Torpedoing ahead, she passed the exam rooms and finally hit her target, the laboratory area where piles of paperwork awaited. With a sigh, she opened a folder containing the morning’s messages, but before she could pick up the phone to return Mrs. Salazar’s call a hand clapped her on the shoulder. Startled, she dropped the message and turned to find her brother frowning at her. Self-consciously, she made a neat stack of the files that had been slung across her work counter.
Garth rarely visited her here, and his presence triggered an awkward awareness of things she normally tuned out. The noisy layer of crying and complaining in the background. The pungent odor of sweat and dirty diapers mingling with jasmine scented AirWick. She pulled a tissue from her pocket, touched it to the tip of her nose before slam-dunking it into the trash. If the dollar store had a perfume counter, it would smell much like her clinic.
No. Garth wouldn’t have come here if it weren’t on a matter of importance, and she couldn’t blame him. Not everyone thrived on the rich sounds and smells of humanity. “Don’t look so worried. I’m fine…and I’m not mad about last night.” To prove the latter point, she gave him a quick hug and allowed him to steer her down the hall and into her office. “What’s up?” she asked, closing the door behind them for added privacy.
“Nothing. I just thought I’d stop by. Maybe take you to lunch.” Garth adjusted his silk tie.
She gave an involuntary snort.
“What was that for?”
“You don’t exactly drop by often. As I recall, the last time you visited me in the clinic was almost a year ago. I believe your office was being fumigated, and you had nowhere else to roost. So please don’t leave me to my imagination any longer. Why are you really here?”
“Can’t a guy come by to see his sister without an ulterior motive?”
“A guy can. But he usually doesn’t.”
He kissed his fingertips and then used them to transfer the kiss to her cheek. “Okay, I do have something important on my mind, or rather someone. You. I wanted to see how you’re feeling today, make sure you’re not too overwhelmed, what with everything that’s been dropped on you in the last twenty-four hours. And it occurred to me that you might be missing Edmond even more than usual today.”
Of course—today was Valentine’s Day. She’d completely forgotten, and Garth considered the holiday absurd, yet he had enough care for her feelings to worry how she’d handle the day. Her chest tightened. His small act of kindness touched her in a big way.
She did miss Edmond today, like every day. No special occasion required for that. Swiping a bit of moisture from her cheeks, she became aware of the beats of her forgotten heart. “I appreciate your concern, but like I said, I’m perfectly fine.”
Garth pinned her with knowing eyes. “Is that so?”
She looked away and then back again. Game over. There was no fooling her brother, and unfortunately, that meant there was no fooling herself any longer either. Buried feelings surfaced and tightened around her throat. Best acknowledge them before they choked the life out of her. On a hard sigh, she said, “Okay, I’m not fine. I’m scared to death about the robbery, and I’m worried sick about the lawsuit.”
“That’s what I figured. Let’s get out of here and grab some lunch, and then we can strategize. You’re not in this alone.”
Knowing she could count on Garth took a weight off. She truly did want his advice, but lunch was out. “Thanks, how about later tonight? I can’t take a lunch.”
His face reddened. “You mean you won’t. There’s absolutely no reason you can’t schedule a lunch break like a normal person. If you don’t start taking care of yourself, you’re going to wind up needing a doctor yourself.”
“I hardly think I’m putting my health at risk by skipping lunch. And with Edmond gone, I’m the only one—”
He held up one palm. “Okay, I get it. You’re set in your ways. Nothing I can do about that. I didn’t come here to argue with a brick wall. I came here to offer my services to a brick wall.”
To ease his worry, she faked a laugh. “Thanks. Um. I think. What kind of services exactly?”
“I was thinking if I handle the lawsuit for you, you could focus on taking care of your patients…and if I’m lucky, maybe you might even focus a little on taking care of you. I could contact your lawyer, handle all the details, make sure the settlement is fair and has a gag clause. You won’t have to worry about a thing except signing the final documents.”
“Excuse me?”
“You’d read the papers of course, make sure everything was to your liking.”
“No, I meant…you’re assuming I want to settle.” Despite the fact that she’d been considering the same option, Garth’s certainty surprised her. A cold draught of apprehension slid down her esophagus. “Do you know something about these cases that I don’t? Did Edmond mention something to you about these women…before he died?”
“Now you’re being paranoid. Edmond hadn’t any reason to discuss his cases with me. I merely deduced that with three plaintiffs, you wouldn’t want to risk a jury award. If the amount exceeds your malpractice limits, you could wind up bankrupt. Sky, you could lose the clinic.”
“I won’t lose the clinic.”
“I certainly hope not. But don’t you see? That’s what you’re risking, if you go forward with this case.”
She rubbed slow circles into her temples with her index fingers. Garth was right. At least, he wasn’t wrong. But how could she offer a settlement without knowing the facts? Edmond was a good doctor. So careful. So meticulous in his attention to every detail of patient care. Certainly, Edmond was human, and he might’ve made a mistake, but malpractice… She doubted it. “I need to find out the facts before I decide whether or not to settle.”
“I realize this sounds cynical, but I don’t think the facts are important.”
Hard to believe a statement like that had just come out of her brother’s mouth. Opinions, feelings, those held little weight with Garth. Normally, he was all about the facts. “The facts are not important,” she repeated incredulously.
“Not really.”
“You’re right, that does sound cynical. Maybe you don’t care about finding out the truth, but the families of Edmond’s patients need to know what happened. I need to know what happened. The facts are very important.”
“Not as important as making sure your clinic stays open.”
Now he was wrong. Dead wrong. If mistakes were being made in the clinic, more lives could be in jeopardy. “The families deserve to know the truth. And whatever that is, I’m prepared to deal with it. But frankly, I believe the facts will exonerate Edmond and the clinic. Not damn us. So thank you kindly for your offer, but I think I’ll handle this myself.”
A knock on the door, and then Soyla poked her head into Sky’s office. “Dr. Sky?”
Good timing. Sky was grateful for Soyla’s interruption. She didn’t want to continue the debate with Garth until she had reviewed the files of the women who died. “Come on in. I was just wondering if you’d located those items I asked for.”
Soyla directed an uncharacteristically meek smile at her. In fact, uncharacteristic was putting it mildly. In all their acquaintance, some five years now, she’d never seen her medical assistant with such a downright apologetic twist to her lips. Soyla’s hands were on her hips, and her elbows flapped nervously. Some people talked with their hands. Soyla talked with her elbows. And right now her elbows declared her to be…
“Embarrassed.” Soyla’s downcast eyes traveled to her toes, then to Sky’s toes, then Garth’s, then finally settled on a murky stain on the carpet. “I am embarrassed to say I’ve mislaid the files.”
Garth smiled, peeked playfully at Soyla from beneath cocked brows. “Mislaid, you say? Well I must admit I’m less than flabbergasted. Ordination has never been your strong suit.”
Now Soyla’s elbows stiffened defensively. “Respectfully, Dr. Novak…that was uncalled for. I attend services at the Unitar
ian Church every Sunday. I’m as ordained as anyone. You’ve got no call to go and cast aspersions on my spiritual being.”
Garth chortled, and Sky shot him a look that she hoped conveyed her displeasure at his uncharacteristically ill manners. It must’ve worked because Garth sucked in his cheeks and sealed his lips in an attempt to silence the peals of laughter racking his body.
In a gentle tone, Sky addressed Soyla, “I believe he means ordination in a secular sense.”
By now Garth had just about composed himself, although he still held his shoulders a little stiffer than usual. “I meant no disrespect. As Sky said, I was not referring to ordination as it pertains to the church, nor would I make so bold as to judge your spiritual being.” He reached an arm around Soyla. “I only meant you can’t alphabetize worth a damn. But that doesn’t detract one whit from my deep admiration for you. Now then, my beauty, exactly which files can’t you find?”
“The files. Livy Petersen. Amanda Cavanaugh. Henrietta Trueblood. I can’t find any of them. Dr. Sky said we’re being sued, and that Dr. Guerretin, God rest his soul…” Despite being a Unitarian, Soyla crossed her chest. “Dr. Guerretin’s reputation is at stake. Dr. Sky asked me to go and get those poor dead women’s files, and I can’t lay a hand on even one of them. And no, in plain English, I never could alphabetize worth a damn, but I’m real good at owning up to my mistakes. So…” Soyla turned to Sky, tears welling up. “If you want to fire me…”
“Take it easy,” Sky said, in a voice she prayed sounded calmer than she felt. Without the files she had little hope of discovering the truth or winning in court or even settling the case. Missing files screamed cover up and spelled disaster for the clinic. “No one wants to fire you. You’re the world’s greatest medical assistant, and you shouldn’t be doing double duty as a file clerk anyway.”
She smiled at Soyla. At least there’d be one piece of good news today. “In fact, I have a little surprise for you. I’m bringing someone else on board to help you out.”
When Nevaeh had confided to Sky that she was afraid to return to her job at Jolene’s, Sky had jumped at the opportunity to hire her on at the clinic. It would give the girl a steady income, and simultaneously give her a leg up on getting into nursing school. “I’m certain you’re going to like the new hire a lot.”
“I’m not so sure I will.” A proprietary flap of Soyla’s elbows ensued.
One of these days, that woman was going to take flight. But not today. Nevaeh had not only been one of Sky’s favorite patients, she’d been Soyla’s pet as well. Sky steepled her fingers and peered innocently over them at Soyla. “Oh darn. Well, I hope you’re going to suck it up and try to get along anyway. Nevaeh Flores starts Monday.”
Soyla bounced on her toes. “Doc, you’re brilliant.”
The mood in the room lifted palpably. Garth nodded his approval. “I have to agree with Soyla, only you’re more than just brilliant, Sky. That unfortunate girl simply can’t go back to work at Jolene’s diner. Hiring her on is a very kind thing to do; it’s a good thing to do.”
“It’s a win-win. So let’s all take a deep breath and relax. Nevaeh’s first order of business will be to turn the storage room upside down and find those charts. The files are here somewhere. They have to be.”
They have to be. Tapping her chin with her forefinger, she gnawed her bottom lip. Above her head, a fluorescent light bulb flickered to life. Of course. Why didn’t she think of it before? She had a pretty fair idea where those files were, and if she was right, Soyla’s ordination skills were in the clear.
The corridor between her office and Edmond’s was long. So quiet here compared to the public part of the clinic. Sky’s shoes were noiseless on the soft carpet; the heavy door that sealed the doctor’s area off from the rest of the clinic was virtually soundproof. She heard nothing at all but the sound of her thoughts.
The files are in Edmond’s safe.
She was sure of it. Edmond was so conscientious. Before his death, he would have been poring over those charts, searching them for understanding, and he would have taken great care to preserve the medical records.
The files are in the safe.
A second before she opened the door to his office, a pungent odor, sweet but inexplicably disagreeable, hit her in the face, and she recognized the scent before she actually saw the person.
Halston Reece.
Again.
Sky’s hands clenched into fists, and she marched into the room. “What the hell do you think you’re doing in here?”
“Oh my God!” Halston slammed shut a drawer in Edmond’s desk and whirled to face her. “Dr. Novak. You scared the crap out of me.”
“Not possible, Halston.” She was out of patience with this woman. She’d taken such care to leave Edmond’s office as undisturbed as possible, treated it with such reverence, and now, here stood this marauder rifling through his things. “Don’t bother explaining yourself. I don’t care why you’re in here. I just want you gone. Now.”
“Forgive me, Dr. Novak. I didn’t mean to intrude. I realize this looks bad. But I assure you, I meant no disrespect to Dr. Guerretin or to you.” The hard-candy layer on top of Halston’s voice was so thick you could crack a tooth on it. “In fact, it’s just the opposite. You see, I-I never got a chance to say goodbye to him.”
Asinine woman. As if anyone had been given that chance.
“I considered Dr. Guerretin… I considered Edmond…” Halston’s eyes snapped defiantly. “A friend. And I came in here because… I suppose it seems silly…” She cast her eyes over the chair, the desk, the pictures on the wall. “I came in here because I wanted to say goodbye to Edmond.”
Almost believing Halston’s words, Sky closed her eyes. But when she opened them again her gaze landed on the desk drawer. She’d caught Halston with her manicured hand in the cookie jar two days in a row. Halston followed the trajectory of Sky’s gaze and held up both palms showing them to be empty. “I lost my earring.”
“You think your earring fell into a closed drawer, so you went looking for it there?”
“Yes. I mean no. The drawer was already open. That’s why I thought…”
“When I left this office an hour ago, all the drawers were closed, Halston. Everything was in its place.”
“Maybe someone opened the drawer after you left.”
“Maybe you’re lying.”
A single tear rolled down Halston’s cheek. A crocodile tear no doubt. “Did you say your goodbye?”
“Well, I-I…”
“If you haven’t, do it now. Then get out. And I don’t just mean for the time being. You need to put in a request for a new territory, because if you don’t, I’ll file a complaint against you with your company. I don’t ever want to see you in this clinic again.”
Halston’s face puffed up and turned red, and she stacked her arms across her chest. “And to think people make such a fuss over how kind you are.”
“Get the hell out.” Sky turned her back and waited for the sound of the door closing—make that slamming—behind Halston. Pinching the bridge of her nose, she banished all thoughts of the woman from her mind. She didn’t want to burn precious energy on measly little annoyances like lying, conniving, snooping pharmaceutical reps.
She marched over to the safe, fished the key out of the pocket of the lab coat hanging nearby, and opened the door. This was what she’d come in here for after all. Her shoulders relaxed. She had complete confidence the files would be among the papers locked inside Edmond’s safe.
But…they weren’t. That fat manila envelope locked inside contained nothing but a few receipts and an expired office credit card. Disappointment turned her stomach sour once again. She carried the big envelope, which was taking up far too much space in the safe, over to Edmond’s desk and placed it in the drawer. Then her thoughts turned back to Halston Reece.
What had that woman been looking for inside this drawer? The files? Something else?
Now you’re being par
anoid.
That’s what Garth had said to her earlier, and he might be right. Maybe she was jumping to conclusions. Maybe Halston really did lose an earring. Maybe Sky had turned into an unkind, rabid lunatic. She dropped to her knees and ran her fingers over the carpet, suddenly as certain she would find the lost earring there as she had been she’d find the lost files in the safe.
Raking her nails into the yarn, she crawled under the desk and felt around. Carelessly, she raised her head and bumped it on the bottom side of the desktop. Craning her neck backwards, she looked up at the piece of wood that had recently made the acquaintance of her occipital bone, and that’s when she saw it: Not an earring…at least, not Halston’s lost earring.
Something else.
And whatever it was, it’d been wrapped in a gauze bandage and duct-taped to the underside of Edmond’s desk.
Chapter Seven
“That’s great news. Thank you so much for your help with Destinee.” Sky clicked off her cell, then walked into her kitchen to hang her car keys on the wall hook. An ICU nurse had just confirmed that a child Sky had admitted to the intensive care unit yesterday was now stable enough to transfer to the main pediatric floor. Sky blew out a breath and tiptoed up to stretch her back. After today’s disasters—Halston, the missing files, the strange item she’d found taped beneath Edmond’s desk—she was due for a piece of good news.
As she came back down on the balls of her feet, she stuck her hand in her pocket and located the strange little item Edmond had wrapped in gauze and concealed beneath his desk—a brass key. Maybe Danny would know how to find out more about it. Then she remembered her brother’s admonition: Don’t talk to Benson again.
Cell in hand, Sky walked from her kitchen back to the living room, pulled Danny’s card from her tooled-leather wallet and dialed his number. Garth had put in his request, but she hadn’t promised him anything. She’d trusted Danny from the beginning, from before she had a reason to do so. She didn’t see a reason not to trust him now.
First Do No Evil: Blood Secrets, Book 1 Page 8
