Present Day – Wheaton, Maryland
I looked around the anonymous office, the bare, scarred desk and the faded prints of fox-hunting British gentry and wondered what I had gotten myself into, but then decided that I had let too many things slip through my fingers to retreat into a cave now.
"You can put up your own pictures if you like," Glenda Bierce offered when she noticed my frown. I paused then gave my head a quick shake.
"No, this is fine. What did you say happened to the previous Director, Dr. Lang?"
"He resigned, for personal reasons," Ms. Beirce said in a tone indicating that Lang's departure was none of my business. She briskly opened a large accordion folder. "Here are your keys, your staff identity card and your security passcard. I've taken the liberty of preparing a summary of the status of our current patients." Ms. Bierce held out a neat blue file. I leafed through the first few pages, then flipped to the end.
"How many do we have in all?"
"At the present time, seventy four."
"For a facility this size I would have thought the population would be higher, a lot higher. How can the hospital sustain itself on such a low patient base?"
"Our rates are quite substantial. Most of our patients are financially independent. They value our isolation and discretion." Ms. Bierce stared firmly at me as if she had not yet decided if I could be trusted to maintain Wheaton Fields's reputation for confidentiality.
"Still, an institution this large," I glanced around as if to encompass the three story structure that must have contained rooms for two hundred patients or more.
"The hospital is owned by the Pennobscott Foundation which I understand has substantial financial reserves. Of course, for any further financial details you would have to ask Mr. Clanton." Ms. Bierce pursed her lips.
If that's any of your business, I heard the unspoken comment. I locked eyes with Ms. Bierce for a moment then looked away.
"Here are your business cards," she continued, handing me a small gray box.
Dr. Steven Westbrook, M.D.
Chief Of Psychiatric Services
Wheaton Fields Convalescent Clinic
10 Bayberry Drive
Wheaton, Maryland 20915