
Blanca deferred, glancing at Ash.
The boy stood tall, trying to look and feel older than his fourteen years. "What do you know about this patient?" he asked. "We need to know everything you can tell us about Griffin Callenreese."
---
Five minutes later they were in Dr. Morrow's office. The doctor wasn't happy with the situation, but he didn't seem willing to risk turning away agents of the best-known crime lord in New York. He offered them seats, and Ash sat in one of the plush leather chairs. Blanca declined, standing near the door like hired muscle.
Morrow's gaze shifted nervously at the muscle-bound European before he relaxed enough to start. "I was Mr. Callenreese's doctor in Saigon," he began without preamble. "When I met him, he'd suffered multiple gunshot wounds in the legs and it was generally believed that he'd never regain use of them. Friendly fire, I was told. But his legs weren't my responsibility; I'm a psychiatrist." He nervously fiddled with a pencil, seeming to expect Ash to say something. When the boy was silent, he proceeded.
"Griffin had suffered severe mental trauma, that much was certain. We didn't have the equipment to assess damage, but I suspected from the start that he had taken some kind of drug that deteriorated his brain. All the scans and work done stateside supported this, as did the story of his injuries. Apparently he had been a habitual drug user, and one night, presumably under the influence of the same drug that crippled his mind, he started shooting up his own platoon. Another soldier – Max Glenreed, I think he name was – saved everyone by taking Callenreese out. He didn't shoot to kill, which made him a more forgiving soldier than most I've met, but he did quite a number on his legs. Even after all these years, my patient can barely stand on his own, much less take steps to walk."
Max Glenreed? Ash knew that name. He'd been the subject of so many of Griff's letters. Max had been his best friend, possibly his only friend, in Vietnam. "I don't understand," Ash said, trying to sound professional while his heart was hammering like a little kid's. "It's been ten years. Surely in all this time, the effects of the drugs he took would've gone away. It looks to me like you guys keep him doped up in this place."
Dr. Morrow shook his head. "The only medications we give him are painkillers for his legs, which still ache on a regular basis. Callenreese is here as a permanent resident – the damage done to his brain cannot be reversed. May I ask why Dino Golzine has an interest in such a lost cause?"
"That's not your concern," Ash barked. "So why wasn't Griffin's family notified of his condition? They were told he was MIA; none of them know that he's alive and in New York."
Morrow was starting to get angry at being pushed around by a kid. "The Army had its reasons," he said tightly. "And even Dino Golzine wouldn't have the power to take on the U.S. Army. I don't understand why, after all these years, he's taken an interest in Callenreese, but don't think the military won't find out."
His threat took Ash by surprise. If some general visited Papa Dino because of this, would the mob boss be able to track it back to Ash? He glanced at Blanca, hoping for some kind of reaction. His teacher's face was impassive. "It doesn't need to happen that way," Ash said desperately, trying to keep his voice steady and cool. He reached his fingers beneath the cuff of his pants and yanked out his cash. He clumsily lifted half of it from the roll, grateful that the doctor's huge desk blocked Morrow's view. With a flourish, he tossed seven hundred-dollar bills onto blotter in front of the psychiatrist. "I'd wager that the Army has forgotten all about Griffin Callenreese," he bluffed easily. "How long has it been since anyone's checked on him? Seven years? Eight? I'm sure patients here die of natural causes all the time – especially patients with severe brain damage."
"Are you asking me to kill one of my patients?" Dr. Morrow asked, outraged. He didn't touch the money, but his eyes were drawn down to the fan of bills nonetheless.
"Of course not," Ash said in a rush, embarrassed at the misunderstanding. The idea of anyone killing Griff, now that he'd finally found him, was abhorrent. "We just want to take Callenreese with us today. And we want you to find a way to ensure that no one will ask any questions."
Morrow looked nervous. "Seven hundred dollars might not be enough to keep Golzine's name out of it," he said in an overly bold tone.
Ash heard Blanca choke. This guy had some balls to try to up the stakes when he seriously believed it was Papa Dino he was doing business with. Either that, or he was too stupid to know better. Ash tossed another three hundred onto the pile. "Is an even thousand enough to make sure that no one comes knocking on Papa Dino's door?"
---
Within twenty minutes Ash was pushing his brother's wheelchair out the front doors. It had been more complicated than he'd expected, for some reason it had never occurred to him that Griff could be part of some military secret, but fortunately money spoke as loudly to Joseph Morrow as anyone. He was glad that he'd managed to pay the doctor off for only one thousand. He would've paid more – as much as he had and more – but this left him with more cash to bargain for what was yet to come.
He glanced at his teacher. There was no way Blanca could be part of this next step. "You gonna get the car then?" he asked, tucking the hospital blankets closer around Griff's shoulders. He had no clothes to speak up besides the pajamas he wore and one other pair, and certainly had no use for a coat before that day. But the afternoon was growing colder, and Ash was eager to get his brother someplace warm.
"It'll be just a moment," Blanca said seriously, donning his sunglasses and pulling the collar of his cashmere trench more snugly against his throat. He headed across the parking lot in long strides. Ash was glad the car was on the far side – he would need as much time as he could get just then.
The taxi was waiting a few yards away, just as he'd hoped. He'd made the call while Blanca and Dr. Morrow were lifting Griff into his wheelchair, and had worried that it might not be waiting when they finally emerged from the building. But there it was. He waved the driver out for some help, and together they maneuvered Griff into the back seat. Morrow had provided a mild sedative for the trip; apparently Griffin had a tendency toward violent outbursts when overly stimulated. The task wore Ash out; he wondered if Blanca might not be on to something about that weight lifting.
Ash was sliding into the seat next to his tranquil brother when Blanca's black Mercedes Benz pulled up next to them. He opened the window, close enough that he could have held onto Ash, if he wanted. "What are you doing?" he asked, a touch of anger in his voice. "Where are you taking him?"
Ash felt a twinge of remorse. Blanca had been the perfect accomplice up until that point. He knew that there was no way he would've made it this far without him. "I'm sorry," he began, stepping out of reach. "I can't let you come with me now. I promise I'll be back at Dino's by nightfall."
His teacher looked outraged. "I can't just let you go wherever you want. If anything happens to you-"
"Nothing will happen," Ash barked, a bit too strongly. "You're the one who trained me, aren't you? Trust me a little."
Blanca didn't answer. His eyes looked troubled behind the tinted lenses of his glasses. "Please," Ash continued in a gentler voice. "I never ask you for anything, do I? Just don't follow me. Let me take care of this by myself."
His teacher pressed his lips together, considering. Ash could tell that he didn't want to do this, but he was glad to see his request being seriously considered. "All right, kitty cat," he said finally. "As you wish."
Ash smiled, grateful. As Blanca's car drove away, he noticed that it had begun snowing.
