Page 33 of Chosen Path
He raced past the exam room, through the waiting area, and into the room she used as an office, Corrine’s medication already forgotten.
He snatched the boxy cordless handset from the base and answered on the fourth ring. “Doctor Molly Hart’s office.”
“Bodhi?”
“Hi, Al.”
“Molly’s put you to work already, I see.” Al Kayser’s voice was full of laughter.
Bodhi smiled. “Something like that.”
“I know it’s only been a day. But my curiosity’s getting the better of me. Is Molly around?”
Bodhi sank into Molly’s desk chair and proceeded to give the geriatrician the wholly unsatisfying update that they had one more body but were no closer to finding a connection among the dead.
CHAPTERSIXTEEN
Hope hugged a faded purple chenille throw pillow to her chest and curled her feet up under her knees as if she were trying to make herself as small as possible on Molly’s couch. She supposed she was trying to shrink inside herself.
Finding Corrine had been horrible, and it had reminded her so much of the morning she found her mom. Then the long-buried memories of finding Mr. Wolf had bubbled to the surface. It was all too much.
She wished she were at the library. She could convince Mrs. Grant to let her cull the archives. The archive room was the quietest place in a quiet place. There, the silence would crowd out the noise in her head. The musty smell of yellowing papers would replace the tangy stench of Corrine’s urine and the rotting banana odor of her husband’s breath.
“Hope?” Molly’s soft voice pulled her back from her thoughts.
“I’m sorry?” She’d probably missed another one of the police officer’s questions. She was having difficulty focusing on the interview.
“Officer Booth said she thinks she has everything she needs from you.”
“Oh.” Hope shook her head. “I’m sorry I’m spacey.”
To Hope’s surprise, Officer Booth’s face softened. “Don’t apologize. You had a shock this morning, and, given your past, it’s no wonder you’re having a trauma response. I appreciate that you were able to give me a statement. I need to get over to the mortuary, but I know where to find you if I have any follow-up questions.”
The police officer’s kindness caught her off guard and she found herself swallowing hard around a sudden tightness in her throat. “Thank you.”
Molly rubbed Hope’s upper arm and whispered, “You did great.” Then she stood and turned to Officer Booth. “If there’s nothing else, I’ll walk you out.”
The officer snapped her fingers. “There is one thing. Would you check your files to see if you have the name of Corrine Wolf’s next of kin? If not, her emergency contact ought to do.”
Molly laughed. “As a matter of fact I can do that for you. But only because she was just in here yesterday. Doctor Larson’s record-keeping is, well, I’ll be diplomatic and call it unusual.” She walked to the doorway and pressed a button on a pad set into the wall.
“Is that an intercom system?” Officer Booth marveled.
“Wild, isn’t it? Doc had it installed in the 1980s.”
After a moment, Bodhi’s voice crackled through the speaker. “Molly?”
“Oh, good. Are you in the library, er, the office?”
“Sure am.”
“Corrine Wolf’s chart should be on my desk. I haven’t finished recording my patient notes from yesterday.”
There was a pause, then Bodhi said, “Yep. Found it.”
“Officer Booth wants to know if there’s a next of kin or emergency contact listed on her patient sheet.”
“There’s both. But the next of kin isn’t going to do you any good.”
