Page 47

"Sorry about that, Rachel," he said.

"No problem."

"I'd like Naomi to sit in, if you don't mind. She had an interesting conversation with Lieutenant Harris about her tremors."

"What was that about?" she asked Naomi as they sat down on the chairs in front of Ethan's desk.

"She mentioned to me that her building has a rooftop garden, and it's been very therapeutic for her to dig her hands in the dirt," Naomi said. "The more we talked about that, the more I realized how much time her hands were in the soil."

"There's something in the dirt," she said, realizing where this was going.

Naomi nodded, a gleam in her eyes. "They've been using special soil that they got from a new supplier upstate. It was cheaper and supposed to be free of pesticides, but I think we should get it tested."

"That's a great idea," she said, turning to Ethan. "Looks like Naomi did all the heavy lifting."

Ethan smiled. "She's the best PA I've ever had. It's a good theory, but if it doesn't pan out, we'll be back to square one."

She nodded, wondering why Ethan had wanted a consult when he could have texted her that information. "Is there anything else we need to discuss?"

"Do you have any updates on Mr. Barrone?" Ethan asked.

"The security office has a video of him getting into a van with someone wearing scrubs. It was impossible to identify that person. But it appears they helped him leave the hospital when the fire alarm went off."

"That's surprising," Ethan said. "Someone on our staff?"

"I don't know. I would assume so."

Ethan sat back in his chair, giving her a thoughtful look. "I have to say I'm surprised. I thought maybe Mr. Barrone had just walked out during the alarm, but that's not what happened."

"Was the fire set to cover his departure?" Naomi asked curiously. "But why would anyone need to do that to just take him out of the building? It's not like we can stop anyone from leaving if they want to go."

"I have no idea."

"Well, it sounds like he's all right," Ethan said. "That's the important thing. There's no crime in leaving the hospital against medical advice. He's not the first to walk away. He won't be the last."

"That's true," she agreed. "But the day after he left the hospital, someone put a bomb in his apartment. Fortunately, he wasn't there when it went off, but it looks like someone was trying to kill him."

Her words drew shocked looks from both Naomi and Ethan.

"Are you serious?" Ethan asked.

"That's crazy," Naomi put in. "Why would anyone do that?"

"No one knows. One of his friends told me that he might have sought treatment at a different facility. I'm not sure what facility that would be, but I'd really like to know."

"You've spoken to a friend of his?" Ethan asked. "You're getting very involved in this, Rachel. Why?"

"He was my patient, and after seeing the condition he was in Thursday night, and hearing about this bomb, I believe he's in trouble."

"What about the police?" Naomi asked. "They must be involved now after what happened at his apartment."

"They're investigating that incident and what happened here. Hopefully, they can tie them together. Anyway, I should get going. Let me know what happens with Ms. Harris and the soil sample."

"I'll text you as soon as we get the results," Naomi said.

After leaving Ethan's office, she had second thoughts about how much she'd told them. She doubted the information would stay just with them, and she probably should have kept it to herself. But she'd also wanted to see Ethan's reaction. It seemed like he'd called her to the consult because he wanted information on Jack and not because of their mutual patient.

He'd reacted with complete shock, so that hadn't told her much. And she didn't know why she would even contemplate the idea that he was involved in anything. She was probably just on edge and overthinking every word anyone said.