by Sam Carter
“What is that? Why do you have two phones?”
“I, um. It’s, um . . . I’ll explain later. But I have to take this,” Harlan said as he picked it up and answered it.
“Hello?”
“Good. It brings me so much joy that you are smart enough not to ignore my calls. How was your rendezvous with Cole? I assume you didn’t tell him anything. And do not lie.”
Harlan was happy that for once his paranoia paid off, and this voice did not overhear his conversation with Cole.
“I didn’t say a word. We were just hanging out. Nothing to even worry about.”
“Good. Good. Keep this up and all will end up better for you than planned.”
“What do you want? Why are you calling me again?”
“Why so angry, Harlan? Just relax. This call was a just a test to make sure you were still on board and not straying. You passed. Congrats.”
“How can I stray when if I do you will hurt my family? You’ve got me on a pretty tight leash, don’t you think?”
“That’s the idea. But you’d be amazed by the amount of times people still don’t follow the rules. People always think they can win, even when the odds are dead set against them. Human nature is a fascinating thing.”
“I’m sure you just love using that against people, you sick piece of crap. Is your stupid test over for now? Because I have something to get to.”
“It almost is. One last thing before I let you go. Sometime tonight, bordering on early morning, your two new friends, the detectives you met earlier today, will stop by your place to talk to you more about Samson and maybe a few other things. If you’re smart, and I think we’ve already proven you are, you will follow my instructions to the letter.”
“What instructions? And how do you even know they will stop by? What else could they possibly want from me?”
“Such silly questions. I think I’ve proven to you that I know what is going on all the time. As far as the instructions, a few minutes before they come you will receive a series of texts from me. Memorize them and execute them perfectly. Then we will be in the home stretch.”
“Fine. Whatever you say. Can I go now? Or do you still have more?”
“We are done for now. And, Harlan. Don’t stay too late at the hospital working tonight. I wouldn’t want you to be too groggy for your bright and early morning.”
And once again, the voice was gone, and Harlan was left wondering why he was involved in this in the first place. But he didn’t have time to sit and wonder. He had work to do.
Chapter 27
“Harlan, what is going on? Someone is threatening your family? Care to explain?”
“I would love to answer your questions right now, but we don’t have time.” Clara opened her mouth to protest, but Harlan cut her off. “No. Not now. Stacy and the others need us. Let me catch you up quickly before I tell you our next steps.”
“All right. But we will be discussing this later.”
“I know we will. But first, here’s what we are dealing with.” Harlan explained to Clara what was going on with the blood tests. What he had discovered about an unidentifiable substance in the blood work. How he had Lucy request the lab run more tests which came back with nothing at all. Then how the lab didn’t think it was strange. And how they were not going to run any more tests, and they were stuck once again.
“That’s where we are. And it all confuses me more because we have never had this issue with the lab. Ever. It strengthens my theory that something more is going on. It gives me even more resolve that what I’m about to suggest is the only way to go.”
“Lay it on me. I’m ready to do whatever it takes.”
“Since I don’t feel we are going to get answers here, we need to do it ourselves. You know my friend Cole?”
“Yes, I do. How could I not? You never shut up about him.”
“True. He has a bit of a checkered past—beyond just doing drugs, he maybe even distributed the ones he made himself. And while he is no longer involved in that world anymore, he still has all the equipment necessary to engage in those activities.”
“That was the longest I’ve ever heard someone take to say my friend is not only a former drug dealer but maker of said drugs—who may be out, but could end up back in. Not that I’ve ever heard anyone say that before.”
“It’s a delicate situation for me. Still hard for me to say. But we are going to use this—his intelligence and our medical knowledge—to our advantage. We need to get a sample of Stacy’s blood. Then . . .”
“Then you want to take that sample to Cole’s and use his equipment to figure it out ourselves? Are you serious?”
“As a heart attack. Crazy enough for you?”
“Crazier than anything I’ve ever heard. Especially coming from you.”
“Well? What do you say, Clara?”
“What do I say? Do you even know me? I’m in. Whatever it takes. But, and there is a big but to this, now that I’m in, I’m in the whole way. I’m not just here to draw blood and then leave.”
“As much as I don’t want to drag you any more into this than I have to, this is deeper and messier than you can ever know, I know you won’t give in until I say yes. Plus, we don’t have time right now for any sort of argument. So, yes. You’re all the way in.”
“Glad you know me well enough to concede a fight you could never win.”
“Momma ain’t raise no fool. But, enough of that, let’s get to work.”
“Wait. We can’t just run out there and do it. Don’t you think it will be suspicious that a nurse who is not supposed to be here is drawing blood on Dr. Allred’s favorite patient?”
“Excellent point. Then what do you think? How do we go about this?”
“We need a distraction. Something simple. I will only need a few minutes. And it’s going to involve Lucy and the very well-known fact that she’s got the hots for you.”
“That’s ridiculous and you know it.”
“You’re blushing. I get why. She is a hottie with a killer body. And it is true, so we are going to need you to take advantage of that.”
“What? You want me to seduce her? Have you ever seen me try and talk to women? That takes me more than a few minutes. It usually takes me an eternity.”
“That’s what I’m planning on. The attempt alone should give me all the time I need.”
Harlan left his office first and went over to the nurse’s station on the fourth floor. Clara would follow a few minutes later and then text Harlan when she had drawn the blood and the coast was clear. If all went well, they would be on their way to Cole’s place in fifteen minutes, and he wouldn’t have to do a thing other than be a bumbling fool.
“Lucy. How’s everything going? Everyone doing . . . all right?”
“Oh, hey Dr. Allred. I’m glad you came back. We could always use you around here.” She was flirting with him. Awesome. How had he never noticed? I guess it’s time for a game of Harlan Bawl.
“You look exhausted and worn out. Why don’t you and I go to the break room? I hear they have the best coffee in all of Seattle. My treat?”
“That sounds like perfection,” she said with a girlish grin. Either he had gotten better at this, or she was so into him it didn’t matter what he said.
“Great. You lead the way.”
As they walked over, Harlan sent an already written text to Clara letting her know the coast was clear. It was a very clever and inventive text that said, “The coast is clear.” He was a creative genius.
As they walked in and Harlan went to pour some coffee, Lucy gently closed the door and slowly pulled down the shade to the window next to the door. Then, to Harlan’s surprise, he heard a faint click that meant she had locked the door. Harlan’s hands began to tremble, and he was afraid he would spill the coffee all over the place. At this pace he needed Clara to be quicker than they originally planned.
“Um, so, you didn’t answer my original question. How is everyone doing?”
“They’re fine. Resting. Improving. But we are in the break room. Let’s take a break from work for a second.” Lucy was now standing right next to Harlan. Way too close. Unless, of course, she was about to give him some sort of invasive exam.
“Yeah. Let’s do that. Let’s, um, talk. Sitting down. Let’s sit. Yeah. That would be nice.”
Harlan quickly made his way over to the table and sat in a chair with no other chairs right next to it, hoping she would sit across from him. But of course she didn’t. She grabbed the nearest chair and pulled it as close as she possibly could without actually sitting in the same seat as Harlan.
“Tell me a little more about yourself. Where are you from?” Harlan said, trying to make this conversation as bland as possible. “How big is your family? Do they live close by? Why is your hand on my leg?
“Come on, Harlan. We both know why you invited me here. I see the way you look at me. Stealing glances. Watching me closely as I walk away. It’s just you and me now.”
This was not going according to plan. This wasn’t supposed to be happening. Where on God’s green earth was Clara?
“How about this? You don’t have to say a word. Neither of us do.”
Lucy leaned in, and before he could do anything about it, her lips were on his. And as beautiful as she was and as amazing as this felt, Harlan hated it. It felt dirty and wrong. It reeked of a doctor taking advantage of a nurse. And in some way, it was. But not like that. It was so he could get what he needed to fix his patients. So he let it go on for a few seconds and then he gently pulled away.
“Wow, Lucy. That was really, um, nice. But, it doesn’t feel right doing this here. We may be in the break room, but we are still at work.”
“Everyone does it, but I guess you didn’t know that.” Lucy scooted back a little bit, like she felt what they were doing was wrong.
Now Harlan didn’t know what to do. It was never supposed to get this far. Just as he was thinking of standing up and running out of there, his phone sang the beautiful sound of a text.
“Sorry. I need to get this. My daughter has been sick, and my ex-wife has been looking for advice all night.” Best lie he’d ever told.
“Done. Meet me in the parking lot. But you should probably put your clothes back on first. ;)”
“I’m sorry. I’ve got to go. She, my daughter, is getting worse. Let’s, um, do this again sometime. But, not here. Some place nicer. With actual coffee,” Harlan said as he opened the door and walked out. He looked back and, although he saw a frustrated look on Lucy’s face, he could see that the last thing he said made her happy, too. He still had it. Or she was just extremely lonely. Probably that.
Harlan rounded the corner of the nurse’s station and felt he was in the clear when standing in his way, with that smug smile on his face, was Dr. James. Just what the doctor would never order.
He tried to walk around his colleague, but Dr. James was having none of it. “What are you doing here on your night off, Dr. Perfecto? And where are you going in such a hurry?”
“Pretty sure I don’t answer to you, Alex. Please move so I can go.”
“I don’t think so. Not until you answer my questions. They’re not that hard now,” Alex said as he put his arm around Harlan. This made it impossible for Harlan to move and would make it look like Alex was being friendly with him. Harlan hated when he did this.
“Does a doctor ever actually have a night off?” Harlan asked while removing Alex’s arm from his shoulder. “I’m checking on my patients. What else would I be doing here? And now I’m heading to . . .” All of the sudden, Harlan couldn’t think of anything to say. Where was he heading so fast that would be believable? And why did he care what Alex thought anyway?
“Can’t come up with a lie quick enough? Seeing that you don’t answer to me, kind of strange that you feel the need to come up with a lie for me anyway. Makes ya wonder.”
“Shut it. Why do you care so much? Did Josie put you up this? I didn’t think you two had enough time for talking.” Harlan was going to just walk off and not deal with it, but he remembered what he told Lucy and decided this might go further if more than one person had heard the same story. “But if you have to know, my daughter is sick.”
“Your daughter, huh? I’d be sorry to hear that if I knew there was any way your family would ever call you for help.”
Harlan wanted to say something biting back, but he knew that it would start an argument he didn’t have time for, so he tried to calmly walk by and get out the door. Alex quickly slid over and grabbed Harlan by the shoulders in a grip that said he meant business. Harlan tightened up, having no idea what to expect.
Just as it seemed that Alex was going to bash Harlan’s head in, he loosened his grip and let him go. Maybe he realized where they were and thought better of it. Harlan was just waiting for him to say, “You and me! Outside! Now!” At least if he did that, Harlan would have something to laugh about.
Instead, Alex got close to Harlan and, with a knowing look, said, “You would be smart not to mess with me, Harlan. You’ve got enough crap to deal with right now without making me even more of an enemy. I know how you work. For once, keep your head down and do what you’re supposed to.”
Alex walked off, and Harlan wanted to chase after him. What did Alex know about what Harlan had to deal with? Keep his head down? Who was this idiot, and what gave him the confidence to talk to Harlan like that? But, again, he didn’t have time for anything more.
He needed to get outside to meet Cole and Clara without any more distractions. Harlan quickly, but not wanting to bring more attention to himself, carefully, made his way to the lobby. As he did, he noticed someone calmly leaving the hospital at the same time. This event, by itself, was quite normal. People obviously came and went from the hospital all day and night. It was the who that made him look longer than normal.
There, walking right toward him, was Luke Masterson.
Chapter 28
Alex hated Harlan in ways he couldn’t really explain. He hated the way he never called him Dr. James. He hated that his quality and patient satisfaction numbers were always so much better than his. He hated that Harlan always had the best financial numbers every single month. He hated, and this may have been the thing he hated the most, how everyone loved Harlan. They treated him like he walked on water and could do no wrong. Alex didn’t get it, and it drove him mad.
Alex was a helluva doctor. He knew it and so did everyone else, but they rarely acknowledged it. How often had he been the one that had been there to save the day or give the patients the comfort and care they needed when they needed it? Yet, no one ever said anything. Not to him, at least.
The second Harlan did something even remotely good, something he was supposed to do, they would throw him a party. All hail Dr. Allred. King of the freakin’ world.
These last few days had been the icing on the cake. Here they were with all these patients suffering. And, while most of the doctors had at least one patient dealing with this disease, the overwhelming majority were in Harlan’s care. Despite this—and this made Alex want to punch a hole through the wall or bash Harlan’s head in—everyone was praising Harlan for his work. Barry was calling Harlan down to talk about the situation. The nurses were going to Harlan for advice.
On top of that, Harlan was coming in while Alex was on call, “just to check on his patients.” Couldn’t Harlan show some trust and let Alex do his work? Nope. He had to come in and be seen, so that every single health-care worker would sit around and talk about how dedicated and hardworking Dr. Allred is. Then they would stare at Alex through the corner of their eyes while they whispered about him. How he never came in on his days off. How he didn’t spend extra time with the families of the patients. How he would never be as amazing as Dr. Allred, the magnificent.
Alex often asked himself what if he had been at the hospital the night that little Stacy girl was wheeled in on her last breath. First of all, she would be walking just fine today. Harlan was too slo
w and indecisive. He always had been and always would be.
Second of all, and this was the most important part to Alex, people would have started to praise him instead. That’s when it all really started for Harlan, and when it should have happened for Alex. But it didn’t. And still today, with all that was going on, everyone still fell over themselves trying to be the first in line to brownnose Harlan.
He shouldn’t be surprised, and he guessed he wasn’t, but it still made his blood boil. So much so that he had to grab whatever blood pressure meds he was on this month and take a handful. As a doctor, he should probably know what he was taking, but he didn’t care. As long as it kept his heart from exploding, he would take it like candy.
Once the meds brought his heart back to normal, Alex smiled. As frustrating as the last few days—the last few years, truthfully—had been, it would soon be over. Once Alex saved the day, and he was the only one who could, everyone would finally love and worship the right person. And as the cherry on top, when the truth came out about everyone’s beloved, perfect Dr. Allred, he would be gone for good. And the fountains of praise would be for Dr. James alone. Every last drop.
Chapter 29
Harlan stopped and stared. He rubbed his eyes hard to get anything out that was causing him to hallucinate. It made no sense. But he was certain Luke Masterson was walking out of the hospital. Right next to him.
Harlan wanted to follow him. He wanted to say something, but he was afraid of two things. First, that it wasn’t really him, and he would be caught looking like a fool. That had stopped Harlan from doing a lot of things in his life. For better and for worse.
The second thing that stopped him was the blood sample that was waiting to be tested. That had to come first. Still, he couldn’t help but stop and stare. And he obviously stared for too long, because Luke turned and stared right back. And there was something in his gaze, something different that Harlan had never seen before in anyone. Something dark.
Harlan looked away as fast as he could but it was too late. Luke had seen Harlan looking at him, and it appeared that he knew that Harlan recognized him.