Forcibly Uncommitted
Father Wilk and Martin rouse the rest of the household and also contact Alfie at home. Everyone convenes at the Fresno House and agrees that they need to break Dan Heidecker out of Kendrick Sanitarium. Val takes a moment to disguise herself as a cafeteria cook, just in case.
They arrive at the sanitarium at 3:30 am. The main lobby is lit and staffed by a single orderly, but the doors are locked. Alfie and Val get the orderly (G. Grainger) to let them in. Val explains that it is her first day as a cook and says she’s just off to the cafeteria. Alfie shows off the magazine he bought at Stolas Books (which has his face on the cover). He claims he is there to learn how to be a psychiatrist for a film role, and that he is meant to be shadowing a doctor. The orderly tries to get Alfie to sign in as a visitor, but Alfie bribes him with a $20.
The orderly, significantly richer, loses interest in the pair and goes back to reading a magazine. Alfie snags a janitor’s cart, just in case someone else asks why he’s here. He and Val proceed to a side door and let everyone else inside.
Your Friendly Night Orderly
Dr. Neumann’s Office
The main floor of the sanitarium is filled with various administrative offices, including one for Dr. Neumann, the FMD. Val tries to pick the lock on the door, only to be gently mocked and then one-upped by Dale.
A handwritten note has been left on Dr. Neumann’s desk. “Patient Heidecker became unruly, so I locked him in one of the Iso rooms downstairs. Sincerely, G. Grainger.” The investigators immediately pocket this note.
Dale and Val (mostly Dale) pick the locks on Dr. Neumann’s file cabinets, expecting that they will contain patient records. They do not. Instead, they find, among other things, A sizeable file on Dr. Miller and his accomplishments.
They also find Dr. Neumann’s cutting edge psychiatric research. He seems to believe that psychiatric issues are tied to defects and infetions in the body. There are notes of extractions and amputations from various patients (eyes, teeth, fingers, etc.) and how and if the patients’ mental health recovered afterward. Dale notes all of the jars on the shelves that contain said eyes, teeth, fingers, etc., and becomes very unnerved.
Ada hears someone walking down the hallway. She shuts the door, turns off the lights, and shushes everyone. The person, whoever it is, walks up the hall and back on a routine patrol, but does not notice them.
The Thing in the Basement
The investigators quickly leave Dr. Neumann’s office and follow signage and stairs to the isolation rooms. The sanitarium’s basement proves to be quite maze-like and poorly lit—presumably its light bulb budget is underfunded, and most of the money is spent upstairs.
They halt at a bend in the hallway. Around the corner, another orderly is trying very hard not to fall asleep in a chair in front of a door.
As the investigators discuss what to do, Ada sees a hunched, mostly humanoid shape dart across the mouth of the hallway behind her. In a panic, she warns the others. There is some speculation that this might be a “gravedigger” from the tunnels beneath the Fresno House.
This, and other discussion, is cut short by a loud clattering noise that comes from somewhere behind where the orderly is sitting. This noise wakes the orderly up. Irritated, he goes to look for the source of the noise. He calls out that he hopes another patient isn’t fooling around and causing trouble.
Martin and Ms. Delacroix follow the orderly at a safe distance, assuming that he is going to be attacked and/or murdered. They follow him over to the entrance to the morgue, at which point either their interest in the orderly or their nerves fail.
By the time they rejoin the group, Dale has attempted to cast one of the Hylmunder spells inscribed on the gold plates recovered from the Luminous Church. This spell allows the practitioner to infuse a target with extreme cold or extreme heat. Dale uses it to freeze the lock. Then, Dale covers the lock with a bunched-up handful of Father Wilk’s robe before hitting it with the butt of his gun.
The noise is, thankfully, muffled, but the brittle lock shatters from the impact. This allows the investigators to access the padded room where Dan Heidecker is quarantined. He is confused, but delighted, to see the investigators and willingly follows them out of the hospital.
As they leave, Val overhears a phone call someone has made to the orderly at the front desk. It turns out its’ the orderly from downstairs, who is still alive! The first orderly makes fun of the second one for being afraid to investigate the dark places downstairs, but begrudgingly agrees to help him look.
Dan Fresh from the Sanitarium
Back Home
Dan is dismayed that Dr. Miller has gone home for a brief convalescence but is heartened when Father Wilk promises to continue his aversion therapy on Dr. Miller’s behalf.
Father Wilk soon discovers that he has his work cut out for him, as the investigators’ return trip will take them over the Abanasset River. Dan has a panic attack upon seeing the formidable body of water. Ms. Delacroix offers Dan a sweet out of a tin, in an attempt to be friendly. Dan smacks her hand, scattering the candies all over the car. This causes Ms. Delacroix to intimidate Dan for his rudeness and Father Wilk to try and calm Dan down. Between the two of them, they manage to distract Dan enough so that they can cross the river.
Upon reaching the Fresno House, the investigators discover that a van and a posh town car are parked out front. Everyone panics, until an exhausted Alfie remembers that they’re the caterers he hired for the brunch and dinner he arranged for two of the first selectman candidates.
The others are baffled, because they assumed that Alfie would be hosting both meals at his house. Alfie explains that he was going to, but his parents have come home and have arranged a dinner of their own, and he would prefer not to involve them in, you know, the weirdness.
Relieved that the police or the sanitarium staff haven’t already discovered them, the investigators enter the house to find that Fitzwilliam Carruthers and his team of interior decorators are already tidying up the place. They reacquaint themselves with Mr. Carruthers, who is disappointed that Saul is no longer with the group, and stand by helplessly as he changes the curtains, rearranges the living room, and has a new dining room table brought in.
Dale debates introducing Mr. Carruthers to the raccoon he keeps in the attic, but the others talk him out of it. Everyone breaks up to either wash up or take a nap. Fitzwilliam Carruthers offers to see to Dan’s unkempt appearance.
Dan, Looking Much More Kempt
A Light Brunch
Charlie the hot dog man and Mr. Emmit Britt arrive at the house for brunch. By this time, the downstairs is unrecognizable, and chafing dishes have been laid out. Amusingly, Val—still in her cook’s outfit—is mistake for an employee by the catering staff and must serve breakfast instead of eating it.
Dan has cleaned up rather nicely, but he is still very twitchy and nervous. Dale quietly tells the catering staff that Dan is to have decaffeinated coffee only.
The conversation goes well. Mr. Britt seems like a pleasant fellow. He is disgusted with the open racism of Cornelius Rose and decided to run for first selectman to oppose him. Mr. Britt is fond of Mr. Clayton Kent and regrets that both of them are in the election. He mentions that, if he had known that Clayton was going to run, he wouldn’t have tossed his hat in the ring. He fears that he is basically splitting the vote, making it more likely for Rose to win.
The investigators ask what they can do to help Mr. Britt’s campaign. He says that he has people working to hand out flyers outside of Old Town (where he lives and is reasonably popular). Some of the investigators seem interested in helping with that.
Mr. Emmit Britt, Esq.
A Sensible Dinner
After Charlie and Mr. Britt leave, the investigators take another opportunity to catch up on sleep. Mr. Carruthers and his team tidy the house and set up for the evening’s dinner, during which they will host Mr. Clayton Kent.
Mr. Kent arrives at around 5:00 pm. Most of the investigators (other than Alfie and Ms. Delacroix) feel an eerie sense of familiarity around Mr. Kent. Ada feels this particularly strongly, and also notices that Kent seems surprised at the new décor in the Fresno House—as if he has been there before.
Some of the investigators engage Kent around the dinner table, finding him charming and urbane. Kent profusely thanks Alfie for helping with the “police issue” from the day before, admitting that it was not very smart of him to stage his protest in front of the police station.
The investigators not yet at the table wonder if they should show Mr. Kent the mirror they got from Al’s apartment, or similar evidence from Maude Collins and her merry gang of thugs.
