My Upstairs Secret - BTS

CHAPTER TEN

-Epilogue-

"If I had a world of my own . . .

Everything would be nonsense!"

6 MO. LATER . . .

MERRYWEATHER INSTITUTION FOR THE CRIMINALLY INSANE

DR. Lee swiped his bald head nervously, tapping the large double-sided glass between the PLAYROOM, and the OBSERVATION room.

"I'm not sure what you expect me to do for you Investigator. As you can see if they cooperate at all . . . it will be on an extremely childish level."

The tall, young and overly ambitious Investigator smirked blandly at the backs of the squabbling sisters.

"Oh, I could get SOMETHING out of them. We don't need much," he followed up with, removing his glasses with confidence, wondering why the elderly doctor seemed so tense and uneasy.

"Just fifteen minutes," he urged the man attempting to convince him, before removing his IPad and putting in random notes about the state of the institution, and the nervous Doctor who didn't seem to want to cooperate for some reason. "Come on Doc. You know it's important. All we have is circumstantial evidence. Couple pair of shoes matching those two missing boys headed to Chicago last year. Geez. Why make this harder than it has to be?"

"I don't believe I am. I've read the court reports. There's nothing to prove those boys weren't there of their own free will. Or that they couldn't have left whenever they wanted to."

Dr. Lee balked at the Investigator's insistence, wishing he would crawl back into the hole he had climbed out of.

"Listen!" the younger mans' voice rose alarmingly. "I need to know if these two 'little girls', (you seem to be protecting) . . ." he muttered under his breath, "are really insane, or just extremely smart and calculating. It's been done before and you know it." Wagging a finger in the balding man's face the Investigator's eyes narrowed.

"Do you have a warrant?" The Dr. finally snapped back throwing his palm out in anticipation of paperwork. "No interrogation without a warrant. My hospital . . . my rules . . ."

He didn't much like the somewhat arrogant young man, who was pushing for information he knew his 'girls' would suffer from having to remember and talk about yet again. Their files were an open book, and this was not the first time they had been observed, and the records examined. They had all had enough.

"Well . . ." Biting his tongue in regret, the Investigator's tone lowered significantly. "Didn't think I needed one. You act like this is the first time we've been here," he quipped, kicking his toe against the bottom of the door jamb impatiently.

"Maybe not. But, it will be the LAST," Dr. Lee barked, suddenly gaining confidence, his short stubby finger pointing to the massive wooden door. "OUT. Don't come back without the correct papers. And, I don't appreciate you attacking my credibility as a specialist by questioning whether my reports of their state of mind are correct or not. GOOD DAY."

As the tall man slithered out the door, muttering cuss words under his breath, Dr. Lee locked it behind him, turning again toward the large pane of glass.

His girls were harmless enough. He knew they were innocent. All they ever managed to do was argue amongst themselves about minor issues. He would protect them as long as he possibly could to keep them safe from the authorities.

* * * * *

THE large Victorian dollhouse was a massive entity perched in the middle of the small observation playroom. All three floors still furnished exactly as it had been six long months ago, the random dolls were scattered between the dining room and living area as Sumre and Sundae argued.