The San Francisco Trilogy

Agnew’s:

Agnew’s:

Once they arrived safely back at the estate, and Wai Han was taken care of, Helena and the two men sat down in the study.

“I don’t understand what could’ve happened to Missy. Her life was not that much different than mine. Who were those men in her house?” Helena asked.

“At the moment, that is a question that will need to wait. If we are going to investigate Agnew’s, we must leave soon. It is a long drive.” Sigmund offered, “If we leave right now, we will arrive there before dark.”

“We’ve never taken Bessie that far. I will need an extra can of kerosene to get back. It might be midnight depending on how much time we spend. Wait a moment. Where are we going?” Lane asked.

“Santa Clara,” Sigmund said.

“That’s got to be fifty miles away. Not sure what the roads are like.”

“In some places, we will be able to travel very fast and others not so.”

“I would like to know how you knew about Agnew’s,” Helena asked.

“There came a time I had to do some research for your father. If I take the time to explain now, we may not make it to the asylum before dark.”

“Well, let me get Bessie ready. I’ll pass by the kitchen and tell them to pack us a basket. I think we’re going to need it. Sounds like a long haul. Sigmund, could you pick it up on your way out?” Lane said as he left the room, escaping the coming storm.

“Perhaps you should change into your riding clothes. It is going to be a long drive.”

“Yes, and on the trip down to Santa Clara, I expect more than a few answers,” Helena said as she gathered her things and headed toward her room. The house heard her call out, “Gertie, I need my riding gear,” at the top of her lungs as she headed up the stairs.

Helena barely caught Sigmund saying, “Yes, it is most certainly going to be a very long day.”

It didn’t take long for the trio to be on the road again, this time prepared for a much longer journey. The horseless carriage came equipped with a fold-down shelf where items might be stored at the rear the vehicle. The five-gallon can of kerosene and the hefty wicker basket full of food prevented the small shelf from closing completely. Lane had lashed it down with a couple of quick release knots.

The trio made much better time once they left the heights and started heading south. The fog in the city had begun to lift or burn off, and the South Bay, south of Hunter’s Point, was already fog-free, even if the roads were not as well maintained.

The sun crested high in the sky before Sigmund heard the dreaded words from Helena. “Would you mind telling me how you knew about an insane asylum located so far from our home?”

“It would be much more appropriated if we waited to have this conversation where we wouldn’t be required to shout to be understood.”

“It would’ve been much more appropriate if you would’ve told me the truth from the beginning.”

“Young miss, I never lie to you. If you do not trust me, and you no longer want me in your service, all you must do is say so. But please understand, I work for the General, and I presently take my directions from him.”

“Very well. If you’ve never lied to me, why do you know of such a place?”

Sigmund had dreaded this conversation since the early days of Helena’s life. “I want you to understand the house, the estate, everything is yours. Your grandfather made his money during the gold rush. That money passed to you. Once you wed, or you turn thirty, that money becomes yours.”

“Yes, I understand all that.”

“Good. I originally worked for your grandfather, after I left the British Army and came to America to find my fortune. I was there when your father and mother met. I was there when you were born. I was there when your father disappeared, and I was there when your mother didn’t take it very well. Your grandfather grew concerned about your mother’s state of mind with your birth and your father’s disappearance coming so close to one another. There is a facility that he had me inspect in case the need arose for your mother to have some quiet help. I can truthfully say that this establishment never housed your mother. She never fully recovered, but she stabilized and took care of you,” Sigmund finished the explanation.

Helena sat the rest of the trip in silence, mulling over the new information she had obtained. This little adventure had become much harder than she had thought it would. The idea that people would force women to have s*x was beyond her comprehension. What about love? It wasn’t fair. How can anybody take control of someone else’s person? But then she thought about how little authority she held in her own life.

The roads were much better than Sigmund remembered, but he traveled them a decade and a half ago. Progress never stopped in California. It approached three in the afternoon when they pulled up to the double gate and twenty-foot-tall fence marking the property of Agnew’s Asylum. The rather beefy guard inspected the automobile before opening the gate and waving the trio through.

“I need to take care of Bessie. She needs food and water, and a little rest would do her some good. Little time to let the boiler cool off, we won’t be able to make a quick getaway this time. However, I would rather not explode on the drive home. Not saying you’re going to cause trouble. Just information I thought you should know before you go kicking any hornets’ nests.” Lane crossed his arms as he explained the mechanical needs before the pair left. The handle of his Colt Navy revolver was now plainly showing under his duster.

“We will do our best not to cause any problems. Am I not correct, young miss?”

“Oh, yes. I doubt we will find any information here, but it is a stone we should look under.” Helena was unable to take her eyes off the pistol butt.

Helena and Sigmund strolled up a dozen steps toward the double front doors of the asylum before she asked, “Does Lane always carry a pistol?”

“No, sometimes he carries a sawed-off double barrel shotgun.”

“Why would Lane need to walk around armed?”

“Same reason I do.” Sigmund stopped and showed Helena the grip of his automatic pistol. “We have tried to teach you the world is a dangerous place. Not everyone you meet is as nice as you. It is our job to keep you safe from the evil ones until you can keep yourself safe.”

“I’m not sure I understand who you two are.”

“Right now, the more important question is what inquiries are you going to make when we reach inside and whom are you going to ask?”

“We need to find out if Missy’s here. If she somehow ended up here, our search is over. We can decide our next steps after we locate her.”

“Very sound logic. Any suggestions on whom we should ask? Admittance records are private. They are not going to tell us who is and isn’t a patient here.”

Before Helena formulated her next sentence, an ancient looking hag approached the pair. Her white hair stood on end like tumbleweeds had been stuck on her head, her mouth missing more teeth than it held. Helena had to force herself not to hide behind Sigmund.

The hag said, “I see things, I hear things others don’t.”

“Hello, I’m Helena,” out of reflex and offered her hand.

Before Helena thought about it, the hag grabbed her hand. “Darkness, I see darkness. Wet, I feel wet and fear.” Unexpectedly, the old woman squeezed Helena’s hand tight, and urine began to dribble down both of the woman’s legs.

Helena recoiled trying to pull her hand free but failed. “Ewww.”

“I see death coming on white wings. Death is coming from across the sea on the white wings. Many are going to die.” The woman began wailing like the pain of a thousand deaths had washed over her soul. Going into convulsions, the grip on Helen’s hand was the only thing keeping her from falling to the ground.

Two orderlies rushed up from behind and grabbed the woman by her elbows, partially lifting her off the ground. A woman dressed all in white came running out of the double doors and down the steps.

“Did Wilhelmina hurt you?” she asked.

“No, not at all. She’s merely having an attack,” Sigmund answered. “Miss Bambauer, is that you?”

“Gentlemen, please take Miss Chafers back to her room and clean her up. She is having another episode.” Then the woman all in white looked back toward Sigmund. “Do I know you?”

“Fifteen years ago, I spent a few weeks investigating your asylum. You helped show me around.”

“Oh, yes, now I remember. I’m surprised you remember me.”

“Helena Brandywine, I would like you to meet Miss Lydia Bambauer, the head nurse here at the asylum,” Sigmund introduced the woman.

“Pleased to meet you, but I’m headmistress now. And yes, I am still ‘miss,’ not ‘missus.’” She offered her hand for Helena to shake.

“It is a pleasure to meet a friend of Sigmund’s. I know so little about his past. There are times I wondered if he even had one.” Helena took the woman’s hand and shook it as if she were a friend—who was eyeing her manservant. “What is wrong with that lady?”

“Depends on who you ask, but we aren’t supposed to discuss patient’s files. Hypothetically, if we are speaking about a case similar to this, the doctors might say that she suffered auditory and visual hallucinations. Some might say she has a gift, a seer, and her episodes allow her a glimpse into the future. Others might say she looked too long at the fire and something looked back. I guess it all depends on your perspective.”

“Is there any hope she will recover?”

“One can always find hope. That’s one thing nobody can ever take from us, but I’m afraid the hope for Wilhelmina to ever get better is very slim. She’s been here a long time.”

“Do her visions ever change? Does anyone ever take her serious?”

“Oh, her visions change all the time. I can’t answer if anyone takes them seriously. I know no one at this institution would admit to believing her.”

“Was Missy Whitaker recently admitted?”

Lydia smiled wide. “I see what you did there. I just told you we’re not supposed to discuss admitted patients, but since she has never been admitted… I can tell you no. Her father investigated the possibility. As far as I know, he never came and got the final signatures from the doctors so he could have her locked away.”

“Are you telling me that a person can be admitted to an asylum without ever being diagnosed by the admitting physician?”

“My, you are a smart young lady. Yes, if you dig deeper, you would find more than a few residents here who are held against their will, purely because three relatives agreed that they needed to be kept safe.”

“That’s insane! There is nothing to stop unscrupulous people from abusing the system.”

The head nurse took Helena by the arm and started leading her back to the car. “That’s not the worst of it. Most of the people who are committed are women. What makes matters worse, the male doctors interview the male orderlies, and they don’t do an outstanding job of screening them. If you tell anyone I told you this, I will deny it. At present, we are investigating three different orderlies for having inappropriate relations with inmates against their will.”

“That’s barbaric. Who defends these poor women?”

“That is why I work here, and many of my fellow nurses work here. We know there is little science can currently do for these patients, and our legal system is even worse. The best we can do is to defend the patients inside these fences and try to keep them safe.”

“What of the doctors?”

“Some of them feel as we do, some don’t. Do yourself a favor and never get so out of line with your community that your family will have you committed to protect the name. That’s what the system has taught me.”

Helena had no words to express her outrage. Back at Bessie, Lane laid on the hood relaxing as they came up. Helena, mad at the world, slapped her hand on the metal of Bessie, causing Lane to jump.

“I suggest the three of you head on out. It will be getting dark soon. Strange things happen around Santa Clara after the sun goes down.” The headmistress turned to leave.

“Thank you so much for your time, Lydia. Your assistance is greatly appreciated.”

“You’re welcome, Sigmund. Remember, Helena, become the strongest you can be so no one can ever take your freedom away from you.” With that, Lydia headed back to the main building.

“I never would’ve allowed them to bring your mother here. I would’ve taken the two of you away before that ever happened,” Sigmund said, opening the door for Helena.

“Right now, I’m trying very hard not to be ill. I never knew there were places like this in the world.” Helena slumped into the seat of the automobile.

“Lane, I think we’re done here. How long until we can leave?” Sigmund asked as he walked toward the back of the vehicle.

“I would like to have thirty minutes more, but I can be ready in five if you need me to be.”

“I think we need you to be.” Lane began preparing for the trip back. Sigmund joined Helena in the back seat. He gave her a small crystal glass in which he poured a shot and a half of brandy.

“I had no idea this adventure would take us down this path. For that, I’m sincerely sorry.” Sigmund said.

“I told you I’m not a baby anymore,” she said, knocking the brandy back without a cough.