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"Agreed," Ethan nodded
Rachel leaned back in her chair, the harsh fluorescent lights overhead casting shadows across her face as she mulled over the information. An unsettling thought began to take root in her mind, and she couldn't shake it off. Turning to Ethan, she voiced her concern.
"Something's been bothering me," she said, her eyes narrowing with suspicion. "What if someone has access to the hospital records and is using them to target these victims?"
Ethan's brow furrowed as he considered her words. "You mean, like a doctor or a staff member at the hospital?"
"Maybe," Rachel replied, her gut churning with unease. "Or someone who knows how to hack into their system."
"Can't be many hospitals around."
"You used to live here. How many hospitals are there?"
"I mean... When I was local... only about two?"
"What were their names?"
"St. Mary's and Mercy Hospital," Ethan said, his voice trailing off as he thought back to his time in the area.
Rachel nodded. She knew they needed to act fast before another victim was targeted, but the leads they had were thin at best. Glancing up at the clock, she realized they had been working for hours, and exhaustion was beginning to set in.
"Ethan, we should call it a night," she said, rubbing her temples wearily. "We're not going to solve this tonight."
"You're right," he replied, his voice tinged with disappointment.
As they contemplated their next move, Rachel's eyes fell on a piece of paper lying among the scattered files on the table.
She hesitated, and reached out, turning the paper towards her.
Initially, she'd brushed it aside, as it had seemed like a junk note with hastily scribbled words.
But now, as she stared at it, she was able to decipher, in the cramped, bad handwriting, the title of the handwritten list.
Client List.
Rachel stared, picking the paper up slowly.
It was a list of Candace's clients.
"What is it?" Ethan said.
She didn't reply at first, her eyes like those of a hawk, sweeping over the paper, and trying to decipher the hastily penned names.
She read them one at a time. More than one simply readJohn D.John Doe. But others, likely locals since they'd be recognized, were penned in.
And then she stopped.
There, in big block letters, with a small star next to it.
One name standing out among the rest: Silas Clark. He had been a repeat customer of Candace's, judging by the dates next to the name, and Rachel couldn't help but wonder if there was more to that connection than met the eye.
Her body had been found on Silas' land.
The first victim had also been found there.
What if she was overlooking the obvious?
She tapped her finger on Silas's name. "I want to know more about this Clark family. Maybe they can provide some insight into Candace's hospital visits."
