Chapter 2 - THE SILVER WATCH
Emily looked frantically over her shoulder toward the administrator’s closed door.
Her hands were trembling so badly she had to grip the back of a dining chair just to steady herself.
“They medicate them, Mr. Harris,” Emily whispered, her voice barely carrying over the hum of the air conditioner. “The moment a resident becomes a ‘problem,’ Carolyn gets an emergency prescription order approved. They call it chemical restraint. The patients go to the second floor, and within three days, they don’t even know their own names.”
My stomach bottomed out.
I looked at my mother. She was still sitting quietly, her hands resting in her lap, but her eyes were wide with quiet terror.
They were going to erase my mother’s mind because she gave another woman a glass of water.
“And their belongings?” I asked, my voice tight. “My mother’s blue cardigan went missing last week. Is that part of it?”
Emily swallowed hard. “When the memory goes, the family stops asking questions about the missing things. They just assume the resident lost them.”
Answer One. The cruelty wasn't just about control. It was a systematic process of isolation and theft.
Before I could ask anything else, the heavy oak door to the administrator’s office swung open.
Richard Coleman stepped out. His face was a mask of professional concern.
Carolyn followed behind him, her cheeks flushed bright red. She refused to make eye contact with anyone in the room.
“Mr. Harris,” Richard said, his voice smooth and calming. “I want to apologize profoundly. What you witnessed today is completely unacceptable. Carolyn’s employment has been terminated, effective immediately.”
My mother let out a small, shaky breath of relief.
“She will be escorted off the premises,” Richard continued, placing a reassuring hand on his chest. “I assure you, Maple Ridge prides itself on compassionate care. This was an isolated failure of judgment by one rogue employee.”
It sounded perfect. Too perfect.
“I’m taking my mother home,” I said firmly. “Today.”
“Of course,” Richard nodded smoothly. “I will personally fast-track the discharge paperwork. In the meantime, let me help you gather your mother’s things.”
He turned toward Mrs. Alvarez, who was still sitting frozen at the adjacent table.
“And Mrs. Alvarez, I will have an aide bring you fresh water immediately,” Richard said with a gentle smile.
He leaned over Mrs. Alvarez’s table to pick up the plastic cup my mother had dropped earlier.
As Richard reached across the table, the cuff of his expensive tailored suit jacket rode up his wrist.
For a fraction of a second, the fluorescent overhead lights caught the heavy silver metal on his wrist.
It was a vintage men's pocket-watch that had been custom-mounted onto a thick silver wristband. The face of the watch was distinctive—cracked glass over Roman numerals, with deeply engraved initials on the side.
H.A.
Mrs. Alvarez gasped softly.
Her frail, spotted hand reached out, her trembling fingers pointing directly at Richard’s wrist.
“Hector’s watch,” she whispered.
Richard froze. He quickly yanked his sleeve down, snapping his wrist back to his side.
“Excuse me, dear?” Richard asked, forcing a chuckle. “This is just a simple timepiece.”
I stepped forward, placing myself between Richard and the elderly woman.
“She said it’s her husband’s watch,” I said, keeping my voice dangerously low.
I remembered Mrs. Alvarez telling my mother stories about her late husband, Hector. She had mentioned a silver watch she kept on her nightstand as a comfort object.
Reversal. Carolyn wasn't a rogue employee acting alone. The administrator wasn't the savior stepping in to fix the problem. Richard was wearing the stolen property of the very residents he claimed to protect.
“Mr. Harris, you are overreacting to an elderly woman’s confusion,” Richard said. His friendly tone was gone. His eyes were flat, cold, and calculating.
“Take it off,” I demanded.
“I will do no such thing.”
“I said, take it off.”
Richard straightened his posture. He looked at Emily, who was backing away in sheer panic, and then at my mother.
“I was trying to do this the easy way, Daniel,” Richard sighed softly.
He reached into his pocket and pulled out a small, black plastic remote. He pressed a red button on the side.
A loud, mechanical CLACK echoed through the dining room.
The heavy double doors leading to the main lobby slammed shut automatically. The green exit lights above the doors suddenly switched to a blinking, warning red.
May you like
He had just triggered the dementia-ward lockdown protocol. We were sealed inside the dining hall.
“You aren’t taking your mother anywhere, Mr. Harris,” Richard said, his lips curling into a terrible smile. “Because ten minutes ago, I faxed a medical affidavit to the state declaring her mentally incompetent and a danger to herself. The state already approved the second-floor transfer.”
