Rosato And Associates: Accused Part 19

"No, and if everything's so hunky-dory at the Gardners', why would somebody slip us this note?"

"You said you heard a noise, but did you see anything or anybody?"

"No, not at all." Mary felt mystified. "It could be anybody who lives or works there. I don't know the cast of characters well enough. All I know is that somebody on the inside is really on our side."

"There's no sides."

"Oh no?" Mary managed a smile. "That's funny, because John Gardner almost got us arrested. Me, everybody's favorite good girl, was sitting in the backseat of a squad car."

Judy laughed, and Mary could see her forehead ease a bit.

"Look, Jude, I promise not to go off half-c.o.c.ked. I just want to go to the hospital, sit down, talk to her, and see for myself what's going on. Maybe even talk to her doctor, to understand why she tried to commit suicide."

"Yikes." Judy cringed. "That's so scary, honey. And it's so personal. It's privileged information, anyway."

"Not if she waives it, it isn't." Mary caught herself. "Let's not worry about that now. I want to see Allegra and find out what she wants from us, if anything. If she wants us to proceed, then I want to proceed. If she doesn't, I want to know that too."

Judy nodded, slowly. "But you haven't addressed the open question."

"What?" Mary heard her phone chime in her pocket, signaling an incoming text, but she ignored it. "Go ahead."

"Check the text. You never know, it might be Allegra or Lou."

"I bet it's Anthony." Mary slid out her phone and checked the text, which was from Anthony, reading, Can you let me know now? Sanchez leaves for weekend if we're not on. She felt a guilty pang. "It's Anthony, about the drinks."

"Feel free to answer him."

"Sorry." Mary texted back, okay to Friday, love u but don't wait up tonight. She hit Send and stuck the phone back into her pocket. "Now what were you saying?"

"What if Allegra wants us to proceed, but after we meet with her or her doctor, we don't think that's in her best interests?"

Mary looked at her best friend and swallowed hard.

Chapter Twenty-three.

"We're Mary DiNunzio and Judy Carrier, attorneys for Allegra Gardner," Mary told the older receptionist, who if she was surprised, didn't let it show. "I believe she was admitted earlier today. We'd like to meet with our client."

"Welcome to our campus, ladies," the receptionist said, her tone professionally pleasant. It must've been the end of her s.h.i.+ft, because she looked weary, with kind brown eyes that sloped down at the corners, a freckled nose, and a wrinkled smile that seemed forced, at this hour. "Does she have you on her visitors' list?"

"I'm not sure, I expect so." Mary didn't elaborate, keeping the drama to a minimum. She and Judy had decided that their goal was to see Allegra, and it wouldn't help to complicate the situation.

"Let me just check our records a moment." The receptionist swiveled her ergonomic chair to the computer and started hitting keys.

Mary and Judy killed time by taking in the so-called Pavilion, a large, modern circular building with gla.s.s on all sides. It looked like a ritzy corporate center, with walls painted a warm golden hue, soft sectional chairs in a brown tweed, and a sisal floor covering. Mary remembered from the website that the Pavilion housed administrative offices, a dining room, a common living room, a cozy library, and ten bedrooms that served as temporary residences for new patients, after intake. It seemed quiet, still, and empty, probably because it was after business hours.

"Here she is." The receptionist read the monitor, running her fingers through her short, graying hair. "And yes, I see both of your names on her visitors' list, so you may visit with her tonight."

"Terrific, thanks." Mary breathed an inward sigh of relief.

"That's funny," the receptionist said, half to herself, frowning at the screen. "You're the only two people on her list."

"We're her only two lawyers."

"It's just that usually, there's family-" The receptionist stopped herself from finis.h.i.+ng the sentence, and Mary didn't have to look at Judy to know that they were both thinking the same thing. Allegra hadn't specified her family on her visitors' list, so maybe there were sides, after all, but Mary wasn't the kind of girlfriend to say I-told-you-so, either.

The receptionist cleared her throat. "As I was saying, I see that Ms. Gardner was admitted to our Adolescent Diagnostic and Treatment Unit, and visiting hours for ADTU end at eight o'clock." The receptionist's gaze s.h.i.+fted to the inst.i.tutional clock on the wall, which read seven thirty. "So you have about half an hour."

"No problem. Where do we meet with her? Do we go to her room, or how does that work?"

"Oh, no." The receptionist gestured behind her. "I'll have her brought up, and if she wants to meet with you, we have private rooms off of the sitting area which we reserve for that purpose."

"Okay, thank you."

"Excuse me a sec while I call." The receptionist picked up the receiver of her beige desk phone and pressed a few b.u.t.tons. "Morty? I have a Ms. DiNunzio and a Ms. Carrier to see Ms. Gardner. She's the new one, in Room Seven. If she's available and wants to visit, could you bring her up? Thanks." The receptionist hung up the phone and glanced up at Mary and Judy. "I'll get a call back, if she's not coming. In the meantime, may I have your IDs, such as a driver's license?"

"Of course." Mary dug in her purse for her wallet and fished out her ID, while Judy did the same, then they pa.s.sed them across the counter, which was a glistening curve of b.u.t.terscotch granite topping a modern desk of blondish wood. The receptionist began to enter Mary's information in the computer, and Judy leaned over the counter.

"Can you tell us a little about the hospital?"

"Certainly. I've been here since it opened, twenty-eight years ago, so I know just about everything."

"I saw the plaque coming in, which shows that it's ranked in the top ten freestanding psychiatric hospitals in the country, by U.S. News & World Report."

Listening, Mary knew that Judy was already lobbying for leaving Allegra, but she didn't mind hearing a sales pitch, either.

"Here at Churchill Inst.i.tute, we provide twenty-four-hour care, seven days a week, unlocked, on seventy-eight wooded acres, with trails and the like." The receptionist moved on to Judy's driver's license. "We have twenty-five psychiatrists for two hundred patients, and eight separate buildings, excluding the pool and gym, which is in its own building."

Judy nodded politely. "What sort of therapy do you offer someone like Allegra, in ADTU? Does she have a specific psychiatrist and who would that be?"

"We're not permitted to give out information like that with respect to any particular patient, however in general, our patients have a team that includes doctors, nurses, mental health specialists, and a clinical case manager." The receptionist finished entering their information and hit a b.u.t.ton to print two visitors' stickers. "We have an array of therapies in our a.r.s.enal, individual, cognitive behavioral, and dialectical behavioral therapy or DBT, which helps our adolescents identify triggers to stress and aids them in developing methods to cope with self-destructive behaviors. Of course, we offer family therapy and psychopharmacology, which is administered after a thorough evaluation by a team of child psychiatrists."

"I read on the website that patients are evaluated upon intake." Judy had read aloud to Mary, on the way over. "Would an adolescent patient have a diagnosis, this early in the game?"

"Generally, yes, but it's not a given. It depends on whether the appropriate staff members are available to do the evaluation upon intake, but every adolescent will be seen in the first seventy-two hours, without exception, and they will receive a psychiatric and psychosocial a.s.sessment and an individualized treatment plan is established." The receptionist handed Mary and Judy adhesive name tags in gold-and-white, evidently the school colors. "Many of our adolescents deal with depression and anxiety, peer victimization, self injury, suicidal ideation, school avoidance, obsessive-compulsive disorders and the like, and we also have separate units which treat eating disorders and substance abuse."

"I see, thanks." Judy and Mary stickered themselves, just as a delighted shout came from down the hallway.

"Mary, Judy!"

Mary turned to see Allegra leaving her escort behind in the hallway and running toward them in her new bee T-s.h.i.+rt, baggy jeans, and Converse sneakers, with a wan smile, her skinny arms outstretched, and her hair flying out behind her.

"Allegra!" Mary called back, her heart lifting at the sight, and on impulse, she ran to Allegra, scooped her up in her arms, and swung her around. It was then that she spotted Judy.

And her best friend wasn't smiling.

Chapter Twenty-four.

They were shown into a small, private sitting room that contained more brownish sectional furniture, a gla.s.s coffee table, and air that smelled vaguely lemony. The room had a paneled door that closed, but a window in the top half revealed the escort in scrubs, who sat just outside the door, lingering discreetly. Mary couldn't help but think back to interviewing Lonnie Stall at the prison, with the guard who remained stationed outside the door. She knew as an intellectual matter that the two inst.i.tutions were very different, but at heart, it felt like the differences were a matter of style, not substance.

"You guys have to get me out of here, as soon as you can," Allegra said, before they'd even sat down. She perched on the edge of her chair, kneading her long fingers in her lap. "This is ridiculous. I don't need to be here. What can you do to get me out of here?"

Mary avoided Judy's eye. "I know it's hard, but try to stay calm. There are things we can do, if that's what's best for you and-"

"Of course that's what's best for me! What are the things you can do? This is like a nightmare! I don't need to be here, they tricked me to get me here." Allegra spoke more quickly then she did normally, and her forehead knotted with anxiety. "They told me we were going to Shadwell Apiary, a really big bee operation near here, so we could see it and use it as a model to set up my hives, then all of a sudden, they pulled into this driveway. It's a good thing I had my phone with me, or you wouldn't have even known!"

Mary felt terrible for Allegra, to be betrayed by her own parents, but she had to keep her eyes on the legal ball. "Let me ask you a few questions first. Did they evaluate you when you came in, like did you receive some kind of diagnosis?"

"No, they said the main guy wasn't here. Dr. Argenti, he's like a specialist, but it doesn't matter. I want to get out of here. Thank G.o.d for you guys." Allegra brightened, and her forehead eased. "I knew you'd come, that's why I put you on the visitor sheet. I really appreciate you're trying to help me."

"You didn't put your family on the visitors' list, we heard."

"Why would I? They're the last people I want to see! I can't believe they did this to me." Allegra's eyebrows sloped down, and her voice broke. "I mean, I'm used to being away from home and all, but this is so weird. It's not a school, it's a mental hospital."

"They're just trying to help people, honey. All illness needs treatment."

"I know, I just never knew they really thought I was crazy, not really." Allegra's eyes filmed, and her bottom lip trembled. "It just makes me sad, like they think I'm not even worth having at home."

"I understand." Mary got up and gave her a quick hug, unable to restrain herself anymore. "This is the thing you have to understand, honey. Your parents believe that they're helping you. They just go about it in a way you won't always agree with, or understand. People make mistakes, and you have to forgive them that. That's part of being a human being. Okay?"

"Yes." Allegra hung her head, so Mary gave her a final squeeze and sat down next to Judy, whose expression remained impa.s.sive. Allegra sniffled, just the slightest. "You remind me so much of Fiona. She always tried to see the best in people. She used to fight with my parents a lot, especially my mom, but she was always like, they're trying to do the right thing they're just idiots."

"There you go. That's one way to think about it." Mary smiled, touched by the comparison to Fiona.

"So how do we get me out of here? And I know that money is important, so don't worry, we'll just add onto the bill from the trust."

Mary hesitated. "We're not worried about money, but you should know your father spoke to the trustee of your grandfather's trust, and they stopped payment on your retainer."

Allegra frowned. "I don't have a retainer. I don't get my braces off for another year."

Mary avoided Judy's eye. "I mean the $5,000 check you wrote us. The trustee stopped payment on it."

"Oh no, I'm so sorry." Allegra's expression darkened. "My dad, he must've done this, so I couldn't hire you. I promise you guys, when I get out, I'll make sure you get paid, don't worry about it."

"We're not worried about it." Mary thought a minute. "Allegra, we're here for you and we want to help you. I wish I could get you out of here tonight, but we have to be responsible and think about what's in your best interests."

"What do you mean by that?" Allegra asked, wounded, and Mary tried a more diplomatic tack.

"There is a legal procedure by which you can object to your treatment, and to do that, we have to file a pet.i.tion with the court and prove that being here isn't the least restrictive alternative for you. In other words, we would have to prove that you could be treated as effectively on an outpatient basis."

"Okay, let's do that."

"We don't have all the facts we need, though. For example, how long have you been home?"

"About a month."

"Were you seeing a therapist at home, at all?"

"No, not yet. My parents wanted me to see someone in the city, but I haven't gone yet."

"Did you see a therapist at school?"

"Yes, in the beginning, I went twice a week, but now we're down to once a week."

"Who was the therapist and what do you think of him or her?"

"It was a woman and her name was Lydia Bright, and I liked her. It was nice to go and talk to her, but I was ready to phase it out anyway." Allegra perched forward in the chair. "Like I told you guys, I know I was depressed by Fiona's murder, but the more I started to think about doing something about it, like hiring somebody to solve it, I started to feel better."

Mary paused, not knowing if she should bring up the issue. "Allegra, we did go to your house to talk to your parents before we came here, and they told us that they brought you here because they were afraid for your life, that you would be a danger to yourself. They told us you had tried to commit suicide."

Allegra flushed. "Oh. That's embarra.s.sing."

"There's no reason in the world you should be embarra.s.sed by that. It's okay to have whatever emotion you have, even the darkest." Mary paused. "You know, I didn't mention this to you, but one of the reasons I understand you as well as I do is that my husband, my first husband, was murdered, a long time ago."

Allegra's eyes flared slightly, and Judy stirred, but didn't interrupt.

"Afterwards, I was very sad, I felt awful. Couldn't sleep, couldn't eat, was having dark thoughts. I didn't try to kill myself, but there were one or two nights when it didn't seem like the worst idea in the world." Mary had never told anyone that, not even Judy. "So you shouldn't be ashamed that you felt that way. It just shows that we have a heart, and sometimes things are harder than we can bear."

"That's true." Allegra swallowed visibly, her little Adam's apple going up and down in her skinny neck.

"The reason I tell you the story is to tell you that I understand. And under the law, if someone is a danger to themselves, they meet the standard for involuntary civil commitment, particularly if there has been a suicide attempt in the past month, as there was with you."

Allegra emitted a tiny sigh, like the last air deflating from a birthday balloon.

"So you understand. If we went into court now, on these facts, to try and get you released, we would lose"-Mary could see she was upset, so she added-"and both of us want what's best for you, not only as your lawyers, as a personal matter. If they didn't have a chance to give you a diagnosis yet, then we both think the better course is for you to stay here, get your diagnosis and treatment plan, then we can all take it from there."

Allegra's eyes filmed again. "It's like I'm being punished."

"No, you're not being punished. But a judge looks at the case objectively, and because you're a minor, and so young, they're really going to look out for you. They are going to do what they think is right for you, even if you don't agree."

"But I don't really want to kill myself. I didn't really think I would die." Allegra's tone dropped suddenly, so hushed that Mary almost couldn't hear her.

"What made you do it, honey? Can I ask, or does that upset you?"

"You can ask, and it doesn't upset me." Allegra's tone strengthened. "I had a really big fight on the phone with my dad, because I told him that when I turned thirteen, I was going to hire a lawyer with my trust money, and he freaked out. He said a lot of things, bad things that hurt my feelings." Allegra's bottom lip trembled again, but she kept it together.

Mary wondered what Allegra's father had said, wis.h.i.+ng she'd decked him on the driveway.