Critical Diagnosis (10 page)

“Lily’s had more trouble since then.”

“Like what?” Stephanie’s expression read intrigued, but not overly alarmed.

“Someone left a rat on her doorstep.”

Stephanie slid her glasses down her nose and set them on the desk. “You have to make her go.” She held up her finger and stepped from behind the desk. “Kara, would you mind putting on some fresh coffee?”

Kara pushed away from her computer. “Sure, coming right up.”

James sat in one of the leather chairs. “Did Security get anything on tape from the incident in the parking lot?”

Stephanie closed the door. “No, the footage was blurry because of the rain. I told them to tie in with the police department to catch this guy.” She leaned back on the edge of her desk and crossed her arms. “Lily’s in real jeopardy. You
have
to convince her to go someplace safe.”

James sighed heavily. “She won’t listen to me. Her research is too important.”

Stephanie stared off in the middle distance and shook her head. “You’re friends with the chief of police. What does he make of all this?”

“The symbol Lily saw on her attacker’s cap was a gang symbol. The most logical thought is that gangs were trying to break into the clinic for drugs. But why is this guy relentlessly pursuing Lily? If it’s because he doesn’t want her to identify him, it doesn’t make sense. Every time he makes contact, he risks getting caught.” He ran his palms across the arms of the chair. A growing uneasiness hollowed out his gut.

“Any chance the first attack at the clinic was someone targeting her—targeting Lily—and not out to get drugs?” Stephanie folded her hands primly in her lap. “Did that ever cross your mind?”

“No, it hadn’t.” He rose to his feet and crossed his arms, a muscle ticking in his jaw. “She’s
lived
in the lab these past few years. She’s spent all her time on Regen.” He couldn’t imagine Lily having any enemies. She didn’t even mention having a former boyfriend. “No, I don’t believe someone came to the clinic looking for her. Lily doesn’t have enemies.” He rubbed a hand across his jaw. “What about the gang symbol?”

Stephanie gave him a blank stare as if saying it wasn’t her job to come up with every possible scenario.

“I moved her into the carriage house last night. I don’t want her alone until they catch this guy.”

“Why put her in the carriage house? You’ll draw trouble right to our grandparents’ doorstep.”

“I’ve contacted Medlink security and the police. Grandmother and Grandfather will be safe.”
So will Lily.

Stephanie lifted one silver ball on the pendulum set on her desk and released it. It smacked the adjacent ball, sending the one at the opposite end into the air. “Nothing’s ever easy, is it?” She ran a finger under her bright red lips. “Why do you suppose this man is toying with her?”

James narrowed his gaze. “What do you mean?”

“If this man is really some big, bad gang member, why didn’t he kill her when he had a chance?” She held up her hand to stop him from interrupting. “Sure, he didn’t have a chance at the clinic because you stopped the attack. But why hasn’t he taken the opportunity other times? At the pool the other night, in the parking lot...at her house?” Stephanie seemed to be deep in thought. “He had more than one chance to eliminate a witness. Why didn’t he?”

James’s blood ran cold, realization dawning. “He needs her alive.”

Stephanie breathed out sharply through her nose. “I don’t like this at all. You need to take Lily and get her away from here before he decides she’s better off dead.

“If it gets out that our top researcher is being stalked... Well, we can’t deal with the negative publicity. It’s going to scare away potential investors.” Her tone held both a hint of disgust and determination. “I’ve already taken phone calls from investors who witnessed the chaos at Grandfather’s birthday party. I assured them it was nothing. Just a party crasher.”

She gestured with her palms facing the floor. “Keep everyone calm.” She levered off the desk and smoothed a hand over her skirt. “What are the financial ramifications if our rock-star researcher is killed?”

He gritted his teeth at Stephanie’s matter-of-fact tone. She must have realized her blunder and added, “I’m looking at this objectively. Like a CEO. I want Dr. Lily McAllister to be protected as much as you do. You must get Lily to leave town.”

He huffed his frustration. “She’s not going to leave.”

His cousin patted him on the arm. “I see she’s out in the reception area. Go work your charm. Convince her to take a mini vacation until this madness blows over.”

James opened the office door and forced a smile. “What brings you out of the lab?”

Lily tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. “I wanted to check on my lab assistant Talia York. She hasn’t been into work for a couple days and she hasn’t called in sick. It’s unlike her.” Lily lowered her voice. “And in light of recent events...”

“Did you call her house?” James asked.

“No answer.” Kara handed Stephanie a steaming cup of coffee. “I made a cup for you.” She glanced over her shoulder at James.

James waved Kara off and met Lily’s gaze. Worry lingered in her eyes.

“Do you have her address? Let’s go check on her.” A coincidence like this sat like a spoiled bologna sandwich in his stomach.

NINE

T
he home Talia York, Lily’s lab assistant, shared with her mother was a small ranch nestled on a street along a row of small ranches. They must have been built during a time when uniformity was in. All the lawns were well tended and flowers bloomed in the flower beds.

Except at the Yorks’.

The overgrown landscaping and the furniture stacked on the porch would have landed the ranch under the
TLC
section of the real-estate advertisements. Or on an episode of
Hoarders.
Renewed uneasiness swept over Lily.

“Are you sure we have the right address?” James pointed to the tall weeds hugging the side of the house. “This house has seen better days.”

“Talia’s too young to worry about landscaping. I understand she has a lot of student debt. Maybe they can’t afford the upkeep.” As if on cue, a lawn mower fired to life across the street. An older gentleman made a straight line across his lawn, glancing over at them from time to time.

Lily caught James’s arm as they headed up the walkway. “If Talia’s not home, we have to be careful what we say. We don’t want to worry her mother.” It wasn’t unusual for young adults living at home to take off for a few days without informing their parents, although it did seem uncharacteristic of Talia.

James gave her a curt nod. She stepped onto the porch, testing her weight on the creaking planks. Through the open screen door, she noticed newspapers stacked inside the entryway. A television sounded from somewhere deep inside the house. Lily brushed a cobweb away from the doorbell and pushed the cracked button. “I don’t think it works,” she whispered.

“That darn thing hasn’t worked since 1977.” A shaky but firm voice floated out to them followed by a thud, clack, thud, clack. An elderly woman with a walker made her way to the front door, navigating the piles of junk.

“Hello, my name’s Lily McAllister. I work with Talia. Is she home?”

“Well, Dr. McAllister, you, of all people, should know she’s away on a business trip. Left a couple days ago, and in a mighty fine hurry, I might add.”

Lily glanced at James, her confusion mirrored on his face. She leaned toward the screen door. A whiff of something stale reached her nose. “I must have the schedules mixed up. Did she say where she was going?”

“Nope, never said too much. A friend of hers picked her up, though.”

Lily tipped her head. “Do you know who?”

Mrs. York lifted a shaky finger to her eyes. “Can’t see like I used to. Muscular degenerating or some such. It never sounded much like a good diagnosis, so I didn’t pay no mind to its fancy name. Makes no difference to me what it’s called. Doctors told me I’d be blind before my daughter gave me grandchildren.” She huffed. “Might be dead before then because I don’t think this boy she’s bringing around is going to stick.”

“I’m sorry.”

Mrs. York waved her hand. “You didn’t give it to me, did you?” A wet popping emerged from her lungs on her mirthless laugh.

Lily glanced at James, eager to get more information out of Mrs. York, but unsure of how to proceed.

“Mrs. York, I’m Dr. James O’Reilly—”

Mrs. York jabbed her finger in his direction. “You’re the one supposed to be my Talia’s new boss. I mean, boss’s boss. Don’t mean no disrespect, Dr. McAllister.” The older woman plowed forward. “She told me about that fancy party at your grandfather’s house. Must be nice.” Her pursed lips accentuated the deep wrinkles around her mouth. “Also told me there was some excitement.”

“Did your daughter mention when she’d be back?” James’s smile had a way of disarming people, even if Mrs. York only heard it in his voice.

Mrs. York shook her head slowly, worry settling into her features. “Now you’ve got me wondering. Shouldn’t you know when my daughter will be back?”

James shifted his feet. “Any chance she has a desk, maybe in her room? Maybe she made a note. We’d like to talk to her.”

Clack, thud, clack, thud. Mrs. York moved toward the screen door. She leaned in close, her nose almost touching the dirty screen. There was a narrow slit in the corner of the screen just big enough to let mosquitoes in. “I suppose you are who you say you are.” She flicked the lock on the screen door and pushed it open for them. “I don’t see so well, so ignore the mess in here. Her bedroom is down that hall.” Mrs. York stepped aside to let them pass. “I’ll be sitting in the family room watching my programs. Let me know when you’re done.”

Lily resisted the natural tendency to crinkle her nose. The piles of newspapers continued down the long hallway. Trash littered almost every surface. Lily sent up a silent prayer for this woman. She was obviously overwhelmed.

“This is...” she whispered to James, struggling to find the words. She held her knuckles to her nose, inhaling her scented hand lotion. “How can they live like this?”

James shook his head but didn’t say anything. The compassion in his eyes made her question her own. She shouldn’t be so judgmental.

The door at the end of the hall was closed. A pink plaque with a kitten on it read TALIA in fancy script. Lily turned the handle, expecting to see a room as disheveled as the rest of the house. Instead, she found an immaculate room—sterile, almost. The bed was neatly made with a nondescript blue bedspread. Other than an alarm clock, there was absolutely nothing on the dresser surface. Lily let out the breath she’d been holding.

James brushed past her to Talia’s desk. Not one piece of paper littered its entire surface. Lily hung back while he opened the desk drawers. She tugged at the collar of her shirt. The air in the small room was a little too warm and definitely stale. “Where do you think she went?”

He seemed to consider it for a moment. “Any chance she wanted to get away with the boyfriend, but didn’t want to tell her mother?”

Lily scratched her head. “I guess. I don’t know her well enough. But why not use vacation time? She never struck me as irresponsible.”

He pressed a finger to his lips. “We don’t want to cause any trouble between Talia and her mother. Let’s discuss this outside when we’re done.” His gaze drifted to the open bedroom door. The familiar notes of the
Eyewitness News
theme song drifted into the room.

James strode to the double doors of a closet occupying an entire wall. He slid them open. The clothes were hung according to color and were neatly pressed. Two pairs of shoes were lined up on the floor next to a cardboard box.

The extreme order in Talia’s bedroom contrasted sharply with the disorder in the rest of the small ranch. Talia’s apparent OCD tendencies would leap out even in a tidy home. Lily flattened her hand against her chest. “What do you make of this?”

“I don’t know.”

A scratching sounded from the box in the bottom of the closet. James glanced at Lily then crouched down. He flipped over one flap, then another. A large gray rat scrabbled up the side of the box, fighting for purchase on the smooth, corrugated walls. James glanced over his shoulder at Lily, one eyebrow arched.

“Did you find what you needed?”

Lily spun around, surprised the older woman’s walker hadn’t given them advance notice of her arrival.

Lily stammered before James scooped up the box. Rising to his feet, he slipped his hand around the crook of Lily’s elbow. “Yes. Talia was supposed to drop off this box. Mind if I take it?” James guided Lily and Mrs. York from the room and pulled Talia’s bedroom door shut.

Mrs. York stretched to see into the box, but James kept the flaps closed. “What do you have there?”

“Work property. You don’t mind, do you?” James layered on his bedside charm.

“Oh—” Mrs. York’s knuckles whitened on her walker, seemingly uncertain “—I suppose not.”

“Did Talia mention going to visit any friends or family after her business trip?”

Mrs. York’s face grew serious. “I’m all the family she’s got. And Talia’s always had her nose in a book.” Her pale eyes darted around the narrow hall lined with magazines and plastic bags. She lowered her voice. “Not too long ago she brought a boy home. He didn’t stay long. Didn’t seem much her type, though.” Her mouth quirked, and for the first time, her confident expression slipped a bit before she caught herself. “I suppose this wasn’t much of a home to bring friends. I did the best I could. Her no-good dad wasn’t good for nothing but drinking and smoking. Better off when he made himself scarce...better off.” A faraway look drifted into her eyes.

“Mrs. York, do you have enough food in the house?” Lily asked.

The older woman’s eyes narrowed to slits. “You saying I can’t take care of myself?”

“Not at all. I imagine with Talia away, you aren’t able to get to the store. Can we get you anything?”

Mrs. York’s face smoothed. “I got plenty of canned goods to hold me over till my baby girl gets home.” The older woman hiked her chin, revealing the loose, wrinkled skin of her neck. “She’s going to take care of everything.” The woman seemed to go someplace far away just then. “Do you know she wants to be a doctor? She’ll be the first doctor in the family.”

Lily swallowed hard, then forced a smile.

James pulled out a business card. “Please call me if you need anything.”

Mrs. York waved her hand. “I’m fine. Just fine. We Yorks take care of our own.”

Lily took out one of her business cards, too, and set it on the hall table.

James and Lily headed down the hallway. Lily froze in the family room. On the television was a sketch of the man who had attacked her at the clinic. A news camera was stationed in front of Medlink. “Oh, no! I thought you told Chief Farley not to tie Medlink into this.”

A muscle ticked in his jaw. “I did, but the reporters must have done some digging.” He gently touched her arm. “Let’s go.”

Once inside the car, Lily ran her hands down the thighs of her khaki pants. “Is this negative publicity going to hurt Medlink?”

“There’s nothing we can do about that now. Maybe they’ll finally catch this guy and you’ll be able to put this all behind you.”

“I hope.” Her gaze drifted to the overgrown yard. “I had no idea Talia lived like this. She never told her mother she didn’t get into the Ph.D. program.”

“She could apply somewhere else. There’s more than one Ph.D. program in the U.S.”

“Yeah, but then she’d have to move away from her mother.” She shook her head. “I don’t think Talia would do that.” She glanced over her shoulder at the box in the backseat. “What do you make of the rat in the closet?” She reached between the seats and pulled back a box flap. The rat was still enthusiastically trying to make its escape.

James rested his elbow on the console between them. His arm brushed against hers. His clean scent stretched across the small space. “What are you thinking?”

A million thoughts. None of them made sense. “Sarah told me today Talia didn’t get into the Ph.D. program. Since her grades are great, she alluded to the fact that maybe my recommendation was lacking. And maybe that was the reason she didn’t get into the Ph.D. program.” She jerked her thumb toward the backseat. “She had a rat in her closet. Maybe she left the dead rat for me because she’s mad. Maybe it has nothing to do with the guy trying to get into the clinic.”

James ran his palm across his jaw. “So obviously, Talia never read the letter of recommendation you wrote?”

Lily shook her head. “No, the letter had to be sealed. I dropped it in the mail room at work to be sent directly to the college, sealed. But I wrote her a glowing recommendation. I’m sure I still have a copy of it on my computer files.” Lily slumped into the passenger seat.

“We need to give this information to Medlink security and Chief Farley. We can’t let Talia back on Medlink property until we get answers.” James turned the key in the ignition. Lily glanced at the house. The sheers in the front window fluttered closed as if someone had been standing there staring at them.

* * *

“Maybe Stephanie’s right,” Lily said to James when they reached O’Reilly Manor. “I shouldn’t be in the carriage house. That thug’s gunning for me. He’ll track me down no matter where I am. I can’t bring my problems to your grandparents’ home...not again.”

“You’re not going home alone.” James opened his car door and turned to face her. “And that’s the last I want to hear about it. You’re safer here.” He doubted she’d agree to leave Orchard Gardens, and James was beginning to wonder if that would make a difference. This whole situation had him lying awake at night.

He tried another tactic. “My grandmother is very fond of you. She’ll insist you stay, too.”

“Thank you.” A smile brightened her face despite the uncertainty in her eyes. He smiled in response, resisting the urge to reach out and run the backs of his fingers across her smooth cheek. It was good to see her smile.

She climbed out of her side of the car and met him around front. “Thanks for running by the lab. It’s amazing we were able to avoid the news trucks.” They had dropped the rat off. Lily had made sure it had a clean cage, food and water. At first glance, it seemed to have been shipped from the same source as the other rats used in the labs, but that didn’t necessarily mean anything. There were only so many suppliers of lab rats in the Northeast. It could have been a coincidence.

An unlikely coincidence.

James held out his free hand to direct Lily to the front door. Stopping, she looked at the large double doors. “I can’t stop thinking about something.” She looked up at him with those eyes, those beautiful, worried eyes.

“What?” A soft breeze lifted the wisps of hair from her forehead.

“If Talia stole rats from the lab or did anything else she wasn’t supposed to, all the work she’s done for me is going to be suspect.” Briefly, she closed her eyes. “It could jeopardize the future of Regen.” She pressed a palm to her forehead. “All our work.”

“I know.” The thought had crossed his mind the minute he found the rat in the bottom of Talia’s closet. “But let’s not go there just yet.”

Lily swatted at a mosquito flying around her head. Shoulders sagging, she seemed lost in thought. “I suppose you’re right. One step at a time.” She shook her head. “Besides, I can’t imagine what that would mean for my niece if going to market with Regen is delayed.” Neither acknowledged it, but the results of Emily’s blood work were still out there, like a ticking time bomb.