Page 12 of Chosen Path
She sent Bodhi a silent plea not to show the least bit of interest in anything Kimberly said. She’d learned the hard way that if you gave Kimberly a sliver of an opening, she’d crack it wide open, waltz inside, and hold you hostage in a one-way conversation for hours.
Unfortunately, Molly’s psychic powers must’ve been on the fritz because he immediately said, “I’m looking forward to exploring your charming town. I’m a history buff, and I imagine Scandia Bluff has an interesting story.”
“Oh, yes, we surely do! And I just so happen to be on the village council. In fact, I’m just on my way home from a council meeting now. Anyway, I know all about our village’s history and traditions. I’d be delighted to give you a guided tour.” Kimberly smiled widely.
The way she grinned and the shadow the overhead light on the porch cast made her look like a Halloween jack-o’-lantern. Molly repressed a shudder.
She pushed away the image and jumped in before Bodhi could respond. “That’s so generous of you. But, I’m not sure Doctor King will have time for a village tour. We have a lot of work to do in a short amount of time.”
Kimberly reared back her head and blinked at the blatant brush off. But her indignation almost instantly gave way to naked curiosity.
“Oh? This isn’t a social visit? I thought perhaps Doctor King was a gentleman friend of yours.”
Molly stared at her for several seconds before she realized whatgentleman friendmeant. She hurried to clear up the situation before Kimberly told the entire town that the new doctor had a long-distance lover.
“No, no, we’re not involved. Doctor King is—”
“Oh. Oh, dear, you’re already thinking about selling the practice? Well, not everyone is cut out for rural living. I hope Doctor King will find it to his liking. I really do think a tour—”
“I’m not selling the practice!” Molly blurted the words. That rumor would be more detrimental than letting the village think she needed to fly in male company.
Kimberly titled her head and studied Molly. Molly winced and dropped her eyes to the porch, kicking herself for her outburst. A long, awkward pause fell over the trio.
Then Bodhi came to her rescue. “Doctor Hart knows I have a professional interest in unexplained death clusters. So she invited me up to help her analyze the cluster here in Scandia Bluff. It’s a phenomenal opportunity for me.”
Relief flooded Molly’s system and she exhaled. “Doctor King’s being modest. He’s one of the preeminent forensic pathologists in North America—maybe the world. We’re very fortunate that he agreed to consult with me.”
Kimberly was, for the first time in Molly’s experience, speechless. Her jaw hinged open and she gaped, first at Bodhi and then at Molly.
After a few seconds, she composed herself and snapped her mouth shut. She straightened her shoulders and said stiffly, “There’s not an unexplained death cluster in this village.”
Bodhi threw Molly a quizzical look. She wrinkled her brow and studied Kimberly.
“You don’t think it’s unusual that so many villagers have died recently?” she asked the woman, genuinely curious to hear her answer.
“No.”
That was it. A flat, lifeless no.
Molly pressed on. “None of the dead had cancer or got into an accident or had so much as a cold. You don’t think that’s odd?”
“No,” Kimberly repeated with more energy. Her firm tone was knife sharp and her eyes glinted with a warning as she added, “People die all the time. Right, Doctor King?”
Bodhi cleared his throat. “While it’s true that everyone eventually dies, the cause of death isn’t usually a mystery. Seven unexplained deaths in six months in a population of less than six hundred is statistically significant.”
Kimberly pressed her lips together in a tight line and glared at Molly. Molly’s pulse ticked up.
First Corrine Wolf, and now Kimberly. She was pissing off her patients left and right today. Although the confrontation unsettled her, she honestly didn’t understand Kimberly’s ire.
Bodhi went on, “Out of compassion and concern for the community, Doctor Hart asked me to see if I could help her pinpoint whether there’s a connection among the spate of recent deaths. Since you’re a member of the village council, I imagine you can appreciate her concern.”
Molly’s racing heartbeat slowed and she let out a breath. Hearing him say the words reinforced that what she was doing was appropriate. So why all the anger?
Kimberly, however, wasn’t soothed. She snapped, “Your imagination is overactive, I’m afraid. Nobody asked Doctor Hart to go poking around, and nobody wants you here.”
With that, she turned and stomped off the porch. Molly watched her storm down the street, then turned back to the door. The key shook in her trembling hand as she tried to jam the thing in the lock.
“Here, let me.”
