He types something, then turns back to us and removes his glasses. “That’s right. Vittoria’s case was complicated, and well, I was not as experienced as I am now. Your sister’s case is less involved from what I gather. You can expect her to spend about four months, perhaps five, at the clinic. My methods have developed over time, their effectiveness and… thoroughness, depending on the patient’s receptibility, of course.” He leans toward us. “I’m sure I’m not failing to protect anyone’s rights to privacy when I say Vittoria was of a difficult nature.”

“How do you mean?”

“She was not so malleable. Easy to bend.”

Did he really just say that of a fourteen-year-old girl in his care? The look in my eyes must alarm him because he clears his throat.

“Go on, Doctor,” Bruno says. “We’d hold anything you say about any former patient in strictest confidence. Our visit here is a secret. And given the delicate nature of things, well, I think I can say we can all speak openly. We are, of course, prepared to pay substantially for any help you are able to provide.”

Tilbury clears his throat. “Let’s speak freely indeed.” Because money talks. Fucking greedy bastard.

Bruno and I remain silent.

“I took custody of Vittoria within a few days of… the incident. She was a minor, and of course, given the circumstances, she wouldn’t have been prosecuted and her name never released to the public, but these things have a way of getting out, don’t they? Especially for a family such as theirs. Her father wanted to erase the event altogether. He wanted her unblemished. Pure. Like she had been. And I understand. He loved his daughter, and I believe it broke a piece of him to see her so broken.” He stops to drink a sip of steaming lemon water from his glass on the desk. “But when I was finished, I’m happy to say I was able to give him his little girl back almost exactly as she was before.”

“Almost exactly?” Bruno asks.

“Well, like I told you, I was not as experienced, and Vittoria’s case was… shall we say extreme? Hannah will be delivered exactly as you want her.”

I like these Stepford Wives vibes less and less.

“How was Vittoria’s case extreme?” I ask, focusing on what I need to get out of this meeting.

He hesitates.

“Geno Russo is dead, Dr. Tilbury,” I say, leaning my elbows on his desk. “I have no intention of sharing anything I learn here about Vittoria. I just want to be sure this is the right place and the best treatment for my sister.”

He nods. “I was unable to isolate the event in Vittoria’s case.”

We wait.