Chapter 42
forty-two
QUYNH
Q uynh cursed as she struggled to zip up her suitcase.
She found it stuffed in the back of her closet and was determined to fit everything she could into it.
She sat on top of it and grunted as she finally zipped it shut.
Breathing a sigh of relief at completing her task, she collapsed in a heap on the floor, trying to catch her breath.
It was about a week of trying to wrap up her life in the city.
Griffin had stayed until Monday morning but left shortly after making her breakfast. He’d dragged his feet, reluctant to leave her, but he needed to get back to his business.
It was a painful goodbye as they tried to avoid the inevitable.
But knowing their future together was about to start soon kept her from falling apart.
She barely resisted the urge to fall to her knees and beg him to stay with her just a little longer.
They hardly slept the night before. Their lovemaking was frantic and desperate.
Kisses lingered, and each touch was torturous, knowing they would be separated again.
It wasn’t goodbye. She reminded herself.
They talked on the phone each night, which usually ended with Griffin requesting to FaceTime with her when she was in bed. Things usually got heated after that. Quynh blushed at the memories of them masturbating to each other during a video call.
Modern technology was amazing. She doubted it was why they invented video calls in the first place, but she wasn’t complaining. Recalling his hooded look as lust overtook his expression made her tremble with need.
It had been a long week. She missed his touch. She missed the way he seemed to always know what she needed. She missed her grumpy bear.
Aside from naughty video calls, Quynh worked up the courage to talk to her father.
Mostly, it was a one-sided conversation, given his difficulties with breathing, but she didn’t miss the way his eyes teared up when he finally saw her on the screen.
It only made her feel more like a terrible daughter for running scared and leaving him behind.
Ruth was harder to get a hold of. She preferred text messages over talking on the phone, which was fine with Quynh. Though it was hard to read the tone through text, Ruth would take more time to soften. Still, she was looking forward to trying .
Her empty apartment echoed as she walked through to make sure she missed nothing. She donated her furniture to the local women's shelter that provided used furniture to women. It made her happy to know her meager belongings could go to someone who needed them much more than she ever did.
After Griffin left, she’d worked up the courage to take Shelly down to the police station. She was anxious about the trip, though she didn’t really know why. The whole situation made her uneasy.
When she finally pulled up to the entrance, she needed a moment to take a deep breath. Walking up to the double doors was intimidating, but she found her way to the front desk without throwing up all over the linoleum floors.
Checking in at the front desk, she was instructed to wait in the waiting area as they retrieved her items. She wasn’t prepared for the detective to come out to greet her. She gulped at his approach.
Her palms were sweating. She tried to wipe her hands on her jeans before shaking the detective’s proffered hand.
“Ms. Le, nice to see you again. Do you have a moment to step into my office?” Detective Callahan asked casually.
“Oh. Sure.” She swallowed nervously before gathering her purse and following the tall detective through the security door.
He used his badge to open the doors for them and led her down a brightly lit, narrow hallway.
When they approached an open door, the detective gestured for her to enter before closing the door behind them.
“Please, have a seat.”
She sat down in the tiny chair across from the desk and watched as he made his way into his office chair, fixing his tie as he sat down. The chair creaked under his weight. Detective Callahan leaned forward to meet her gaze, hands clasped together on his desk.
“I wanted to update you on the case,” he started.
Her shoulders immediately tensed up again.
“After our investigation, we found that Jared Perry had been committing insurance fraud. He was due to be arrested and charged for his crimes. He must have learned about it somehow and took his own life, as you know.” Detective Callahan gestured toward her.
Quynh nodded in understanding, though she still wasn’t sure why she was brought into the office. This was all mentioned in the article she found.
“Ms. Le, I want to be frank with you. During our investigation, we found evidence that Mr. Perry had been manipulating the charts after you signed off on them for a higher payout. As you are a nurse practitioner, the rate of payout from insurance companies is lower than that of your physician colleagues. Mr. Perry was changing the billing codes after you locked your charts. In doing so, the clinic was paid out more than the services rendered.”
Quynh sank back into her chair in shock.
She had no idea Jared was changing her charts.
It was a violation to alter her notes in such a way.
He committed a crime for personal gain at her expense.
She wasn’t even aware anyone could unlock her notes besides her, but apparently, it was happening for a while.
Detective Callahan cleared his throat.
“We worked extensively with the IT department to determine who had been changing the charts. I want it to be clear that you are not under investigation. I’ll escort you down to the evidence room so you can retrieve your belongings.” He stood up from his desk, offering her a sympathetic glance.
She mentally shook herself out of her shock and followed Detective Callahan on shaky legs.
While she was relieved she was not under investigation, it made rage boil inside of her at the thought of Jared violating her trust. She didn’t think it had been worth losing his life over, but it made her wonder how deep his deceit went.
She wondered belatedly if he was pocketing the money since the clinic didn’t see any of the funds.
If anything, he used to complain about how they were barely keeping the lights on and trying to cram more patients in her already jam-packed schedule.
All this time, she was running herself ragged, only to have Jared steal money from insurance companies and the clinic.
Come to think of it, she always wondered how he could afford his luxury condo on the Upper East Side and his fancy car while she struggled to take care of Shelly despite having her apartment fully paid for.
Sure, she was probably more frugal than most and kept most of her paychecks in her savings, but she could still never afford to spend it on a car worth more than her entire year’s salary.
Whatever the case may be, she was so done with this part of her life. It couldn’t have come at a better time. If anything, it only validated her decision to leave all of this behind her. She had so many wonderful things to look forward to in her future.
One of which was a grumpy mechanic who was impatiently waiting for her to get her act together. Suddenly, she was desperate to get back to him.
There was nothing holding her back here anymore. She didn’t need to take anything besides the clothes she packed, Pickles, and herself. She planned on getting a good night’s sleep and driving back to Willowbrook in the morning but fuck it.
What am I waiting for?
She quickened her steps to match those of the detective and hurriedly signed the paperwork to retrieve her belongings. The box was light and held nothing she absolutely couldn’t live without, except her stethoscope and tools.
She thanked Detective Callahan as he walked her back out to the main lobby. Her hurried steps echoed on the linoleum floor as she left the sterile building behind.
Once outside, she took a deep breath of the city air and ran to her car.
She had a long ride ahead of her.