Adrian watched Zimmer work. “What a shitshow.”

  “What the hell is wrong with her?” Richard said.

  Adrian shivered. “She’s fucking crazy, that’s what. How the hell does her power still work?”

  “I told you she was strong,” Richard said.

  “Yeah,” Adrian said. “I see what you mean. The question is, what do we do now?”

  “Kill her,” Richard said.

  “Not an option,” Adrian said. “This girl is a risk, but if we can pull this off—she overcame you while drugged and tied to you. Can you imagine what we could do with that kind of power?”

  “Yeah. A shame she’s nuts,” Richard said. He pressed a bandage against his bleeding shoulder.

  “Quit whining. I need ideas here.”

  Zimmer spoke up. “Perhaps a nicer atmosphere?”

  Adrian glared at him. “What do you suggest, doc? Maybe a nice Swedish massage?”

  Zimmer bowed his head. “Sir, I mean no disrespect, but in cases of dissociative identity disorder, often one personality is tasked with enduring abuse. By threatening abuse … well, you saw what happened. It stands to reason the opposite is also true.”

  “Seriously? You think this personality switching bullshit is for real?”

  “I think she’s playing us,” Richard said.

  The doctor lifted Teri’s shirt to expose her ribs. “I think it’s possible she is at least three people. I saw the signs of abuse when I examined her. Take a look.”

  Adrian whistled. “Jesus. I haven’t seen shit like this since I left the Agency, only this wasn’t done by a professional.”

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  “Remember when she listed the bones that had been broken?” Zimmer held up her right arm. “The growth plate in her Ulna. It was destroyed before she was grown. This happened when she was ten or twelve years old … before the Event.”

  “How does she know about all those bones? She isn’t even old enough for college yet.”

  “She’s got access to other people’s brains,” Zimmer said. “If she’s as smart as she says she is, maybe she remembers more than most mentalists.”

  Adrian rubbed his forehead. “OK, what have we got here? Smart. Abused as a child. Crazy. So what do we do now?”

  “I really do think a little kindness will go a long way with her,” Zimmer said.

  Adrian nodded. “All right, maybe. The problem is, now it’s too late. We already pissed her off.”

  “No you didn’t, sir,” Zimmer said. “You weren’t talking to Teri, remember?”

  “Hmm,” Adrian said. “I like where this is going, but how can we be sure? It’s a little too convenient.”

  “We can’t be certain, but I know what we saw. That first girl … Teri … she was timid and afraid. That leads me to believe she’s the real Teri. People with dissociative identity create personalities to help them deal with things, and that means the weaker personality is usually the real one. With the right medication and a safe environment, she won’t need her stronger personalities.”

  “And you’re telling me she won’t remember anything we said to the other … personalities?”

  “Possibly not. Every case is different. But even if she does remember, there won’t be the same emotional connection. As long as she feels safe and loved, there’s a chance of dealing with her. We won’t know until we try.”

  “And if it doesn’t work, we can kill her later,” Adrian said. “Got it. We’ll put her on Prozac and be nice to her. I’ll treat her like my own daughter. We’ll get the second bedroom in my house made up for her. Get that nurse, Gladys Newbold, out here too. She’s trustworthy. And her kid is dying, it’ll give her a distraction.”

  “Yes, sir.”

  “And I want to get some nice stuff in there. What do teenagers like? Something that will remind her of home.”

  “Books, clothes,” Zimmer said. “Emma has a few things I can bring over.”

  Adrian nodded. “Yeah. Look. Speaking of your little girl, I’ve been thinking about what you asked me. The insulin. It’s going to be expensive, but if this whole thing with Teri works out, I think we can swing it. I’m going to need all your help on this, though.”

  Zimmer blinked. “That’s … thank you, sir. You don’t know what this means to us.”

  Adrian grinned and slapped him on the shoulder. “You did good today. Keep it up and I’ll take care of you and your family.”

  “Thank you, sir.”

  “Go get the bedroom ready. Me and Richard will bring her up in a little while.”