Fatal Reaction (12 page)

CHAPTER 29

Noreen lived alone in a condo at Pemberton Trace, a well-maintained, twenty-unit community made up largely of single professionals who, like her, were more interested in their careers than in doing yard work. There wasn’t a single car worth less than forty thousand in the lot, and Dorian was in a full-on sweat by the time he pulled into it. He parked in a space marked “Visitor,” slid the envelope into his coat pocket, and stepped into the light snow.

“Good morning.” One of a dozen young men clearing the sidewalk greeted Dorian as he walked past.

“Morning,” Dorian said, and picked up the pace. He knocked on the door and waited for Noreen to answer, praying there was an answer to this envelope that didn’t involve his going to jail.

“Noreen, it’s Dorian. Open up.” When she didn’t answer, he knocked harder. “Noreen, come on. I know you’re in there.”

The large, twenty-something-year-old man stopped shoveling. “There a problem?”

“No, no problem.” Dorian knocked more quietly until Noreen finally answered.

“What do you want?” Her terry cloth bathrobe was belted closed, and she stood with her arm stretched across the opening.

“Can I come in, please?” Dorian looked over his shoulder.

The man stared at them as though committing every detail to memory in case he was about to be some kind of witness.

“I have nothing to say to you.”

“Please, it’s freezing out here. Let me explain.”

“I’m not interested in an explanation.”

Dorian pushed past her. “Then I have some questions.”

“Get out,” Noreen shouted.

“I’m not leaving until we talk about what happened.”

“Dorian, I mean it. I’ll call the police.”

The man started walking toward them, and Dorian slammed the door.

“What I did, it was stupid. It was a
mistake
.”

Noreen’s hazel eyes narrowed to two swollen slits. “You think I didn’t know about you two? You think I haven’t seen how she is with you?”

“What do you mean? What are you talking about?”

“Colby Monroe, Dorian. You’ve been screwing her for over a year and everyone, except for her husband, knew it.” Noreen’s near-accurate observation stunned him. “She used to call the office all the time, said she had cases to talk to you about, but wouldn’t give me specifics. I’d come looking for you after rounds and neither of you were anywhere to be found. You’re not nearly as good at hiding things as you think you are, and if Jared didn’t know before last night what was going on between the two of you, it’s because he didn’t want to believe it.”

Dorian wanted to tell Noreen she was wrong, but he knew better. If she put the envelope under the door, he had to placate, not argue with her. If she wasn’t responsible, he had bigger problems.

“I’m sorry. I never meant to hurt you.”

Noreen wiped a hand under each eye, smearing her makeup further. “I’ve tried everything,
everything
to get you to pay attention to me.” Her breath hitched and she sniffled. “Tell me you don’t love her.”

“I don’t love her,” Dorian said automatically, even though he didn’t mean it.

Noreen’s demeanor shifted as she closed the gap between them, making Dorian suddenly aware of what was about to happen, of what
had
to happen to keep his secrets safe.

“Tell me you love
me
,” she said, sliding his jacket from his shoulders.

“Noreen, we can’t do this.”

“Tell me.” She pressed her lips to his and dug her nails into his shirt.

“I love you,” he whispered.

Noreen dropped her bathrobe and stood naked in the sunlit room. “Now show me.”

CHAPTER 30

The ambulance doors opened, and Ana looked past Ethan to see Jared Monroe standing on the other side of the ER doors. Just the sight of him made her jittery, and she fought to contain the emerging grin. Two years of tense conversations, of lingering too long, and of standing close together when all she wanted was for him to ravage her, had her mind working overtime on scenarios other than the one they were about to have.

“Ready?” Ethan said.

Ana made sure that Henry, who had briefly dozed off, was secure. “Ready.” She helped Ethan lower the gurney, and sighed when she realized what she was walking into.

Jared managed the piteous smile Ana had come to know well in a short time, and she wondered who had told him.

The doors slid apart, breathing a wall of heat into the winter cold. Ana stood aside, and Ethan eased the gurney over the threshold.

Wilson Quinn, the physician assistant with whom Ana had interacted over the past couple of years, reached for the rail. “We’re all set in room two.”

“Dotty will be here soon,” Ana said, coaxing Henry from his sleep.

“Mr. Coleman, how are we doing today?” said Wilson.

Henry grumbled something unintelligible, and Wilson started in with a list of the usual questions. Henry, who remained groggy, did his best to answer them.

Ethan followed Wilson into the exam room and helped transfer Henry into the hospital bed, all the while keeping an eye on Ana.

Ana tried to get out of having another conversation about what happened to Sydney, but she could tell from Jared’s expression there was no avoiding it.

“Hey,” he said. “Can we talk a minute?”

Ethan scowled.

“I’ll be right back.” Ana held up a finger, saying she’d only be a minute, and followed Jared to a quiet corner near the supply room.

She could have gotten lost in the darkness of his sad eyes.

“I heard about what happened. I’m so sorry for your loss. Is there anything I can do?”

Ana wiped a fresh tear from her cheek, his sympathy worsening her pain. “No, I . . .”

Jared set his hand on her shoulder, and when she didn’t shy away, pulled her into a tentative embrace.

She stepped back, a bit dazed, and caught the reflection of the light off his wedding ring.

“Ana, I need a copy of this.” Ethan, who was pushing the gurney back toward the ambulance bay, stopped and thrust a piece of paper at her.

Jared flashed him an angry look, and softened when he looked back at Ana. “If there’s anything, please don’t hesitate to ask.”

She thanked him and took the paper Ethan had given her to the unit clerk, Cecelia, for copying.

Cecelia rubbed her round stomach and did a bit of a stretch. Ana had no idea how Cecelia managed a demanding career with four children and one on the way, but she did, and made it look effortless.

“Not much longer, huh?” Ana, desperate to focus on anything other than her own problems, struck up a conversation about Cecelia’s pregnancy.

“Three weeks, and it can’t come soon enough.” She took the paper from Ana. “Just one copy?”

“Yeah, just one, thanks. Did you find out if you’re having a boy or girl?”

Cecelia shook her head. “We don’t want to know this time. Four girls, we’re holding out for a son. I’m not sure my husband can handle any more pink.” Her face lit up in a smile, and when it faded, the remaining awkward expression had Ana wondering if Cecelia, too, had heard about Sydney.

“You know, you guys are pretty cute together.”

“Ethan? Oh God, we’re not
together
.”

Cecelia handed her the two sheets of paper and spoke softly. “I meant Jared. It’s obvious you two like each other, and after what happened with his wife . . .” She rolled her eyes.

“What happened?” Ana said, not even bothering to refute her interest in Jared.

“She cheated.”

“Who cheated?” Ethan came from out of nowhere.

Ana played stupid. “What’re you talking about?”

“What’re
you
talking about?” he said. “Mr. Coleman’s all set. You have that copy or what?”

“Yeah, right here. I was just talking to Cecelia about her new addition.” Ana handed him the papers. “Fingers crossed for a boy.” She held up both hands with her fingers crossed and smirked.

Cecelia smiled. “Think about what I said.”

Ethan congratulated Cecelia and ushered Ana toward the ambulance. “What was that about?”

“I told you, the baby,” Ana said, looking over her shoulder to see Jared watching them leave.

CHAPTER 31

Dorian’s postcoital nap took a quick and violent turn. The last thing he remembered was the sound of plow trucks clearing the parking lot, and the next thing he knew, doors were slamming and Noreen was shouting.

“What is this?” she said.

Dorian sat bolt upright, his mind taking a minute to catch up with what was happening. Sunlight poured through the space between the bedroom curtains and blinded him. He shielded his eyes with his hand. “What is it? What’s the matter? What happened?”

Noreen stood at the foot of the bed, holding the envelope he’d carelessly left in his coat pocket.

“Where did you get that?” He hadn’t planned on mentioning it, not after what happened between them.

“Where did
I
get them? Where did you?” Noreen threw the papers into the air, and they rained down around him, the corner of the envelope narrowly missing his head. “The envelope fell out of your pocket when I went to hang up your coat.”

Dorian stammered and settled on telling her the truth because it came first to his sleepy mind. “Someone shoved it through the office mail slot. That’s why I—”

“That’s why you
what
? You thought I was
someone
? You thought
I
put these through the slot to what,
scare
you? Or maybe you brought these to scare me? Is this some kind of blackmail?”

“Wait,
what?
” Dorian felt around under the sheet for his underwear, and when he found his shorts, put them on. “What are you talking about?” The comforter caught on his foot, and he kicked it aside. “You’re telling me you don’t know where that came from?”

“I told you, from your pocket.”

“Shit, Noreen.
Shit
.” He gathered up the hair at his temples in two clenched fistfuls.

“Wait.” Her full lips bent into a twitching frown. “That’s why you’re here?” Tears glistened in her eyes, and her mouth fell open. “You came here to do this with me so I wouldn’t say anything? You thought I was blackmailing
you
to get you to what, get you to make love to me?”

“No, that’s not it.” He stepped into his pants, pulled on his shirt, and left it unbuttoned. “You have to believe me.” He took her hands in his. “That’s not why I did this. It isn’t like that.”

“Tell me how it is. Tell me you love me now, Dorian.”

He couldn’t do it, not again.

She sucked in her cheeks and spat in his face. “That’s what I thought. Get out of my house.”

“Dammit, Noreen. Do you have any idea what this means?” He wiped the spit with his sleeve and picked up the sheets of paper from on the bed. One was a lab report, a copy of the testing he quietly ordered on Sydney Dowling, the other, a copy of the surgical schedule with Stephanie Martin’s name, written in marker, circled, and highlighted. “Look at these.” She waved her hand dismissively. “Noreen, look at these.”

“I already did.”

“And?”

“And what? What do you want me to tell you?”

Dorian, thinking he might have made the wrong inference, was desperate for a silver lining. “What do you think this is saying?”

“Are you serious right now? The two tied together like this, I think the answer is obvious. The question isn’t
what they know
. It’s
who knows what?
I can’t believe you thought I’d do this to you.”

Dorian searched his mind for anyone who would suspect his wrongdoing and have access to confidential patient information.

“Oh God.” He felt sick at the realization. Noreen had been the obvious answer, the most likely to use what they did against him, but she wasn’t the culprit. “It was Marco Prusak.”