Giles continued, tactfully ignoring the interruption: "In this terrible time, I find comfort in the Psalms, which speak to us now just as they did to people thousands of years ago. In particular, Psalm 91 seems most appropriate. It begins thus: 'He that dwelleth in the secret place of the most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty. I will say of the Lord, He is my refuge and my fortress: my God; in him will I trust. Surely he shall deliver thee from the snare of the fowler, and from the noisome pestilence. He shall cover thee with his feathers, and under his wings shalt thou trust; his truth shall be thy shield and buckler. Thou shalt not be afraid of the terror by night: nor for the arrow that flieth by day; Nor for the pestilence that walketh in darkness; nor for the destruction that wasteth at noonday. A thousand shall fall at thy side, and ten thousand at thy right hand; but it shall not come nigh thee.'"
Benjamin sits quiet with his eyes closed, but he's not fallen asleep, as his lips move in some sort of silent prayer. Looking at his peaceful face, the worries of the past day seem to have flowed away, at least temporarily.
Benjamin startles, first annoyed that his meditations have been rudely interrupted, but as he sees the owner of the poking finger, he quickly lets out a brief chuckle.
Anna stared at the two poking each other and quietly hid a smile as she listened to Giles speak. She supposed she probably should get home and check with her boss on her week schedule, as the air raids might disrupt her work schedule. Nazi air raids aren't exactly a thing that you could plan for in advance. She quickly snuck outside after she made her quick prayers and went to find a newspaper stand. She wonders what's going to be in the press after an air raid, she dreads finding out...
Giles went on, seemingly not noticing that Anna had slipped outside. "We have been through the horror of last night," he said, "and while we know that there is more to come, we also know that we have made it through so far. We must trust in God to protect us. Even if we should die, we have the promise of resurrection. We must keep God foremost in our hearts and help others as much as we can during this terrible time."
Anna Jerkins,[b]Anna[/b] found a boy selling morning editions of the London Times, and she bought one for a penny. Most of the news was about the bombing. The East End had born the brunt of it, particularly the docks, but there had been an awful lot of civilian casualties, and they still had not finished counting the dead. It was estimated that hundreds had been killed and over a thousand injured, not to mention all those who had been bombed out and were now homeless. The RAF had lost 23 planes, while the Luftwaffe had lost 41. The numbers were presented as casually as though they were football scores. A smaller article also mentioned that a madwoman had escaped from Maxwell's Sanitarium in the confusion of the air raid. The escaped patient was named [b]Catherine Exeter[/b], and she was known to be violent. She had been institutionalized there ten years ago after having nearly killed a man. [b]Anna[/b], who worked at Maxwell's, knew about her. She hadn't been violent during her time in the sanitarium, but there was no doubt she was dangerous. She was in her forties, and very slick. She went to great effort to try to trick the staff into thinking she was cured, but she had been unable to fool [b]Anna[/b].
Anna reacted to the death with great sadness and horror. But very quickly, she had some more troubling news within the newspaper. Catherine Exter escaped. In the short time she worked at Maxwell sanitarium, she did not work with Catheine, but she knew that the details surround her case are gruesome and are a secret kept by the Scotland Yard.
Anna intends to go and make a phone call with her boss, the supervisor at the Maxwell Sanitarium for further information about this case. She is willing to contribute to the case even if it means she'll have do some parts of it during her weekend off.
Anna went back into the church to use the telephone in Giles Curry's office. He was still going on with his sermon. "The Psalmist continues: 'Only with thine eyes shalt thou behold and see the reward of the wicked. Because thou hast made the Lord, which is my refuge, even the most High, thy habitation.There shall no evil befall thee, neither shall any plague come night thy dwelling. For he shall give his angels charge over thee, to keep thee in all thy ways. They shall bear thee up in their hands, lest thou dash thy foot against a stone. Thou shalt tread upon the lion and adder; the young lion and the dragon shalt thou trample under feet. Because he hath set his love upon me, therefore will I deliver him; I will set him on high, because he hath known my name. He shall call upon me, and I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble; I will deliver him, and honour him. With long life will I satisfy him, and shew him my salvation.'"
When Anna called Dr. Abner Stoddard, the administrator at Maxwell's sanitarium, his secretary answered. "Just a moment," she said. "I'll see if he's available." A minute later, he spoke. "Yes, Dr. Jerkins?"
Anna gulped nervously for a moment, before calming down and said, "Dr. Stoddard, I was curious about the case surrounding Patient Exter, I believe she's highly dangerous and needs to be found immediately. Where was she last seen?"
Anna Jerkins,"I quite agree," said [b]Dr. Stoddard[/b]. "In fact, [b]Lord Rufus Colville[/b] is in my office right now inquiring after her. [b]Catherine Exeter[/b] was last seen down in our shelter in the basement. Somehow she escaped during the raid. We had a WC set up in one corner, and she went into it, but she didn't come out. When the matron escorting her checked, it was empty."
“Did someone forget to close the window? And how do you know that she never came out? I don’t think people paying attention to the W.C. During an air raid.”Anna asked, “However, I think something must be done about this. It’ll reflect terribly upon our reputation if news were to get out that a mentally-ill patient capable of violence escaped during the air raid.”
Anna Jerkins,"I'm afraid news has already gotten out," he said. "At least it will most likely be buried considering yesterday's other events. There was no window in the WC. It was just a corner of the basement, which has solid stone walls. The only way out was the way she went in. The matron was assigned to pay attention to her precisely so that nothing would happen. She insisted she was watching the WC the whole time, but obviously she must have had a lapse of attention. Needless to say, she's been sacked."
Anna looked around a bit in paranoia, before quickly replying. “It could be possible that she had bribed another patient to take her place. There's a few ways to go about it, I'm sure. Are there any suspiciously human-sized holes near the sewage disposal units? Have there been any investigations into the W.C? Surely there's ventilation pipings in the room.”
Anna Jerkins,The doctor continued: "She didn't switch places with anyone, for there was nobody at all inside. The basement is ventilated, yes, but there is no vent in the water closet itself. There are no holes big enough for her to have escaped through. She could not possibly have fit down the drain, and she did not get out by walking through the walls. The door is the only way in and out, and the WC has already been examined, but you're welcome to take a look yourself if you like."
Anna furrowed her eyebrows. "An expertise in psychoanalysis does now translate to an expertise in investigative skills in general, but I'll have a look 'round anyways. It's always a good idea to have a fresh set of eyes on the set, though."
"Does Catherine Exter have any living relatives in London that I could perhaps visit? It may help in tracking her down."Anna said, as she casually glanced through the newspaper again to see whether there's been a police officer assigned to the case yet.
Anna Jerkins,"She has a daughter, [b]Madeline Steadman[/b]," said [b]Dr. Stoddard[/b]. "She was twelve at the time the incident happened, but she's grown up now. Married an RAF officer. She's been visiting her mother frequently over the years."
There was no mention in the newspaper of who if anyone was assigned to the case.