Page 93 of Her Only Hero

I didn’t tell Dr. Crawford I knew that already. I didn’t want to get Aram in any kind of trouble for having breeched confidentiality barriers.

“Some of these people unfortunately have passed away,” he said.

Aram and I had figured that out, too. “Do you know why David Moreno would have had this? Did you treat him?”

“No, he was a patient of Dr. Fulthorpe. I don’t know how he could have gotten these names. Unless he was some sort of hacker. Or maybe he was trying to blackmail Dr. Fulthorpe for treatment. I know he was a troubled young man, with financial problems.”

“Really?” It struck me how Dr. Crawford seemed to know a lot about Moreno.

“Stan Fulthorpe left without disclosing his whereabouts, which unfortunately sounds like suspicious behavior to me. I shouldn’t say this, but I know his treatment methods have been questionable.”

“How? Has he harmed people?”

Dr. Crawford shrugged. “I’d rather not comment.”

That insinuated a resounding yes.

“I understand you don’t want to disclose anything. But Dr. Fulthorpe should be reported and held liable if he hurt anyone.” Dr. Crawford had presented new angles of the case, angles I couldn’t have discovered on my own—such as Dr. Fulthorpe’s suspicious behavior, and David Moreno’s financial problems.

“I’m only stating possibilities,” Dr. Crawford said. “And as much as this pains me, I will look into this situation, and consult with the College of Physicians.”

“I’m sorry. I’m not understanding something here. I thought you were treating the patients, not Dr. Fulthorpe.”

“Really? Why would you say that?”

“The comment sections say so.”

“You’ve dug deeper into the case files?”

“I had a peek.” I underplayed how I had scrutinized the files. “It did appear the patients were given treatments that weren’t medically necessary, while many others were put in clinical trials instead of traditional courses of care. And the notations did say you were the primary physician.” I suddenly felt a wave of dizziness. I reached for my water and took a swig. I wiped the condensation from the bottle onto my pants. The wave subsided.

“It sounds like you took an in-depth look at the patients on the USB,” Dr. Crawford said.

“To be honest, I did. But I’m glad I came to you to fill in the blanks. We just have to figure out why the comments state you are the primary doctor, if you weren’t. It’s all the more reason we need to find Dr. Fulthorpe.”

He tilted his head as he looked at me, and a shiver ran down my back.

I picked up my phone from his desk. “I should be on my way.” My heart quickened when I saw a text. It was from Aram.

—I hope everything is okay with you and the officer. David Moreno’s toxicology report came back. His death is suspicious. Call me.—

“Are you feeling all right, June?” Dr. Crawford asked. “Would you like to have some more water?”

“I’m fine,” I said, trying to let Aram’s message sink into my foggy brain.

“I appreciate you bringing me this USB, June. I will look at all the patient files and review the fraudulent treatments and billings.”

“Fraudulent treatments and billings?” I repeated.

Dr. Crawford’s emotionless expression iced over.

Alarm sirens rang in my head, and my heart rate skyrocketed. Dr. Crawford had used the words “fraudulent” and “billings,” but I never mentioned those words. They were news to me.

Hair on the back of my neck stood on end.

Suddenly I saw Dr. Crawford, the wolf. He’d just been sheared of his sheep’s clothing.

I had to get out of there immediately.

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