Page 48

Feeling hungry, she headed to the break room and took out Lily's mom's dumplings. She heated them up in the microwave and sat down at the table. It was a little after the usual lunch rush, so she had the room to herself. The dumplings were incredibly delicious and made her want to try making them sometime. She'd just finished her meal when Rick Morgan walked in. She hadn't seen him since they'd worked together in the ER.

"Rachel. Just the person I was looking for," he said with a smile.

"Do you need something?"

"I haven't had a chance to talk to you about Jack Barrone and how he disappeared from the hospital. I spoke to security. They told me you were asking for video clips, and they mentioned that they had found one of him leaving the hospital."

"With someone dressed in scrubs," she said. "Unfortunately, they couldn't identify the person or the van he got into."

Rick gave her a puzzled look. "I don't understand what happened. Do you?"

"No. But I'm trying to figure it out. I'm not sure Mr. Barrone left of his own accord."

"What does that mean? Are you saying he was kidnapped?" Doubt filled his brown eyes.

"I wouldn't use that word. But it doesn't make sense to me that he was strong enough to leave on his own. You saw him after I did. What do you think?"

"That he was in a weakened state, which is why I was surprised when I found out he'd left."

"Did he say anything to you when he woke up that night? I know you felt that he was calm enough to be taken out of his restraints."

"Perhaps that was a poor choice," he said with a frown. "I did believe he had calmed down, and I didn't see any reason to keep him restrained. He didn't say much, except that he was exhausted and he wanted to sleep. In fact, he repeated that several times, that he just wanted to be left alone so he could sleep. Which is why it's difficult to believe he got dressed and walked out thirty minutes later."

"I don't get it, either." She didn't mention the bombing, having decided to keep more information to herself. "Did you see the detailed tox screen?"

"Yes, it was inconclusive. That was disappointing. He was under the influence of something." Rick grabbed a sandwich out of the fridge. "I told you that working in the ER rotation once in a while would liven up your life."

"It definitely did that. However, I prefer my calm practice to that chaos. I'm happy I don't do it every day. But you clearly like it."

"Every day is a new adventure," he said with a smile. "I'm never bored. I'll see you around."

She nodded and got to her feet. She rinsed out Lily's bowl and set it on the counter and then walked back to her office. She had just sat down at her desk when her phone vibrated in her pocket.

Pulling it out, her heart jumped at Tyler's name. "Hello?"

"It's me," he said in a husky voice that sent an unexpected zing through her.

Licking her suddenly dry lips, she said, "Did you find out anything about Jack?"

"Yes. One of my techs was able to pull footage around Mullaney's Bar and Grill. Jack and a blonde woman were talking outside the bar about a week ago. We were able to identify her as Dr. Megan Prescott. She works as a psychologist at a place called Waverly Health."

Her pulse leapt again. "I was looking at treatment centers that Jack might have gone to, and that one came up as a possibility. We need to talk to her."

"I thought you might say that. I called the facility and made an appointment with her for two o'clock."

"I'll go with you. My afternoon patient canceled, so I'm free."

"I'm not far from the hospital. Why don't I swing by and pick you up in about ten minutes?"

"I'll meet you out front." She organized her desk then headed downstairs. When she got outside, Tyler was just pulling up.

"Good timing," she said, as she jumped into the passenger seat of his SUV, trying to ignore the way her heart flipped over when her gaze met his. Memories of their kiss immediately flooded through her. But they weren't going to talk about that, she told herself. And they definitely weren't going to do it again. Today, it was back to business.

As he pulled away from the curb, she said, "I'm surprised you could get an appointment so quickly with Dr. Prescott, Tyler. Did you tell them you were FBI?"

"No. I told the receptionist I was a veteran, and a friend of mine had recommended her. I just wanted a brief consult to see if she might be able to help me. The receptionist said they'd had a cancelation this afternoon, and she could give me fifteen minutes."

"That's great."