Page 92 of Her Only Hero

“Oh, I see. I’m sure it’s easier without distractions.”

“Please, come this way.”

“Oh, sure.” I reckoned he didn’t like idle chit-chat. I followed him down a hallway and then into a spacious office adorned with an extravagant wooden desk, bookshelves, and leather chairs. Was that an original watercolor painting?

“Have a seat.” He closed the door and sat behind his desk. “How about we get started?”

It was obvious he didn’t care for me looking around, either. I scurried into a chair across from him.

“Yes, of course.”

“So, you have a USB you would like me to look at?”

“I do, but if you don’t mind, I’d like to backtrack a bit about our case.”

“I have a few minutes.”

In a brief span of time, I knew I didn’t care for this man. There was something about him. Arrogance maybe? I’d set my opinions aside. After all, it was cordial of him to meet with me.

“Thank you, Dr. Crawford. Do you remember a few weeks ago when Officer Verbeek and I came to the clinic to speak with Dr. Fulthorpe? That day you told us he wasn’t in yet and we couldn’t speak with him.”

“Yes. It’s about the time he went missing. I haven’t seen him since.”

“Oh, so you don’t know he’s out of state?”

He broke eye contact with me. “No. I wasn’t aware of that.”

I probably shouldn’t have revealed that information.

“June, how about I get us a couple of waters? Excuse me for a minute.”

I must have piqued his interest. He had time to listen after all. He left the office for several minutes. I put my phone face down on the desk and retrieved the memory stick from my purse. When he returned, he handed me an ice-cold bottle of water.

“Thank you very much.” I cracked open the lid, took a sip, and put the bottle onto a coaster on the desk. He drank from his bottle.

I held up the memory stick.

His eyes widened. “That’s it.”

“Yes. I wouldn’t have thought of bringing this here, but when David Moreno was in the hospital, I heard you ask a nurse for his personal possessions. You had mentioned a ball bead keychain. This is on a ball bead chain. Did you know about it?”

He shifted in his seat. “I hadn’t said that. You must have heard wrong, June.”

I thought for a second. Had I heard something different? I had been nervous that day, while sleuthing in David Moreno’s hospital room.

“Dr. Crawford, I’ve been consulting with the police about this case, and like I said to you on the phone, I think David Moreno hid this in my basement for some reason. I learned he was a patient of Dr. Fulthorpe, and I believe this is some kind of evidence.”

“Evidence for what?”

“That’s what I’m here to find out.”

“May I have a look?”

I handed him the stick.

He inserted it into his laptop and angled the computer so I could see the screen as well. The list appeared.

“These are indeed patients of Dr. Fulthorpe and myself. I recognize them.”

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