Coming In Hot Box Set

by Gina Kincade

  A moment of chilled silence fastened each of us to our seats.

  “Now! Get out!” he screamed.

  The room erupted with commotion as chairs slid back blocking the runaway train of expensive suit wearing corporate attorneys and executives. I ducked to avoid an elbow to the back of the head as they scurried behind me heading for the nearest exit.

  When the final person left the room, I held my breath, anticipating the barrage of questions that were sure to follow.

  “How did this happen?” Stephen’s hand trembled as he brought it to his sweat covered forehead.

  “Do you really want me to spell it out for you?” I asked.

  His cold stare didn’t bother me. I’d seen it before and knew I’d see it again as long as he continued with his deadly plans.

  “Did you see him?” He scrubbed his face with the back of his hand.

  “No, they wouldn’t let us anywhere near him. When we walked in, two doctors were at the nurse’s station in front of his room. One tried to pretend he was being moved to ICU, but our connection had already told us about his death.”

  “So, you have no idea what he had with him or on him?” Stephen rifled through the papers in front of him.

  “Nope,” I answered, shoving another pile of papers in front of him. “It’s done. What can we do about it now?”

  After a long sigh, Stephen said the most sensible thing I’d heard him say in the six months since I accepted this position. “We mourn.”

  I refrained from responding, wondering if he meant we should mourn the unfortunate loss of life or mourn the loss of countless man hours and secrets that will never be retrieved as a result of Isaac’s death.

  “What were the doctor’s names?” Stephen’s question surprised me.

  Flustered, I tried to pull their names out of my mind. “I don’t think I ever got one of their names, but the other one, her name was Moreno. A pretty gal with red hair and big, hazel eyes.”

  He narrowed his hollow brown eyes at me. “I didn’t ask you to assess them; I asked you to get past them and retrieve Isaac’s phone. Did you manage to do that while you were investigating the red-headed doctor?”

  I ignored his sarcasm. “No, I told you, they stopped us before we had a chance to see Isaac. They asked us to leave. Dr. Moreno said something about us needing to wait for the family to arrive.” I stood up, signaling my intention to end this conversation.

  Stephen’s elbows hit the top of the table, shaking it. “Did you take care of them?”

  I moved toward the door. “I handled it. By the way, they’re going to need to be paid. Their performance was brilliant. Hell, they even convinced me they were Isaac’s beloved family members.”

  He didn’t have to utter another word; the twitching brow told me he was at his wit’s end. It was time to make my exit.

  The door slammed shut behind me. I didn’t flinch, expecting it. To Stephen’s secretary, I said, “When he comes out, tell him I went to check on a certain redhead friend of mine. He’ll know what it means.”

  A slight nod to the support staff members and I was on my way down the long hallway to my office, overlooking the city skyline.

  My receptionist Delia let the romance novel she was reading fall to her lap as I walked into the reception area. “Hey, how did it go with Old Yell--”

  I held the palm of my hand up. “Not now. I have phone calls to make. Keep people away from me for the rest of the day, and for the love of who-knows-what, keep Stephen away from me. If he asks, I’m not here.”

  Delia whined, “But it’s only nine o’clock in the morning. How am I going to keep people away for the whole day?

  “Figure it out. Isn’t that what your Uncle Stephen is paying you to do?”

  I pulled the drapes closed as soon as I walked into the room, needing to block all distractions as I tried to figure out how to approach the doctor and find out what killed Isaac. I had a sneaking suspicion I knew what it was, but I needed concrete evidence to prove it.

  “Community Hospital Emergency Department. This is Tami. How can I help you?”

  “Tami?” I used the friendliest tone I could muster considering the circumstances. “How are you this beautiful morning?”

  Her pitch went up two octaves as she answered. “Fine. Great. What can I help you with?”

  Almost there.

  “My name is… Dr. Alexander. I’m returning a phone call from a Dr. Moreno. Is she available?” I checked the time on my phone, figuring the doctor would have gone home for the day, but to my surprise, the gal who answered the phone asked me to hold while she located her.

  C’mon, Reese, think. How are you going to pull this off?

  “Dr. Moreno here. How can I help you?” She sounded out of breath.

  “Hello. This is Reese Alexander--” I started.

  “Yes, what can I help you with?” She interrupted me.

  “I was wondering if you might have some information regarding Dr. Brooks?” I avoided using the term death because she had been so adamant that Isaac was merely ill, not dead. I didn’t want to revisit my poor choice of words I used before leaving her company earlier.

  “Ah, Mr. Alexander--”

  “Reese,” I corrected her.

  “Mr. Alexander, I’m sorry, but I can’t disclose information about my patients without their consent,” she explained.

  I needed to try another approach. “I apologize. I know those are the rules, but here’s the thing, Dr. Brooks and I were close friends. This isn’t business for me. I am concerned. I’m sure you can understand that,” I said.

  “I’m sure, I don’t,” she replied.

  Now, what?

  “You got me. The truth is, I was wondering if you’d like to have lunch with me sometime?” Rational thinker was never a moniker used to describe me. This would surely end in disaster.

  She stammered, “Um, what? Excuse me… I don’t …”

  “My apologies for being so blunt, but I could see I was failing so I threw a Hail Mary,” I offered.

  “I’m your Hail Mary? Well, thanks, but no thanks. No offense, but I don’t know you or anything about you. I’m sure you’re a nice guy, but I really have no way of knowing for sure,” she said.

  What was I thinking? She was already making things complicated. “Dating is how you get to know someone.”

  A quick chuckle and I thought I’d won her over with my charm, but she proved me wrong.

  “No, thank you. I only date men I like. Now, have a good day, Mr. Alexander.”

  She hung up.

  My head hit the desk less than a second after her abrupt disconnection. I’d failed big time on many fronts. In the span of fifteen minutes, I’d managed to anger my boss and alienate a pretty woman. Yep, today was shaping up to be a great day.

  I must have dozed off because when my phone rang, I bolted up out of my seat like the fire alarm had gone off.

  “Hello?” I managed as I fumbled with the phone.

  “There’s a Dr. Moreno on line one for you,” Delia said, the sound of gum smacking like thunder in my ears.

  Still groggy, I asked, “Are you sure?”

  “Yes, I’m pretty sure. Do you want me to ask her name again to clarify?”

  No, but I could really use some coffee. “No, that’s okay. I know who she is. Put her through,” I said, straightening my tie as if the lovely doctor would see me through the phone.

  “Dr. Moreno,” I greeted her as if our last conversation had never happened. “What can I help you with?”

  Her giggle sounded menacing. “Why did you ask me to lunch?”

  Alarm bells went off in my head. Now what was I going to say? I couldn’t tell her the only reason I asked is because I panicked. I couldn’t let on that my company, and more specifically, my bosses, were in an uproar, fearing we’d be exposed. “Don’t you eat lunch?” I threw a question back at her.

  “Funny, but answer the question. I’m a little out of practice, but to the best of my recollection
, an invitation to lunch is a cop-out. A lunch date gives you a ready-made excuse to leave in case something goes wrong or you end up not liking the person. So, tell me, which one of those is the reason you invited me to lunch instead of dinner?”

  Why did women always read too much into everything? It was lunch not the rest of her life. “We’re both busy people with unpredictable hours, I thought lunch would be easier to manage,” I offered, hoping she’d decline again because I didn’t have the energy for this and I definitely didn’t have a good plan set in place to pull off a Houdini-esque escape if it became necessary.

  “Deflection? I don’t buy it. I think you tried to use me to get information and when that didn’t work, you pulled the I’ll make her think I like her card. Yeah, real cute, but nope, not happening. And, what is this about you being Dr. Alexander. Did you graduate from medical school overnight? I’m too old, too cranky, and way too successful to fall for that line of--”

  “Whoa!” Now I was getting offended. Who did she think she was speaking to? “It’s just a lunch invitation. You don’t have to get snarky about it. Let me do us both a favor and forget it. I take the invitation back. Forget it ever happened. Now, it’s my turn to say, have a good day, Dr. Moreno.” Hanging up on someone had never been more satisfying. I haven’t said this often, if at all, about a woman, but she was one huge jerk.

  I didn’t get a moment to catch my breath before Stephen crashed through my door, followed by two of the lead scientists, the masterminds behind our deadly operation. “They asked for an autopsy!” Stephen spoke through clenched teeth. “An autopsy! I thought you said the family had been taken care of; who the hell ordered an autopsy?”

  How was I supposed to know? I was too busy debating dates with the hot-headed emergency room doctor. “I have no idea what you’re talking about. How do you know an autopsy was ordered?”

  Stephen’s beady eyes shrunk to slits. “Are you that dense? I thought you were the best in the business. I thought you knew how to handle these things. We have people everywhere. Someone told me.” Sweat dripped down his long nose.

  Ben, or Dr. Jackass as I liked to call him, answered my question. “We have someone on the inside. They informed us that an autopsy would be performed.”

  I sank back in my seat. “How did that happen?”

  Stephen responded, “That’s what you’ll have to find out. You have until the end of the day.” He and his two over-sized minions turned abruptly and walked out the door.

  Chapter Three – Delilah

  “Something is wrong here. I can feel it in my bones,” I explained as best as I could.

  “Yeah, he died. It can’t get any worse, can it?” Amber joked.

  “Sometimes I wonder why you chose this profession. Was it just to torture your co-workers or to make fun of me?”

  “I’m not making fun of anyone. All I’m saying is why are you all worked up over some stranger? I mean, aside from the obvious reason; that lawyer was smoking hot!”

  My beeper went off. “Saved by the bell. Thank God! I don’t know if I could stand another minute of your nonsense. Enjoy your dinner.” I made my way down the corridor to see what was awaiting me in the E.R. I hoped whatever it was wouldn’t cause me to lose any sleep like Dr. Brooks’ case.

  I noticed him right away. What’s he doing here?

  “Good evening, Dr. Moreno,” Reese offered with a Cheshire grin on his face.

  I sighed, already exhausted by his presence. “Yes?”

  He took a step closer to me, close enough to make me nervous. “I have to admit, I’m a bit disappointed by your lackluster welcome, but I guess my heart will mend. In time.”

  Why did he have to be so full of himself? “I assume you’re here for a reason. Why don’t you tell me what it is you want? I’m a little busy here.” I didn’t mean to sound rude. I wanted to sound firm, sure of myself, but the way he looked at me -- through me -- made my knees weak. Normally, I wasn’t one to be flustered by a handsome man, but something about this man was both titillating and unnerving.

  His broad shoulders slumped. Had I defeated him? “The truth is; I’m having a difficult time concentrating.”

  “Meditation helps.” Where did that come from? What was wrong with me?

  Even his laugh was too sexy for words. “Yes, I’ve heard good things about meditation, but you know what else I’ve heard?” He licked his lips.

  I gulped. “Therapy?” I wanted to kick myself. What was I doing?

  Another chuckle and he said, “Yes, I suppose, but from what I’ve heard, the best kind of therapy doesn’t involve lying on a couch, lamenting about your childhood. They say friendships -- having meaningful relationships with others -- helps tremendously.”

  I gulped again. “Is there a point here? I’m not a trained therapist. I don’t know what you want from me.”

  He licked his luscious lips again. “What I want is simple. Well, simple enough, I hope.”

  I stammered. “I… What…”

  “Since you won’t have lunch with me, how about dinner? I’d like to take you to dinner.” The corners of his lips quirked up, giving way to a small dimple on his right cheek. I focused on the dimple like my life depended on it.

  “I--”

  “Before you tell me know, I want to say, it’s just dinner. I’m not asking for any more than that. I haven’t been able to get you off my mind since I met you--”

  “But, we just met, and under rather unusual circumstances. I already told you, I can’t… shouldn’t…” I couldn’t find the right words. I’d never been inclined to date anyone I’d met at work. I’d heard too many horror stories of how often things went bad in those situations, yet still, declining his invitation made my chest hurt.

  “We’re not dating. That’s not what I’m asking you. Look, you have to eat. Consider it, two acquaintances getting together to enjoy a meal,” he suggested.

  “At the same place while seated at the same table?” Why did I have to point out the obvious? I was smarter than that.

  Like a strong gust of wind, Amber rushed through the small desk area, nearly plowing into me. “This place is nuts!” Still in motion like a twister, she went on to complain, “The guy in room three is drunk out of his mind. The lady in room five will not listen to reason and, I’m pretty sure, the young guy in six was sent here to ruin my life.” Finally, she noticed Reese standing there watching her with a wide grin on his face. “Oh, shit! Hi! How are you?”

  “Hello,” he said. “Busy day?”

  She blushed, tucking a loose strand of hair behind her ear as she caught her breath. “Yes, and we just got here. I apologize for my tirade. I came in here like a Tasmanian devil. I’m sorry.”

  Did she just apologize to him for doing her job? Who was this woman and what had she done with my friend?

  “Yeah, like I said, things are busy here. It was nice to see you again, but I have patients to see,” I said, willing my feet to move as fast as my mouth was moving.

  “About dinner? What time should I pick you up?” Reese grinned from ear-to-ear. Amber hadn’t distracted him enough to forget.

  Amber smiled a mischievous smile. “Oh, you’re having dinner together? You should try that new Italian place over on Pembroke.”

  I turned my back to Reese to glare in Amber’s direction. “I doubt I’ll have time to eat today.”

  “You have to eat,” Amber and Reese spoke at the same time.

  My glare turned into a deep scowl, but Amber didn’t flinch. “It will be fine. It’s just dinner. How long could that take -- an hour? Big deal.”

  It was a very big deal in my book. I didn’t want to go to dinner with Reese. I didn’t know anything about him. Besides, I’d intended to find out more information about what happened to Dr. Brooks not eat a sandwich with a perfect stranger, no matter how gorgeous he was or nicely how his expensive suit hugged his muscular frame in all the right places.

  Reese tried again, citing Amber’s remarks, “She’s right. It’s
just dinner. How can you be the best for your patients if you haven’t taken care of yourself first?”

  I didn’t appreciate being ganged up on and I let him know. “I take care of myself just fine. Again, thank you for the offer, but I won’t have time to have dinner with you tonight or--”

  “Don’t say it,” Reese warned, poking his finger up into the air. “Please don’t rule out the possibility of a future date. I’ll accept your decision now, but believe me when I tell you, I can be quite persuasive when I want to be.”

  There was no doubt in my mind he was telling the truth there. How could a man who looked like him be denied? I didn’t imagine it happened often. “I doubt that will work,” I said, not wanting him to know the truth about what I believed.

  He smiled again, a hint of disappointment on his face. “Okay. I won’t press it any further. For now, before you go, I was wondering if you have any information about Dr. Brooks?”

  I swallowed hard. “I’m afraid not.” I avoided making eye contact for fear my eyes would say too much. Dr. Brooks’ death baffled me in ways I’d never experienced before. I fully intended to research further, partially hopeful that what happened to him was the result of an undiagnosed illness or anything that wouldn’t point to me being at fault for missing a crucial piece of evidence.

  As Reese opened the door to leave, Dr. Jordan ran in, slamming into Reese’s chest.

  “Sorry,” Dr. Jordan offered, looking wide-eyed as if he’d seen a ghost.

  I stopped in my tracks, amused by his disheveled appearance. “Have you been awake you been here all night?” I asked.

  Pushing his damp hair off his forehead, he answered, “I found something about your dead doctor. Do you have a minute? You’re not going to believe this!”

  Chapter Four – Reese

  “I’d be interested in learning what you found out,” I said.

  “Sir… I mean, Reese,” Dr. Moreno said, her eyes wide like disks, obviously unaware I’d reentered the emergency room. “If there’s anything significant the family would like us to share with you, someone will be in contact. Again, it was so nice to see you, but if you’ll please excuse us, we have to--”