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He nods. “Okay.”
Deftly, I let my keys fall into his coat, and then I hang back just long enough for him to leave the office. Then, I give it a few more seconds before hurrying out.
“Doctor Michael, I think you have something that belongs to me!” I call out.
And he freezes. For a good minute, he remains rooted to the spot before slowly turning around.
“Something that belongs to you?”
I don’t answer. Instead, I maintain eye contact while I walk up to him. Then, I put my hand into the pocket, taking out the keysandthe paper he shoved in earlier on.
As I suspected, he says nothing about the paper in his pocket.
“I have a habit of letting things fall into the wrong places,” I smile at him. “I apologize.”
He shakes his head. “It’s fine. I’m glad I could help keep it for a while.”
I watch him as he walks away, and it isn’t until he’s out of sight that I open the crumpled paper in my hand. My brows furrow when I see that it has Lily’s name on it, and the content of the page seems to be an observation written by Doctor Owen.
My eyes skim over the first couple lines, and I see my name before I realize that patient confidentiality is a thing. And she might not want me to see what is there.
I fold the paper again and shove it into my pants pocket.
But—Why did he have it?
Doctor Michael isn’t Lily’s primary doctor, despite his referral. Doctor Owen has been in charge of her sessions, and where she has to undergo the usual routine, he handles it. It’s only when he’s occupied that she sees Michael.
At least, that’s what I know.
Even if… I bring out the paper again.
Even if, for some reason, he had access to her file, why would he take a paper and shove it into his pocket? He could have said he wanted to review it, made up some reason—if he didn’t want to tell the truth.
But I saw how he shoved it in. And the hesitation when he tried explaining what he was doing in the office. The guilty stop?
He was doing something, for sure.
And if there’s something I’ve learned from my years working as the CEO of a private security contracting company, it’s that you never ignore your gut feelings.
I take my phone out to make a call, but it rings before I can.
“Any updates?” I ask Ethan.
“Yup,” he says. “Thanks for the help from your end.”
“No worries,” I respond. “Hit me with what you have.”
“Okay,” he says. “It turns out that the gang they have people they send to shadow their victims. They get a sense of their routine so that it’s easy to take them. Also, we carried out another raid—in another state.
“We’re still steps from cracking down on the entire operation, but at least we have some of the top members here in custody. They don’t know much, though. Like the people who bankroll them. People in high places, I’m certain.”
My mind begins to spin its web.
“Ethan,” I say after a while, “if you thought someone was fishy, you’d look into it, right?”
“Do you have to ask?” he replies.
I smile.
