by Dawn Eastman
“Is this your secret stash?” He came back into the dining room with a package of Scottish shortbread. Katie’s favorite, Caleb’s port in a storm.
He ripped open the package and handed her a cookie. She nibbled at it while she drafted the outlines of a medical note.
Katie knew it was habit and conditioning, but she found the structure of a patient note to be helpful in thinking of solutions to a problem. Doctors were like medical detectives, and they had developed a shorthand way of communicating their thoughts through the standard patient note. There was a place for all the pertinent information, and Katie found that the structure of the notes often helped her to see patterns in her patients’ illnesses. She had used this technique in a recent murder investigation, and true to her habit, she found herself sketching out a note in regard to Taylor’s case. Fortunately, she remembered some of the details about Taylor’s life from the time they had worked together.
CC (Chief Complaint): Taylor Knox missing.
HPI (History of Present Illness): In this case, why is she gone and was there foul play? She was recently working on Eugene’s old case. Are they connected?
Social History: Did not know Eugene? Lived with friends on campus. Has a steady boyfriend for past two years.
Family History: Mother lives in Ann Arbor. Father ex-police, died recently (a year ago? two?). One sister.
Review of Suspicions: Did Taylor’s recent investigation into Heather Stone’s death put her in danger? Or was there some other threat in her life that had nothing to do with her project?
Differential Diagnosis (List of Suspects):
Eugene
Colin (boyfriend—jealous?)
Russell Hunt (was he having an affair with Taylor?)
Any suspects from Eugene’s case?
Assessment: Need more information!
Plan:
1) Talk to Russell again and ask if he has any of Taylor’s research on the project
2) Try to find old autopsy report on Heather Knox
3) Talk to Alicia about Eugene?
Katie put down her pen and pushed the notebook toward Caleb.
“Not much to go on, is there?” he said.
Katie shook her head. “I don’t know what I can do to help. Taylor’s missing. Eugene is being harassed or followed. I don’t even know if the two cases are related. But I can’t just sit around waiting to hear if Taylor’s been found. She was a great person and wanted to devote her life to helping others.”
“What are you going to do? I mean, I like a good mystery as much as the next person, but how are you going to find her if the police can’t? And even if Eugene’s case is involved, how are you going to investigate a ten-year-old murder?”
“I don’t know,” Katie said. “I guess I’ll start with Alicia and see what she can tell me. At least I know her and she’ll be likely to talk to me.”
“I’m still working on those thumb drives, but I got sidetracked when the beta testers came back with problems in the game. Want to test out my app in the meantime?”
Katie laughed. “Maybe when I get back.”
“Where are you going?”
“I have to go to the office and get Alicia’s phone number.”
Caleb put his head in his hands. “It’s like you’re from the twentieth century or something. I’ll get her number for you on this newfangled computin’ device.”
He tapped a couple of keys and turned the screen to face her.
Katie made a face and punched the number into her cell phone. She knew she was a Luddite, but living with someone who breathed new technology made her feel like she was Miss Simms’s age. She closed her notebook and held it protectively on her lap. Caleb had been trying to convert her to some sort of computer journaling program for as long as she could remember, but she’d never give up her notebooks and her favorite pen.
The phone rang on the other end, and Katie was preparing to leave a message when it was answered by a male voice. She’d never met Alicia’s husband. She asked for Alicia and heard a muffled conversation before Alicia came on the line.
“Alicia, it’s Katie LeClair.”
“Dr. LeClair?”
It was probably a good thing Katie had dialed in haste. If she’d thought it through, she would have realized how odd it was to call up a patient and begin questioning them.
“I know this sounds a little strange, but would you be available tomorrow sometime to have a quick coffee with me?”
“I think so. What’s this about? It’s not about Olivia, is it?”
Katie should have led with “Your kid is fine.” “No, it has nothing to do with Olivia. I just wanted to pick your brain a little bit.”
“Okay,” Alicia said. Katie could hear the wariness in her voice. “I don’t have to go to work until noon. I could meet you somewhere in town. I’d have to bring the baby.”
“That’s perfect,” Katie said. “How about nine thirty at the Purple Parrot?”
“Okay, I’ll see you then.”
Katie clicked the phone off and smiled at Caleb. “She’ll meet me tomorrow.”
“Yes, I heard,” Caleb said. “How are you going to spin this?”
“Spin?”
“You can’t just sit down with someone and begin quizzing them about their past. I know that’s what you do at work, but how are you going to get her to tell you anything about Eugene?”
“I guess I’ll have to wing it.”
19
Katie blew into the Purple Parrot on a gust of wind and had to fight to pull the door shut behind her. It had been a mild October so far, but the wind warned of the winter to come.
She ordered a pot of tea from Sheila Kazinksy (one of her patients—Katie was still not used to seeing them in the wild) and found a table by the window with two comfy armchairs upholstered in deep purple and canary yellow. She was glad to see that there were only a few customers in the room during this lull between the breakfast and lunch rushes. She didn’t want any eavesdroppers, even though she knew that by meeting in public, everyone would know she had been talking to Alicia.
Alicia arrived just as Sheila set Katie’s tea on the side table. The baby’s cheeks were red from the wind, but she was laughing and gurgling. Alicia spotted Katie and came to the cozy corner. She asked Sheila for a hot chocolate and began stripping the coat and hat off the baby.
Olivia regarded Katie with a mixture of recognition and vague wariness, as if she couldn’t quite remember how she knew this new person. Katie smiled and waved and Olivia grinned back, reassured.
“Thank you for meeting me,” Katie said. “I didn’t know it would be quite so blustery.”
“We try to go out every day whatever the weather, so Olivia is used to it.”
Sheila returned to the table with a hot chocolate and a small cookie. “Can Olivia have this?”
Olivia reached for the plate as Alicia nodded. “She’d be very upset if I said no!”
Sheila grinned. “Oh, I know. Who wouldn’t be? Nobody turns down a free cookie.”
Katie watched the easy rapport between the two women and realized they were of a similar age. She wondered if they had been in school together.
“How long have you two known each other?” Katie asked.
They exchanged a glance. “Since Alicia talked me into making mud pies in my best dress when we were about three.”
They laughed.
“She’s been getting me in trouble ever since,” said Sheila. She turned to Olivia and said, “You keep an eye on your mama.”
Alicia shook her head. “I’m not that bad.”
“No, not anymore,” said Sheila. “Domestic bliss has put a damper on your rebellious streak.”
“That and sleep deprivation,” Alicia said ruefully.
“Is she still not sleeping through the night?” Katie asked. It had been a major part of their well-child visit a few weeks before.
“It’s getting better, actually.” Alicia said. “I think she sleeps thr
ough about four times a week. Of course, that means she wakes up at five, but I’ll take whatever I can get.”
Sheila waved and went back to the counter to cash out her customers.
“I’m glad she’s settling down for you,” Katie said.
“So, what can I do for you?” Alicia sipped her hot chocolate and set it down out of reach of Olivia’s inquisitive hands. She broke off a piece of the cookie and handed it to the baby.
Katie took a deep breath. It was always better to get right to the point.
“You’ve probably heard about the missing U of M student, Taylor Knox,” Katie said. When Alicia nodded, Katie continued. “She worked with me over the summer, and I’ve been trying to figure out what could have happened.”
“I met her a couple of weeks ago,” Alicia said.
“You did?”
“She said she was doing a project for school and wanted to talk to me about Eugene Lowe and … all of the stuff that happened.”
“That’s kind of why I want to talk to you,” Katie said. Something stopped her from telling Alicia that she thought Taylor might have found out something about that old case that put her in danger. “I’ve been trying to talk to people who had contact with her just before she disappeared. I knew she was looking into Eugene’s case.”
“I don’t see how her research could have anything to do with her disappearance. The case is old and Eugene is out of prison now. What could she possibly have discovered that would be dangerous?”
“I don’t know. That’s why I’m trying to piece things together.”
“Dr. LeClair, I understand you liked this girl, but how are you going to find her if the police can’t?”
Katie shrugged. “You’re probably right, but I can’t just wait around for something to happen. I feel like retracing her steps might lead to something.”
“She came to talk to me, and I did my best to tell her what I remembered. The truth is, I’ve tried to block most of it out. Eugene and I were good friends, and I was devastated when he went to prison. I couldn’t believe that he could ever hurt anyone, but I guess you just don’t always know people—even the ones you are close to.”
“You think he was guilty?” Katie leaned forward. She hadn’t expected this. Everyone she had talked to so far had had doubts.
Alicia shrugged. “Like I said, I tried not to think about it. The whole thing spiraled out of control. My father refused to let us see each other, Eugene was so unhappy, and I just had to get away. I’ve always wondered if things would have turned out differently if I had just stayed in Baxter that fall.”
Olivia started to fuss when she dropped a piece of cookie. Alicia gave her a new one and the baby settled.
“Why would that have made a difference?”
“I think he followed me,” she said.
“Was he stalking you?”
Alicia laughed. “God, no. We were friends. I was probably his only friend early in high school.” Her face softened. “He was a really sweet guy. We both loved alternative music and walking in the woods. We just clicked.” Alicia stared over Katie’s shoulder, lost in memory. She met Katie’s eyes. “And then everything went wrong.”
Katie waited, hoping there would be more.
Alicia sipped at her cocoa and made a face. “Still hot.” She looked around the restaurant and finally at Katie. “My father didn’t approve of our friendship.” She held her hand up when Katie started to speak. “I really don’t know why, and then there was the whole misunderstanding about Eugene breaking into our house.”
“What actually happened?”
Alicia hesitated, and then Katie thought she saw her come to a decision.
Alicia said, “I had to get away from my dad. His accusations and criticism of Eugene were too much for me. I went to Ann Arbor and crashed with my friend, Heather Stone. She was a couple years older and had an apartment on campus. I know it was cowardly and I shouldn’t have done it.”
Katie had meant “what actually happened that led to Eugene having a restraining order against him,” but it was interesting that Alicia chose to skip over that part of the story.
Alicia tried her hot chocolate again, and this time she gulped it down while Olivia tried to pull the mug away.
“Eugene must have followed me. That’s the only reason I can think of for him being in Ann Arbor.” She shrugged. “He didn’t even know Heather.”
“Did you tell Taylor all of this?”
“Most of it. She wanted to talk to Nathan too. He was there that night. At the party. In fact, that was when we first started seeing each other.”
“Do you know if she ever got a chance to talk to him?”
“I think she met him at his office sometime last week.” Alicia deliberately checked her watch. “I’d have to ask. We don’t talk about any of that if we can avoid it.”
Olivia’s cookie was gone and she started fussing. Alicia bounced her knee to try to soothe the baby. Alicia’s phone rang. She rummaged in her large bag, taking out baby wipes, lip gloss, plastic keys, a small stuffed cat (immediately grabbed by Olivia), and finally her phone, which had stopped ringing. Alicia checked the call log.
“That was work. I’d better call them back.” She clutched the phone and handed Olivia the last piece of cookie.
“Sure, go ahead,” Katie said.
“Will you watch Olivia for a minute?” She stood and plopped the baby in Katie’s lap.
Katie nodded, but as she watched Olivia’s face crumple when her mom stepped away from the table, she had a sinking feeling that she would get no more out of Alicia at this meeting.
20
Katie left the Purple Parrot feeling out of sorts. It wasn’t like she’d expected a full rundown of Alicia’s past with Eugene, except that that was exactly what she’d been hoping for. As a doctor, it was easy to get information. People wanted to share every detail of their illness and sometimes every detail of their lives with their doctors. But in conducting her own investigation of Taylor’s movements and Eugene’s past with nothing to recommend her other than her dubious charm, Katie was at a loss on how to proceed.
She checked her phone and saw she had missed a call from Matt. She hoped he wasn’t bailing on her for the afternoon. Debra had corralled them both into working on the Halloween festival committee. She had initially appealed to their vanity by saying how much it would mean to the committee to have such respected doctors helping out. When that didn’t work, she’d enlisted Emmett, who had suggested it would be a way to get some good PR after the events of September, when she had worked to prove her patient’s suicide was actually murder and uncovered old secrets in the process. At the same time she had uncovered some problems within her own practice. Katie had finally given in to Emmett’s request about the Halloween festival and dragged Matt along with her.
She listened to the voicemail and smiled when she heard he wanted to have lunch to “fortify themselves” before the meeting. She glanced at the time and sent a quick text saying she would meet him at noon at Pete’s Sandwich Shop.
She had a couple of hours before she had to meet Matt.
She felt strongly that Taylor’s disappearance was directly related to Eugene’s old case. The timing of Eugene’s release from prison, Taylor’s disappearance, and the threats against Eugene seemed connected. Katie had noted Eugene’s address when he came to see her at the clinic. She wanted a sense of the neighborhood to understand better what might be going on.
As if of its own volition, her Subaru steered its way toward Eugene’s house. She knew this was unusual, but Gretchen had come to see her at work. Would she mind Katie dropping by to question her about her son?
Katie parked and locked her car. She stood across the street from the Lowe house. It looked like it had seen better days. The lawn was patchy and some of the bushes were prematurely brown. It was a small two-story, painted gray, but peeling near the roofline. Katie saw that the garage door had been recently painted, but it was streaky, as if someone had j
ust slapped the paint on the door.
She climbed the wooden steps to the porch and rang the bell. She heard footsteps from inside and adjusted her expression to one of friendly curiosity.
“Oh, Dr. LeClair,” Gretchen said. “I didn’t expect you.” Gretchen peeked out the door and glanced up and down the street. “Come in, please.”
“Thank you.” Katie said.
The entryway was dark, and Katie realized that all the curtains on the front of the house were drawn closed. Gretchen gestured for Katie to follow her toward the back of the house to the kitchen.
“Have a seat,” Gretchen said, and gestured to the small table. “Can I get you some coffee?”
Katie didn’t want any more coffee, but she agreed. After Gretchen had finished bustling about getting the mugs, cream, and sugar, she sat and poured coffee for them both from a carafe.
Katie took a sip and was surprised at how good it was.
Gretchen sipped her coffee and looked expectantly at Katie.
“Is your son here?”
“No, he went out somewhere in his truck.” Gretchen flapped her hand. “He loves that old thing. Honestly, I don’t know where he goes. I worry he’s going to end up breaking down along the highway somewhere. Or maybe rusty pieces will start falling off of it.”
“I wanted to follow up on our conversation from the other day at the clinic.”
“Okay.” Gretchen looked pleased at Katie’s interest.
“Can you tell me any more about what happened all those years ago? Did Eugene ever talk to you about what happened?”
“He did,” Gretchen said. “He told me and everyone who would listen. He said he stumbled upon that girl’s body on his way back to a party. He’d gotten it in his head that he would bring Alicia home and be the hero. He thought he could win over Franklin Stewart that way.” Gretchen shook her head. “He was a tyrant. I know it’s not right to say it, but I was relieved when he passed away. The whole neighborhood seemed to lighten when he died. Of course, that was before Gene came home and these recent troubles started.”
“Why did Franklin Stewart dislike Eugene so much?”
