Chapter Thirty-Nine
I arrived at St. Eugene’s Hematology Clinic and parked beside a black luxury Audi—the only other car in the lot. The building’s automatic sliding door opened, and I entered. No one occupied the waiting room or the receptionist’s chair. There wasn’t a soul anywhere, and lights were off in the adjoining rooms. The creepy quietude was deafening, and I didn’t know if I should sit down and wait or leave. But then Dr. Crawford emerged from a corridor. I took my phone from my purse, pushed a few buttons, and held it in my hand.
“Hello, Ms. Harber.”
“Please, call me June. It looks like everyone is gone for the day.”
“Actually, no one else was here. I came in to finish some paperwork.”
“Oh, I see. I’m sure it’s easier without distractions.”
“Please, come this way.”
“Oh, sure.”?I reckoned he didn’t like idle chit-chat. I followed him down a hallway and then into a spacious office adorned with an extravagant wooden desk, bookshelves, and leather chairs. Was that an original watercolor painting?
“Have a seat.” He closed the door and sat behind his desk. “How about we get started?”
It was obvious he didn’t care for me looking around, either. I scurried into a chair across from him.
“Yes, of course.”
“So, you have a USB you would like me to look at?”
“I do, but if you don’t mind, I’d like to backtrack a bit about our case.”
“I have a few minutes.”
In a brief span of time, I knew I didn’t care for this man. There was something about him. Arrogance maybe? I’d set my opinions aside. After all, it was cordial of him to meet with me.
“Thank you, Dr. Crawford. Do you remember a few weeks ago when Officer Verbeek and I came to the clinic to speak with Dr. Fulthorpe? That day you told us he wasn’t in yet and we couldn’t speak with him.”
“Yes. It’s about the time he went missing. I haven’t seen him since.”
“Oh, so you don’t know he’s out of state?”
He broke eye contact with me. “No. I wasn’t aware of that.”
I probably shouldn’t have revealed that information.
“June, how about I get us a couple of waters? Excuse me for a minute.”
I must have piqued his interest. He had time to listen after all. He left the office for several minutes. I put my phone face down on the desk and retrieved the memory stick from my purse. When he returned, he handed me an ice-cold bottle of water.
“Thank you very much.” I cracked open the lid, took a sip, and put the bottle onto a coaster on the desk. He drank from his bottle.
I held up the memory stick.
His eyes widened. “That’s it.”
“Yes. I wouldn’t have thought of bringing this here, but when David Moreno was in the hospital, I heard you ask a nurse for his personal possessions. You had mentioned a ball bead keychain. This is on a ball bead chain. Did you know about it?”
He shifted in his seat. “I hadn’t said that. You must have heard wrong, June.”
I thought for a second. Had I heard something different? I had been nervous that day, while sleuthing in David Moreno’s hospital room.
“Dr. Crawford, I’ve been consulting with the police about this case, and like I said to you on the phone, I think David Moreno hid this in my basement for some reason. I learned he was a patient of Dr. Fulthorpe, and I believe this is some kind of evidence.”
“Evidence for what?”
“That’s what I’m here to find out.”
“May I have a look?”
I handed him the stick.
He inserted it into his laptop and angled the computer so I could see the screen as well. The list appeared.
“These are indeed patients of Dr. Fulthorpe and myself. I recognize them.”
I didn’t tell Dr. Crawford I knew that already. I didn’t want to get Aram in any kind of trouble for having breeched confidentiality barriers.
“Some of these people unfortunately have passed away,” he said.
Aram and I had figured that out, too. “Do you know why David Moreno would have had this? Did you treat him?”
“No, he was a patient of Dr. Fulthorpe. I don’t know how he could have gotten these names. Unless he was some sort of hacker. Or maybe he was trying to blackmail Dr. Fulthorpe for treatment. I know he was a troubled young man, with financial problems.”
“Really?” It struck me how Dr. Crawford seemed to know a lot about Moreno.
“Stan Fulthorpe left without disclosing his whereabouts, which unfortunately sounds like suspicious behavior to me. I shouldn’t say this, but I know his treatment methods have been questionable.”
“How? Has he harmed people?”
Dr. Crawford shrugged. “I’d rather not comment.”
That insinuated a resounding yes.
“I understand you don’t want to disclose anything. But Dr. Fulthorpe should be reported and held liable if he hurt anyone.” Dr. Crawford had presented new angles of the case, angles I couldn’t have discovered on my own—such as Dr. Fulthorpe’s suspicious behavior, and David Moreno’s financial problems.
“I’m only stating possibilities,” Dr. Crawford said. “And as much as this pains me, I will look into this situation, and consult with the College of Physicians.”
“I’m sorry. I’m not understanding something here. I thought you were treating the patients, not Dr. Fulthorpe.”
“Really? Why would you say that?”
“The comment sections say so.”
“You’ve dug deeper into the case files?”
“I had a peek.” I underplayed how I had scrutinized the files. “It did appear the patients were given treatments that weren’t medically necessary, while many others were put in clinical trials instead of traditional courses of care. And the notations did say you were the primary physician.” I suddenly felt a wave of dizziness. I reached for my water and took a swig. I wiped the condensation from the bottle onto my pants. The wave subsided.
“It sounds like you took an in-depth look at the patients on the USB,” Dr. Crawford said.
“To be honest, I did. But I’m glad I came to you to fill in the blanks. We just have to figure out why the comments state you are the primary doctor, if you weren’t. It’s all the more reason we need to find Dr. Fulthorpe.”
He tilted his head as he looked at me, and a shiver ran down my back.
I picked up my phone from his desk. “I should be on my way.” My heart quickened when I saw a text. It was from Aram.
—I hope everything is okay with you and the officer. David Moreno’s toxicology report came back. His death is suspicious. Call me.—
“Are you feeling all right, June?” Dr. Crawford asked. “Would you like to have some more water?”
“I’m fine,” I said, trying to let Aram’s message sink into my foggy brain.
“I appreciate you bringing me this USB, June. I will look at all the patient files and review the fraudulent treatments and billings.”
“Fraudulent treatments and billings?” I repeated.
Dr. Crawford’s emotionless expression iced over.
Alarm sirens rang in my head, and my heart rate skyrocketed. Dr. Crawford had used the words “fraudulent” and “billings,” but I never mentioned those words. They were news to me.
Hair on the back of my neck stood on end.
Suddenly I saw Dr. Crawford, the wolf. He’d just been sheared of his sheep’s clothing.
I had to get out of there immediately.