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CHAPTER5
Riley took a deep breath as they coalesced inside the reception area of the clinic. The smell of antiseptic was still thick in the air. They had been forced to wait outside until the janitor finished his nightly duties and moved onto another location.
It was times like these when she appreciated the abilities of being a shadow. While the emergency light in the hallway that led to the room cast a light glow, the rest of the clinic was encased in darkness. She took in every detail as she scanned the room.
The front desk was tidy and had a cash register and candy bowl filled with suckers of every color. It reminded her of the time her mother had taken her to see the doctor when she had sprained her ankle. While x-rays had confirmed it wasn’t broken, a kind nurse had given her a sucker after the ordeal.
The white tile floor still glistened in spots from the janitor’s mop and the red exit sign flickered, warning a bulb needed replacing. There were dozens of magazines scattered on the coffee table in front of the row of seats facing the desk.
Colton pointed to the hall. “Let’s check out the exam rooms first.”
They went down the hallway to the first door. “I doubt they would leave any evidence for the janitor to find.”
Colton opened the door. “I want to rule it out, but cats have highly developed senses. I may smell something or see something a human would not.”
Riley followed him into the room. “Fair enough.”
The medical room was like any other she had seen with an exam table, a sink, and a small counter with a variety of supplies. If they were looking for cotton swabs or bandages, they would have hit the jackpot. The room appeared well equipped to deal with minor injuries and nothing screamed nefarious demon plot.
Riley picked up a pamphlet from the tiny side table beside the chair. She waved it in front of Colton. “Unless you are looking for information on planned parenting, I don’t think there is anything here.”
“Let’s try the next room,” Colton said.
The next room was larger and while it held all the amenities of the first, it also had a desk with a computer. Riley sat down on the swivel chair. “Let’s see if I can get anything off the computer.”
She was pleased the doctor had left the browser open. She checked the patient file of the last woman to be accessed, but paused when she saw the birth date. “I’m guessing the demons aren’t interested in a seventy-four-year-old.”
Colton smiled. “No, but if they are affiliated with this clinic in any way, they can’t put up a sign saying they only accept fertile women.”
“True.”
Riley searched some more files before checking the computer’s trash bin. Several files had been deleted. “I found some deleted patient files and I can’t seem to recover them.” She typed in a few more commands. “I’m not a hacker, but I can usually recover a file. We are going to have to check the hard files.”
Colton turned. “They still keep paper records?”
She stood. “Every clinic I ever went to did. Let’s check the file room.”
They passed two more exam rooms and a supply closet before they found the room full of filling cabinets and wall-mounted shelving.
Her gaze roamed over thousands of files. “Holy shit. Talk about a needle in a haystack. These are all alphabetized. We don’t have a name to look up.”
Colton rubbed his chin. “The winery was outside the demon’s usual hunting ground. Look and see if Leah was a patient here.”
Riley looked through the files. “I’m not sure she would have used this clinic. She was only visiting Graydon.” Her fingers flipped to Leah’s name. “She has a file.”
She pulled it down and read the patient report. “Leah came here the day before we met her. She listed her grandmother in the village as a contact.”
“That would put her on the demons’ radar, but isn’t a clinic a little sophisticated for the demons? What was Leah here for?”
Riley’s face paled. “A pregnancy test, but it came out negative.”
Colton pulled down a patient file. “Well, I think I figured out the connection. Hakim was funding the clinic. He has paid for this year so, they are likely looking for alternate subsidizing now that he is gone.”
Riley scrunched her face. “Why would he fund the clinic?”
“To help the demons find viable breeders,” Colton said.
“But how would he access the women? What are the criteria?”
