Page 20 of Pretty Cruel Love

The second her file hit the table, the room went still. All the excitement drained out of the air and into the vents.

When I ended the hour-long pitch with,‘Who’s ready to study Sadie?’not a single hand went up.

We all sat in silence for ten minutes until Robin suggested a lunch break.

Any other therapist would’ve taken the hint, but I’m not most therapists.

“Are you planning to bail on me too?” I ask Robin. “I’d rather you tell me now than later.”

“No.” She folds her arms, firm. “I’m all in. I’ve been obsessed with this batshit-crazy woman for years.”

“Good to know.” I let her comment slide. “Get me a list of who’s left. I’ll bring my first session notes to you after lunch.”

“You still have time to walk away from this, you know,” she says. “Everyone in the media is calling you an egotistical idiot.”

“Name one time the media got anything right.”

“She’s a hopeless case, Dr. Weiss. She killed them in cold blood.” Her voice softens. “You can label her with anything you want—sociopath, borderline, trauma-bonded psychopath—but at the end of the day?—”

“At the end of the day,” I interrupt, “you really believe she murdered three men in broad daylight and then called 911 herself? All without evenattemptingto run away?”

She doesn’t answer.

“She doesn’t match the profile of a true psychopathic murderer,” I say. “She hasn’t even had any infractions in prison.”

“Wrong.” She tosses a folder on my desk. “Seven minor write-ups and one major that cost her a month of phone privileges.”

“What was that one for?”

“Offering to suck off a guard in exchange for ice cream.”

Impossible.I shake my head. There’s no way I would’ve missed seeing that; it’s not in any of the files I have.

“Have someone verify it,” I say.

“Iamsomeone.”

“Then verify it.”

“Now?”

“No, next year.” I shrug. “In fact, schedule it for ten years from now—maybe it’ll feel urgent by then.”

“Fine.” She sighs. “Your brilliance and assholery aside, how exactly are you going to manage the intensive research part without the rest of the team?”

“I guess I’ll have to step out a few hours a day.” I pause. “I made Sadie’s lawyer a promise, and last time I checked, I don’t break those.”

“Not even for a murderer,” she mutters under her breath.

My glare shuts her up.

“Let’s say she did it,” I say, not wanting to run her off with everyone else. “Wouldn’t that make her the most fascinating patient we’ve ever had?”

Robin exhales slowly.

“Better question—if she were released tomorrow, do you honestly think she’d kill someone else?”

“No.” She looks genuine. “I don’t.”

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