Critical Diagnosis (Love Inspired Suspense)

by Alison Stone

  “This has gone too far.” Lily’s words came out clipped, angry. Her pale cheeks fired red.

  His gaze traveled upward to the porch overhang. Someone had removed the porch lightbulb entirely. “Unbelievable.” A muscle twitched in his jaw. He pulled out his phone and dialed the chief of police, his friend. Phone pressed to his ear, he strode to the edge of the porch, his shoes crunching on tiny white shards of glass. At least now he knew what had happened to the bulb. Leaning over the railing, he searched the side of the house toward the backyard. Pitch-dark.

  He explained the situation to the chief and asked for more frequent patrols by Lily’s house.

  “Let’s go inside.” With a hand on her back, he led her past the grotesque remains of the rat and into her home. He shut the door and turned the bolt. “I’m going to check the house. Stay here.”

  A few minutes later he returned. Hugging her knees, Lily looked small sitting on the stairs in the foyer. “All the windows and doors are locked,” he said, doing his best to reassure her. “You can’t stay here all alone. I won’t let you.” He braced for an argument that didn’t come.

  Instead, Lily stared at him, an expression of defeat on her face. “What do you have in mind?”

  “Maybe...” He ran a finger across his chin. “Let me check with Edna. Maybe you can stay in the carriage house behind my grandparents’ home.”

  Lily seemed to consider it a moment. She grabbed the banister and pulled herself up. “I want to crawl into my own bed and go to sleep. I’m exhausted.”

  “I know. Go grab some things. I’ll give Edna a quick call. After the chief gets here, I’ll clean up the mess on the front porch and then I’m taking you to the carriage house for safekeeping. No arguments.”

  * * *

  The next morning, the doorbell on the upstairs apartment of the carriage house sounded, and although Lily had been anticipating it, she nearly jumped out of her skin. She closed her eyes briefly and drew in a deep breath. Fixing a smile on her face, she pulled open the door.

  “Sleep okay?” James greeted her with a smile, and butterflies fluttered in her belly. Inwardly she rolled her eyes. Easy, girl.

  “All things considered.” Lily kept her expression neutral. She hadn’t spent a night in this apartment for years, not since after her mother had died and the O’Reillys had provided her housing between semesters at college. It felt comfortably familiar. She also felt safe upstairs from Edna and Charlie.

  “Ready to take Emily and Bethany to the clinic?”

  She grabbed her purse and they went down the stairs, past the beautifully landscaped pool area and through the locked gate to his vehicle parked in the circular driveway. Once they were in the car, Lily said, “I talked to my sister this morning. Emily seems to be herself, but I told my sister we should still bring her in. To run some blood tests.”

  “Smart move.” James started the car, his smile warming her insides.

  “Speaking of smart moves, do you think I was wrong to tell Chief Farley last night that I wanted to get the composite drawing done and then go public with it? We have to do something. I can’t just sit here and wait.” Lily hated the breathless quality of her voice, but now she worried plastering a composite sketch of this thug around town would only antagonize him. Last night it was a dead rat. Would she be next?

  Lily fastened her seat belt and tried to relax into the seat.

  A long silence stretched between them as James pulled out onto the main road. “Well, a sketch is one way of getting the word out. But—” he cut her a sideways glance “—you may become more of a target. If the chief’s right, this jerk is part of a gang.” His fingers flexed on the steering wheel. “My main focus for now is to keep you out of harm’s way.”

  She squinted against the sunlight blinking through the heavy foliage. “I have to do it. I have to do something. I’m afraid of every little noise. I can’t live like this.” She rubbed the palms of her hands up and down her arms. “I want him caught. If his composite goes on the news—” a new idea struck her “—maybe we can offer a reward. Maybe then someone will come forward and I can get on with my life.” She ran a finger under her nose. “He’s not going to stop. We have to offer a reward.” She shifted in her seat to face him. “Do you think we can do that?” Hope buoyed her mood.

  “I’ll call the chief.” James seemed resigned. “I’ll push him to get an artist to the station later this afternoon. See if he’ll contact the news in Buffalo and Rochester.”

  A tangle of nerves and excitement jumbled Lily’s insides. Someone would come forward with a reward. She just knew it.

  When they pulled into the parking lot at her sister’s apartment complex, Emily sprang from the swing on the playground. In her matching lime-green shorts and T-shirt, Emily looked as if she was ready for a day of summer fun. She certainly didn’t look like the little girl who had been sick only the night before. Her niece ran toward her mother, a little brown bear flopping behind her. Bethany took her daughter’s hand and walked toward the car.

  When Lily got out of the car, Emily let go of her mother’s hand and bolted ahead. The heaviness of the past few days seemed to lift. Lily crouched down. Her niece wrapped her thin arms around her neck. “Hey there, kiddo.”

  “Hi, Aunt Lily. Where are we going?”

  Lily looked at her sister, trying to read her expression. Bethany responded with a shrug and a little pout. Obviously, Emily didn’t know she was going to get blood work done. Her sister probably hoped she and James would be a nice distraction.

  Lily straightened and took Emily’s hand. Her young niece watched James approach. Her little nose scrunched up. “Who’s that?”

  “That’s Lily’s friend James,” Bethany said, smiling at Lily.

  “Is he going with us?” Emily asked.

  James crouched in front of her niece. “I’m a doctor and I came to see you last night.”

  Emily tipped her head, her bright eyes narrowed. “But I feel fine now.” She moved closer to Lily, clutching her hand. Tucking the stuffed animal under her chin, she stuck out her lower lip. “Are we going to the hospital? I don’t like the hospital.”

  Bethany looked like a deer caught in headlights. Her daughter’s illness had taken a toll on her, too. “It’s okay, sweetie,” her mother said reassuringly.

  “We’re not going to the hospital,” James said. “Would you like to see where I work? I’m a doctor and I have an office not far from here.”

  Emily nodded slowly, still not buying it. James extended his hand, and her niece let go of Lily’s hand and reached out for James’s. Lily caught Bethany staring at her and lifted her palms in a go-figure gesture.

  With a satisfied smile, James led her niece to the car. “You, your mom and Mr. Bear can sit back here.”

  Emily giggled and hugged her stuffed bear. “That’s not his name.”

  James frowned. “Well, what’s his name?”

  “Just Bear.”

  “What kind of name is Just?” James opened the back door of his SUV and gave Emily an exaggerated smile.

  “No, silly. His name is Bear.”

  “Okay, that works.” He boosted Emily up into the vehicle. “Make sure Bear is buckled in.”

  Once they were all settled in the vehicle, Lily studied James, who didn’t seem to be paying her much attention. He was so good with children. He’d make someone an awesome husband someday. He’d make an awesome dad.

  Once they were on their way, he flicked a glance in her direction. His brow furrowed at catching her staring at him. “What?”

  Heat crept up her neck and she quickly shook her head. “Just daydreaming.” She shifted in her seat and studied the changing landscape. The country homes gave way to brick buildings constituting a small town that had seen better days. Several storefronts were empty. Glancing over her shoulder, sh
e winked at Emily, who was holding her mother’s hand. Lily really loved that kid.

  Once they passed the center of town, they headed toward her childhood neighborhood. Her mother had rented half of a nondescript duplex. Not exactly located on the right side of the tracks. Some of the houses looked familiar; others had fallen into such disrepair as to be unrecognizable. One porch sloped forward under the weight of the junk stored on it. James slowed and turned on his directional. The first time she had come to the clinic, she was surprised to find it housed in a well-tended, green two-story home with only a small shingle with the words Orchard Gardens Clinic neatly painted on it. This was the only indication the home was actually a place of business. It seemed so cozy, quaint. Not at all the sterile clinic she had imagined.

  Lily picked at a hangnail as James drove up the driveway and parked in the back parking lot. Her gaze was instinctively drawn to the pine trees bordering the property, separating the clinic lot from the apartment building behind it, shielding anyone who wanted to hide. Stop it.

  Throwing back her shoulders, she opened the car door for Emily. The child scooted out and took Lily’s hand. Lily swung it playfully and smiled. “It’s going to be all right, kid.”

  James led them around to the front door. Up a short ramp landed them in a standing-room-only waiting room. Nancy, the nurse practitioner, had opened the clinic only twenty minutes ago.

  A baby wailed in his mother’s arms. A few other kids played with beads on a curvy wire set up on a wood table. The adults nodded and smiled when James walked past. They all seemed to know who he was.

  “Good morning,” James said. “We’ll have you back to see someone as soon as possible.”

  “Thank you, Doctor,” the mother of the baby said.

  Mrs. Benson, the older woman who had been there on Saturday, sat in a corner seat with her granddaughter on her lap. The woman looked absolutely exhausted. Lily noticed her first and went over to greet her. “Mrs. Benson, is everything okay?”

  The older woman slowly closed and opened her eyes. “This one keeps me running,” she said tiredly. “She hasn’t slept well the past few nights. I’m worried the antibiotics aren’t working.”

  Glancing over her shoulder, Lily watched James leading Bethany and Emily toward one of the examining rooms. She placed her hand on top of the older woman’s work-worn hand. “Give me a minute and one of us will check her out. Sometimes these things just take time.”

  The little girl slipped off her grandmother’s lap and reached up and tugged on Lily’s hair. “Pretty.”

  Lily took the child’s hand in hers. “Thank you, Chloe. Now sit here with your grandma. I’ll be back in a few minutes.” She cupped the little girl’s cheek and smiled into her chocolate eyes. “Can you do that for me?”

  Chloe scooted back into the empty chair next to her grandmother and ran her little hands up and down the metal arms of the chair. Lily handed her a Winnie-the-Pooh book. “I’ll be right back. Do you want to read this while I’m gone?” The girl’s eyes opened wide and her little chubby hands clutched the book. Smiling, Lily hurried down the hall and met the small group in the cramped examining room.

  Bethany glanced at her. “I feel so bad taking up your time when you have all these other people in the waiting room.”

  “It’s okay. There are two nurse practitioners on duty—” he glanced at his cell phone “—and a buddy of mine agreed to come in and see a few patients today. There are a number of doctors who rotate through this facility. Including me.” He tipped his head toward Lily. “And your sister, of late.”

  Emily seemed calm holding her mother’s hand.

  “I’ll step into the hall. Give everyone more elbow room.” Leaning over, Lily planted a kiss on Emily’s forehead. “Dr. James will take care of you, okay, sweetie? I’ll be right outside.”

  “Okay.” Emily nodded, squeezing her bear close to her chest.

  Lily slid out of the room and made her way to the nurses’ desk. The nameplate read Nancy King. Ah, the infamous Nancy. The nurse put down the phone and looked up at her expectantly. “Morning. It’s Dr. McAllister, right?” The nurse smiled tightly, obviously too busy for idle chitchat.

  “Yes, it is,” Lily said, a little surprised because she had never met the woman. Lily had worked at the clinic only on Saturdays, Nancy’s day off.

  “Dr. O’Reilly told me you’d be in this morning.”

  Ah. “Can you make sure the bill for—” she pointed to the room down the hall “—my niece comes to me? I don’t want the clinic to absorb the fee.” Lily handed over her business card with her work address. “Please send the bill here.”

  The nurse studied the card as if she didn’t know how to handle the request. The phone rang and the nurse gave her a curt nod before taking the call.

  Lily made her way back down the hall as James was coming out of the room. A smile brightened his face. “Bethany is helping her get dressed. I drew some blood and did a quick exam. We’ll have to wait and see.”

  Lily swallowed around a lump in her throat. “I’ve been praying it’s not a relapse.”

  James touched her arm. “One day at a time.”

  Little feet padded across the floor. Mrs. Benson’s granddaughter ran down the hallway and wrapped her arms around Lily’s legs. Lily touched the tiny braids crisscrossing the little girl’s head. “Hey there. Did you finish reading Winnie-the-Pooh?”

  The little girl nodded emphatically. Something tugged at Lily’s heart. Mrs. Benson, her arms full of her granddaughter’s things, limped down the hall. “Oh, that child is going to wear me out.”

  James offered his hand and Chloe eagerly took it. “Come with me.”

  Mrs. Benson sighed in relief. “You’re a lifesaver, Dr. James. A real lifesaver.”

  Lily patted the woman’s arm as she passed. “You’re in good hands.”

  The older woman smiled for the first time. “I know, dear.”

  EIGHT

  Later that afternoon, Lily swiped her badge and pushed open the door to her lab. She snatched her lab coat from the hook and slipped her arms into the crisp, cool sleeves. Sarah, one of her assistants, looked up from the microscope. She tucked a long strand of silky, black hair behind her ear and slanted a sideways look in Lily’s direction. “I thought it was some major holiday that I wasn’t aware of.”

  “I had a family emergency.” And the sketch artist at the police station had taken longer than she had expected. But the composite was done. Done. Maybe now they’d catch this creep.

  “Everything okay?” Sarah sat on the stool and crossed her arms.

  “My niece wasn’t feeling well. She seems fine now, but James took a blood sample to be on the safe side.”

  Sarah seemed to stare right through her. Sometimes Lily forgot there were two other people committed to her research, as well. They may not have a personal stake in it, but they took pride in their work.

  Sarah smiled convivially. “We’re on track, Doc. We’re going to have a treatment available soon. We won’t stop until we find a cure.” She tapped on the paperwork on the table next to her.

  “From your lips to God’s ears.” Glancing around the lab, she realized for the first time that it was just the two of them. “Talia not in again today? That’s unlike her.” Talia had rarely had one sick day, never mind two in a row.

  Sarah lifted her palm in a semishrug, distracted by something at her workstation.

  “Did she call in today?” Lily’s gaze darted to the phone on her desk. The red light blinked, indicating she had a message. She strode across the room and picked it up. She pressed in a few numbers, then listened to the messages. None from Talia or from Human Resources indicating Talia would be out sick. Lily buttoned her lab coat. “That’s strange.”

  Foreboding, like cool air from an air-conditioning vent, skittered across the ba
ck of her neck. Sitting on the corner of her desk, Lily brushed her knuckles across her chapped lips. “Everything been okay with you? Anything strange happen lately?” A detailed image of the mutilated rat left on her doorstep scraped across her brain.

  Sarah tapped the cap of her pen against her lips. “No...?” She took a step closer. “I mean, other than the excitement at the O’Reillys’ party last weekend.” A hint of fear flashed in her eyes. “I thought that was just some random intruder.” Apparently, most of the guests hadn’t learned of the intruder’s connection to the clinic.

  Lily threaded her fingers through her hair. “It’s probably going to hit the news soon, so I’ll tell you.” She relayed the recent incidences. “The guy seems to be specifically targeting me, but all the same, be careful coming and going to work. My car was vandalized in the parking lot.”

  Sarah’s ivory skin turned deathly white. “Just great.” She pulled her cell phone from her lab-coat pocket. “I’m texting my boyfriend. He can pick me up after work. I’m not going to take any chances.”

  “I don’t think you’re in danger, but it couldn’t hurt.”

  “Do you think this could be some radical animal-rights group?” Sarah tipped her head toward the rats. “Someone left a rat on your doorstep.” She paused to let that sink in. “Once we had problems at the university I was working at. Some psycho started harassing all the researchers.”

  Lily focused on buttoning her lab coat. “I don’t think that’s the case here.” She cleared her throat. “Unfortunately, I was in the wrong place at the wrong time at the clinic. I believe it has more to do with a druggie looking for a fix. Now he wants to make sure he doesn’t get caught.” And the jerk made sure she knew that he knew exactly who she was, making her feel vulnerable every minute of every day. Once again she cursed the stupid feature article in the newspaper profiling her research. Revealing her identity.