Hush (25 page)

LAKE CHECKED THE
surge of hope that had already begun to build in her. She’d had a similar call hours earlier from Harry. And though he’d disclosed Levin’s latest tactic against her, it hadn’t been the kind of information she’d needed.

“What’s it about?” Lake asked. “I assume you know I’m not with the clinic anymore.”

“Yes, I know that. Everyone does. But”—and she lowered her voice even more—“I overheard Maggie talking to Chelsea. I know what you told her.”

“Yes?” Lake asked quietly.

“It made me think. You see, something funny happened here recently. Something maybe you should know about.”

Lake wondered if this was finally it—the break she had desperately longed for.

“What happened?” Lake asked. She realized she was whispering, too.

There was a pause. Lake sensed that Rory had turned around and checked behind her.

“I’m afraid to talk about it right now. I can’t believe I’m even calling you from here—someone might overhear.”

Quickly, Lake tried to think of a plan. “Do you want to come to my place? After work. We could talk here.”

“No. I can meet you after work, but I don’t want to go to your place. Someone from here might see me going into your building.”

“Your place, then?” Lake asked. She remembered that Rory lived north of the city; Lake could drive there.

“That’s too far,” Rory said. “I’m all the way up in Bedford Hills. Oh gosh, I don’t know. Maybe I—”

“I’ve got an idea,” Lake said, her mind forming the plan as she spoke. “There’s a little piano bar in the Eighties. It’s not far from the clinic, but no one on staff would ever go there. Why don’t we meet there when you finish up today?”

Rory sighed. Lake bit her tongue, afraid of pushing too hard.

“Okay,” Rory said finally.

Lake gave her the name of the bar—a place she used to go with Jack to hear music—and they agreed to meet at six-thirty.

Next she called Archer to fill him in on her conversations with Maggie and Rory.

“Sounds like we might be in luck. When are you going to speak to her?”

“At the end of the workday.”

“Call me, okay? As soon as you’re done talking to her.”

For the next hour she sat in her home office, trying to concentrate on the rest of her consulting business, which she’d almost totally ignored lately. She hadn’t read her emails in days, and there were dozens and dozens of them, many of which should have been answered immediately. She responded to the most urgent ones, including one from a prospective client wondering why she hadn’t yet
received a proposal from Lake, and then she just couldn’t concentrate any longer. Her assistant was due back next Wednesday, and she could help get things under control. But Lake couldn’t imagine how she’d function normally in front of her with everything that was going on. Plus, would Lake be putting her in danger?

Suddenly she felt overwhelmed with fatigue. But she didn’t dare take a nap like yesterday, in case it would be hours before she woke. Instead she showered, turning the water to cold before she finished. As she toweled off, she mentally prepped for the meeting with Rory, urging herself not to seem desperate like she had with Maggie. She winced at the memory of her grabbing Maggie’s wrist. This was a different situation, of course. Rory was coming to her. But she could sense that Rory was a reluctant witness and that she’d have to be careful not to frighten her off.

Lake made sure she was at the bar fifteen minutes early. She found a table toward the back, with a view of the door but away from the windows. It was too early for the first piano player of the evening, though people were already gathered at the bar, a few in groups. She ordered a glass of red wine and folded her hands on the table. Let this
be
something, she thought.

When Rory entered the bar, Lake almost didn’t recognize her. In her floral dress she looked far more pregnant than she did in her white uniform jacket. Her blond hair was wavy from the humidity and pinned back on one side with a barrette.

As she made her way to Lake’s table, Rory searched the room with her eyes and then looked behind her before sitting down.

“Are you sure no one will see us here?” she asked worriedly as she sat across from Lake

“I’m positive. Would you like something to drink?” Lake asked.

“
Drink?
” Rory exclaimed, her pale blue eyes widening. “But I’m
pregnant
.”

“I didn’t mean a
drink
drink. Do you want a soda—or a sparkling water?”

“No, nothing.”

It was clear Lake needed to cut to the chase.

“I really appreciate your coming, Rory,” she said. “Why don’t you tell me what’s on your mind.”

Rory looked behind her once more before speaking.

“Like I told you on the phone, I overheard Maggie and Chelsea talking. Maggie usually eats lunch at this one coffee shop and she
always
takes the full hour, but today she went out and came back in ten minutes with just a sandwich from a deli. I saw her go into the kitchen to get something to drink and she seemed sort of flustered. Chelsea was already in there and I started to go in there, too, but then I overheard them whispering. Maggie said that she’d run into you and that you told her that the real reason you were fired was because you’d discovered something bad going on at the clinic—in the lab in particular.”

“Did she tell Chelsea what it was?”

“Not that I heard. She just asked Chelsea if she thought it could be true, if Chelsea thought something weird might be going on. And Chelsea told her that you were just trash-talking out of revenge. Of course, I’m not sure how Chelsea would even know, one way or the other. She’s really not that smart.”

“As far as you know, did Maggie say anything to anyone else?”

“I doubt it. Chelsea’s the only one she’s really close to.” Rory ran her eyes over Lake’s face as if she were searching for something.

“Rory, look—”

“Is there really something going on at the clinic?” Rory asked, her eyes narrowed in worry.

“Yes, I think there may be,” Lake said. “A former patient told me she believes that the doctors implanted some of her embryos into another woman—without permission from either one of them.”

“Omigod,” Rory said, instinctively curling her arm around her rounded belly. “They—they could get in so much trouble for that.”

“Have you ever witnessed anything that would make you think that they’re guilty of that? On the phone you said that something funny had happened.”

“I did see something funny,” she said after a moment. “But I don’t know if it has anything to do with what you’re talking about.”

“But it might,” Lake urged. “Please tell me.”

Rory took her arm from her belly and folded her hands on the table. Her hands were large and strong, fitting her body, but also perfectly manicured—with peach-colored nails.

“When I first got pregnant I felt really awful,” Rory said. “I have no clue why they call it morning sickness because I was sick all day long. One afternoon I felt so bad I didn’t know how I was going to be able to get on the train to go home. So after I’d finished with the last patient, I decided to lie down in Dr. Kline’s office for a while—he’s got a little love seat in there. It was about five-thirty and I only planned to rest for a few minutes, but when I opened my eyes it was almost seven. I couldn’t believe it. I was afraid that everybody had left and I was locked in with the alarm on. I walked down to the reception area and all of a sudden I saw Dr. Hoss standing there with a man I’d never seen before. She seemed really uncomfortable when she noticed me—like I’d caught her at something.”

“Maybe it was someone she was dating—and she felt awkward?”

Rory glanced quickly behind her again.

“Well, he had a silver container with him,” she said, her voice hushed. “The kind that’s used to carry eggs.”

“
Eggs?
” Lake said.

“Yes. And embryos.”

“Was he delivering eggs?” Lake asked. “From a donor bank?”

Rory shook her head.

“I don’t think so. I think he was taking some away.”

“How can you be sure?”

“Because I followed him.”

“
Followed
him?” Lake asked, surprised. “How did you manage that?”

“I left the clinic first. I could tell they didn’t want me there. But I waited down the street until the man came out. Like I said, the whole thing just seemed kind of funny to me, and I thought if I saw what kind of car or van he got into, it would help me figure it out. But he didn’t get into a car. He just started walking. I still felt a little sick, but I decided to follow behind. I knew he couldn’t be going very far because he had the cooler with him. And then just three blocks away he went into a townhouse. After about five minutes I went in and checked the name on the plaque. It said New Century Research.”

“So the eggs may have been donated for research? Isn’t that something the clinic does occasionally?”

“Some couples okay it but not very many.
I
certainly never would if I were in their situation. Besides, that’s not the name of a company the clinic deals with regularly. And, like I told you, there was something really funny about the way Dr. Hoss acted.”

Lake studied the table for a moment. It wasn’t the information she’d been hoping for, but it all might fit in. If the clinic had enough reckless disregard for someone’s embryos to implant them in another woman, they wouldn’t think twice about selling them for research.

But she needed evidence. She had to convince Rory to look through the patient charts. When she glanced back up, Rory was staring at her.

“Rory, I really appreciate your sharing this with me,” she said. “But now I need your help. Would you be willing to pull a few patient charts? I honestly think that the clinic is doing things that aren’t ethical, and the proof has got to be in the files.”

Rory shook her head quickly back and forth.

“Look, I told you what I know,” she said. “If there’s something weird going on, I want the doctors to be told they have to stop. But I don’t want to make trouble.”

“Please, hear me out, Rory,” Lake said. “First of all, innocent couples are being affected by this. Secondly, I think there are dangerous people at the clinic. A man tried to kill me last night—and I’m almost positive he was hired by a person at the clinic.”

“
Kill
you?” Rory said. She drew her body back, startled. “How?”

“He pulled a knife on me in a park. Fortunately I was able to get away.”

“But maybe it was just someone trying to mug you.”

“I don’t think so. He followed me from where I’d gone to meet a former patient—who never showed, by the way. This guy seemed to know where I’d be. Plus, think about what happened to Dr. Keaton.”

She hated even saying Keaton’s name, but she needed to use whatever she could to elicit Rory’s help.

“Dr. Keaton?” Rory said, clearly shocked by the reference. “What do you mean?”

“I think—I’m wondering if he may have stumbled onto some of this information himself. It may be why he was killed.”

Rory wrinkled her nose. “But Dr. Levin said he had a gambling problem and some
Soprano
-type probably broke into his apartment and killed him because he owed lots and lots of money.”

“There was no forced entry apparently. And his keys had been left in Maggie’s drawer for days.”

“But Maggie said he had a terrace. The killer probably got in from there.”

“That’s not possible,” Lake said. “There’s—” And then she caught herself. She couldn’t believe how stupid she’d just been. She watched Rory’s mouth drop open and close.

“What do you mean?” Rory asked flatly.

In her mind Lake fumbled for a way to cover her slip.

“Maggie,” she said after excruciating seconds. “She told me he lived on a high-up floor. How—how could anyone have gotten access to a terrace so high? Unless they were like Spider-Man.”

Rory stared at Lake, her face as frozen as a mask. Lake couldn’t tell if she had guessed the truth—that Lake was personally familiar with the apartment—or was simply weighing whether someone from the clinic could have killed Keaton. Lake held her breath, waiting.

After a moment, Rory shrugged. “Maybe you’re right. We live in an old gate house, and I don’t know anything about city apartments.”

Lake relaxed. Rory may have felt a flutter of suspicion, but she’d clearly dismissed it.

“If Dr. Keaton
was
killed because of this situation at the clinic, you can see how important it is that we stop them,” Lake said.

“But what exactly would you want me to do?” Rory asked worriedly.

Lake told her about the series of letters she might find in Alexis’s file, and possibly others.

“Except for the Hunt file, it’s not necessary to comb through drawers in the storage room,” Lake said. “You could just look at each patient’s chart as she comes in for her appointment. No one should find that suspicious.”

“What do the letters stand for?” Rory asked.

“I’m still trying to figure that out,” Lake said, not wanting to divulge her theory.

Rory scrunched her mouth, clearly mulling over everything she was hearing.

“Rory, I know it’s a lot to ask,” Lake said, frightened now that Rory would say no. “But just think if someone had done this with
your
embryos.”

“Okay,” Rory said finally. “I guess I could try to do it Monday.”

Lake smiled gratefully. “That’s wonderful. And if you do find those letters on the information sheets—especially the Hunts’—it would help so much if you could make photocopies. But only if you can do it discreetly. I don’t want anyone to see you.”

“All right.” Rory looked off, thinking. “I really should go now. It’s not good to be under a lot of stress when you’re pregnant.”

“I understand completely,” Lake said. She reached into her purse for a business card. “My cell is on here, as well as my home phone. If you run into any difficulty at all, please call me right away.”

Rory pulled a small note pad from her purse and wrote down her home and cell numbers.

“My husband—Colin—had to go away again today and I’ll be on my own this weekend. I’m not telling him any of this, by the way. He wouldn’t want me to get involved.”