Page 41 of Her Only Hero

“Ms. Harber and I wanted to speak with him for a few minutes. Do you know why he won’t be in?”

“I’m assuming he needs time off.”

“Do you work with Dr. Fulthorpe?” Patrick pressed on.

“Yes. We’re co-owners of this center.”

“Can you call us if he shows up?” Patrick handed Dr. Crawford a business card.

Dr. Crawford glanced at the people sitting in the waiting area and lowered his speaking tone. “Would you like to tell me what this is about, Officer?”

“We are inquiring about a person of interest. We’ll keep trying to contact Dr. Fulthorpe. Thank you for your time.”

“Very well, Officer, Ms. Harber.”

Dr. Crawford walked away, and I sprang forward to catch up with him. “Dr. Crawford, do you, by any chance, have a business card? In case we need to contact you?”

He stopped. “Of course,” he said and pulled a card from the side pocket of his bag. “I’ll write my cell number as well.” He took a shiny gold pen from his shirt pocket, scribbled numbers on the back, and then handed it to me.

“Thank you very much.”

Dr. Crawford moved his lips into a smile that looked forced.

“One more question, Doctor, if you don’t mind,” Patrick said.

“I don’t mind, but patients are waiting. What would you like to know?”

“Has Dr. Fulthorpe ever not showed up for a clinic?”

Dr. Crawford’s eyes darted. “Not that I recall.”

“Thank you for your time. We won’t keep you,” Patrick said.

“Good luck with your case,” the physician said and scanned his badge to unlock the door to his office.

Patrick and I headed out of the waiting area and strolled down the corridor.

“Where the heck is Dr. Fulthorpe?” I said.

“Good question. I’ll try to contact him this afternoon. What did you think of Crawford?”

“He seemed very curious about what we were there for. And his cologne almost knocked me over,” I said. “So much for the scent-free policy. I guess rules don’t apply to doctors.”

Patrick chuckled as he opened the door. We stepped outside into the early sunlight and headed to his squad car. He drove me to work and walked me to the lab.

“Will you be okay finding your own way to your duplex?”

“I’ll be fine.”

“Be careful. Scout out your property and apartment.” He opened a snap on his belt and removed a narrow cylindrical can. “Here, take this with you.”

“Pepper spray? I thought you were kidding.” I took it from him and slid it into my purse.

His concern warmed the intangible part of my heart. With him, I didn’t sense any danger, which perhaps wasn’t a good thing. But it showed how much I trusted him.

He kissed me on the cheek.

“Have a good day,” I said.

---