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More evidence Hussert’s crimes involved more than embezzlement and kidnapping. And clearly others were involved as well. Her gaze went to Kylie skipping rocks across the placid pond.
Nothing mattered to her more than her daughter. Kylie was her priority. “Take Sarah to your dad’s cottage. I think it’s the only option.”
“It’s the right decision,” Jon said. “I’ll see you at dinner. I have a killer recipe for gluten-free orange chicken Kylie will like.”
“See you then.” She ended the call and handed the phone back to Max.
Sarah would be closer than Annie would like but still far enough away that she might be able to forget her betrayal for a while.
Two
The geese underfoot along the path scattered as Jon neared the steps to the back deck. The scent of charcoal and grilling steaks wafted to him from the campground, and his stomach rumbled. With the injuries he’d suffered from falling off a cliff ten days ago, it was difficult to balance the two sacks of groceries in his good arm while digging in his pocket for the key to Annie’s cottage. He’d had to go to Houghton to find all the ingredients he needed for orange chicken, but it would be worth it when he saw Kylie taste it.
The pain in his head was better, at least for now, which left him looking forward to the evening. He found the key and got the door open, then set the bags on the counter. His phone vibrated before he could unpack everything and get to work.
His finger paused midswipe when he saw the name and picture on his screen. His former boss, Olivia Thompson, was calling. Did he even want to talk to her, or should he let it go to voice mail? The horrific accusation against her of euthanasia had left him reeling.
Shaking his head, he accepted the call. Who was he to pronounce judgment without giving her a hearing? “Jon Dunstan.”
“Jon.” Her voice rose with a note of relief. “I wasn’t sure you’d answer my call. No one seems to be taking them these days. How are you?”
He began to unload the groceries while Milo, a German shepherd–chow puppy sired by Samson, squirreled around his feet yipping with excitement. “Doing okay. Concussions and dislocated shoulders are no joke. You’d have thought I would have figured that out without having to experience them myself.” Might as well cut to the chase. “I heard about your trouble, Olivia. Is it true? Did you actually euthanize some patients?”
The silence on the phone continued so long that he pulled back the phone to check the screen. Still connected. “Hello?”
“You believe that of me?”
His gut clenched at her tormented tone. “They have it on camera, Olivia.”
“He wasdying, Jon. He asked for my help.”
“That doesn’t make it right. We doctors aren’t God. We took an oath to do no harm. You did the ultimate harm.”
“He was a Christian. I knew he was going to a better place.”
Had she done this with any other patients? Since this news broke, he’d checked his patient files, and one other patient had died when he’d thought she would pull through. The official cause of death was a heart attack, but they wouldn’t have checked for potassium chloride.
Was it too late to find out? His patient had died a year ago, but if he brought it up now, would the police think he was in on it? It would be far easier to say nothing, but Jon cared about his patients, and he didn’t think he could ignore that.
Olivia’s voice took on desperation. “My daughter is going off to college in August, and I can’t go to jail, Jon. I just can’t.Would you testify for me and tell the court you believe in me? That would help.”
He put the milk in the fridge and shut the door before he sank onto a chair at the table. “Olivia, I can’t lie. You just admitted you did it. And what about Tessa Abston?”
“What about her?”
Was it his imagination or did she sound guarded? “Did you kill her? She’d just found out she had stage-four pancreatic cancer before she broke her ankle. I told you about it.”
“Look, I’m not some kind of serial killer!”
But was she? Jon didn’t know anymore.
Her voice hardened. “I gave you a start, Jon. Took you on when you were brand-new and taught you the ropes. You owe me this.”
What she said was true enough. He’d been delighted and honored to be offered a position with her and her colleagues. People came from all over the world to see Olivia or one of her practice’s doctors. But that didn’t mean he was willing to lie for her. And what would this do to his reputation?
“I can’t lie for you,” he repeated.
The line went silent, and he glanced at his phone to see the call had ended. A text came through on the heels of the conversation. He stared at the phone for a long moment. It was his duty to report his uneasiness about Tessa Abston. Sometimes duty was painful.
