“It does.” Mason had seen it. “What’s the story with this guy?”

“I can’t share much due to patient confidentiality laws, but he’s quite young.”

Vulnerable to a pushy older woman?

“What do you think she wants from him?” Mason asked. “If you were in her shoes, what is the appeal?”

“Attention. Admiration.”

“That’s pretty standard for Jayne, but I suspect there’s more to it than that. She could get that from anyone. What makes this guy unique?”

“Well . . . he’s from a very rich family.”

“Bingo,” said Mason. “Jayne can smell other people’s money a mile away. You need to give this family a heads-up. If this guy has access to any accounts while he’s in there, believe me, Jayne will figure out how to tap into them for her own benefit.”

“But he’s married,” argued Heidi. “I’ve seen him with his wife. They’re still in that newlywed phase. The whole reason he’s here is to get cleaned up for her.”

Mason wondered if Heidi had just crossed that patient confidentiality line. “Jayne doesn’t see wedding rings. If she wants something, she plows through everything until she gets it. She doesn’t care who she hurts. I’m sure your doctors have tested her and realize she’s a narcissist, right?” In his own bits of research, he’d found Jayne to fit the textbook definition of the word.

Heidi was silent.

“You brought this to my attention because you know there’s something wrong. I’m telling you that your instincts are right and this patient’s family needs to take some precautions.”

“It creates a bit of a delicate balance for us,” Heidi said slowly. “These patients are here because the families want them in a safe place where they can focus on their healing. It’s the reason you chose us for Jayne, correct?”

“Yes. You’re saying that you don’t want to warn his family that trouble might be coming from another patient? Because that would indicate your staff can’t keep him safe,” Mason said dryly. It was the same in all businesses: How do I cover my ass?

“He’s not in harm’s way,” Heidi stated.

“Not physically, no,” agreed Mason. “But I can assure you he’ll be a shell of the man he is now if Jayne decides he has something she wants.”

“I understand, Detective Callahan. I’ll see what I can do on our end.”

“Say, I forgot to ask Dr. Kersey last night, but do you know if anyone has called or come to the center asking for Jayne? Ava’s had a couple of encounters with an older man who’s shown an odd interest in finding Jayne. He claims it’s because of her artwork, but Ava and I have our doubts.”

“What do you think he wants?” Heidi asked.

“That’s what we’re wondering. It’s very possible Jayne owes someone money, but that’s just an educated guess.”

“I’m not aware of any inquiries for Jayne. You know we’d never reveal if a patient is a resident during a phone call or to someone who walks in off the street. We have strict guidelines on patient privacy.”

“I know you wouldn’t. I’m primarily curious to know if this person has managed to track her.”

“I’ll check with our receptionist. All general calls go through her.”

“Can you check right away? We’d like to know as soon as possible.”

Heidi promised and wrapped up the phone call. Mason slowly replaced his receiver.

“Jayne strikes again?” Ray asked.

“Not yet. But I’m afraid she’s up to something.”

“Are you going to tell Ava?”

Mason didn’t answer. He didn’t know the answer.

“If you tell her,” said Ray, “is there something she can do to help the situation?”

“That’s just it. I don’t think so. We’re powerless on the outside. The only solution is for the staff to keep the two of them separated or else convince him or his family that he shouldn’t be around her. I don’t see either of those things happening.”

“Will Ava be affected if Jayne messes with this other man’s head?” Ray asked pointedly.

Mason understood his friend was trying to help him look at the problem logically. “Not really. She’ll be disappointed in her sister, but that’s nothing new.”

The repercussions for Ava from Jayne’s behavior couldn’t be predicted.

How did you estimate the effect on a heart that’d been destroyed countless times?

Ava strode past the doors in the long hallway. The large office building stood in a nice area of southwest Portland with ample parking and quiet streets. Her assignment was to interview the director of the philanthropic organization that Denny and Louis Samuelson had both volunteered with. Mason had been on the organization’s board for a good decade. It was similar to the Big Brothers Big Sisters programs. This one paired cops with at-risk youth, both boys and girls. Mason had volunteered for several years before his ex-wife pointed out that the program’s children saw more of him than his own son did. Ava spotted the door that read COPS 4 KIDZ and pushed it open.

The office space was large and quite bare. She was pleased to see the nonprofit hadn’t sunk its funds into designer furniture or fancy water features for the waiting room. Half of the furniture in the room was kid-size and appeared well used. Crayons, games, and books filled a large table in a corner. No signs of electronic entertainment.