S1.E3 Bewitched - Scene 5

Ritual S1 - Episode 3 - Scene 5

The LA Mental Health Care Centre

Characters in this Scene

Kathy Bates as Celia Grey

Angela Bassett as Ronnie Dupree

Patricia Graham, head nurse

Martin, security manager

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Celia Grey pulls up at the LA Mental Health Care Centre in her Volkswagen beetle. She doesn’t exit the vehicle immediately, rather she grips the steering wheel practicing measured breathing until the rising panic attack subsides and she is able to exit the car without her knees knocking. Inside, she makes herself known at the reception counter and turns to her right when she hears a familiar voice. Detective Ronnie Dupree is also here harassing a nurse at the other end of the counter.

“What are you doing here?” Celia demands walking over.

“I’m here because you lied to me!”

“What are you talking about?”

“You said there was no connection to the cases, Helen and Joannie Morcombe and Lorainne Jackson, which is bullshit.”

“There is no connection.”

“He is coming. Does that ring any bells for you? Loraine Jackon said the same thing to Officer Maguire as Hellen Morcombe said to you just before she died, now I’ve just been told our girl is missing – from a secure facility?”

“Shush, keep you voice down. Let’s talk over here” Celia ushers Ronnie to a lounge area in front of a vending machine.

“Coffee?”

“Sure, why not, if you’re buying”

Celia hands a cup to Ronnie, “I haven’t got much time I need to meet the head nurse right away. I didn’t lie, I just didn’t think there was a connection because it doesn’t seem plausible. There is a similarity, but I don’t know if the two are connected.”

“Hmm” Ronnie snorts “In policework there is always a connection, until there isn’t. No stone should go unturned.”

“If I’m being perfectly honest, I have been hearing that particular phrase a lot lately from different sources, just random people and other patients. I have no idea what it means, and how it’s all connected, but for the first time in my career I’m stumped.”

At that point Celia and Ronnie were approached by a tight-laced woman in a nurse’s uniform, this was obviously Patricia Graham. “Doctor Grey?” she addresses Celia, “would you like to come with me please.” Celia goes to get up, but Ronnie grabs her arm in warning.

“Ah, Nurse Graham this is Officer Dupree from the LAPD. She initially interviewed Lorraine Jaxon when she was picked up, and she requested I assess her at the station for a professional opinion. I think she should come with us.” Nurse Graham nodded, and they both followed her up in the elevator to the 5^th floor of the building where the more severe mental cases were housed.  They were led through a security door and a long corridor.  Eventually Nurse Graham opened a door at the end.

“This is her room. As you can see the door is very secure, we are still investigating any electrical fault that might have occurred with the locking system, but other than that our investigations have come up a blank.”

A strong smell of bleach prevailed. “Did someone clean up this room recently? Have you called the local authorities – anything in the room should not be touched before a police investigation occurs.” Ronnie advised Nurse Graham.

“Our protocol is to report to the local authorities after 24 hours if our own internal investigations are not successful. It has only been 4 hours. The room was cleaned because she had written all over the walls with her own excrement.”

“I have a question about the writing on the walls, were you able to make out any intelligible words or phrases?” asked Celia.

Nurse Graham pursed her lips. “Yes, there are polaroids in the file. The only thing we could make out was he is coming.” Ronnie and Celia exchange a look.

“Was there anyone that visited her prior. Maybe someone handed her something that helped her escape the room.” Ronnie suggested.

Nurse Graham flicked through her notes. “Yes, I do believe she had a visitor. There was a Sister Immacolata from St Aloysius of the Innocents who visited at about 4.30 pm today. That’s nothing unusual though, the sisters often visit the patients to provide spiritual support.”

“Can we see the security tape?”

“Of course, I’ll get Martin the security manager to show you the tape. I’m afraid I’m needed in the main ward. If you have any more questions, please let reception know to page me, otherwise Doctor Grey, I would appreciate it if you examined Lorainne’s file and signed the waive.”

They were introduced to Martin, an old dark man with a wheezy cough and plenty of anecdotes about the job.  He took them up to the security room where all the monitors were and located the tape from earlier that night. As they were viewing, Martin preceded to regale them with stories about life on the wards.

“You know, I seen a lot over the years. You get your regular crazies in here, dementia patients, paranoid schizophrenics - and then you get the others. The ones with something else that can’t be cured by regular medicine.  Everyone knows it, the doctors know it, the nurses know it, but they don’t talk about it. That’s the real reason why they let them nuns in here, they is scouting out for them. I’m talking about the walk-ins, the soulless ones, the vessels. I’m talking about po-ssessions.”

“You mean – as in possessed by demons?” Celia asks, sharing a disbelieving glance with Ronnie.

“That’s exactly what I mean. Now, you want to look at this, here’s your nun.” He points to the screen, Ronnie and Celia watch the tape intently.  There was something off about the way that Sister Immacolata was walking, a kind of swagger that was most un-nun like, almost lewd. She approaches the door of Lorraine’s room and whispers something through the peephole, then looks up at the camera and smiles as she turns to leave. Not long after, the door swings open. There is no sign of Lorraine leaving the room. They keep watching for another twenty minutes while Martin takes a cigarette break, eventually he comes back in.

“Martin, can I take this tape to the station. I’ll get our tech department to take stills and enlarge them, see if we can find something.”

“Sure, but you’re not gonna find out how she got out by watching that tape.”

Ronnie spins around abruptly “Why is that, Martin?”

“See, the camera points down and you wanna be looking up”

“What do you mean - up ?”

“No-one would believe me, and Nurse Graham said to keep my mouth shut about what I seen otherwise they gonna lock me up here too.”

“Martin, it’s important that you tell us what you saw.”

“Well,” he licks his lips, “I swear on my mamma’s grave, that I seen that girl crawl outta here on the ceiling like a god dammed fly!”

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