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“Mom bought it to give to me,” I inform him. “I had no idea, but then I didn’t know she was ill either until it was already too late.”
His aging hand lands on my forearm. “I was so sorry to hear about Stella, and to have missed her celebration of life. I was in the middle of the Adriatic Sea when I found out. I didn’t get back from Europe until last week.”
“Thanks, Doc, but no need to apologize. We got your card and appreciate you thinking of us.”
He harrumphs and waves me off, as I gently palpate the glands in his neck to look for any swelling.
“Of course. Bet that must’ve come as a surprise then, discovering she left you a house.”
“It sure was,” I return, motioning for him to open so I can check the inside of his mouth. “Stick out your tongue, please?”
“Sure surprised me when I heard. Wouldn’t it be easier for you to have a place in town? I would’ve thought that might have been a better fit. Had this old man a little worried, to be honest, thinking of you alone on that mountain.”
“You and every other man in my life, it seems,” I return, smiling at him as I try to be reassuring. “But, as you may also have heard through the grapevine, thanks to my father I now have a brand-new security system, and I’m not that alone anymore.”
Doc has always looked out for me, supported me when I decided to go for my Master of Nursing degree, and mentored me through my first years running the clinic here. My heart warms at the twinkle in his eye.
“I might’ve heard something about that,” he admits with a chuckle.
After setting up a few standard tests for him, and writing him a requisition for bloodwork to be done at the lab, I walk him out into the waiting area, where I stop by the nurses’ desk.
“Maggie, can you book Doc in for a follow-up in a week or two?”
“Sure thing,” she says easily, but then she gets to her feet and leans over the desk, adding in a whisper. “Before you go, you had a last-minute walk-in. A Theresa Rojas, and she promises she only needs a minute of your time.”
I turn to look at a small, older woman, I’d all but missed, sitting in the far corner of the waiting room. She shoots me a friendly smile when our eyes meet. It feels like I’ve seen her before.
“Existing patient?”
Maggie shakes her head. “No record.”
I’m a little annoyed, having hoped to get out of here sooner rather than later. I wait for Doc to get his appointment time and say my goodbyes before I turn to the waiting patient.
“Mrs. Rojas?”
She shoots to her feet as I approach her, the smile on her face growing wider.
“Sí, call me Theresa. It’s so good to meet you.”
My hand automatically stretches out and she clasps it between both of hers.
“Mi hijo has done well.”
I’m guessing she must’ve read the confusion on my face, because she quickly adds, “My son, Rico. Detective Althof.”
I’m stunned speechless as I hear Maggie softly mumble, “Oh boy,” behind me.
Rick
* * *
“Say what?”
Tessa’s head jerks up at my outburst.
We just got back from paying a couple of visits to elected county commissioners on our list. I don’t know all of the names listed, but I was familiar with the two gentlemen we approached today. Carlos Garza is the cook and owner at the local diner, and we’ve dealt with Martin Crombie before. He’s a lawyer in Lutton, and the son of Judge Stephen Crombie.
We stopped in at the diner for a late lunch and waited around until we were able to catch Carlos heading out the back for a smoke. He was polite enough, but clearly suspicious of our line of questioning. The trouble is, we not only need to make our talks appear casual to anyone looking, but we have to be careful how we approach the subjects. The risk is we tip someone off who is in bed with the mayor and have them alert him. Or at the very least we chance setting tongues wagging, which would also expose the investigation.
