The New Patient (Dr. Epstein's Couch: Criminal Minds Series) (7 page)

As I draw nearer to the bed I detect the merest movement of her eyes and realise she’s recognised me. “Hello, Khia,” I say and motion towards Bob. “This is Detective Bob James. He’s here to take your statement,” I explain.

Bob approaches and, since Khia doesn’t seem to be able to turn her head, leans in slightly so she can see his face. “Hello, Khia. I apologise, but there isn’t a female Detective available. You can have your statement taken tomorrow, but we would like to start looking for suspects as soon as possible. Also, the longer you wait to give your statement, the harder it’ll be to remember, which can undermine the strength of your evidence if you make a mistake.”

Khia wets her lips with her tongue. “No, fuck that. I want that prick to go down.” Her voice is a heart-breaking whisper.

I walk to the other side of the bed and lean across a little so she can see me, “Khia, do you want me to stay for this?”

Her eyes lock with mine. “No.”

“Can I phone a friend to be here for support?” I ask.

“No,” she croaks quietly again.

I nod. “Okay. Do you know who did this to you?”

She closes her eyes as if gathering the strength to answer my question, “Kyle Stevens,” she whispers. While I’m absorbing the confirmation of my worst fear, she continues on. “He wanted me to give you a message.”

My heart starts hammering. Of course. Kyle would only spare Khia if it suited his plans. She pauses again. It’s hard for her to talk. “He said he’s coming for you...he said he’s not going back behind bars...he said to tell you you’re a dead man.”

Week Five

Wednesday, August 23rd, 9:15am

I take a mouthful of coffee and watch while Phyllis gathers the last of the patient files corresponding to the list of prescriptions Ben sent through from the pharmacy. The practice is closed until we can be confident that patient security isn’t threatened.

I try not to think about what this is costing me. I have a comfortable contingency fund to draw on and Phyllis has agreed to take some of her holiday leave after tomorrow, but I’m not going to be able to keep it up for long.

Not that I have a choice, I remind myself. While I would welcome the opportunity to smash the smirk off Kyle’s face, the same people who’ve trusted me are now in danger because of me.

Khia and Monica...their faces regularly flash into my mind. I down the rest of the coffee and dump the takeaway cup in the bin. In a way, it feels good to be losing the money—at least I’m suffering in some way too. After all, why the fuck should I be sitting pretty when my actions have led to the destruction of at least two lives so far?

And it was the ‘so far’ bit that scared the shit out of me. We’ve all been wracking our minds to find out how Kyle managed to target Khia. But until we get that sorted out anyone close to me is at risk...and that includes my patients.

For now, the only solution is to stop feeding Kyle information. If he wants me he is going to have to come and get me...and I know that time is fast approaching.

“When is the IT specialist expected?” I ask as Phyllis hands me more files.

Phyllis looks at her watch, “About 11, I think.”

“Good. Let me know when he gets here would you?”

“Sure.”

I spend the next hour absorbed in my task. Working through the file notes, list of prescriptions and repeats, it becomes obvious that the missing prescription pads were stolen and someone has made thousands of dollars supplying drugs on the black market. That someone was obviously Kyle. Now I just had to try and work out how to prove it.

11:45am

Bob, Phyllis and I stand around the reception computer while Mark the I.T. Specialist, hacks our system at an insulting speed.

As he taps the keyboard the monitor flicks through confusing layers of data screens. Every now and then he pushes his over-sized glasses up his nose and makes a series of scoffing noises.

Finally he looks at Bob and says, “This system is shit. Seriously a twelve year old could get into this.”

I feel my hackles rise but manage to keep a lid on my anger. Mark is definitely on the Aspergers end of the spectrum; poor social skills, low empathy, obsessive interest and high capacity in one area, probably solitary and likes it that way.

Mark looks at Phyllis. “Did you open any strange emails lately?”

Phyllis is thoughtful for a moment and my heart goes out to her, “Um, no I don’t...wait. There
was
something odd, now that I think of it. It was the prescription pads. I received a re-order email, which was a bit strange, I completed it and sent it back but when our other pads went missing I was told the order hadn’t been received.” She looked mortified, a hand went to the base of her throat and she looked from Mark to me and then to Bob, “Might that have had something to do with this?” she asks.

Mark rolled his eyes. “Yes, in a word. That email was probably a Trojan. To dumb it down for you,” he says cruelly, “as soon as you clicked the link, the hacker could send through the virus, which meant free
access to
your entire system
,” he finishes condescendingly.

I digest what he is saying slowly, feeling a little numb. “You mean my patient list, their contact details, addresses, diagnoses, notes, reports, urinalysis...the lot?”

Mark nods. “Yep. I haven’t heard of that scam before, but it’s been effective.”

Bob starts scribbling on his note pad, “I’ll need the dates and location of the remote access computer.”

Mark taps and lists the dates of the remote access. He says he needs more time to track down the source of the virus and arrangements are made to take the hard drive out for further analysis.

12:30pm

Bob, Phyllis and I are sitting around the polished walnut table in the practice kitchen. A print-out of the fraudulent prescriptions sits neatly to one side of Bob. He scribbles on his battered notepad.

Phyllis has stopped crying, thank Christ, and she’s washed what remained of her make-up off her face. She’s watching Bob, quietly waiting for opportunities to help out with extra information.

Finally, Bob looks up. “You realise there are hundreds of these things unaccounted for, right?” I nod and he continues. “What we’ll do now is canvass other pharmacies for the scripts and check any CCTV footage we can. Did Kyle have the opportunity to take these from here?”

Phyllis nods. “Yes, I keep the pads in my desk drawer. I noticed he would often attend appointments very early. Sometimes I would have to leave my desk while he was here.” She draws a shaky breath. “Do you think there is anything else I can help you with, Detective?” she asks.

Bob shakes his head. “No. That’s it for now. I’ve got your number if I need anything else. Probably better for you to go home, but remember what we talked about, eh?” he adds.

I feel a bit sick thinking about the earlier conversation between Bob and Phyllis. Phyllis stands and pushes her chair back under the table. “Certainly...I’ll go and stay with my brother. He has two large dogs and I’ll feel much safer than I would at home alone,” she explains.

Bob and I both make relieved sounds while she gathers her handbag and unopened lunch box out of the fridge. I stand and walk her to the door. “Thanks Phyllis. Remember you’re not to blame for any of this. Someone like Kyle preys on the goodwill of others...you’ve done
nothing wrong
,” I add with emphasis.

Phyllis offers a brave smile, “Thanks John. It just feels awful to think that someone like Kyle has used me as part of his plan. You know?”

I nod. “I know. He’s a human parasite, but we’ll get him back behind bars.” I open the door to let her out, “take care of yourself and try to take advantage of the time away from here to be a normal person again, okay?” I say.

She turns toward me, “No problem, John. A bit of a break and time with family and friends will put me right again...I know it will. But you take care of yourself,” she says.

I lock up behind her and walk back to the kitchen. Bob has started gathering his paperwork. “He’s breached his parole conditions, and according to Khia’s movements, there should be CCTV footage we can collect that puts him at the scene of her attack,” Bob says. “As for the prescription theft and dealing, if we can get him with that as well it’ll be the icing on the cake. But he’s most likely sold them on the Black Market, I doubt he’s been dumb enough to get them filled himself, ” he finishes.

“What about forensics?” I ask, thinking about Khia’s rape.

Bob shakes his head, “Unless he wants us to find something, I doubt we will. According to Khia, Kyle was her dealer in the beginning, so a good lawyer could make a convincing argument for a consensual relationship gone sour. Let’s face it, Khia doesn’t have a great record and the facts could be made to look like she’s blaming him for something he didn’t do in an act of vengeance,” Bob finishes.

“That’s what I thought,” I answer, emptying the milk from the fridge, I rinse the carton and bin it. I suspect it will be a few weeks before Phyllis and I are back in here and I don’t want it to sour in the fridge. “I can’t just sit at home. I’ll go mad.” I turn to face Bob, knowing what I want to say, but feeling strangely nervous about verbalising my plan.

Bob seems to sense the change in my emotions. He becomes very still and gives me his full attention. As much as I hate it when he fucks around, being under the full glare of his animal instincts leaves me feeling exposed. I press on, “We know he’s coming for me. When he hacked into my case notes and letters in his file, he knew I was setting him up to go back to prison. I’ll be fucked if I sit around and wait for him to attack me on his terms,” I pause to let Bob process what I’m implying.

“Keep talking,” he says.

“I did a good job of putting him under pressure...too good. He realised he couldn’t win against me when he read the last few weeks of my notes. He realised it didn’t matter what shit he told me, I was writing him up as being a high risk re-offender—he’d lost control of the game.” I lean back against the sink and hold Bob’s gaze, “I say if he’s coming, why don’t we set up some scenarios where we can be in control.”

Bob sits down at the table again and leans back in his chair. He’s quiet for a while, “You’re the bait,” he says quietly.

I nod and sit opposite him at the table, “I can think of a dozen ways to get him isolated. If your guys are ready, we can end this shit with him,” I finish.

“Gotta say, Doc, I don’t see a better way. The prick won’t be found unless he wants to be. By now, he’s managed to make a small fortune in drug money and a few good underworld connections to boot,” Bob puts his elbows on the table and rests his chin on the apex of his clasped hands, “You realise he might not have to kill you himself? If he’s built a relationship with some of the other scumbags in this town, there could be a hit out on you.”

Anxiety seeps through my body
.
I hadn’t thought of that. By fuck, Bob was right. In my naiveté I had assumed Kyle would want to get me himself. But like a good chess master, he was probably moves ahead of me already. The prescriptions assured him money...and powerful contacts.

“So be it, Bob. I still can’t see another way.”

“Alright, Doc, I’ll get back to the station and have a chat to the boss. We’ll need to get approval, but I don’t think the brass will be a problem. Not once I mention what the media might do with this one,” he says smiling like a Cheshire cat.

Bob stays while I secure the windows, plug the security code into the system and lock the front door. As I get behind the wheel of my car I take one last look at my practice. Despite my instincts and training, I made the mistake of underestimating Kyle. If I were a betting man, I’d say I’m about to die. But at least if he’s focused on me, my patients will be safe.

Week Six

Monday 28th August, 2:00am

I wake up in a tangle of sheets and remember dreaming of Bob being murdered by Kyle, but I couldn’t run fast enough to save him.