Chapter 2

Contains spoilers

Overview

Janitor Fred Clark urgently summons Mrs. Sigsby to a residence room in the West Wing. Inside the bathroom, they find housekeeper Maureen Alvorson dead by suicide, having hanged herself from the shower head and left a threatening message. Mrs. Sigsby quickly moves to contain the situation, ordering secrecy and requesting her walkie-talkie. The discovery shakes the Institute’s routine and hints at internal crisis.

Summary

Fred Clark, a visibly distraught janitor, interrupts Mrs. Sigsby and insists she follow him without explanation. As they walk from the administration building to the West Wing, Mrs. Sigsby becomes uneasy, suspecting trouble but doubting a janitor would be first to discover an issue with a child.

In the corridor, they pass resident Stevie Whipple examining a paper on a doorknob. Mrs. Sigsby reprimanded Stevie and sent him away. The paper reads “DO NOT ENTER,” written by Fred, who explains he lacks a key to secure the room.

Mrs. Sigsby opens the room to find it stripped and bare, typical of many unused rooms as high-BDNF intakes have declined. Fred directs her to the bathroom, where Mrs. Sigsby discovers a housekeeper in a brown uniform hanging from the shower head. The deceased is identified by Fred as Maureen Alvorson. On the tile wall, written in lipstick, is a final message: “HELL IS WAITING. I’LL BE HERE TO MEET YOU.”

Shocked, Mrs. Sigsby immediately orders Fred to close the hallway door to prevent discovery. Realizing she forgot her walkie-talkie, she sends Fred back to her office to get it from Rosalind, instructing him to return quickly and to tell no one about what they found. Fred leaves, and Mrs. Sigsby sits on the bare mattress, staring at Maureen and the message, grasping the gravity of an employee’s suicide on Institute grounds.

Who Appears

  • Mrs. Sigsby
    head of the Institute; discovers Maureen Alvorson’s suicide and moves to contain the situation.
  • Fred Clark
    janitor; finds the body first, alerts Mrs. Sigsby, and is sent to fetch her walkie-talkie.
  • Stevie Whipple
    resident; briefly seen near the room, sent away by Mrs. Sigsby.
  • Maureen Alvorson
    housekeeper, new; found dead by suicide, leaves a message on the bathroom wall.
  • Rosalind
    staffer; off-page, tasked to provide Mrs. Sigsby’s walkie-talkie.
  • Dr. Hendricks
    scientist; mentioned in passing regarding theories about declining high-BDNF incidence.
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