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He gave the orderly his bright-young-child look, then crossed the width of the fluorescent-lit tunnel and jogged up a flight of stairs to the top landing, which was the lower-level entrance to the North Tower There was a keypad beside the doorframe, as well as a doorbell Neddie knew the code to the keypad, but that was his secret He pressed the button

He waited aopen and Dr Hoover was there

Once, after Neddie first iven hi with me, aren’t you, Edward?”

Neddie had said, “Fool-fool-fooling with you” He had grinned brightly, like the brain-daed dolt he pretended to be Hoover had said, “I’ll see you in our session tomorrow, same time, okay, Edward?”

Neddie had said, “Same time!”

Dr Hoover was smart and wary, but that was okay for now Hoover kept Neddie on his gaot onto Neddie’s act for real, he would have a surprise heart attack What a shame What a loss that would be

Now Hoover said, “I was just looking for you, Edward”

“I went down for a snack,” Neddie said, clapping his hands

“I hear you But it’s time for dinner now”

As Neddie followed Dr Hoover down the linoleumfloored corridor, past the dispensary, he sneaked the ee out of his Windbreaker pocket and dropped them into the needle disposal can outside the nurses’ station

A second later he ran, catching up to Dr Hoover’s longlegged stride, entering the co from there to the noisy, joyful chow room that fronted on Bush Street

Neddie squealed “Helloooooos” and waved various hand signals to other patients, cupped the cheeks of Billy the Kid, saying, “Hiya Billy, Billy good?” He pushed Billy the Kid’s wheelchair up to table 6 and took a seat at one end

Dinner servers ca vats of food, ladled out the green beans and theAnother server ca it into upheld plastic cups, orderlies watching on the sides, breaking up the fights

The Hyde and Seek Loony Bin was a zoo, all right, populated with some of the most peculiar people in the city

Neddie kne to fit right in No one would ever suspect hiht he was autistic They thought he had fetal alcohol syndrome or that he’d been dropped on his head They said he had a low IQ and couldn’t live a productive life on the outside But Neddie knew better