Page 25 of Forgotten Path
Steffi smiled. “Well, this is Doc’s card.”
“Doc?”
“Yeah, Doc Ashland.”
* * *
Steffi handedthe card back to Bodhi. He pocketed it and cocked his head.
Before she could move away to clean out the blender or take the next order, he asked, “Do you happen to remember the last time Doc used the card?”
She pursed her lips and thought. “I imagine it was last month. Would have been the first weekend of August.”
“So he didn’t come in this month?” A sigh rose in Bodhi’s chest in anticipation of her answer.
“Oh, no, he did,” she responded immediately. “He was here Friday morning. But he couldn’t find his card. I started a new one for him and told him to bring this one back when he found it so I could transfer the punch. Very high-tech process, you know.” She laughed.
He frowned. “You’re sure he was here last Friday?”
“Sure, I’m sure.” Her smile morphed into a frown of her own. “You said he’s missing?”
“Yes.”
They locked eyes as she absorbed the news. After a long, quiet moment, she nodded.
“Well, that tracks. I heard the clinic was closed this month. People were grumbling about it all weekend.”
“Clinic?”
She gave him a confused look. “You know, the free community health clinic.”
“Joel works at a clinic here?”
“He doesn’t work at it; he runs it. It’s open the first weekend of every month—Friday morning through Sunday evening. He doesn’t close for the month until every last person who needs to be seen has been seen.”
Bodhi lifted an eyebrow. “So he came in for a drink on Friday morning but didn’t open the clinic?”
“I guess not.” She stared at the wall behind his head, trying to recall. “He comes in early, right after I open. Last week, he got what he always orders—two large green energy smoothies. One for breakfast and one to take with him to drink later so he doesn’t have to stop for lunch. I’ve told him a million times all he has to do is call, and I’ll send the second one over whenever he wants it. You know, so it’s fresh. But he always says no, the clinic gets too busy, and he’ll forget to call.”
“And nothing seemed unusual on Friday?”
She eyed him. “Unusual how?”
“His behavior. Was he distracted? Worried? Did he seem ill?”
“No. Nothing like that. He was joking around with me like always. I reminded him about the oyster roast on the beach. Our little chamber of commerce holds one every Labor Day weekend. And even though the clinic isn’t, you know, officially a member, we always invite Doc to everything. His clinic is such a godsend.”
“Did he come?”
She shook her head, and her braids bounced. “No. But we didn’t really expect him to. He usually sees patients for twelve, maybe fourteen, hours on Friday and Saturday. He’s gotta be exhausted at the end of the day. And I guess he has a long drive back to wherever he lives on Sunday.”
Bodhi had to wonder how many people lived in this little town. She seemed to read his mind.
“Folks come from the surrounding communities, too. We don’t have a lot of doctors around here. And, you know, insurance premiums and co-pays … but the clinic’s free for everyone. Even if you have insurance or can afford to pay, Doc doesn’t take payment. I’ve seen people who I know have good jobs waiting to get in.” She chewed on the inside of her cheek for a few seconds before asking, “You said he’s missing. What do you mean?”
“Monday night, he didn’t show up for a trivia event he does every week. And he hasn’t been to work all week. Nobody’s seen him. So if you can remember anything, anything at all from Friday morning, it would be an enormous help.”
“Mmm, wait. He got a phone call just as he was leaving on Friday. He had to put one of his smoothies down to take it, so he was standing right at the counter. I wasn’t trying to listen. I couldn’t help but overhear. It sounded like someone wanted to make a donation to the clinic. Doc said he’d be in the office in a few minutes and they could talk in person. He was excited about it. When he left he was singing some Jimmy Buffet song, loudly and off-key.”
