“Wow.”
“I’ve told them we’ll be meeting in about five minutes in the boardroom, just to give them a chance to meet you before we have legal send the paperwork.” Mr. Bhaduri picked up the telephone.
Forty minutes later, we left the office. My knees shook and I wanted to throw up, but the figure that Mr. Bhaduri quoted made me feel like we’d just won the lottery.
Hannah had quieted down, the angel. Ben touched her face as we headed to the parking garage. “Babe, Hannah’s burning up.”
Chapter Nineteen
We stopped at the restroom in the lobby, and I took her inside to wipe her nose. Hannah’s runny nose gook had turned a dark green now. She whimpered softly, then coughed. The sound made me think there was more gook she needed to cough up.
She needed a doctor. I had Barkha’s pager number, so dialed it and hoped she’d call back. I grabbed a few tissues and took Hannah back to the lobby where Ben waited on a cushioned chair.
“I need to get her a doctor appointment. With this fever, I don’t want to wait until we get home.” I sat down next to him, with Hannah on my lap. My little wriggly bug definitely didn’t feel well if she didn’t try to scramble from my arms.
“Did you call Barkha?”
“I paged her.” I frowned at the phone. “I wonder if we should have even come. I shouldn’t have brought her. I should have left her with Momma and Daddy.”
“You had no way of knowing. Relax, honey.”
I opened my mouth, and my phone rang. Barkha.
“Yes? How did it go? I knew they would love your products.” The warmth in her voice crossed the phone line.
“It went super, but Hannah’s sick. I’m sure she has a fever. And she has a really congested sounded cough. I can’t tell if she’s wheezing or if it’s just congestion in her nose.”
“I’ll call Tushar for you,” Barkha said. “ He’s back in Atlanta, and I know he’ll see Hannah. This is urgent. And if for some reason he can’t work you in, I’m sure he can recommend someone.”
“Thanks. I really appreciate it. I’d go to the drug store and buy something for her, but I don’t know where anything is around here and I’m afraid we’d get lost.”
“I’ll give him your number and have him call you.”
Barkha hung up, and I told Ben about the plan. Then I stared at the phone. We’d been through colic and teething and a bad diaper rash from giving her too much apple juice one time, but nothing like this.
“It’s going to be fine. Isn’t it, sweetie?” Ben took Hannah from my arms and held her so she draped herself on his strong shoulder. “We’ll take you to the doctor who can check you out, and I promise, no shots today.”
After what seemed too long, the phone rang again, an Atlanta number.
“Mrs. Hartley, Barkha told me about Hannah. I have an engagement at one, but if you meet me at my office in forty minutes, I can see her. I understand your worry.”
“Thank you, thank you so much. I brought our insurance cards with us, if you need a copy.”
Can he see her? Ben mouthed. I nodded.
“No need for the insurance card. Here’s the address. Do you have a good map?”
I wrote down the address and assured Dr. Gupta we had a map, and would see him soon.
We found our Jeep in the parking garage, strapped Hannah in the back, and were off. I tried to follow the GPS and navigate while Ben drove. Somehow, we made it to the brick building on a busy street. A black Mercedes I recognized was in the parking lot. A red scrape of paint marred one fender.
I gripped Ben’s arm so tightly that he stopped and stared at me. “Look. Paint on the fender. No wonder Tushar beat it back to Atlanta, if he ran Franklin off the road.”
Ben took Hannah off my hip. “Honey, that makes no sense. Franklin is offering him a position at the practice in Greenburg. Why would Dr. Gupta do that?”
“You’re right.” I bit my lip. I sure sounded like I was ready to pin the murder and Bradley’s attack on the first suspicious-looking person I could find. “No news from Jerry about the investigation lately, either.” He’d been locked up tight about offering any information over the weekend.
Tushar met us at the door. “Hello, please come in. I’m sorry your visit took a turn like this. And this is Hannah?”
“Yes, it is,” I said. “Thank you again for agreeing to see us.”
“Not a problem at all. Anything for a friend, and anything for a little child. She is your only child?” He led us through a waiting room and into an exam room decorated in soothing shades of blue. He placed Hannah on a paper-covered cushioned table.
“Yes.” Hannah coughed, and I even heard a faint wheeze from where I stood.
“When did she start having these symptoms?” His dark gaze flicked from me, then to Ben.
“She’s had a bit of a runny nose off and on,” I said. “But she’s gotten more and more congested the longer we’ve been here. And Ben noticed after our meeting this morning that she felt warm. I didn’t like the sound of her congestion, so I called Barkha.”
Hannah’s lower lip quivered as she lay on the table. Her arms flailed. “Muh-muh-muh-muh!”
“It’s all right, little one.” Dr. Gupta made soothing noises as he took his stethoscope. “Let’s see what’s going on here, and then I can give you back to your mother.”
I squeezed Ben’s hand as we waited. The expression on Dr. Gupta’s face told me little. Then, he removed the stethoscope from her chest.
“I’d like to give her a breathing treatment just to break up some of this congestion.” He pushed a button the wall that lit up, and a nurse came to the room.
“Helen, please set up a nebulizer and bring a nebule of albuterol. With a mask, please.”
She nodded. “Your twelve-thirty is in room two.” Then she disappeared back into the hallway. She returned with a small plastic box, and plugged its cord into the wall outlet. Then she opened a package of tubing and a little mask.
“This will only take a few moments,” said Dr. Gupta. “Thank, you Stacie. Now, I’ll just put this in … here”—he opened the vial and poured it into a little container attached to the tubing—“and we’ll be all set.”
Hannah frowned when he placed the mask on her face as if she were a china doll.
“Now, we wait.”
The machine did its work, and Dr. Gupta found a clipboard somewhere and started writing some notes. I stood by Hannah and stroked her forehead.
“So,” I said. “Are you nearly ready for your move to Greenburg?”
“Almost. I asked Mr. Bradley if I could have another week or so. But I’ll be there for the health fair this coming weekend. Too bad Dr. Bradley couldn’t see the fruit of his labors. But I’m looking forward to meeting the community.”
“Well, I know people will be glad to see you. And so will Barkha. At the office, I mean. She’s been pretty busy.” Oh dear. I hadn’t meant it as if she’d be happy to see him personally.
“I highly doubt she’ll be glad to see me, although I’d like to convince her …”
“I just meant she’ll be glad for her case load to be lighter.”
Dr. Gupta nodded.
“Did you know Dr. Bradley at all, before you agreed to join the practice?”
He gave me a sharp look. “I never met him until the first day I visited Greenburg.”
“Barkha told me about how he threatened her over what happened in medical school. I imagine that bothered you a lot.” I hadn’t intended on doing any sleuthing, not today, and not in this manner, but we had the man literally to ourselves. A few questions couldn’t hurt.
“I knew she’d have trouble if that issue was ever brought to light by the wrong person. Her medical career is young. Once she’s more established, she’ll have less to worry about with that … that matter.”
“Since the police have determined the doctor’s death was suspicious, did you worry she might face scrutiny because of what happened?”
“Now, A
ndi, I don’t know what good these questions will do.” Ben squeezed my hand. “Let’s just take Hannah home.”
“Your husband’s smart.” Dr. Gupta checked the machine then turned it off. I moved out of the way so he could remove the mask. “You’d do well to listen to him. Isn’t that right, Hannah?”
“I’m sorry. I’ve just been worried. We both know Barkha didn’t harm the doctor, but someone with medical knowledge, and not necessarily a physician or nurse, did something to him.”
“You’re suspicious of me?” He sounded incredulous. “The day before he died, I told Dr. Bradley I didn’t approve of his strong-arm tactics , but that didn’t mean I wanted to kill him. I only wanted to protect Barkha.”
Dr. Gupta quirked a smile at Hannah and gave her back to me. She still sounded congested, but he checked her breathing.
“There, I think you’re moving air much better. I think she’s stable to travel, but I’ll give you a sample inhaler she can use on the way home. Your physician at home should check her for RSV, just to be safe.” Then he looked me in the eye. “Your brother-in-law asked me about my relationship with Dr. Bradley, and I gave him a statement. I’d never met Dr. Bradley before that day, and after I left his office, I never saw him again.”
“But … you agreed to join the practice so quickly when Franklin asked you.”
“Mrs. Hartley, things aren’t always what they seem.” Dr. Gupta frowned and tore a prescription off a pad. “If you must know, the practice here is downsizing. As of July thirtieth, my contract is dissolved. So when this opportunity presented itself, I knew I should seize the chance. I’ve known Barkha since we were children, and we work well together.”
“Oh, I … I didn’t realize you were losing your job.” The man had done us a huge favor, and I’d bumbled. “I am so sorry.”
“Let the police do their work. I’m sure the medical examiner’s office is diligently looking into possible causes of death. These things take time, not an hour like it does on TV.” He touched my arm gently. “I know you were worried about your daughter today. She’s going to be fine. I’ve prescribed some syrup that will have the same effect as the breathing treatment. Give that to her every four to six hours. Plus, you might want to pick up an antihistamine. She’s probably allergic to something in her environment here, and that’s causing her airways to constrict as well. You should also schedule a follow-up visit with her physician when you get home.”
“We will. Thank you so much for seeing us.”
Ben shook hands with Dr. Gupta. “Yes, we certainly appreciate it. Andi means well, she really does.”
Dr. Gupta smiled. “Barkha has loyal friends in town. That’s a good thing. I’ll consider her friends my friends too. I’ll see you at the health fair.”
We took Hannah and left, and if I had a tail it would have been between my legs.
“Andromeda Clark Hartley, what in the world was all that about?” He unlocked the doors, and I moved to tuck Hannah into her car seat.
“I wanted to see what he knew about Dr. Bradley.”
“Well, you almost started interrogating him. No wonder the poor guy went on the defensive.”
“I … I …” Of course I had no explanation. What a fine Christian example I was. Here the man was moving to Greenburg—through completely innocent circumstances. “I wasn’t thinking.”
We climbed inside the Jeep. “All I can say is I’m glad he saw us under such short notice, and that nothing serious was wrong with Hannah.”
“Me too.” I glanced into the back seat. “We’ll get back to the hotel and check out. And then go home. I’d wanted to stay and explore a little, but with Hannah not feeling well, I’d rather leave now.”
“Same here.” Ben pulled out into traffic, and we were on our way.
The trip back to the hotel took our attention, so Ben wouldn’t miss a turn and I wouldn’t direct us the wrong way, but we made it back without incident. The earlier feeling of celebration over Tennessee River Soaps had shifted to the back of my mind. We’d be sittin’ pretty, as Momma would say, because of Purely Skin Care’s business offer. Still, I just wanted to be home again.
I toted Hannah into the hotel room, and once we packed, we loaded up the truck and headed back to Tennessee.
Chapter Twenty
With free time in the evenings now, I spent my time with Hannah instead of in front of the computer and tried to push the investigation from my mind. Ben and I also met with a business lawyer about the offer from Purely Skin Care. It looked like it was definitely in my favor. Basically they would pay me to hire people, rent a building, purchase production equipment, and ship products. I would have a say in product development, and I’d have to go to Atlanta for quarterly meetings. All this for a nice yearly stipend.
We ladies had just finished our Wednesday Mommy’s Morning when my phone rang. Eunice. I had no idea why she’d be calling, unless she wanted to vent about a last-minute crisis that presented itself before the health fair that weekend.
“Andi, I need your help. We have a problem with some of the dictations.”
“We just finished here. I’ll stop by the office on my way home.” I tried not to roll my eyes as I snapped my cell phone shut. This job would not let me go for some reason. “Y’all, feel free to drink the rest of the coffee. Hannah and I need to stop by the doctor’s office on the way home.”
“Oh, is she okay? I heard y’all had a scare when you were in Atlanta.” said Mia.
“She’s much better. No more wheezing or anything. I think she’s allergic to Georgia.” I picked up Hannah from her little play circle.
We entered Bradley Medical ten minutes later. The office buzzed with activity, and Eunice’s reception desk at the hub. She presided over the goings-on.
“Wonderful. You’re here. I have a stack of charts you need to see.” Eunice tapped a stack of about five charts.
“And what’s wrong? You said there was a problem with some of the dictations.” I shifted Hannah on my hip and scanned the names. Okay, so I knew these were Dr. Bradley’s dictations.
“The problem is, we’re missing dictations in these charts for the nineteenth of June. Do you have any dictation CDs left at home?”
“No, I’m sure I brought them all back.” I was sure I had. Of course, I didn’t realize I hadn’t brought the insulin vial into the office right away.
“I want to make sure these are done before Franklin swoops through again. He’s been real busy getting things ready for the health fair, but I wouldn’t be surprised if he’d come by and breath down our necks a while. I think he’s been waiting for the swelling on his nose to go down.” Eunice smiled at a patient who entered the office. “Be right with you, Clydene.”
“Do you know if there are any CDs in Dr. Bradley’s desk? I don’t remember seeing any,except for his package of blank ones.”
“Honestly, I haven’t had a chance to look in his office for CDs yet,” Eunice admitted. “I’ve been busy boxing up Dr. Bradley’s books.”
“Isn’t Dr. Gupta going to want them?”
“Hon, Franklin’s not going to part with anything he doesn’t have to. He’s got that much of his uncle in him.”
“Is it okay if I go in there? I’ll see if there’s any CDs in the drawers.”
“Sure, sure. Go on in. Franklin probably wouldn’t like it, but I don’t have the time right now.” Eunice moved around to the other side of the counter. “Clydene, let’s go get your vitals so I can put you back in a room.”
The door squeaked when I opened it, as if to call me an intruder. A sunny haze lit the room. Dr. Bradley’s wooden bookshelves were now bare. I caught a whiff of lemony furniture polish.
Once more, I sat behind the desk. CDs. That’s all I needed. Towards the back of the top drawer, I found three CDs. Usually Dr. Bradley would put a rubber band around all the charts he’d dictated, and tuck the CD on the top of the pile, but I figured it wouldn’t hurt to check them for sound files.
I stuck the fi
rst CD into the player on the credenza and pressed the playback button. Nothing. But by the third CD, I heard Dr. Bradley’s voice loud and clear.
“Dictation for Brenda Lee Bricker, Friday, June twenty-second. The patient comes in today with a complaint of headache.” I clicked the stop button. A missing CD meant my work still wasn’t complete for Bradley Medical. And this oversight wasn’t even my own scatterbrained fault.
Again, in true Dr. Bradley fashion, another space of silence punctuated by an opening and closing desk drawer. The door to the office swung open. Then the sound file clicked, as if Dr. Bradley had pressed the pause button.
“—you simply cannot penalize Dr. Mukherjee for what happened years ago.”
Interesting. Dr. Gupta’s voice.
“She did not disclose this to me when I interviewed her. An ethics reprimand on her record leads me to question her integrity.”
“We all have secrets, don’t we, Dr. Bradley?” Tushar’s voice boomed.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“Who gambled away his family’s legacy? How do you think your beloved fans in Greenburg would think of their faithful family doctor, if they knew?”
“I made no secret of my trips.”
“But that DUI in Biloxi fifteen years ago … and you struck that pedestrian. Left him paralyzed.”
“That is a matter of public record, and I was exonerated. But no one knows that around here. How did you find out?”
“It wasn’t so difficult. When Barkha called, upset that she’d been found out, she wanted to know if I’d said something. Of course, I knew it had to be you.”
“How much will it take to keep you quiet?”
“Let Barkha keep her position here.”
“You love her. Fool. Love complicates matters and causes men to act irrationally.”
“I’m not irrational. But if you ruin her career …” The silence made me wonder if the tape had cut out once again. Then came footsteps. A gurgling sound.
“You’re … hurting … me.”
“That’s the idea. I don’t want you to forget.”
The Perils of Peaches (Scents of Murder Book 3) Page 17