Chapter 16 – I Won't Give Up
Over the next few days, Eric had done everything he possibly could to take my mind off of our impending trip to New Orleans. I must admit that Eric can be very distracting when he puts his mind to it. Not that I'm complaining, mind you. Eric, even on his worse day is distracting. Though, I haven't seen a day where he isn't absolutely perfect. But that's a normal day. When he is trying, he's a little overwhelming.
I had hoped that Ana would call Lafayette with some sort of news on what we were to expect. However, up until now, it hasn't happened. We are running out of time. We are leaving within the hours. We had talked about leaving yesterday, but Eric and I had to meet with Tara about our costumes. I have to say they are really beautiful. She is matching the outfits with the songs and the dances. Plus, she has known me since, well, almost birth. So to dress me, is something she is taking personally. With everything else going on, we still have only two weeks until the competition. That alone should have kept my mind off the situation with Bill. But it didn't. I didn't want to worry Eric. But part of me is certain that Bill is going to squeak out of this mess and continue to make my life hell. Laf had told me a number of times over the past several days that even if the DA couldn't indict him, his conduct alone would merit a hearing with the Ethics Committee and would no doubt be the end of his career.
"Sookie, he won't be able to run for dog catcher, never mind Senate. Don't worry. If the bar doesn't go after him, he'll be lucky. Trust me. He's never going to come near you again. We'll make sure of it."
That actually made me feel a little better but not much. I've known Bill for a long time. No matter what, I've never seen him look bad. Hell, he never even had a parking ticket. He was almost too perfect. Yeah, well perfect except for the lying cheating and stealing. I wonder what the women who came before me experienced. Then again, I had never heard of any of his old flames. I'm sure there had been a few. But I never saw them and they were never talked about. But then again, who would talk about them; Elizabeth? Yeah, I so don't think so.
Laf and Eric had been talking last night about something to do with Campaign Finances and investigations. But I'm still not sure if they were speculating on it or if it was actually happening. I know that Niall wanted someone to look into Bill's campaign. But it couldn't have come to pass so quickly; could it? I mean the government and the political parties don't move that quickly. Then again, I really never paid attention so what would I know. The only connection I had with politics was Bill and even that was limited to what the "wife" was supposed to be doing.
Regardless, I made like an ostrich and hid my head in the sand and didn't ask questions. I know a bit cowardly of me. I had promised myself that I wouldn't hide and run away. If I wanted to play semantics, I really wasn't running away. I was more, well, thinking about it tomorrow. Or the next day, the next week or even the next month would do for right now. Okay, a little Scarlet O'Hara of me, I know. But I think I'd had enough to deal with in the past few weeks. There was a lot I had to deal with that dealt with me and mine. Thinking of Bill's campaign wasn't a big priority for me right now. Besides, other than finding out if he has been funneling mine or the Foundation's money into his campaign, I could care less where and from whom his money is coming from.
So I decided to focus on what I had to right now. The holes Bill dug for himself that didn't involve me weren't going to concern me until they had to. My head said I was being logical. It didn't help the somersaults going off in my stomach. Every phone ringing and doorbell had me jumping. Eric was doing everything in his power to calm me. I really appreciated it but I knew that I would be better after our meeting with Ana. Until then, well I just had to deal.
It didn't help my nerves that pictures were posted on the Internet Tuesday morning of Eric and me. I still don't see how anyone could have gotten pictures of us dancing at Merlottes Monday night. There weren't that many people there and really, why would anyone care? I know that my books are hot items. According to Amelia, they are going nuts on the Internet sites over my latest run-ins with the paparazzi. I didn't understand. But I guess that's why I'm a writer and Amelia is my publicist. She said that anything to do with me was news. Well, that's news to me. If you listened to people like the Compton's or the Newlin's, I was nothing. But then again, I had to be reminded that I didn't care what they think of me.
"Sookie, your books are like over the top right now. Everyone wants the next installment and I've gotten more calls about making them into movies. Hell, even Showtime wants to talk to you about making them a series."
I blinked at her with that long blink. You know the slow blink you do when you are trying to think. "You're kidding." I finally say.
She shook her head. "No, I'm not. You are hot right now. Paparazzi will be coming out of the woodwork and it's my job to keep you and Eric safe."
It didn't help that the caption that went with it was not favorable.
"Potential Senator laid up while his blond floozy makes the rounds. Sookie, how can you be so cold?"
The comments on the site infuriated Eric and Amelia more than they did me. I mean, it really didn't matter to me. People are going to say and think what they want. I know the truth and so does Eric. Our family has no reason to believe the lies. So if other people want to stir up trouble, that's their business. But Amelia was insistent that if we didn't nip these kinds of things in the bud, then they would just snowball. Lafayette and Eric agreed. Especially when it was leaked that Bill was under investigation for several things, some including me. The news indicated that it was only speculation because neither the DA nor the Compton family was talking. No one asked me my opinion and I didn't give it.
I kept trying to tell them that it wasn't a big deal. But when Amelia brought up everything that would be going on with foundation and the housing projects, I started to see her side. I didn't want anything to hurt either projects and if I had to do something to prevent that, I would.
Amelia had issued a statement indicating once more that I had no contact with Bill or his family and campaign. It stated that any connection with him had been severed and had been for some time. It wasn't much, but it was something. She tried to find out from several different sites who had posted the pics or who shot them, but no one was talking.
Other than Tuesday, the media around Eric and I was rather light. That was something I was very thankful for. The Foundation Gala would be coming up after the competition and the grant reviews would be in soon. Even if I didn't care what people thought of me, I did care about what they thought of the Foundation. Plus, we had to discuss the project for the military family housing with Jennifer and the board. I didn't want them to think ill of me and it look unfavorably on them. Amelia and Eric both assured me that nothing like that would happen. I smiled and nodded at them but I knew that something was going to splatter on me. I was willing to take the hit and planned on doing just that at the meeting. No need to tell Eric or Amelia about it yet. They would just try to talk me out of it. But if I want to be truthful, this mess with Bill was my fault. Sure he lied, cheated and stole. But I'm the one that didn't know what was going on around me. For that incident alone, I owed everyone an apology.
Several meetings with Jennifer, her staff and the foundation were setup while I was going to be in New Orleans. Eric and I decided that since we were meeting with the ADA today and the staff of Jennifer's and Niall's office on Monday, we would be staying the weekend and through till Tuesday.
Once back, we would have just over a week to finish up for the competition and the Governor's Ball. As far as I was aware, Niall had decided to not only back Jennifer but to announce our joint projects the evening of the Ball. From what Eric said, his father was joining the meetings and, of course, would be at the Ball along with most of Louisiana's illustrious characters.
I hadn't asked if his father would be at the competition and hadn't wanted to bring it up. We had so much going on, I didn't want to upset Eric further. But it was hard to not broach the subject. I know he had spoken to his mother a few times and she even wanted to make plans to meet in New Orleans over the weekend. But there had been no mention of his father and I had just left it alone. I just figured that Eric would talk to me when he was ready. I had said my peace. I know Eric misses his father and seeks his approval more that he wished he did. I know that his father is scared and is running from his own emotions. Neither would admit this nor would then allow the other to know their true feelings. Until they did, they would be at odds.
"You ready?" Eric asks pulling me close as I continue to look out into the backyard.
It's just after six and we are meeting Lafayette, and Amelia at Merlottes in fifteen minutes. Sam is staying back to look after the restaurant. Pam has to do the same with the club. Though the both offered to close down for the weekend and come, I refused. I would have loved them to be there. But I won't allow everyone's lives to be put on hold for this. Pam has assured me, well she called me a fucking idiot, but it was the same thing. She assured me it wouldn't be a problem. In the end, they both agreed to stay back.
As much as Jason wanted to come, there was no way I was letting him leave his wife and girls. I did have to promise him about a hundred times that I would call him as soon as I could and that we would let them know what happens at the meetings. Jason had given his proxy vote to me to handle things while he wasn't able to. Lafayette had all the documents so we would be good to go to deal with anything on that end. That wasn't what I was worried about.
"Sookie," Eric says and kisses me shoulder. "We have to go."
I nod without turning.
"Hey," he says and pulls me to look at him. "I'm right here." He says. "You aren't going through this alone."
I'm glad he doesn't say something like every things going to be okay. Or it will be fine.
I sigh. "I know. I'm very happy you are here."
"There is no other place I would rather be, babe."
After several hugs and kisses, promises of phone calls immediately after the meeting or sooner, we were off.
The ride to New Orleans was quiet. The radio was low and turned to a station that didn't have much chatter. I spent my time in the passenger seat holding onto Eric's hand and looking out the window. The closer we got to the city, the more fear washed over me. No it wasn't fear, it was dread. How could a place fill me with so much dread? It wasn't the place but the memories. Here I was treated like a second class citizen. Okay, only Elizabeth and Bill treated me with disdain. Really William never treated me with anything at all. The women we dealt with weren't rude, just cold. Or maybe they were responding to how Elizabeth was treating me. Regardless, New Orleans doesn't fill me with warm and happy thoughts.
Several hours later, with not much excitement, we pull up to the building that houses the DA's office. Ironically, it is just next door to the courthouse and down the street from the Governor and Mayor's "in town" offices. I'm sure that most cities are set up this way, but I couldn't help but think how convenient it all is. I guess it makes sense to have everything together. Not much travel time, I would suspect.
Eric helps me out of the car and stops me from moving for a second. Looking me right in the eyes he smiles. "You can do this, my love. You are strong and we will get through this, together."
I smile as he kisses me softly. Again, he doesn't say that everything is going to be alright. Just that we are going to get through it. All of a sudden, I realize what he's doing. He's not trying to fix this for me. He is not trying to take it away. He is just letting me know that we will get through it. Together, we'll get through this.
I smile at him again, and start walking toward the door with a renewed sense of purpose and power. We will get through this. Put it behind us and get on with our lives.
***0***
We make it through the lower offices with little fanfare. I wasn't expecting any, really. I'm not sure how many of the other ADAs know about the situation. But when we pass several offices on our way to Ana's, no one really pays us any mind. When we reach the outer offices of the DA, we are met by two men. It didn't take a rocket scientist to know they are cops. Hell, I've watched enough Law & Order over the years to not know a cop when I see one.
"Can I help you?" A gray haired woman sitting at the desk to our right asks our group.
I had noticed the cops but not the secretary. Nice Sookie, really nice.
I smile at her. "Yes, I'm…"
"This is Sookie Stackhouse," Lafayette interrupts me. "We have an appointment with the district attorney and ADA Mason." He says.
She smiles but it isn't as wide as before. It's almost sad around the edges. I can't help thinking about what she knows. After all, she is the DA's assistant, or secretary, or well, whatever. I'm sure she sees things that she has to keep quiet. Does she know what's going on? By the look on her face, I'm sure she does.
"One moment, please." She says. Standing, she goes to knock on the door. She announces us.
"Send them in Gertrude, please." I hear Mr. Pierce's voice from the other side of the door.
She steps aside. The police officers stand and wait for us to pass, Lafayette steps aside and Eric ushers me in with Amelia behind him and Lafayette bringing up the rear. I'm assuming that the police follow behind us.
Frank Pierce stands from behind our desk when we enter. Ana is right by his side. He places a small smile on his face and reaches for my hand. "Hello, Ms. Stackhouse," he says as I take his hand. "Thank you for coming down today." I nod as he takes Eric's hand and I turn to Ana.
She takes my hand and gives me a small smile. "I'm sorry I couldn't tell you or Lafayette anything earlier. But we need to do this by the book." She says. "There is a lot going on but…" She looks to Pierce.
He nods. "Let's take this to the table and talk." He motions for us all to follow him into the next room. As we enter, I see a large table with several files folders waiting for us at the end.
We all get seated with Pierce at the head and wait for him to begin.
"Ms. Stackhouse," he begins.
I put my hand up. "Please, call me Sookie."
He nods. "Sookie then," he says and continues. "Like Ms. Mason said, we are sorry that we couldn't tell you anything regarding the case before. But we needed to make sure that everything is in order and nothing could be leaked to the media." He looks around the room. "I know the rumor mill is turning. With the filing of charges however, no matter how closed they are, some things have gotten out. Media today, they are sneaky and have ways of finding things out." Pierce shakes his head as if he wants to say more but doesn't. He sighs. "Anyway, Mr. Compton was moved back to New Orleans last night."
"Oh," I say. "I hadn't heard."
He nods. "That was the plan. He was moved to avoid any media frenzy. In fact, no one really knows why he was in the hospital other than an accident. His people have been keeping this as quiet as we have. Not that he has many people left." He says softly. "But I'm getting a head of myself."
He opens a file. "Ms…" he pauses. "Sookie, we have found at least nine counts of forgery with respect to you and seven with regards to the Stackhouse Foundation. We have also found evidence linking someone else to this crime and has also being charged with forgery and impersonation." He says.
I shake my head. "What?" I ask.
"Allow me to finish with the charges and then I'll explain." Pierce says.
I nod and he continues.
"Thank you," he says. "We have evidence that shows due to the forgery, he has not only embezzled money from you but also the Foundation. The only thing he hasn't been able to touch is the money from your books." He looks at Amelia. "Which I assume is because it's separate."
Amelia nods. "Sookie was incorporated to help with tax purposes."
I had known that. Amelia thought it was a good idea and I just went with it.
"Well, if he had gotten hold of those funds as well, it would have been Corporate Espionage as well."
"You're kidding?" I ask him.
He shakes his head. "No, I'm not. Now the Feds are looking to investigate the Foundation charges since some of the money is federally funded. But they are letting us take first crack at it; especially in light of the plea."
"Plea, what plea?" Lafayette asks.
"Mr. Compton's attorney is hoping to prevent a media circus around this. This type of scandal would not only affect Mr. Compton but his family and many of their closest friends and supporters. Mr. Compton's attorney is urging his client to seek a plea."
"What did Bill say about all this?" I ask him.
"He is rather reluctant." Ana says.
I snicker. I just bet he is.
"However, when he found out about his license being suspended and the judicial board's decision, well…" Ana shrugs. "There is only the bar that hasn't piped in yet. But they will."
I shake my head. "I don't understand." I say to them.
"Sookie," Ana says. "Bill is being called before the judicial board. Their initial findings from what we have uncovered are more than enough to pull his license to practice, permanently." She says and opens another file. "This came from his campaign yesterday." She says and hands it to Lafayette who reads it.
"What is it?" I ask.
"Sookie," Laf begins. "The finance review cannot account for several large donations. They are all over ten thousand dollars. It corresponds to two of the foundation losses and one large withdrawal from your account." Lafayette looks up.
Ana nods. "Because it was done through wire transfers, it's considered a federal crime. If we give it to the feds and they convict, Compton is looking at three and half to eight years for each crime. In addition to the forgery charges and RICCO status of the crimes because of the other party, he is looking at an additional twelve and half and twenty per if we go to court."
"That's if he's convicted." I say to them.
"Oh, he'll be convicted," Pierce says. "We have more than enough evidence to show he not only planned this, but used a very mentally ill person to do it."
I look between Ana and Pierce. "I…I don't understand."
Pierce looks to Ana who places another folder down on the table. She pulls out a picture. I know the woman. She is the only woman who has ever been close to Bill.
"Lorena?" I ask. "Lorena helped him?"
Ana looks at me. "Yes and no." She says and points to the two officers who have only been sitting by the wall all this time. "These two detectives were the ones who took Ms. Ball into custody when she attempted to withdraw funds out of your account." She pauses. "Only," she takes out another picture. The woman in the picture now had blond wavy hair and was wearing blue contacts. She also wore a dress that would have been very familiar in my closet.
I look up at Ana. "That is what she looked like when she entered the bank."
"I…I don't understand." I say to her.
"She was impersonating you, Sookie." Ana says. "But that's not all."
She takes out several other pictures and places them on the table. "These were found in Lorena's apartment while she was being questioned."
Eric grabs my hand as I look at the pictures. I got a small cold icy feeling in my spine as I looked at them. In each photo, Lorena was with another woman. In one picture she was with a woman, but in the picture that Ana put down to the left of it, Lorena looked just like the woman in the one before it. I was so confused."
"What does this mean?" I ask.
"As far as we can piece together, Lorena takes on the identities of other people." She points to a picture of a woman who would be a dead ringer of the woman I've known as Lorena. She has the same dark hair and eyes. Her skin is slightly darker, but I've always known Lorena to have a tan. The image that is clearly Lorena is a red head with green eyes. But I can still tell it's her from her bone structure.
"That," Ana points to the woman in the photo, "Is the real Lorena Ball." She says. "Her and her fiancé, Victor Madden were last seen leaving New York with two friends, Patrick Lewis and Samantha Carrs." She points to Lorena in the photo. "There was an accident and Patrick and Samantha were presumed dead."
I still don't understand as Lorena points to another picture. This one has Lorena, or who I know to be Lorena as a mousy blonde with honey colored eyes. She points to the other woman in the photo who has red hair and green eyes. "This is the real Samantha Carrs. She and her friend, Cassie Blake were living in an old house outside of dallas. One night the house went up in flames. Cassie was presumed dead. Neither of them had any family and Samantha identified the body once they pulled it out." She points to yet another picture. "This is Cassie." She again points to another woman. "She, her boyfriend, Antonio went on a camping trip with Rena Mars and her boyfriend, Remy Savoy. There was some kind of accident. Cassie and Antonio were badly hurt in a cliff fall. Rena and Remy perished."
I shake my head. "This is really surreal." I say to them. "I don't understand. This Rena and Remy have what, been killing people and taking their identity?" I ask. "That means that Victor Madden is…"
"We believe that Victor Madden is really Remy Savoy. Or at least that is the name we can find for him. I'm not sure yet. We aren't sure if these are the only victims. There could be more. We just haven't had time to trace them. There are a few years that we can't account for yet. But we have feelers out to other areas that we think the two may have lived."
I sigh and close my eyes. "This all sounds like a really bad Lifetime movie." I say softly. I have felt Eric's hand in mine. He moves a little closer and places his arm around my shoulder and kisses my temple. I sigh feeling the warmth of him.
"I know, but Sookie there is one more thing." I open my eyes and look at Ana.
"What?" I ask her.
She places another picture in front of me. I gasp when I look at it. "It's of me, Gran, Jason Hadley and Aunt Linda."
I put my hand on it. "Where…where did you get that?" I ask her.
"Sookie, this," she points to the picture. "Along with this," she places a picture of Linda and a girl next to it, "where found in the apartment as well." She says softly. I shake my head as the knowledge of what this means rushes over me. "No," I say softly.
"Sookie, we took her finger prints. Judge Marcome allowed us to open her juvenile records. I spoke with child services. It appears, well…." She trails off.
I can feel the tears welling in my eyes as I look up to meet Ana's. "Are you telling me," I say softly. "That the woman who has been with Bill. The woman who helped him lie, cheat and steal. The woman that has been sleeping with him is Hadley?" I ask.
Ana sighs. "Sookie, I…"
"Just please, answer the question." I say to her.
She nods.
I sit back in my chair. "Well, doesn't that just beat all."
"Sookie, she doesn't know." Pierce says.
I look at him. I'd almost forgotten he was there. "What do you mean?" I ask him.
"Sookie, she believes she's the real Sookie Stackhouse." He says.
I do that long blink and look at him. "Come again." I say.
"Sookie, she is in the psychiatric unit at the state hospital under guard. She is meeting with several doctors. But they all say the same thing. She really truly believes that she's Sookie Stackhouse."
***0***
We sat there for some time. I'm sure there were a lot of things being said but I was still trying to get my mind around the fact that my cousin is my ex-boyfriends lover and oh yeah, she is severely mentally unstable. I was wrong. This is a really, really bad Lifetime Movie.
"Sookie," Ana says. "We…. We found a letter."
I look up at her when she says it. "What?" I ask.
She pulls out a letter that has been laminated. "I'm sorry, but it had to be dusted for fingerprints. It is evidence. But I promise that I'll get it to you once the case is closed."
She pushes it across the table and I just look at it for a moment. The handwriting is so familiar. It feels almost like a warm blanket draping over me.
"Where…" I choke up and can't say the rest.
"It was in the safety deposit box' along with a few other things." She passes me a small box. It is dark blue and looks like something I would have found in Gran's dresser draw. I just look at the two items for a few moments. Not really knowing what to do.
"Sookie?" Amelia asks. I know she had been talking. But until that moment, I hadn't really been listening. "Honey, you okay?"
I just stare at the items again and nod slowly. No, I'm really not okay. I only found out there was a letter a few weeks ago. I was so angry that Bill had taken it from me. Not that him stealing money from me wasn't bad. But he stole something more when he took this letter. He stole the last connection to the woman who raised me. That hurt more than any amount of money ever could.
"Sookie," Pierce says. "If you would like some privacy, please go read it in my office." He says.
I look up at him and then at Eric. He nods and squeezes my hand. "I'll be right here if you need me." He says.
I look deep into his eyes for a moment and see so much love, I can hardly stand it. Picking up the items, I slowly walk past the few people and head back into Mr. Pierce's office.
I sit down on the small couch and place the box beside me. Taking a deep breath I lift the paper to read.
My Dearest Sookie,
I shudder. I can almost hear her voice in my head.
***0***
Victor's POV
It took me several days, but I finally got my hands on some credentials to get me into the hospital. I hate hospitals. They smell funny. They are all bright and white. There is nothing that distinguishes one from the other; even the doctors in their lab coats. Okay, so the nurses have on scrubs. But still, they all look, I don't know sterile. It makes me uncomfortable more than I want to admit.
I couldn't get credentials for a doctor or even a nurse. Hell, I couldn't even get a lab tech. Not that I would have reason to be up on the psych ward as a lab tech. Yeah, that's where they had my Rena. They put her in the psych ward. According to my source, it's because she really believed that she's Sookie Stackhouse. Also, because the detectives and other boys in blue found pictures in her apartment. Pictures….what the fuck was she doing with pictures? Hadn't I told her time and time again not to keep that shit with her? Hell, we had storage units, safety deposit boxes and hideaways from here to New York to Nevada. Why the hell did she keep the pictures? Okay, so they were in a box at the back to the hall closet. Not exactly a place where someone would look. But still, it ain't good.
Shit, my source has been MIA since he informed of the pictures. According to him, the water was getting way to hot and there was no way he was getting cooked. Yeah, his words not mine. It didn't matter to him what kind of dealings I had done when he was buying my blow. No, then I was just some guy helping him out. Okay, I was another attorney helping him out. Yeah, out of the stress that is his life. It was me who got him where he is. Me and a few well-placed calls to men and women I helped keep in the habit they loved so much. All that work and this is how the fucker repays me?
I've tried calling him several times. Shit, I even tried going to his apartment. Hell, I knew not to go near the offices. If they knew anything about Rena, they would soon trace her to me. Ana Mason and Frank Pierce aren't stupid. Hell, I've been up against both of them in court more than once. Both are good at their jobs and damn are they legit. My best guys couldn't break either of them. It would have been a nice addition to my contacts to have either of them in my pocket. But they weren't going to budge. It was the same with that Judge, Marcome. He was a hard nose, no nonsense dude. Sure he had political ties. Sure he rubbed with the right people. But my kind of offerings, he wanted no part of.
The mayor, well that's another story. That man is as crooked as a dog's hind leg. He is into everything; drugs, gambling, women, you name it. Hell, the man is a walking party. But I don't think he's going to be able to help me. No, not now. This is to fucking big. I should have known to stay away from fuckers in the limelight. Okay, maybe Bill Compton wasn't in the limelight. But shit, he was in the media and is family has so much money and political power, it ain't funny. I should have known. But Rena wanted it. It was the first time I let her pick out the mark. It was the first time I let her go in without us being a couple. She wanted to burn him. Her reasoning? Well, when he became Senator, we would have all the protection we needed. When she found out what he was doing too little Sookie Stackhouse, well, that just put more fuel to the fire. Sookie isn't the first woman he's swindled. Hell, half his clients were over billed, over charged and misrepresented, according to Rena. It just wasn't as profound as Sookie.
First it was all about getting his trust fund. Rena thought, with that score we could retire. She was right. But who would retire? Yeah, not me. But Rena can be convincing when she wants to be. Okay, she can always be convincing. She even got me to agree to a divorce. She thought becoming Mrs. Bill Compton would give us a better in. Little does she know that the divorce papers are as phony as her name. Our wedding, yeah, though it was a quickie in Nevada, was real. Well as real as we can get without using our real names. But real as far as the courts were concerned. There is no way in hell I was going to let her marry Compton. Not that mommy dearest would let her but still, there isn't any way.
I hear the bing of the elevator as the doors open and I get out. I'm a fucking orderly. Can you believe it? But there was no other way to get into her room. There was no other way to get close to her. I first tried to at least steal the credentials off a doctor to maybe see her records. But that proved to be harder than I thought. First I couldn't find one that worked in the psych ward in a bar and two, the ones I did find, were so, I don't know. They just weren't giving me the opportunity to get what I needed. I was able to snag tags from a nurse. But when I tried to use them yesterday, I couldn't find Rena in the system. I tried several names, even Stackhouse. But none came up with her. I even tried to do a search of the psych ward but that way lead to a dead end. Password protected or my security wasn't enough. Either way, I was going in with no information. Not the way I ever want to play a situation. But then, I really had no choice.
I needed to one, make sure she was okay. Rena hates closed, confined places. She must be going crazy here. Two, I needed to find out what she has said to the cops. My source wouldn't tell me. When I spoke with him at first, he didn't know. Then he avoided the questions. Lastly, I have to assess what kind of threat Rena was to me now. I love the woman. Hell, I've never loved anyone but her. But if it comes down to her or me, I'll pick me. I'll miss her. Hell, I will probably mourn her for the rest of my life. But I will live and that's all that matters to me.
Walking up to the gate to the ward, I get a look from the guard. "Can I help you?" The burly security guard says. He looks huge sitting behind the glass. I bet if he stood up, he would be at least a half a foot taller than me.
"Yeah, um, I'm Robby." I say to him in a very small voice. "Julio is out today." Yeah, Julio will be out permanently. He is floating down river as we speak. "I…I'm taking his place today." I say to him.
He looks down at something. "You ain't on my list." He says. "Sorry, I need to call this in."
"Huh?" I ask him. "I…I'm just an orderly." I say again, in that small voice.
"Look, rules are rules and I don't make them. We got a real psycho on the floor right now. She's bat ass crazy and there are three guards on her in rotation to make sure no one gets in or out without them knowing. Half the floor has been vacated because of her. If I don't do this by the book, I could lose my job." He says and lifts the phone.
When he looks down to dial, I reach behind me and pull the gun from under my shirt. The silencer will muffle the sound some, but not much. I let off two rounds and hit their mark in the man's head without shattering the glass. You got to love a 9mm. I know I do.
I look around to see if anyone heard the shot. So far, it's just me and the dead burly guard. I look at him for a moment. "Sorry," I say. "But you just don't understand."
I swipe Julio's badge that now has a picture of me on it and walk through the gate. I've no idea what room she's in. I couldn't find plans for the psych ward on line. That didn't surprise me. What did was that it is so big. Deciding, I would head down one corridor, I start checking on rooms. The guard had said that the floor had been partially evacuated. So when I saw people in rooms and several in a sitting area, I figured I was in the wrong area.
Turning around, I make my way back to the center hall and move toward the corridor on the opposite side. At least it seemed that everything worked off the main corridor. Nice to be able to find your way around. Not so nice if I need to find a back door exit fast. I start looking in a few rooms and notice no one in them. Okay, that is promising. I pass the sitting area in this wing and there are no patients. Yeah, patients. That sounded like an orderly. Calling them bath-rob wearing psychos, not so much.
I turn the corner and see two men sitting outside a door. I look at it and back at them.
"Hey," I say.
They both look up. "Yeah?" One says.
"I…I need to go in there." I say pointing to the door.
One of the cops looks at my badge and shakes his head. "Don't know you." He says.
"I…I've been…." I was about to say something else when I heard alarms going off and people shouting.
"LOCK DOWN!" I heard someone say.
"What?" I ask.
"Shit," one of the guards say. "You stay here." He says to the other one and then turns to me. "YOU, come with me. They are going to need your help with the patients and I need to find out what the fuck is going on."
He pulls me down the corridor. "But I should…."
"Fuck, man, come on." The guard says as I'm pulled away from Rena's door. Hell, I don't even know if she was in there. But it's a good chance she was.
We turn the corner and I see several more guards walking down the hall at a faster pace than a jog but not an all-out run.
"What's going on?" The guard asks.
"Sam's dead," one says. "We need to find Julio."
"What?" The guard looks at them.
"Julio. Julio Maya. He was the last one through the gate. System puts him coming in five minutes ago. You seen him?" He asks.
He looks at me. "Who the fuck are you?" He asks.
"I..I'm…"
He doesn't wait for me to answer. "Never mind," he says and pushes me toward the other corridor. "Peter, Mike and Simmons are in the day room. The patients are scared. They need you." He says. "Go do your fucking job!" He says when I don't start running.
I pull away from the men and head down the corridor.
Shit, I really didn't think they would find the guard that quickly. I mean, this is the psych ward. I watched the elevators all day yesterday. Other than shift changes, there was very little traffic to the floor. The ADA came in at one point. But my short dyed blond hair and beard and blue contacts probably would have been enough of a disguise. But I'm sure she wouldn't be looking for a golden tanned Victor Madden. No, I was pretty much safe. But I knew I would have a least a half hour and I barely had five minute. What the fuck.
"MAKE SURE THERE ARE TWO GUARDS ON MOFFIT'S DOOR." I hear from behind me.
Moffit, what the fuck name is that? Rena and I never used Moffit. Where did she come up with that?
I had no time to think on that right now. I needed to get out here before someone gets the bad idea of checking our tags to see who came in when. That wouldn't be good. No, not good at all. I'm sure they are queuing up the security footage soon and that will mean they will see me. I'm not sure why the security booth didn't see it happening. But when I accidentally walked in there yesterday, I found the old guard asleep on his watch. When I passed by earlier, he was out like a light. God, the dude must sleep all day.
I make my way to the end of the corridor to find a security fire door. I know the alarm will go off when I open it. But they still haven't turned off the others. With any luck, I'll be able to get down a few flights before they notice.
I kick the door and it flies open and the alarms start going off. I start running down a few flights when I hear others coming up. Making it to the next landing, I try for the door, which opens without trouble. Guess the alarm is only on secure floors. I walk through as I hear the voices getting closer. I look to my right and then my left. I see the little pink and blue bunnies on the wall with other soft colors and images. Fuck. Either I'm on maternity or pediatrics. Regardless, I'm out of here.
Heading for the elevators, I hear several nurses and one other person yell for me. I keep going and when I get to the elevator I push several parents and kids out of the way to get on. I get more than a few nasty looks and even more shouts, but I ignore them. Hitting the close on the elevator I quickly let the doors close and descend to the first floor.
Almost to the entrance, I hear someone calling me. They don't know my name, so they keep calling 'Orderly'. I keep going. There are dozens of me here. They could be calling for anyone. I see the doors in sight. There are four guards near the entrance. Probably discussing what's going on.
"Tomas, stop him." I hear the same person yell behind me.
I don't waste any time. I pull the gun and put two in the first guard I see. Spinning, I let several more shots fly, not caring where they land. The screaming and voices begin and soon people are running. As I pass through the doors, I hear two shots and feel a burn in my shoulder. But it will take a lot more to stop me than that.
I hit the pavement at a full out run. Sirens and voices mingle together. Not sure which way they are coming from, I take off through the back streets. I heard footsteps falling behind me but the farther away I get, the fainter they sound.
My car is parked six blocks away in a driveway of people who are out of town for the week. Again, something you pick up just by listening around you. When I turn onto the street, I hear the faint sound of the sirens and know I need to get under cover and quickly. Making my way to the car, I pull out the keys from under the wheel well and jump in. My shoulder is killing me but I can't worry about that now. I need to make it to the hotel and clean up and decide what I'm going to do.
Pulling out onto the street, I pick up my baseball cap and sunglasses and put them on. Pulling a sweatshirt over my head, I try to hide as much of me as possible. This coupled with the tinted windows should do the trick.
Pulling out onto the main street, I see two cop cars speed by in the opposite direction. That was a good sign. When I took off running, I'm sure that the security guards where the only ones after me. Now, the cops are on the scene and I don't think they will have enough to find me. By tomorrow, I'll have a new disguise and a new plan to get to my Rena. First task is to find out who the Moffit person is and why Rena is using their name.
A different man would just cut his losses and leave town. Not me. Rena is mine and I won't give her up; not for anyone. If I can't have her, then I'll make sure no one can. That I won't give up on either.
***0***
EPOV
Sookie had been in the room for more than twenty minutes. Part of me wanted to go running in there and see if she was alright. Another part of me, the one that isn't all caveman, wanted to give her the room she needed. Right now, the non-caveman part of me was winning. But I really wasn't sure for how long.
"What do we do now?" Lafayette asks.
Ana nods. "I'm meeting with Compton and his attorney later today. With any luck, Compton will take a plea and we can start dealing with the aftermath."
"What are you offering?" I ask her.
"Twelve to twenty with possible parole after eight and a half." She says.
"That doesn't seem like much." I say to her. I mean the guy has been nothing but a nightmare for my Sookie. There should be more to it than that. But then again, stringing him up and cutting off his balls doesn't seem like enough to me, so what do I know.
"Mr. Northman," Ana says. "That is just on our part. He most likely will have his license revoked. His campaign will be in the toilet because of the conviction and he will still have to deal with the feds. Which, they are going to offer him another twelve and half to eighteen to run consecutively, not concurrently. That will put him in jail for a minimum of twenty years. Because the lowest the fed would offer for parole would be twelve years."
I nod. Twenty years is a lot of time.
"What about the money?" Amelia asks.
Ana sighs. "Sookie would have to take him to civil court to make restitution. I think the Compton family would make a deal with her to keep it out of the papers. As for the Foundation, well…. I think the Feds are having him repay or face a harder sentence."
"You can't do the same?" I ask her.
She shakes her head. "I could try, but even if he agreed, it wouldn't stand up in court. It is the difference in the courts, Mr. Northman. The Feds have a lot more wiggle room with these types of things than we do."
I nodded. Not really understanding all the ins and outs of the laws, but trusting that these two wouldn't do anything to harm Sookie.
I hear something from the other room and turn my head. "Eric," I hear from the door.
I am up and out of my chair before anyone says anything. Coming through to the room, I see Sookie looking down at the box that Ana gave her. I slowly walk over to her and sit down.
She sniffles.
I move closer to see two gold bands nestled in the velvet fabric. Both are encrusted in diamonds. Though, one is clearly masculine while the other is clearly feminine.
"What is that?" I ask her.
She sniffles again. "My…my parent's wedding bands." She says and without another word, she hands me the letter.
I look at her for a moment. "I..I want you to read it. She would have wanted that. I want that." She says and looks up at me.
I can see the trail of tears down her cheeks. In this moment I would do anything to make her tears dry up. I make a silent promise to myself that once all of this is over, I will make sure that Sookie always has something to smile about.
I take the letter from her. "Are you sure?" I ask.
She nods.
I sigh and look down at the words:
My Dearest Sookie,
I know this letter is finding you in a very sad place. I will not tell you not to grieve. For that is a part of life and a natural progression of emotions when we lose someone that we love. You have learned that more times than a little girl should. But life is a two headed coin, my darling girl and with the joy, comes the sorrow. I am writing this letter not soon after my doctor's visit right before your graduation. I know my time is coming soon. But knowing that doesn't fill me with sorrow. Again, it is a part of life. No one can out run the circle of this life, my darling. No matter how much we want to.
Know that my greatest accomplishments in my life have been my children. All my children and I consider you and Jason just that, mine. You have been a constant source of joy and love for me, my little girl. Your lightness and freedom have lifted me even on my darkest days. Promise me that you will never lose that. Promise me that you will never lose sight of the inner glow you have. Never allow any to dampen it or try to snuff it out. You are a beacon my dearest and mean more to people around you than you will ever know.
Sookie, I have been waiting for you to come to me with your news about Julliard. Yes, I know about it. I'm hoping that my time will hold off for me to tell you about the money from your parents and give it to you so you can go and fulfill your destiny. Never in all my years have I seen someone dance the way you do, my girl. You are like a feather in the wind. So graceful, so beautiful. Promise me. Even if I do get to tell you, that you will go. You will live your life and fulfill your dreams. Jason will understand if you leave. He has always known that Bon Temps is too small for a creature like you. But promise me that you will keep him close. If not physically then in your heart. When I'm gone, you will be all you have. He loves you so very much. Every part of him told me that from the moment you were born. Other boys would have been angry. But he took one look at you and that was all it took. You captured him, Sookie; like you capture so many others.
I was given this box when your parents passed. I am leaving Jason mine and your Granddad's rings. But these are for you. Your parent's wished that they be given to you and your betrothed. Sadly I will never get to meet him. That is something I will regret. Because the man you pick to spend your life with will be special beyond measure. He would need to for you to want him. Know that if you love him, if you truly love him will all your heart, then me and your parent's will approve of him. They knew, as well as I, how special and wondrous you are. A man would be a fool to not realize that as well. I'm sure you will have many suitors but the one you choose to finally give your heart to, will be just for you.
Know that love is something that is a testament to time and comes in many forms. Know that you will have hard times and struggles. Know that love is pulled, tested and stretched. But with the right companion, the right partner, the right soul mate, you will survive every storm. Never take love lightly, Sookie. Never put it on a shelf. Without love, you have nothing worth living for. Know that you are loved, have been loved and will be loved. You are too special not to be.
It was your parent's wishes for you to have these rings and to share the love they had for one another with you. Know that in times of struggle, it won't do to give up. It is a time to hold on to it and wrap it around you. Make sure you remember that. If you love with your whole heart and soul, it will never give up.
I love you my darling girl. Always know that and use it to spread your wings. Spread them wide and with that love, fly into your future knowing that the roots that you have are strong enough for you to be free.
With all my love forever,
Gran.
Sookie pulls the rings out of the box and turns them over.
"Look at the inscriptions." She says.
I look at the first one. Love is a dance you save for last.
I pick up the other and read it. Forever on loves wings, we fly.
I look up at her and she smiles at me. The look is one that I've seen in the past few weeks. But there is something different about it. Maybe it's my imagination but she seems lighter somehow.
I pull her close and kiss her temple. "I love you." I say softly.
She nods in my embrace. "Forever."
***0***
It takes us a few minutes to pull out of our embrace. But when we do, I can hear commotion from the other room.
We both stand and Sookie takes her items and we walk back into the other room.
Ana and Pierce are both on the phone. Amelia is talking to who I assume is Pam and Lafayette is speaking to someone as well.
"What's going on?" I ask.
Ana looks up. "Someone just shot their way in and out of the hospital."
"WHAT!" Sookie screams.
"Thanks, I'll call you back." Ana says into the phone and hangs it up.
"Someone tried to get in to see Hadley." She says. "The badge used was for one of the orderlies but no one has seen him all day. The guard on the ward was shot, one guard by the front door, a patient and a man coming in to visit his mother were hit as well. The guard on the ward is dead. The one by the door is on life support, the patient went into cardiac arrest and the other one is stable but still unconscious."
Sookie shakes her head. "It's got to be Victor or Remy or whoever he is."
"We don't know that." Ana says. "But Hadley is being moved to another facility and additional security is being put on Compton. Good thing Compton is at Ochsner and not State." She says. "He has been placed in a private suite so it's easier to guard."
"Who else would want to get to Hadley?" I ask.
She shakes her head. "I don't know but we need to find out."
The next few words out of my beautiful woman brings everyone to silence.
"I want to see her." She says.
You could have heard a flies wings it was so quiet.
***0***
SPOV
"Sookie, you can't be serious. She's dangerous." Amelia says to me for the hundredth time since I announced I wanted to see my cousin.
You would think since we are on our way to see her that she would stop. Eric made his initial inquiry but backed off when he saw how serious I was. Laf said something but a look stopped him.
My argument was that maybe if she saw the real Sookie Stackhouse, it would break her out of her psychosis and we could find out some information. Both about Victor and Bill. Ana wasn't for it. Pierce seemed to think about it.
Twenty minutes later, after Pierce had spoken to Hadley's doctor and attorney, it was decided that it was worth a shot.
"NO!" Eric said. "I'm not letting her into a room with that woman."
"Eric, she isn't going to hurt me." I said to him.
He shook his head so hard I thought it would pop off. "You don't know that. She is nuts. If you confront her with her delusion, she may react."
An hour later, Eric was still not convinced this was a good idea. But with the promise of several security and staff in the room, Hadley wouldn't be able to get near me. It was a long shot, but it was worth it. At least, I thought so. Besides, something happened to cause Hadley to crack. When it was and what is was, I've no idea. But it was still important and something I felt I could help with. After all, she's family. Okay, she may not have been around for a decade. She may have done some pretty nasty things. But she had a bad childhood. If I didn't have Gran and went into foster care, I could have been right there with Hadley. I was lucky and had a chance. Hadley didn't.
***0***
They had moved Hadley out of the hospital and into a private psychiatric facility just outside the parish. It was taking longer to get there than I thought. But I didn't mind. Eric had taken hold of my hand and hadn't let it go. I know he hated this idea. But I squeezed his hand to let him know it meant a lot to me that he was supporting me. Love isn't always easy, Gran had said. She wasn't only talking about love between me and Eric. But between me and Hadley. She was family and you are supposed to love family. That is what I wanted to do. Love her and show her we were here for her. Maybe that is all she needed. Yeah, love cures all. A bit naive, I know. But I had nothing else to work with so, this is what I went with.
We pulled up to the facility behind the DA and he says something to the guard. He looks back at our car. Takes down our license plate and waves us both through.
Out of the cars, it takes several minutes to get us all through security and back into the wing that they are holding Hadley. Security seems to be at a premium here. I wonder why they didn't put Hadley in here from the get go. But before I can ask, we are greeted in the hall by a man wearing a lab coat and holding a folder.
"Sookie, this is Doctor Jeremiah Gabai. He is the lead psychiatrist at the facility. He also has been caring for your cousin."
I reach out to shake his hand. "It's nice to meet you." I say to him with a smile.
He returns my handshake but his smile seems forced.
He shakes his head. "Forgive me, Ms. Stackhouse. But your cousin has just about mimicked your expressions. If your faces weren't so dissimilar, I would think you the same person. Even the voice is close."
I hadn't remembered Lorena's voice being close to mine. But then again, I really didn't listen to her.
After everyone was introduced, the doctor motions for us to take a seat before we go to see Hadley. Eric places his hand at the small of my back and I can feel the electricity flowing between us that always happens when we connect.
Once we are seated I smile at him and turn my attention back to the doctor. "What can you tell me?" I ask him.
He shakes his head. "HIPPA laws prevent me from telling you a lot, Ms. Stackhouse." He says.
"But she's my cousin?" I ask him.
He nods. "Yes, but she has not given you any rights to her care and she is right now a ward of the state."
"Well, is there anything you can tell us?" Eric asks.
He sighs. "You cousin is a very sick woman, Ms. Stackhouse. I would place her trauma back in her early stages of development. It was not just one thing, but a progression of things starting very slowly and probably peaking when she was sent to foster care." He pauses. "I can tell you that she's completely dissociative. She actually believes that she's you." He shakes his head. "This can go one of several ways, Ms…"
I stop him. "Please call me Sookie," I say.
He nods with a little shake. I can tell that he is very uncomfortable. Maybe Hadley really has me down, who knows.
"As you like," he says. "Like I said, this can go several ways. The first is that she's so engrossed in her new persona, nothing cracks her. The second is she completely melts and pulls into herself. Yet she could lash out at you for trying to destroy her delusion."
"So you think this is a bad idea?" Lafayette says. I look at him and he just looks back. "What Sookie?" He asks. "You are going into a room with a woman that has killed three or more women. Excuse me if I'm not a little worried."
I shake my head. "We don't know if she killed them or if…"
"The chances are she did kill those women, Sookie." The doctor says. "I haven't been with her long enough to dig that deep. We may never know for sure. But if would lend itself to the psychosis to kill them. It is similar to a butterfly affect."
I shake my head. "I don't understand." I say to him.
She thinks she is these people. Not pretending to be but is. "Killing them, would lend the act itself to be like emerging from a cocoon. The old part dies and she's reborn anew." He says.
I sigh. "Okay, but we don't know what she's going to do." I look at Ana. "You've tried to talk to her and can't get through. Maybe me being here would jostle her enough to tell us something." I say.
The doctor gives me a look. "Ms. Stackhouse…."
I hear a clatter of heels coming down the hall. I look up to see a tall blond woman walking down the corridor in a sharp black suit, heels and blond hair pulled back to the nape of her neck.
"Nice of you to start without me. At least you didn't go in the room yet. That's a start." She says.
"We told you we would wait," Pierce says.
The woman rolls her eyes and then looks at me with a hand stretched out. "Jocelynn Hampton. I'm representing the victim in this case."
"Victim?" Lafayette says.
Ms. Hampton turns eyes to him. "You must be Lafayette Reynolds. Never had the pleasure meeting you in court." She says with a smirk. "And yes, Ms. Moffit is a victim. A victim of the system. According to the doctor here," she motions to Dr. Gabai, "my client is neither fit to stand trial or aware of her actions. Hell she thinks she's you." She motions to me. "That alone will get her off on an insanity defense." Jocelynn smiles at herself as if it is already a fact.
"Regardless, she will need years of therapy…."
Jocelynn puts her hand up. "That's not my problem. I was hired to assist my client in getting cleared of these charges. "She says.
"And who hired you, Ms. Hampton?" Lafayette asks.
Jocelynn smirks. "That really isn't any of your business."
"Ms. Hampton, are you aware that someone shot their way into the hospital to get to your client?" Ana asks.
She nods. "I am aware of that. I should sue you all for not protecting her. But since she wasn't harmed or disturbed, I'm willing to overlook it." She turns to the doctor. "The room is setup?" She asks.
The doctor nods and then turns to me. "I will be in the room with you with two others in case Hadley gets anxious." He turns to everyone else. "The rest of you can observe from the room next door. It is setup with close caption so you will see everything. Now if there are no more questions, I suggest we get started."
We move toward the room but Eric pulls me back to him. "I don't like this, Sookie." He says.
I nod and touch the side of his face. "I know," I say and kiss him softly. "But trust me, okay?" I ask him.
He closes his eyes and leans his forehead to mine. "Okay."
I smile, kissing him one more time; I follow the doctor while another nurse takes everyone in the room next door.
I take a deep breath and walk in. Here goes nothing.
***0***
I walk in and stop not far into the room. I know I'd seen the picture, but I didn't believe it. Hadley, or Lorena, or whoever, had died her jet black hair blond. It even had some curl to it. Not much as mine, but still a curl. She was dressed in a pink and green sundress that looked similar to one that I owned and was Elizabeth approved. She was seated, very lady like by the window reading, what looked to be a bible of all things.
She looks up at us and I see that she indeed is wearing contacts. They are almost the color of mine. Why they are letting her wear them is a mystery to me.
Her smile builds as she sees us and stands.
I look at her for a moment. "Hello Hadley." I say to her.
Her face falters for a moment and then the steely smile returns. "You must have me confused with someone else." She says.
"Aren't you Hadley…Hadley Moffit?" I ask her.
She shakes her head. "NO, I'm Sookie." She says. "I know Hadley and I are related. But we are nothing alike."
"You aren't?" I ask her. This was not the way I wanted to go. I thought we would start off slow. But when I saw her looking so much like me, I had to say something. Something that would stop the feeling crawling up the back of my neck. The doctor hadn't said anything yet.
"Why don't we sit down, Sookie." The doctor says, turning to me and then to Hadley.
She sighs. "Doctor, I really must be going soon. You know that my Bill will need me." She says and looks to me. "I am marrying a Senator." She says with a giggle. "He will take very good care of me. Gran always said that I was special and knew I would find someone to take care of me."
I sit down because I'm not sure what else to do. "Gran said that?" I ask her.
She nods. "Oh yes," she says. "Gran would say, Sookie you are light in the darkness. You are so special." She said with a smile. "Gran knew."
"What did she know?" I ask her.
"Well, that I was going to meet Bill, of course." She giggles again. "I know I've not been as cooperative as I should be but I'm the good Sookie now." She says with a nod.
"There's a bad Sookie?" I ask. She looks at me. For a moment I see some recognition. Like she knows who I am. But then it fades.
"The bad Sookie wrote those horrible books." She scrunches her nose. "The bad Sookie wouldn't listen when Elizabeth tried to teach her. The bad Sookie wouldn't and couldn't be what my Bill needs. I'm the good Sookie. I'm everything he needs and I'm so proud to call him mine." She says with a sigh. "I must be going soon." She says back to the doctor.
"In a while, dear." The doctor says. "Can you tell us about Hadley?"
She shakes her head. "Why do you want to talk about her? She was bad."
"Bad how?" I ask.
She looks at me. "She wasn't good like Sookie. She was bad. Her momma told her. She was bad and awful and her momma didn't want her. She was difficult and always wanted things."
"Like what?" I ask.
"She wanted food and love. She wanted a momma that would tuck her in at night. She wanted to live with Gran and be her good girl like Sookie. But then her momma would lose all the money she got from the state. So she said no."
I look at the woman in front of me talk about herself in the third party and my heart breaks for her.
"Do…do you know what happen to Hadley?" I ask.
She looks down. "She…she died." She says softly. "They found her but they didn't know it was her. They thought it was Rena. Rena got away."
"Who was Rena?" I ask.
"Rena lived with Hadley in the house with the loud man and mean lady. Rena and Hadley would hide in the closet. But they were always found. Always found." She says softly. "One night the man came and took both girls outside. He told them only one would live and made them choose. Rena got away."
"Why kill Hadley?" I ask her.
"Hadley had to die." She looks up at me. "Rena could be away from the bad people. She had a momma but she was sick. She wasn't sent there because no one wanted her. Rena could leave and live. She wasn't bad like Hadley."
"Do you know who Lorena is?" I ask her.
She sighs. "She works for my Bill. But he won't need her anymore. He has me and I'm going to be everything he needs." She says. "I must be going…."
"Has Lorena done anything bad?" I ask her. "Did Bill ask her to do anything?"
"Oh, Bill wouldn't need to ask Lorena. She would do what needed to be done to help Bill with his election. She's smart like that. But like I said, he has me. He doesn't need her anymore."
"Did Lorena help Bill take money?" I ask her.
"My Bill would never…." She huffs. "I gave him that money. He didn't take it. Besides, what's mine is his. He needed it for his campaign and I helped." She says puffing out her chest.
"What about the Foundation?" I ask her.
She huffs. "Bill will put a stop to those places. He's right you know," she holds up the bible. "They are doing the devils work there." She shakes his head. "Pretty soon, he will be in charge of it. I won't have to do a thing but take care of him. Bill will take care of me. I'm his good Sookie."
"Hadley," I say.
"NO," she says and slams her hand down on the table. "I'm Sookie….Sookie Stackhouse. I'm what Bill needs." She growls at me. "Not YOU!" She points at me. "I'm the good Sookie. You'll see. You'll see, you and Lorena and Cassie and Rena and even Hadley. I'm the good one. Bill will take care of me. Bill will protect me from Victor." She nods.
"Where's Victor?" I ask her. Hoping that her mouth will keep talking.
"Victor is a bad man. He tried to take Bill from me. But he can't. Bill needs his Sookie. He needs his good Sookie."
"Hadley…"
But Hadley eyes go dark and goes back to the window and sits down. Looking out, she hums a song, I've not heard in years. Gran used to sing it to us all the time when we were little. I had forgotten it until Hadley started humming it.
"She gets like this. She isn't going to answer us for a while." He says.
I walk out and see the others coming out of the room. No one says anything. I'm sure that Hadley's attorney will have questions, but for right now, I need to get away from here. She is farther gone than I thought. I'm not sure this was a good idea any more.
We are back in the car and heading back to the city. Ana said she would come by later to talk to us.
We are about five minutes out of the city, when Eric sighs. "Sookie what was she singing?"
"Goodnight my Angel," Laf, Amelia and I all say together.
One tear falls for the little lost girl trapped in that sad sorry woman. What horrors she must have seen.
I think more than ever, I miss Gran. She would know what to do. But honestly, I'm at a loss.