“The coincidences are piling up in this case, aren’t they?” Sierra opened her door and jumped down to the pavement. “But what possible connection could there be between Marge and your father and the missing artifact?”

“That’s what we’re going to try to find out. But Lucas did uncover some interesting information about Delbridge Loring.”

“What’s that?”

“There is almost nothing about him online, just a short, thin bio that Lucas says looks fraudulent. When he tried to confirm a few basic facts, like date of birth, he was unable to do so. He says that, for all intents and purposes, Delbridge Loring magically appeared about a year ago, just as the Riverview Psychiatric Hospital opened.”

“Interesting.”

There was a call box at the side of the massive gates. North pressed the button. A man answered.

“Who are you and what do you want?”

It was not the warmest of welcomes, North thought. The tone was impatient. Maybe suspicious. Definitely uninviting.

“We’re here to speak to Dr. Delbridge Loring,” North said.

“Dr. Loring isn’t here.”

“Can you tell me how to get in touch with him?”

“No. That’s confidential. Wouldn’t do you any good to give you his address anyway. He was called away on a personal matter. Did you have an appointment?”

“This is a matter of some urgency,” North said, sidestepping the appointment question. “It involves a former patient, a woman who left here a couple of months ago without medical approval.”

There was a short, startled pause.

“What’s your name?” the man demanded.

“I’m North Chastain. My associate is Sierra Raines.”

“Hold on while I check with Dr. Garraway,” the voice said. “He’s the director.”

There was another, lengthier pause before the voice came back through the call box speaker.

“Dr. Garraway says he’ll be happy to meet with you in his office. I’ll unlock the gates. Follow the path to the front door. I’ll meet you there.”

North heard a sharp electrical snick. One side of the gates swung slowly open. He glanced up and noted the cameras.

“The place looks old but the security is good,” he said. “Not state of the art, but decent.”

Sierra raised her brows. “You can tell the difference at a glance?”

“Being able to assess security is part of the job description for a Foundation cleaner.”

“Because once in a while you find yourself having to engage in a little light burglary or B and E work?” Sierra asked.

“You have a low opinion of my career path.”

“Can you blame me? Rumors about the Foundation have been circulating for decades.”

“Those rumors started when the Rancourts were in charge. Things are different now.”

“Uh-huh.” Sierra glanced around at the thick woods. “As for the security here, it makes sense. The hospital is in a very remote location and they are housing a vulnerable population.”

“But is the security here designed to keep the patients locked up or to protect them?”

“Both, I assume,” Sierra said.

“You’re probably right. That’s how it works at Halcyon Manor.”