Page 161 of Reeves

The Final Stretch:The band plays louder near the end of the route. The second line dances harder. The procession saves something for the last blocks.

I setthe phone down on the kitchen counter and stare at the screen for ten seconds before it goes black. The house stays quiet around me.

Maybe.

The word sits there, but I heard something underneath it. It wasn't hesitation, but consideration. The kind that means she's already leaning toward yes, but needs to feel like she chose it herself.

I walk to the living room and check the time on my watch. Three fifteen. If they come tonight, Benjy could see the bunker before dinner. If they come tomorrow, we could go to the museum and still get him back for whatever evening routine Charli runs.

My phone vibrates against the counter, and I'm back in thekitchen before the second ring, hoping it's Charli to say they're coming.

It's Gabe, and I can barely get the phone to my ear before I answer.

"Tell me you've got something."

"I think I do. Got a second?”

"Shoot."

"I didn't touch Medicaid. Started from the outside and worked in. Turns out Charli's business server's not locked down the way it should be, so I was able to get into her emails." Gabe's voice carries that edge it gets when he's found something he doesn't like.

I lean against the counter, phone pressed to my ear. His tone makes my shoulders tense, bracing for whatever he's about to tell me.

Next on my list is to make sure Charli has better cybersecurity. But first, this.

"Spit it out."

"I saw emails between Charli and a company called MedSouth Pediatric Partners about them wanting to acquire her practice. So I decided to dig a little more about them. And bingo."

I wait for him to finish.

"They're buying up smaller therapy practices all over the Gulf Coast region. When I got into their network, which was also so easy a middle school computer nerd could do, I found a treasure trove of shit."

"Spit it out, Gabe."

"I saw internal email chains about 'outreach timing' and 'flagged accounts.' They track smaller practices before they make acquisition offers, and then increase pressure when they don't say yes."

"Uh, huh."

"Get this. This guy, Dr. Henderson, shows up tied to Medicaid fraud escalations more than it should."

"I'm not reading between the lines, here."

"I can’t prove it. But the timing lines up with your girl's practice and others they had their sights on. Same timeline: They make an offer, if no bite, then a flag gets raised, pressure builds, and then they swoop in and save the day."

Your girl.The words stick for a second, but I push past them.

"So you think this Henderson guy filed a complaint so that Medicaid would flag Charli's practice to get her to sell to them?"

"I don't have proof, but the circumstantial evidence is pretty damning."

"Fucking A. Where's this guy's office? In Bay St. Louis?"

"Actually, his office is off Poydras in New Orleans."

I close my eyes and run my free hand over the back of my neck. The pieces lock together, making me clench my teeth.

"Reeves, you there?"