Hello, Little Sparrow by Jordan Jones (the reading list .TXT) 📕

Chapter Twenty-Four

Brimsburg Rehab Center was located just on the outskirts of town, covered in an ominous cloud of densely settled fog. It was only ten thirty in the morning, but Brooks felt like he was driving for more than a day. More than an hour and a half on the interstate, weaving in and out of traffic took it out of him.

The fog from Lincolnshire shifted north and covered most of Brimsburg, though that didn’t appear to stop people from getting out in the hustle and bustle.

Brooks noted it was odd to see fog settle so late in the morning, but then remembered he wasn’t always at the controls. Madison always had her say in how Brooks’ day went, so it was rather obvious to Brooks she had planted the fog, much like she did on Fairfield earlier in the day.

He was certain he was alone in the world while making his second trip through Isaac James’ house.

He was alone in the world.

The sign above read:

Brimsburg Rehab Center - Visitors to the right

The directions were easy enough for Brooks. He had, after all, scored the highest on his thesis while in graduate school. The directions for that monster of a paper were much more difficult than those telling him where to find and kill his cousin.

He smiled at the irony.

He found a cozy parking spot nuzzled between two four-wheel-drive pickup trucks and stepped out. There were no cameras on the poles outside, and the activity around the building was sparse. A maintenance man was running wire from one side to another, and a young father and daughter were leaving through the front door.

What now? Brooks’ mind raced. He couldn’t be standing still for long or someone might think his presence was suspicious.

Brooks gave the father and daughter an awkward smile as they walked by, exchanging pleasantries with the elder.

He couldn’t just walk in and ask to visit Angela and kill her.

He relied mostly on his greatest asset: patience.

He walked through the front doors and kept his hat low, obscuring anyone from seeing his eye color.

The wall behind the front desk clerk read like a menu, describing each group’s activities for the day. They were marked A, B, C, and D, though without context, they might as well have been in a different language.

“May I help you, sir?” The young man at the desk appeared bored and lethargic in his movements, but his voice was surprisingly spritely.

“Are you taking applications?” Brooks asked, without hesitation.

“Our job board is posted online,” said the man. “We have an online kiosk over there if you want. If you need help with anything let me know.”

Brooks knew better than to leave any evidence…let alone a completed job application.

He sat down and typed out the name Tommy Roisman into the system. He allowed his lip to curl upwards as he did.

The different positions varied from kitchen helper, to inpatient therapist, to a psychiatrist. He wanted to seem as inconspicuous as possible, so he picked custodian and put in a fake phone number.

A woman in a plaid skirt walked behind Brooks and stopped at the desk and spoke with the man.

“Group B is about done with yoga,” she told the man. “Call up and make sure group C is ready to go with their mats.”

“That’s…”

“Third floor,” she answered. “All the mandated girls stay on the third floor. The one’s with POs…recently released. That sort of thing.”

“Ah,” he said. “I’ll need to remember that.” He picked up the phone and dialed a number as the woman walked away.

Brooks finished the application and pressed ‘submit.’

“All done?” The man said.

“Yes, sir. That wasn’t too bad.”

“Not at all.”

Brooks took a step towards the door, but then stopped. “The recreation area here…is it outside? Or, do you have a gym or something?”

“Well, with it being so cold, they’re inside today. Why? Do you know someone here? Want me to see if they’re available for a visit?”

Brooks shook his head. “No thanks. I’m just getting a lay of the land for when I’m employed.” He gave the man a creepy wink and saw himself out.

The brisk wind slapped Brooks in the face, and he wrapped his scarf tighter around his cheeks. He turned right and walked the entire way in front of the building, until he came to the other side. The large glass dome was separated from the outside world by huge windows.

It wasn’t unlike Brooks’ greenhouse at Fasten Biofuels, though this had aimless people inside instead of thriving plants. Group C put down their mats and listened intently to the instructor as she shouted commands and played music on a CD.

Brooks couldn’t hear what was being said, but could feel the vibrations through the glass. He could make out Angela’s face as she struggled during the standing chair pose.

She struggled her entire life to find who she was, but she was never able to find it.

Brooks had arrived to give her purpose. The struggle would be over soon.

A woman wearing a neon green tank top caught Brooks by the corner of her eye and she let out a scream and fell over.

The rest of the women followed her gaze to Brooks and he was unmoved. The instructor turned off the music and attempted to gather all the women through the door leading into the main building, but Angela stopped to see.

Their eyes met and hers dawned a heavy confusion. Her head cocked to the side as if she saw a ghost, and squinted. Brooks peeled off his scarf and revealed his face to her, giving her the validation she needed.

“What are you doing here?” she lipped through the glass, walking closer to Brooks. The other women all ran inside the door, shutting it