Page 71 of Liberating Lily

Did something flicker in the doctor’s eyes? He was certain that he knew more than he was letting on.

“Most admirable of you, I’m sure. And I’m certain that Mrs. St. Clary will be most happy once she gets this all sorted out.”

“Yes, it’s obviously a complete mix-up,” Paddy said with a smile.

“I am more than happy to keep Lily here until her mother is free and clear of this issue. I won’t even charge for the time that she’s here.”

Now, that was overly generous, wasn’t it? Considering the look of this place, he thought that a one-night stay would be more than most people could afford, and Doctor Wallace was offering to house her indefinitely for free?

Definite alarm bells.

“Does she need that?” Paddy asked.

“Oh, yes, I’m afraid she does. Lily isn’t well. Her mother was taking care of her, of course, which is why I was able to release her. But without her mother’s care, I’m afraid she might just grow more and more sick. She’s days overdue for her checkup. Has she been telling you rather outlandish tales?”

Hmm.

“Outlandish tales? Well, I suppose some of them could be considered that,” Harvey said.

“Yes, that’s what happens with her diagnosis. Hallucinations are not unusual, and I’m afraid that she can become rather violent. I don’t want to alarm you both, but I also think that it’s my duty to warn you. I don’t wish for you to come to any harm, of course, but my main concern is Lily. So if you would like to surrender her to me, I assure you I will take the utmost care to ensure that she gets everything she needs.”

Oh, this guy. He was pure slime.

What the fuck was going on in this place? Why did he want Lily so badly? And how were they going to figure it out?

“How often does she come in for checkups?” Harvey asked.

“Every two weeks. And like I said, she’s several days overdue. I was becoming rather alarmed.”

“She didn’t get any reminders,” Harvey said. “No text messages or emails.”

He actually had no idea about her emails.

“Oh no, her mother took care of all of that. Lily isn’t able to handle that sort of responsibility.”

Jesus, she wasn’t a fucking child.

“So, if you could bring her in, we could take her immediately.”

“Most accommodating of you,” Paddy drawled.

Harvey decided to push him just slightly. “It’s interesting because she’s been having a lot of trouble sleeping. Nightmares. She’ll be hot one moment and shivering the next. She’s also been violently ill and had horrific headaches.”

“Oh dear, that does sound bad. She has been taking her medication, hasn’t she?”

“Well, actually, there was a bit of an accident and the pills ended up going in the garbage. Luckily, I’d already taken note of your name so I could come and talk to you.”

“That was certainly lucky.”

“Are you sure there’s nothing else you can tell us about her care?”

“I’m sorry, I really do think the best thing that you can do for Lily is to bring her here for me to look after her. I’m sure it’s what her mother would want. Have you asked her?”

“Of course, we’ll be speaking to Roberta.” Harvey rose and handed the doctor his card. “Thanks for meeting with us. My contact details, in case you need to get in touch.”

“Yes, right. Let me show you out.” The doctor looked irritated for a moment but led them out past the front desk. The receptionist wasn’t there.

“Where is your receptionist?” Paddy asked. “She works late, huh?”