by T. L. Haddix
Ethan chuckled. “We don’t have latrine duty.”
With a fierce glower, Wyatt said, “Not yet.” When his threat had no effect, he rolled his eyes. “Come on. I’ll introduce you.”
As they neared the room, Wyatt slowed. “I’ll owe you one for this. I’m in meetings, one of which I am now late for, until late afternoon. Text me if you need to, though. I’ll plan on seeing you before you leave this evening to discuss what you find out.” He knocked on the door to the conference room and opened it.
“Doug, this is Detective Ethan Moore.” He handed over the coffee. “He’ll be handling things from here.”
A look of pure disbelief crossed the man’s face. “You’re handing something this important off to a lackey? No, Sheriff, I demand that you see to this yourself.”
Wyatt knew better than to look at Ethan, whose shock was almost palpable. “Mr. Whitaker, while I appreciate your concerns, Detective Moore is one of the best investigators I’ve ever known, myself included. You won’t get a better person working on your case. I’d be doing you a disservice by investigating this myself. Understand?”
Without waiting to see if the man would accept his words, he clapped Ethan on the shoulder and left. If he stayed much longer, there was a good chance he would say something that would end up coming back to bite him. He almost felt guilty about leaving Ethan at Whitaker’s mercy, but not quite.
Chapter Twenty Five
His morning having gotten off to a bad start, Wyatt wasn’t surprised when the rest of his day followed suit. The luncheon with the commissioners threatened to drag on into infinity, and he managed to slip out for a few minutes to call Gretchen when he realized he was going to be late for his meeting with Jason.
“See if he minds pushing that back to four, and if you haven’t heard from me by three-thirty, call me. Get me the heck out of this meeting.”
He had mixed feelings about talking to Jason. Maria was convinced he needed to let Jason know the details of his extortion letter, and the secret behind it. Wyatt wasn’t so sure. He didn’t want to see the disappointment in the younger man’s eyes when he confessed his transgression.
With some finagling, he managed to escape the luncheon before Gretchen had to rescue him. After checking in at the office, he hurried to the Brown Bag a few minutes earlier than the appointed time. Jason was already there, and Wyatt’s heart warmed at the sight that met him when he walked in the door.
Lauren Clark, one of the café’s owners and best friend to Beth and Annie, was seated beside Jason, wearing an indulgent smile. Jason held Lauren’s infant daughter, cooing and making faces at her. When Wyatt eased into a chair beside him, Jason looked up and nodded. His attention quickly returned to the baby, who was happily kicking and cooing back at him.
Lauren smiled. “Hey, Wyatt, how are you?”
“I’m well. How are you? This young lady seems to be thriving.”
She laughed. “She is, and I’m great. I didn’t have any idea this deputy of yours was so good with babies, though. I may have found a new babysitter.”
Jason grinned. “I love babies, always have. I can hardly wait to start adding to the family.” When Lauren held out her arms, he reluctantly handed Katy to her.
She stood and gave Jason a one-armed hug. “I imagine the two of you would like some privacy. I’ll see you both later.” She headed into the kitchen.
They both watched her go. When Jason looked at him, though, his demeanor changed, becoming more guarded. “You needed to see me?”
Wyatt nodded. “You’re upset about what you found out yesterday.”
Picking up his drink, the younger man moved his shoulders in a half-shrug. “I guess.”
With an incredulous bark of laughter, Wyatt rubbed a hand over his face. “You’re pissed off, Jason. I get that. I’d like the chance to explain.”
“You don’t owe me any explanations.”
“No, but I think you deserve one, just the same. The easiest way to start is probably with this.” He pulled a copy of his letter out of his pocket and handed it across the table.
Once Jason had read it, Wyatt told him the whole story. He was quiet when Wyatt finished, his astonishment plain to see. “Why didn’t you come to us sooner?”
“Because telling everyone wasn’t necessary. There was nothing that could be done about it.”
“Yeah, but you’ve had to carry this… I understand why you didn’t say anything, though. This is a lot to take in.” Looking over Wyatt’s shoulder, he gestured with his chin. “Here’s Ethan.”
Wyatt turned in his chair and watched as Ethan made a beeline for the counter and placed an order. While it was being filled, he ambled over to their table, loosening his tie as he walked. “Is this a private party or can anyone join in?”
Jason shrugged. “I don’t mind.”
“Pull up a chair,” Wyatt invited.
Ethan returned to the counter for his order, then joined them, sinking into his chair with a tired groan. Eyeballing the triple chocolate cake and large coffee with a knowing smile, Wyatt asked him how the meeting with Whitaker had gone.
“You owe me big-time,” Ethan said, glowering.
After all the stress of the last few days, Ethan’s indignation was too much. Wyatt couldn’t maintain a straight face. The more Ethan scowled, the more Wyatt’s amusement grew. Finally, he broke into laughter. “I’m sorry, boys. I guess it’s the stress catching up to me.”
Jason looked from one to the other. “Well, at least share the joke.”
Ethan’s jaw clenched, and he visibly tried to relax. “Have you ever met Doug Whitaker?”
“The name sounds familiar. Didn’t his mom used to own this place before Lauren took over?”
Wyatt nodded. “Back when it was still a diner. Doug’s probably what? Five years older than you, Ethan? So he’d be in his late thirties or so?”
“Yeah, something like that.”
Jason shook his head. “I know the name, but that’s all. Why?”
“Because I had to sit through a two-hour interview with the man this morning. It was not a pleasant experience.” Forking up the last of the cake, most of which he had practically inhaled, Ethan studied his plate. “Think I could get away with another piece?”
“Tell you what, I’ll get it for you,” Wyatt said. “Jason, you want anything?”
“No, I’m good, thanks.”
Once the order was placed, Wyatt returned to the table. “So, Whitaker?”
Ethan groaned. “Most people I don’t like, I can find at least one positive thing to focus on to get me through talking to them, even if it’s the color of their shoes. Anything to smooth the waters, right? But this guy, God forgive me, he’s just… unlikeable.”
Jason was surprised, and looked to Wyatt for confirmation.
Wyatt said, “Even when he was a kid, he was prickly. So what, if anything, did you find out? I brought Jason up to speed on most of what’s been going on with me, by the way.”
“Good.” The server brought the cake to the table, and Ethan waited until she’d moved away to tell them about Whitaker. “I didn’t learn as much as you might think, given the length of the interview. His letter accuses him of having embezzled money from clients, and he swears that’s not true. If he’s innocent, he’s the second decoy. I’m not sure what that means for our investigation.”
“You sound like you don’t believe he’s innocent,” Jason commented, swiping a bite of the cake with the extra fork the server had brought.
Eyebrow quirked, Ethan scooted the plate over so his brother-in-law could finish the cake. “I don’t think he is. There’s something shifty about the guy. I don’t like him, and that clouds things up somewhat, but…”
“What’s your gut say?” Wyatt asked.
“It tells me he’s hiding something. Maybe he did embezzle the money, or maybe he just likes to dress up in women’s underwear. I don’t know. In any event, I’m looking into his background. You mentioned that the two of yo
u had clashed when he was a kid. Just out of curiosity, what was that over?”
Wyatt sighed. “He was about thirteen or fourteen, I guess, and had gotten into some fights with kids at school. The principal called us to come in and try to talk to him. This happened before I was sheriff. I tried to relate to Whitaker, get through to him, but he wouldn’t have it. He started screaming about me having an affair with his mother. He got suspended from school for several weeks. The accusation was ridiculous, and I guess that’s what the fighting had been about—all the boys were teasing him. Corrine, his mother, was a single mother and something of a flirt. Whitaker was at that age, and that was that. She sent him to school in Madison after that year.”
“Dang. That had to be a rough way to grow up, but still… I just can’t find that much sympathy for the man. There comes a point in life where we have to start taking responsibility for ourselves, and quit blaming stuff from childhood. You know?” Ethan asked.
“I do. Anything else?”
Ethan inclined his head. “I’ve been trying to call your sister-in-law since Friday to get her to come in, but she isn’t answering her phone. I just got back from her house. She’s not home. I’ll keep trying, but I think she’s avoiding me.”
“You don’t think she’d run, do you?” Jason asked.
“I doubt it, but anything’s possible,” Wyatt said.
“Yeah, I don’t think so, though.” Ethan drained his coffee cup. “From what her neighbors said, they expect her back this evening. I’ll head back out there before I go home.”
Wyatt pushed his chair back. “I guess that covers everything, then. Unless the two of you have any more questions?”
Jason sent Ethan a cagey grin and leaned forward. “You and Maria sure looked cozy yesterday at Mom and Dad’s. Care to enlighten us?”
He tried sending both men stern looks, but they appeared unfazed. “The two of you are worse than my sisters. We’re… trying this dating thing. That’s all there is to it.”
“Does her family know about the two of you yet?” Ethan asked.
“Yeah, and they’re not thrilled, to say the least,” Wyatt admitted. “I think it bothers me more than Maria.”
Ethan blew out a deep breath. “They’ll either come around or they won’t. If she’s not upset, then I wouldn’t be either.”
Wyatt laid a hand on the detective’s shoulder and squeezed, knowing Ethan was thinking about his own family. “That’s easier said than done.”
Chapter Twenty Six
Wyatt was in Maria’s office, trying to coax her to have lunch with him, when he was paged down to reception. Before he left, though, he leaned across her desk and said, “We could go to Christos’. You could have baklava. Just think about it.”
Standing, she wrinkled her nose at him even as she gently touched his face. “I’ll consider it, but I make no promises. You’d better go see who needs you this morning.”
He gave in, knowing when to stop pushing. “Text me and let me know what you decide.”
Downstairs, he found Ethan chatting with a pretty brunette. “Hey, folks, what’s going on?”
“Wyatt, this is Dr. Sharon Jenkins. She’s mine and Beth’s counselor.”
“Oh, of course. I’ve heard your name. What brings you here today?” he asked as he shook her hand.
“Could we speak privately?”
Her request gave Wyatt an odd moment of déjà vu, her words eerily similar to Doug Whitaker’s. The sensation took him aback. “Of course. We’ll use the small conference room. Neva, can you escort Dr. Jenkins? I need to speak with Ethan for a moment.”
As the two women left the room, Wyatt ran a hand over his hair. “I’ll bet you breakfast tomorrow that she has a letter.”
Ethan winced. “I hope not. Beth and I both really like her. She’s helped us a lot. And she’s hiding it pretty well, but she’s upset. Do you need me to stick around for a while?”
Wyatt sighed. “I’d like that, but where were you headed?”
“Beth has the first appointment with the OB/GYN. I can cancel…”
He could tell it had cost Ethan a lot just to make the offer. “Go be with your wife. I have another detective I can call if I need to, and it’s her turn for a victim, anyhow.” He chuckled at the relief that flashed through Ethan’s eyes.
“Aye, aye, sir.”
Before Wyatt could respond, Ethan was out the door. Turning, Wyatt hurried to the conference room, where Neva was chatting with the other woman. After Neva left, he closed the door and took a seat.
“So how can I help you, Doctor?”
The woman grimaced. “Please call me Sharon. As to your question, well, I’m not sure. I have a bit of a dilemma on my hands.” She clasped her hands together in her lap, and he could almost see the inner struggle. He gave her the time she needed to resolve it, and his patience was rewarded when she continued.
“One of my clients came to me yesterday in something of a panic. It seems that some privileged information she had shared with me has been… leaked, I guess is the best way to put it, or maybe stolen… for nefarious purposes. This information involves your late wife.”
Wyatt sat back in his chair, realizing she was talking about Marsha. He had to ask, though, just to be certain. “Who is your client?”
Her face tightened. “You understand that I’m violating doctor-patient privilege by telling you this?”
“I do understand, and I appreciate how difficult a position this puts you in. But I’d be grateful for any information you can give me.”
“She came to me because I’m the only person she’s shared this information with. Apparently, you went to see her last week and confronted her, told her that you’d received a letter alluding to what we’d discussed in therapy. Since you said you hadn’t told anyone, she knew that my office had to be the source of the leak.” Sharon fell silent and waited for his response.
“Damn. Okay. You’re talking about Marsha, my former sister-in-law.” When she nodded, Wyatt rubbed his neck. “Ethan likes you, and apparently so does Beth. That tells me right off the bat a lot about your character, especially given their relationship to you. I could be wrong, but I’m guessing you personally are not the leak.”
She seemed dazed. “Don’t I have to be? Oh, I don’t mean I’ve been whispering my clients’ secrets around town, but the sanctity of my office has obviously been compromised. Therefore, I’m responsible.”
“Where would this information have been stored?”
“On a secure server in my office, inside my client’s medical record. The only people who have access to that portion of the file system are my assistant Theresa and myself.”
Wyatt stilled. “Do you trust your assistant?”
She hesitated. “I did until yesterday, but given that I didn’t leak the information, that only leaves one person.”
“Not necessarily. It’s always possible your server’s been hacked.” He sat forward. “I’ll tell you what I’d like to do. I’d like to call in Stacy Kirchner, one of my detectives, and have her go over things with you. I’d also like to have the director of our IT department go to your office and see if she can find anything in your system that might tell us more about whoever is doing this. Would that be acceptable?”
Her grimace was tight. “I don’t have a lot of choice, do I? If we don’t figure this out, who knows where it will end?”
“Sharon, we always have choices; some are just easier than others. I’ll call and have Stacy and Maria come down.” He stood to leave, but stopped with his hand on the doorknob. “You’re risking a lot, coming in like this.”
“One of my biggest jobs is to protect the privacy of my clients, Sheriff. If people can’t come into that office with the reasonable expectation of their secrets being safe, I can’t offer them anything. Whoever is doing this is hurting my clients, and I will not stand for that. I’m hoping this is an isolated incident, and you can catch the person responsible before they destroy my career and the lives of my cl
ients.”
~ * * * ~
Within minutes of his call, Stacy and Maria assembled in the conference room and were brought up to date on Dr. Jenkins’s revelations.
“I’d like the two of you to head back over to the doctor’s office with her and see what you can find. She’s given us permission to look at whatever we need to, save the actual medical records themselves.”
Stacy tapped her fingers against her leg. “With all due respect, if you suspect your assistant, and we both go there, she might be tipped off and destroy evidence before we can stop her.”
Sharon waved the concern aside. “Normally, I’d agree, but she’s off today sick with that stomach bug that’s been going around.”
“In that case, why don’t we meet you at your office in a few minutes, and we’ll get started? I can take your statement there while Maria looks at your server.”
They all stood, and as Stacy and the doctor went out the door, Maria touched Wyatt’s arm. “I’ll catch up to you in the parking lot, Stacy.” She turned to Wyatt. “I guess lunch is out. I’m sorry.”
He gave her a shrug. “Maybe not. You might get out of there before noon.” To his surprise, she closed the door, moved to where he stood, and slid her arms around his neck.
“You’re living dangerously today,” he said, his hands going to her waist to draw her closer.
With a secretive smile, she played with his tie. “Just a little. I can’t do lunch, but what about dinner? If you aren’t already sick of spending the evenings with me, that is.”
His own answering smile was full of regret. “I have a boring, dry-chicken dinner with the mayor and his wife tonight.”
Maria pulled her face into a small pout. “Oh. I thought you liked Mayor Bolen.”
Easing back so that he was braced against the table, he pulled her between his legs. “I do, but if my alternative is spending an evening with you, well… the mayor just isn’t that attractive.” He was gratified to hear her laugh. “You could join us, you know.”