Page 49

"What do you know about Waverly Health?"

"Not much. Just that they are a concierge practice, which means insurance doesn't cover all the costs, and there are out-of-pocket expenses. They specialize in treating people who've been everywhere else, which sounds like a sales approach that would appeal to Jack. I can ask around and see if any of the other physicians know more than I do."

"Don't do that," he said quickly. "Jack was escorted out of the hospital by someone in scrubs. There's a possibility one of the staff is complicit in whatever is going on. The less you say, the better."

"That's true," she said slowly, feeling guilty. "To be honest, I think I said more than I should have today. I mentioned the bombing to a couple of colleagues. I realized too late I shouldn't have done that. I'm sorry. They were asking about Jack, and I said too much. They're my friends, so I didn't think there was any harm in sharing information, but I should have been more discreet. It won't happen again."

"From here on out, I would say as little as possible," he said.

"I will. Did you learn anything else today?"

"Megan Prescott is the only real lead I got. My tech team didn't catch anyone leaving the garage after I was jumped. They're going to expand the geographic area and check out the streets around the construction site where Jack was working. This is an off-book operation at the moment, so none of this has priority over other assignments."

"What will it take for it to become a priority? Someone tried to kill Jack."

"And the police are investigating the bomb blast. But Jack didn't commit a crime when he left the hospital, so I need more information to take this investigation to a higher level."

She felt a little frustrated that they couldn't use more FBI resources, but she had to trust that Tyler would bring the team in when it was the right time.

Several minutes later, they arrived at Waverly Health, which sat on a quiet, tree-lined stretch of the Upper East Side, isolated from the frantic vibe of downtown. The four-story building was a sleek structure of smoked glass, brushed steel, and dark granite.

Tyler drove through a wrought-iron gate into a visitor lot tucked along the side of the building. Before getting out of the car, he said, "Let me take the lead. In fact, why don't you be my girlfriend?"

"What?" she asked in surprise, feeling unsettled at the idea of pretending to be his girlfriend. "Why?"

"Remember what I said about not showing all my cards? A girlfriend gives me more cover."

"What do you want me to do?"

"Not much. Just be by my side. Also, before we go in, I need you to give me some of Jack's symptoms or make them up if you don't want to violate any confidentiality rules. Tell me what I would be concerned about."

"Headaches so painful you can't see straight. Blurred vision, balance issues, anxiety, and depression because you can't seem to feel better. You have a lot of trouble sleeping. This has been going on for the past three years, and it's getting worse, not better. You're at your wit's end."

"That's good," he said approvingly. "And my doctor isn't helping me."

"Please don't say your doctor is me," she said with a sigh.

"I won't throw you under the bus. What's your mother's maiden name?"

"Why?"

"I don't want to call you Rachel Thorne. Dr. Prescott might know that name if Jack told her that you were his doctor."

"My mother's maiden name was Warren. I can be Rachel Warren. Or I can use my middle name and be Marie Warren."

"I like that even better," he said approvingly.

"Good."

"Who are you going to say referred you? If Jack talked to her at length, there's a good chance he mentioned your name if he was talking about his unit."

"I gave my name as David Burke. And I won't talk about Jack. I'll make my reference a friend of a friend, very vague. No direct referral. I just heard they're doing great work with vets."

"That should work. It's a short appointment. Dr. Prescott probably won't dive that deep."

"Just remember to call me David."

"You don't seem like a David, but I guess we'll be David and Marie." She laughed. "That doesn't sound anything like us."