“With eggs. Figured you needed the protein.”

“Don’t get me wrong. They were very tasty. It’s just that I’m not sure a badass cleaner from the Foundation is supposed to eat stuff like avocado toast.”

“Afraid if the word gets out that you ate an avocado toast, your reputation as a badass might be damaged? Don’t worry. I won’t tell a soul. What happens in Seattle stays in Seattle.”

CHAPTER 18

Ihope this isn’t a wild-goose chase,” Sierra said. “If Riverview turns out to be a dead end, we’ve wasted a lot of time.”

“Trust me, that has crossed my mind,” North said.

He drove into the tiny parking lot in front of the Riverview Psychiatric Hospital and shut down the SUV. He was still mildly astonished that Sierra had allowed him to drive her shiny new vehicle. Maybe she understood that he needed something to focus on besides the unnerving sense of urgency simmering inside him. The three-hour trip from Seattle had brought them to the rugged, remote coast of the state. Narrow two-lane roads, an unreliable GPS and the steady rain had required his full attention.

He rested his hands on the steering wheel and studied the big wrought iron gates and the high stone walls that enclosed the grounds around the three-story brick building. It had evidently been a private home at one time, a retreat for some nineteenth-century lumber baron. It was probably filled with rooms that had originally been designed for entertaining guests at large house parties.

He forced himself to concentrate on the problem at hand. It was easier to think clearly this morning, thanks to a good night’s sleep. As he had explained to Sierra, he didn’t feel normal—whatever that meant—and the knowledge of what he was missing by not being able to access his talent whenever he desired was frustrating and depressing as hell. But he was no longer standing right on the edge of the abyss. He had recovered some sense of inner balance and taken a few steps back. He could do his job, pursue the investigation, and at the moment that was all that mattered.

The hospital was tucked away in a remote, heavily wooded property. The nearest community was a small town a few miles away that boasted a grocery store, one gas station and a couple of rustic inns.

“I told you, Victor says he has a feeling about Delbridge Loring,” he said. “Ninety-nine percent of the time Victor’s gut is right on target.”

“And the other one percent?”

“Things usually go south in a hurry.” North opened the door and climbed out from behind the wheel. “In this case I’m inclined to agree with him, and more importantly, Lucas Pine does, too. Evidently, since escaping from this place a couple of months ago, Marge has been living quietly on the streets of Seattle. Then, within twenty-four hours of the attack on my father, her worst nightmare shows up trying to find her. It’s a hell of a coincidence.”