Kee Patterbee - Hannah Starvling 03 - The Priest Who Ate a Poison Petit Fore (6 page)

“I’m contemplating.”

“I can see that,” Hym said, reaching over and touching her nose. He moved his finger up and tapped on her forehead. “What exactly is spinning around here, though?””

The amateur sleuth shifted in her seat, sitting up straight. She reached out and turned down the radio. She looked back at Magdalene, and then turned to Hym. A frown crossed her face before speaking. “There’s something we need to talk about.””

The seriousness of Hannah’s tone took the former lawman by surprise. He was ready for some discussion on the wedding. Perhaps a talk about the honeymoon. However, the sound of her voice led him to conclude that it could only be about one thing, Whipson’s case. ““So what have you come up with?”

Hannah pressed back against the seat. A look of curious surprise rolled across her face. “Am I that obvious?”

“To me.” Hym looked over and grinned. “Then again, I am in love with you and am going to marry you. So…”

Hannah threw her hands up. “Busted, but it’s more than that. If I’m going to look into this, I’ve got to do it right.”

“Okay.”

“That means that maybe I step on some toes.”

“Well, given the implications, that’s not surprising.”

“Maybe Magdalen’s. Even yours.” Hannah winced and paused to gauge his reaction. After a moment, he responded.

“Alright, so you’re giving serious consideration that Calvin or Susan had something to do with this. Maybe both.”

Again, it was rare that Hannah found herself surprised. This was one of those occasions, and not only did Hym not argue, he anticipated her. Few people ever mastered this with her. In fact, to date, only Cate ever managed it. This made her both happy and cautious. In their time together, he had grown so close to her that he knew what directions her thinking was going. It led her ever closer to believing in soul mates, but it also held with it implications. There would be little she could get away with around him. Given all, it was a reasonable trade off. “Yeah,” Hannah answered, “I have to consider it. Calvin was rather adamant about it all being coincidence. He didn’’t care for the questioning either. A little too much so, don’t you think?”

Again, Hannah examined Hym to read his reaction. She watched as the corners of his mouth fell back as he pursed his lips forward. Like Hannah’s tongue roll and twitching nose, this was his contemplative face. Keeping one hand on the steering wheel, he lifted the other and scratched at his chin. This was the other of his quirks. Only then did he answer.

“I suppose. However, to me, he seemed more annoyed than secretive. Even when he was a kid, he hated when people questioned him. What he said, went. He was quiet, you know? When he spoke, it was always from this authoritative place. I’m four years his senior, but it was like he knew everything.” Hym gave an abortive, half laugh. “To be honest, it’s not surprising that he became a doctor. Kind of fits. ””

“So he was controlling?”

Hym nodded in agreement. “Was and is, and determined. So what does that mean?”

“Well, all those Jonathan mentioned were terminal, even Pepper.”

“The receptionist? Who told you that?”

“He did. He’d been seeing her, giving her that end of life counselling you mentioned. She had a brain tumor.”

“Huh,” Hym declared. Again, he produced his quirk.
“Is it possible that Calvin is somehow involved?”

“To what end?” Hym asked.

“Adrenaline rush. The attention.” Hannah paused. “Maybe something else.”

Hym disagreed with a sharp, sudden shake of the head. “Not buying it. Like I said, controlling. Doesn’t fit. If anything, he wanted out of the limelight. He’s a watcher, followed by action, then back to lingering. What he does, it’s for helping.”

Hannah backed away from the issue.
For a later conversation
, she noted to herself. Still, she proceeded on, offering another possibility. “All right then. For control. Maybe to speed them along. He can’t stop them from dying, but he can control how much they have to endure. He can bypass suffering.”

A hard frown overtook Hym as he let out a slow breath. Hannah could tell she hit a nerve. He paused before answering.

“He has this thing about suffering.” He grimaced. “When Susan and he were just out of med school, we all got together one evening when they were in town. It was to celebrate the publication of the first article he wrote for a medical journal.” He glanced over at Hannah bearing a disturbed expression. “It advocated for self-determined euthanasia as an alternative for those with terminal illnesses.”

To Hannah, Hym’s words sounded almost confessional. She now knew that her fiancé would not intentionally hold back information. However, up until this point, he had not considered his friends as suspects in the now ongoing investigation. Now, with that one memory, he was coming face to face with an unpleasant possibility.

“And Susan? Would she go along with this?”

It was clear to Hannah that she stunned her husband to be. He blinked several times before answering. “Up until a few minutes ago, I would have told you such an idea was insane, but Mudbug chased Calvin for years. I don’t think there’’s anything she wouldn’t do for him. Even cover for him.”

“Maybe even assist,” Magdalen interjected to the surprise of Hannah and Hym.

“Welcome back, Sleeping Beauty,” Hym teased as Magdalen yawned and stretched.

Hym pulled the car off onto the ramp leading from the interstate to Happiness. At the top of the incline, he pulled into a gas station and parked. Doing so, he ran his hand through his hair. Hannah knew that the last statement hit Hym hard. Now, she felt guilty for tossing her considerations onto the man. Consideration, which proved to be painful for him. The unsettled look on his face bothered her, so she intervened.

“Look. We’re ahead of ourselves here. We don’t even know if there is a case yet. This could all be in Jonathan’s imagination. Given his condition…” Her words trailed off as she realized where the statement would conclude.
Nice
, she thought.
This is what you call comforting?

Both Magdalen and Hym’s face tightened, but it was Hym who responded first.

“True, but I understand. If we’re going to look into this for him, it all requires consideration. Everything. Regardless.” He turned to Hannah. ““You said maybe something else. What did you mean?”

Hannah paused, unsure about what to say. Though it was just a flash through her mind the day before, she still needed to offer an even grimmer potential motive.
Greed
. She gulped hard and pulled her lips in her mouth as she frowned. Seeing this, Hym stiffened but said nothing. Watching the silent exchange, Magdalen interjected.

“Alright, this whole ‘I know what you are thinking thing’ is annoying. One of you spit it out and give a girlfriend a clue.””

“I thought of something yesterday. What if…”

Hannah paused and gave a cautious look. Both Magdalen and Hym waited as she shifted in her seat.

“What if it wasn’t about the thrill or ending suffering? What if it’s about money?”

Brother and sister locked eyes on one another. Hym twisted his mouth as Magdalen took in a long, deep breath.

“Is it possible they could somehow be covering up an insurance scheme? Cate said that all the patients billed through their practice. She didn’t have access to their business records or full access to their personal financials.””

Hannah studied both Magdalen and Hym’s faces, which showed a myriad of expressions.
Consideration. Concern. Disbelief
, she noticed, but it was the last one that Hannah observed bothering her the most.
Possibility. Why?
She tried to erase her own concerns from her face, and cocked her head to one side to take them in. Pressing her fiancé and his sister was not a job she relished. Hannah told herself that she was doing this not just for Whipson, but for them as well. If Susan and Calvin were doing something illicit, they needed to know, and her questions were part of either clearing or revealing them.

“They both went to medical school. Running a practice can’t be cheap. And even if they are doctors with access to facilities, Whipson’s bills have to be mounting, regardless.””

Hannah stopped to examine her companion’s reactions. Magdalen started to speak, but no words came forth. Hym frowned and twisted his jaw back and forth. She could not tell if the question annoyed or overwhelmed him, but she prayed she was not, in some way, pushing him away. From her personal experiences, she knew that looking into friends and family was a tricky proposition at best. At worst, it could be acrimonious. After a moment, Hym nodded.

“Alright, like we agreed, everything considered.” He gave a nervous scratch to his chin before continuing. “To be honest, I can’’t say. I want to say no, but that’s a gut reaction. We grew up together, but then our lives went separate ways. I do know that they still have student loans, and like you said, owning and operating a medical practice can’t be cheap.””

“Susan would do anything for her grandfather,” Magdalen managed. “No matter what the expense, she’d do or try pretty much anything to keep him alive.”

“Or anything Calvin suggested. If this started as one thing and led to another…” Hym threw his head back against the headrest on his seat. He opened the door, then stuck his head back in to look at Hannah. “I need to clear my head. Would you mind driving?”

Hannah agreed and opened the door as Hym walked around the car to get into the passenger’s seat. She slid into the driver’s side, buckled herself in, and started the car.

“Look, again, I’m just thinking out loud.”

Hym acknowledged. “Well, given present possibilities, in my biased opinion that is the most improbable scenario.”

Magdalen grimaced. “And yet, here we are, considering it.”

There was a long moment of silence among all of them. Hannah interrupted everyone’s contemplation.

“Well, first things first, we need those records. We never talked about how we are going to do that,” Hym said, following Hannah’s action as he clicked the buckle shut. ““But just the fact that they are doctors is going to prevent them from helping us get to files.”

“We’ll figure it out.” She looked over at Hym and smiled. “Together. That’s the way it’s going to be from now on.”

Hym agreed.

As Hannah backed out of the parking space, she saw Magdalen staring, mouth open.

“Are you okay?”

“He’s letting you drive Baby.”

Hannah’s eyes widened as she peered over to Hym with a look of pure astonishment and realization. “You’re letting me drive Baby.””

“I am.”

“He is in love with you,” Magdalen offered in a stunned voice.

“Sometimes, you just have to trust your instincts,” Hym added in a hesitant tone.

A big grin erupted on Hannah’s face, as Hym’s eyes grew wide.

“And that look is why I question mine,” he offered in a nervous voice.

The black Mustang peeled out of the lot and onto the asphalt at high speed. “Wahoooooo,” Hannah cried out. Magdalen let out a similar sound of excitement, throwing her hands in the air.

“Dear God,” cried Hym as he clutched the straps of his seat belt.

Chapter Six

Hannah produced a humph sound from the passenger’s side seat. After being pulled over for speeding, her demeanor was one of frustration and denial. Hym laughed as he drove toward Happiness.

“Eleven minutes. That’s got to be some kind of record,” Magdalen said.

“It was a trap.”

Hym shook his head and laughed. “Yes, because going 92 in a 45 equates to entrapment. You’re lucky it was Allan. Most would have hauled you in for reckless driving.”

“Where do you know him from?”

“Auburn and the academy.” He looked back over his shoulder at Magdalen. “He’s single, you know.”

“Trying to set me up, Tubbs?”

“Just looking after my little sister.”

Magdalen gave Hannah a wink. “By keeping me away from other interested parties, I assume?”

Hannah grinned, catching on to her future sister-in-law’s meaning. She, too, had noted Hym’s response to Magdalen’s flirtatious behavior with Buster. Hym liked Buster, but the thought of him as a potential mate for his sibling was an altogether different matter. Hym had seen firsthand Buster’s effect on women. More so, he had seen the man involved with at least two women over the course of a few days during the Karas case. Hannah determined she would have to have a talk with her fiancé about the evolving situation soon. For now, she determined to stay on task. She redirected the conversation to avoid a brother-sister talk on boundaries.

“Well, anyway, thanks for getting me off. Now, any ideas on how we’re going to do this?”

“You’re the genius, Sherlock. I’m just the bumbling sidekick.” Hym pointed to his leg brace.

“What we need is… fudge. Let’s stop at that shop and figure it out.”

Hym gave a chuckle. “Sweets. Of course. Mags? You up for some?”

Magdalen drew her hands down her curvaceous form. “With a body like this, need you ask?”