AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Violet folded her arms. “This is all so tragic. Women dying. I don’t think it’s going to stop, do you?” she asked Dr. Crocker.
His lips turned down. “I don’t know. I hope it does. I don’t want to see another woman on my table.”
“No. Me neither. I’m glad you feel that way, since I have a few hard questions to ask you. A witness has come forward who will testify that you take money from Whiskey to tend to his girls. Can you set the record straight for us?”
Dr. Crocker glanced at Dr. Lanslow, who was focused on the tile flooring.
“I accept payment from everyone. I’m the holler doctor.” He folded his arms over his chest. “Most of the people in our community don’t have insurance and can’t afford decent health care. These are my people, and I offer care and take what they can give.”
Seemed like greed and underlying motives.
“Then why not allow these women to go to the emergency clinic or the hospital in Whitesburg?”
“It’s not up to me to send them. I treat them or they go untreated. I’m not on the take, Agent Rainwater.”
She turned to Dr. Lanslow. “I’d like to know where you were last weekend.”
Dr. Lanslow frowned. “You want my alibi? I didn’t kill Atta.”
“Atta. First-name basis.” She let out a slow breath. “It’s obvious you knew her. Why lie? If you have nothing to hide, tell me where you were. Better yet, tell me why you lied.”
Dr. Lanslow massaged his neck. “I have nothing to hide and I didn’t lie. I was gone for the weekend. Left Friday at noon. Went hunting all weekend with my buddy Ray in the foothills of Pine Mountain. He’s got a cabin.”
“I need Ray’s last name and number.” Violet handed over a pad of paper and a pen. Dr. Lanslow scrawled the information and returned it.
“When did you get back to Night Holler?” John asked.
“Sunday around eight p.m.”
Violet jotted the information, and they exited the building. John’s stomach growled, and he checked the time. Eleven forty-five. “You hungry?”
“I could eat. But I’d rather you find out if Whiskey has Dr. Crocker on his payroll and if he’s dirty. Do you think your undercover agent would cough up that little bit?”
John wasn’t sure. They already had a witness, so there was no fear of exposing Greg’s cover. “Possibly. I’ll text him.”
He sent a quick and cryptic text that he had a package and to meet at the bar they’d met at earlier.
“And see if you can pull anything else out of him about Nadine. If she ran drugs for Whiskey, then he’ll know her personally. Know who she was involved with. Might be sleeping with. We need some serious information.”
“You think her first attack and second are separate incidents? Seems odd to be coincidence.” John turned the car ignition and cranked up the heat. The day was growing chillier. Rain coming in again. He was sick of cold fall rain.
“It does. But it’s possible. I want to be sure. Something is off about this. Why rush and be sloppy with the stitches? There’s a million possibilities, but my gut is warning me to look closer.”
John’s text dinged. “I can meet him at one.”
“Good. That’s good.”
His phone rang again. He answered the FaceTime and his daughter’s face filled the screen.
“Daddy!”
He’d never tire of hearing that title. “Hi, baby girl. Daddy misses you.”
“I’m sick, Daddy.”
“You are?” That’s when he noticed her fevered cheeks. “Where’s Aunt Julie?”
“Right here. Doc said it’s a virus. Fever, runny nose and cough. She’ll be okay. She needed to talk to her daddy. Said Daddy will make it all better.”
