Page 128 of The Unravelings

“Dr. Chris Chambers,” I say aloud, looking through the clipping. “Was arrested this morning after investigators found evidence hidden in the basement of his walk-in clinic, alluding to illegal surgical procedures and medical practices. He was a beloved doctor, husband, and father.” My nose wrinkles at the picture of him accompanying the article. Deep, dark black eyes. Graying hair. Wrinkly face. Looking a lot older than he actually is.

“It happened like five years ago. After Doc Chambers got off scot-free from whatever crimes they thought he committed, he left town. But he maintained ownership of the buildings and leased the space to that bar.” Mack flips through a few more pages and lays them on the table. “His son took over the lease and built that bar.”

I swallow hard. The only person that comes to mind is Nick. The bartender. The same man who asked me what college I was going to and then explained his business degree. The one he got so he could build that bar.

“The bartender. He owns it…” I trail off, remembering the bewildered look in Nick’s eyes when Malic entered the bar. And the way Nick practically ate me alive and invited me into his apartment in the basement of the bar. Fuck. He invited me into the damn basement for a good time. Sweat forms on my palms.

What if…

“Yeah, that prick. Nickolas Chambers. Have you been there? Why the fuck are you looking so pale?” Mack scrunches his nose as he looks me over with an unimpressed glance. “Dude, you better not fucking puke at the table.”

I clear my throat, trying to get those thoughts out of my head. “No reason,” I say, shaking my head. “And I’m fine.”

“Great. Grand. Glad we have that established,” Mack quips, rolling his eyes.

“Fuck. Sorry, I’m late,” Wilder announces, entering the room and tearing through the weird tension sitting between Mack and me. He hurriedly takes the seat next to Mack without thought and loosens the tie around his throat with a heavy sigh. He runs his fingers along the corner of his black suit jacket, unbuttoning it to reveal the crisp white shirt beneath.

“This is a group project, bro. What was more important than…” Mack trails off, the barb still on the tip of his tongue, as he takes Wilder’s appearance in. “The fuck you in a suit for?”

“Funeral,” Wilder grumbles, running his hands over the top of his head, gliding over the fine hairs of his nearly bald head.

Mack stiffens. “She didn’t die, did she?” His voice lowers with every word he says as worry lines pull at his face.

Wilder stops his movements, glaring at Mack. “If you’re asking if Mom is still kicking, the answer is yes. Fucking barely,” he mutters the last part, squeezing his eyes shut.

“Then who the fuck died?” Mack asks with a scoff.

Wilder pinches the bridge of his nose. “I’m running on three hours of sleep, asshole. Let’s be fucking civil. It was Malic’s sister, Meredith. That’s all I’m saying.” He cuts Mack a look.

All the breath leaves my lungs at the sound of her name again. I never knew her, but everyone at this table does. JJ’s words from before about Meredith going missing and her knowing things about the organ donors come to mind. Fuck.

Mack stiffens at his words and his brows furrow. “Oh, fuck. Right. The pictures on SlamApp,” he murmurs, rubbing at his chest as the color slightly drains from his face. “I’m sorry she died,” he says sympathetically, with sadness crossing his features. “It sucks she died.”

“Yeah,” Wilder sighs. “It does.”

There’s a beat of silence between the three of us as Wilder squeezes his eyes shut and leans his head back. “Okay, let’s get through this. Catch me up on what’s happening,” he says, straightening his shoulders.

Mack licks his lips, digging through more papers. “So anyway, this was Dr. Chambers’ entire transcript from his trial that never went anywhere. He settled for whatever out of court.” He pushes the stack into the middle of the table. “My bet?” Mack throws an excited look between the two of us. “I don’t think this asshole ever ceased operations. I mean, I looked into him, and he completely disappeared off the face of the planet.” Mack shrugs. “Like he didn’t go anywhere new. Didn’t start over. Just disappeared. The only proof he was here is his fucking kid running that bar.”

“Dr. Chambers?” Wilder asks, rubbing his brow. “That doctor who got caught up in the medical malpractice shit? I remember they arrested him and then…” He trails off. “Well, nothing. That was like what? Five years ago?”

“Exactly,” Mack says in agreement for the first time in his entire fucking life. “That’s the asshole who owned the medical group before it turned into that fucking bar. Our guy was found behind what’s the name of it?” He looks at me.

“X Marks the Spot,” I say softly, cringing when Wilder shifts in his seat.

“That’s the last fucking place Meredith was seen with your asshole friend, by the way.” He glares at Mack again.

“Don’t fucking blame me for her coming to the better people for fucking help, dude. I’m fucking sorry she died. She was… She was nice. Didn’t seem like she was caught up in this fucking bullshit.”

“She was nice.” Wilder doesn’t seem to argue. “She seriously only came to you guys for help? Nothing else? Money? Why the fuck…” He trails off, grasping for answers I don’t think he’ll get.

Mack snorts, shaking his head. “She was worried, bro. Worried that something was happening because of the guy you work for, or hell, maybe it’s my asshole boss.” He tosses his hands in the air. “Either way, some fuck head in this town is doing some bullshit, and my guess is it started with this fucking doctor and our project.” He shrugs, slumping in his seat with a groan. “Fuck,” he whines, looking at his smartwatch with a frown. “I’ve got class.” He gathers the papers he brought and puts them in his folder. “Same place and time next week? I’ll let you know if I can get out of all my other bullshit to finish this shit ASAP.” He raises a brow at each of us.

“Yeah, sounds good,” I agree.

“Good. See you assholes later.” And without a backward glance, Mack limps out of the study room and disappears into the stacks of books as quickly as he came.

“What a fucking delight,” Wilder jokes, shaking his head again.