Chapter Five.
April
“Hey, watch out, April, Doctor Love is looking at you.” I turned and saw Teagan, another nurse I worked with, standing close. She was one of the nicest ones here.
“Huh?”
“Doc Love. The man has slept his way through half the nursing staff and several of the female doctors, too. Guys’s a total whore, but women still screw him,” Teagan explained.
“Yeah, not me. Newsflash, I don’t date,” I replied, and Teagan laughed.
“Damn, I’ve not met anybody who’s said no before.”
“Watch and learn, honey. Doc Love is not on my radar; he’s not even a blip. I’m not interested in dating anyone.”
“April, Reines will see that as a challenge,” Teagan warned, and I shrugged.
“If Reines persists, then I’ll speak to HR, simple,” I replied, and Teagan’s eyes widened.
“Wow, you actually mean that!”
“Certainly do.”
“Good luck rebuffing Reines. No offence, I’m going to watch from around the corner and be amused!” Teagan stated, and I smiled. Someone called her name, and Teagan hurried off, and I shifted my attention back to the chart.
“April, isn’t it?” a rich baritone asked, and I turned and saw the doctor Teagan had pointed out.
“Yes. Can I help you, Dr Reines?” I inquired and almost flinched at the sleezy look that briefly entered his eyes.
“Do you have the file for Mr Cussler?”
“Yes, I’ve just finished updating Mr Cussler’s obs. He’s remaining steady for now,” I replied.
“Good. April, I’ve admitted Mrs Jepson to cubicle four. She needs an operation. Can you manage the transfer?”
“Yes, anything else?” I asked when Reines paused. A slow, sexy smile crossed his lips, but it sent disgust down my spine. Reines was definitely handsome, and I could see why panties would drop for him. However, there was something reptilian about him, and he left me cold.
“How about a drink? Welcome to the department,” he said.
“Thanks for the offer, but no.”
“No?” Dr Reines seemed amused.
“No, I’m temporary and don’t need welcoming, as I won’t be staying.”
“Ah, I see.” He leaned in closer, and puzzlement flashed in his eyes as I stepped back. “That was my way of asking you out.”
“And again, thanks, but I decline.”
“No? Are you playing hard to get, April? I like a challenge.”
Frustrated, I held Reines’ gaze and let him witness my annoyance at his persistence. “I don’t date, and certainly not colleagues I work with. That leads to a toxic work environment. I appreciate the offer, but no means no.”
“April, I understand; don’t worry, we’ll play it your way.” Dr Reines winked before walking away cockily.
Teagan released a low whistle as she approached. “Reines totally just blew your objections off.”
“Yeah, asshole doesn’t understand. Did he really think I was playing a game?”
“Honey, Reines is one of the most sought-after doctors here. Rich, powerful and handsome as sin. Nobody has turned him down and meant it. The man thinks you’re messing with him and making him chase you.”
“Oh, hell,” I muttered.
“Have fun!” Tegan chortled and walked away.
Bloody egotistical doctors, I didn’t need Reines on my case!
Harlequin
“That’s nine-fifty,” the cashier said as I grabbed my coffee and doughnut.
I handed over ten bucks and put five in the tip jar.
The barista smiled as I left the busy shop.
A week had passed since I’d last seen April, but she was constantly on my mind.
Even when asleep, she invaded my dreams. Tired and irritable, I headed towards the building where Slaughter had set up his business and entered.
Marie, the receptionist, looked up and offered a brisk nod as I made my way to my office.
On the desk was a pile of folders, and I sighed.
Working for Slaughter as a PI and security expert was challenging, but I loved the work.
I’d taken several courses on installing cameras and worked for six weeks with Dylan Hawthorne’s team.
South Dakota was a no-state license to be a registered Private Eye.
But I’d owned one before in North Dakota.
It had been hard, but I’d completed the required two thousand investigative hours and passed the exam.
Slaughter, like me, another guy and two women he’d hired, held licences from other states as well.
Without a licence, Slaughter wouldn’t hire anyone. Slaughter claimed it was too risky.
Wearily, I sat down and opened the top folder.
There was a sticky note from Marie ordering me to do the paperwork so she could file it.
I chuckled. Marie was a stickler, and she’d stand over me if I didn’t finish the reports on time.
There were three folders in total needing my final signature and notes. Under those were several new cases.
One was a missing teen, aged eighteen and barely a woman.
The next was a suspected wife cheating, and the third was a possible situation of insurance fraud.
I shoved the latter two to one side and opened up the missing girl.
Slaughter always conducted the initial interviews, taking notes before passing the cases on.
I read through and discovered he’d covered the basics.
If I took the case, I’d do a more in-depth interview with our client in this instance—the father.
Julie Rogers had last been seen six months ago.
From all accounts, she was a good girl and didn’t cause much trouble.
Darren Rogers was divorced, and Julie lived with him.
She had a boyfriend she’d dated through high school, who was preparing to attend college.
Julie was doing a two-year local course in African American artefacts before looking at universities.
According to Mr Rogers, Julie was last spotted walking home from the library. Then she disappeared.
Mr Rogers had called the police when she was five hours late, and they’d begun searching straight away. It was a myth that you had to wait twenty-four hours to report a missing person in South Dakota. Although the police had reacted immediately, there’d been no sign of her.
A picture fell was clipped to the front page that Mr Rogers had provided.
Julie had a wide smile and was glowing with health and happiness.
Her hair was naturally curly and hung past her shoulders.
Chocolate-brown eyes were lit with amusement, and her skin was perfect.
Julie was a beautiful girl. Beside her stood a young African American male who was also laughing. I guessed that was the boyfriend.
Picking up the insurance fraud file, I checked what it was.
Someone who was claiming megabucks for being wounded on the job.
I sighed; these were often boring. Usually, a lot of time was spent hanging around, waiting for the idiot to slip up and prove the injury wasn’t permanent. Oh well, that’s life.
I got to my feet. I didn’t want the cheating-wife case. Slaughter could pass that on to someone else. Heading towards his office, I was surprised to hear shouting. Curiously, I paused and checked on Marie in reception, and saw a guy leaning over, bellowing in her face.
“Back the fuck up now,” I ordered, moving quickly in his direction.
He moved backwards and held his hands up. “Dude, I ain’t here to cause trouble, but Marie needs to return my shit.”
Marie looked guilty and then squared her shoulders.
“What’s going on?” I demanded.
“This is my ex-boyfriend. Asshole wants something he left at my house. I’ve told him he can fetch it when I’m home,” Marie explained.
“Marie, I don’t see why you won’t give me your keys,” the guy complained.
“Because it’s her property. Marie doesn’t have to hand over her keys on your demand,” I replied.
“But I need it,” the guy whined.
“Collect it tonight, I’m not leaving work for it,” Marie stated.
“That’s fair enough, now leave,” I ordered. The ex-boyfriend sent me a dark look, but backed off and left.
“Whatever you have, give it back, Marie; that wasn’t professional,” I commented, and she grimaced.
“Sorry, Harlequin. It just rankles that he cares more for some old doll than he did me.”
“Doll?” I asked, amused.
“It was his mom’s. Guess it’s mean to keep it,” Marie muttered.
“Yup.”
“Fine.” Marie sighed.
I nodded and headed toward Slaughter’s office. He was on the phone when I entered, so I went to back out, but he waved me in. Slaughter ended his call and rolled his eyes.
“Tell me that’s not the cheating wife file,” he said, pointing at the folder.
“If I do the insurance, I’m not doing this. I’ll do one or the other, not both, as they’re boring,” I replied.
Slaughter laughed. “Give the cheat to Kaiser; he loves shit like that.”
I nodded. Kaiser loathed cheats.
“Yup, okay. Guess I’ll do the insurance fraud and the Rogers’ case. I’ve got a gut feeling about that.”
“A bad one?”
“Yeah, you too?”
“Yup. A pretty girl doesn’t randomly disappear off the streets. Check into everything, Harlequin, we need to find her,” Slaughter said with a frown.
“What are you working on?” I asked, seeing paperwork scattered across his desk.
“A missing child. Mother thinks the father ran off with the kid. The boy is nine years old, so I’m tracking him down,” Slaughter replied.
“Jesus. Okay, I’ll keep you updated on the Rogers case.”
I headed out, dialled Mr Rogers’ phone number and made an appointment. Christ, I hoped my gut was wrong, but I had a bad feeling about this.
April
The monitors beeped consistently. The patient in the bed was barely alive and, by rights, should be dead, but she was a fighter.
“What do you think?” Teagan murmured.
“This is assault and battery, I’m betting even attempted murder. A rape kit needs to be done as well,” I suggested.
“Rape?”
“Possibly,” I replied. I noted the marks on her wrists and ankles. They were different shades of colour, indicating they were both old and new. “Maybe trafficking; she’s been held a while.”
“Is Simmons calling the cops?” Teagan asked.
We glanced at the ER doctor in charge. Dr Simmons was on the phone, looking agitated.