Chương 8 - The Doctor Who Never Was
I came back up the service hallway with Jenna's phone heavy in my pocket. The photos were on it now next to the video, time-stamped, clear. The gold chiavari chairs and white linens were still set out in the ballroom below, but the dressing suite hallway was quiet, just the hum of the chandeliers through the wall and the soft carpet under my shoes.
Elise was sitting on the edge of the vanity bench when I opened the door. She'd fixed her makeup. Kyra was curled in the big armchair in her burgundy dress, her legs tucked under her, Jenna's hand resting lightly on the arm beside her. Jenna looked up at me first. She didn't ask what I found. She just waited.
I didn't want to start with an accusation. My chest was tight and I knew if I came in hard, Elise would close off completely and Kyra would hear everything.
"Hey," I said quietly to Elise. "Can we step to the side for a second? I want to handle this the right way for your health, not make it a thing."
She nodded too quickly, her hands clasped. "Okay. Yes. Thank you."
I kept my voice low, like I was trying to protect her privacy. "If you're seeing someone, I can call discreetly. Just give me your OB's name and the clinic. I'll have my brother verify on our private line so nothing goes through the foundation office. I just want to make sure you and the baby are charted right, especially after tonight's stress."
That was the opening she wanted. She sat up straighter.
"Dr. Patel," she said. "At Meridian Women's Clinic. Downtown. She's been seeing me since the beginning. My file's there."
Jenna didn't react. Kyra watched Elise, then looked at me, her brow pulled in.
I pulled out my phone and texted my brother, Mark. He was still downstairs handling the foundation board table, keeping guests from wandering up. I wrote: Can you call Meridian Women's Clinic and ask for a patient verification for Elise Vance? Quietly. On speaker when you're ready.
A minute later my phone buzzed. Mark was outside the suite door. I opened it and he stepped in, in his own tux, his tie loosened. He didn't look at Elise more than he had to.
"Adam," he said. "You want me to make that call now?"
"Please," I said. "Speaker, so Elise hears we're being careful."
Elise smoothed her dress. "Of course. It's Meridian Women's Clinic. Dr. Anika Patel."
Mark found the number on his phone, not one she gave him, and dialed the after-hours line. The suite was so quiet I could hear the ring. A woman answered, professional.
"Meridian Women's Clinic, this is Sarah, how can I help you?"
Mark kept it even. "Hi Sarah, this is Mark Keller. I'm calling for a discreet patient verification for a family health matter. Can you confirm if you have a patient file for Elise Vance, date of birth May 14, 1993?"
Elise's hands tightened around each other.
There was typing on the other end. "One moment please."
Kyra shifted in her chair. Jenna's hand moved to her shoulder without a word.
Sarah came back. "Mr. Keller, I've checked our system for active and inactive patients. We have no patient file under Elise Vance or that date of birth. And we don't have a Dr. Anika Patel on staff. Our physicians are Dr. Morrison, Dr. Cho, and Dr. Reid. Would you like me to check a different spelling?"
The air in the room changed. I felt it in my jaw before I could think.
Mark glanced at me. "No, that's the correct spelling. Thank you for checking so quickly. We wanted to be discreet for medical reasons. I appreciate it."
"Of course. Have a good evening," Sarah said, and the line clicked off.
No one spoke for three seconds. The chandelier light hummed.
Elise's face did something quick, a recalibration. She let out a short breath like she was relieved, not caught.
"That's because I haven't transferred the file yet," she said, her voice higher. "I told you I've been private about it. I've been going to a boutique practice that doesn't share records. I've been paying cash so it wouldn't hit the foundation insurance. You know how the board gossips. This is exactly why I didn't want you calling anyone."
It wasn't the same story she'd told me ten minutes earlier. Earlier it was Dr. Patel at Meridian. Now it was a cash boutique no one could verify. The pivot was smooth but I heard the seam in it.
Mark didn't argue with her. He just looked at me. I shook my head slightly at him, a signal to let it go. He understood. He'd done what I asked.
Jenna leaned down to Kyra. "You okay, honey?"
Kyra wasn't looking at Elise anymore. She was looking at the floor, at the edge of her burgundy dress where it brushed her shoes. Her voice was small and tired.
"Dad," she said. "Can we go home now? I want to go home."
Elise heard that and her eyes filled fast. She turned it again.
"See what this does?" she said to me, her hand on her stomach that wasn't holding what she said it was. "You bring your ex-wife and your brother and you interrogate me on speaker in front of a child? You think this is about a clinic file? This is about your family's money. You all think I'm after your trust payout. That's what this is really about."
She wasn't defending the doctor anymore. She was moving the target to money, to being the outsider.
I felt the two pictures on Jenna's phone burn in my pocket, but I didn't pull them out here in front of Kyra. I didn't need to. The call had done what the photos had done. There was no file. There was no Dr. Patel.
"Elise," I said quietly. "No one called you anything in front of the ballroom. We kept this in this room. That's on purpose."
She stood, gathering her clutch. "Keep it in this room, then. But don't pretend this is about my health."
May you like
Kyra slipped off the chair and came to stand beside me. She didn't touch Elise. She reached for my hand. Her fingers were cold.
Jenna stood too, her phone already in her handbag, the evidence safe. She looked at me and I nodded once. We were done for tonight. We had what we needed and Kyra had asked to leave, and that was the only thing left that mattered.
