“Of course it didn’t. Don’t worry. I handled it. He won’t bother you again.”
A tightness spread across her chest. Oh, no. She felt sick. “What did you do?” her words came out as a whisper.
“I fired him. You’re my niece. It was bad enough that he asked you out, but to dare to say anything derogatory about you here, to my staff, that was inexcusable.”
Fired him? “Oh, you mean Dr. Gunder.” Relief flooded through her, and she felt like a complete idiot for believing for a second that her uncle was capable of anything sinister.
“Yes, Dr. Gunder. Why, is someone else harassing you? Don’t be afraid to give me their names. I have zero tolerance for that kind of thing. We’re here to save lives not replicate scenes from daytime soap operas.”
“No, everyone else has been wonderful.”
Her uncle leaned forward and gave her knee a pat. “Since you said yes to Gunder, I know you must have been excited to have been asked out. Your mother explained to me that you’ve always had trouble finding dates. Don’t worry. I know a lot of people. We’ll find you someone nice.”
Helene wished she could sink into the floor and disappear. “Please, don’t listen to my mother. I’m fine.”
“Of course.” Her uncle sat back with a sympathetic smile. “We won’t speak of this again, but I wanted you to know I take my role as your guardian seriously.”
Guardian? “Uncle Clarence, I’m twenty-six, I don’t need—”
“I may not have been around much while you were growing up, but having you here has reminded me of the importance of family. Whatever you need, Helene, all you have to do is ask. You said you wanted to go back to school. I want to help you make that happen.”
Blinking back tears, Helene said, “I don’t know what to say except thank you and I’m sorry I was the reason you had to let one of your doctors go. I should have known better than to agree to that date in the first place.”
With a touch of sadness in his eyes, he said, “You’ve lived a sheltered life, Helene. Don’t rush to shed that innocence. Trust me, it’s not easy once it’s gone.”
Helene nodded because the truth of how much she wanted to ditch that innocence wasn’t something she could share with her uncle. “I love you, Uncle Clarence.”
His smile returned. “I love you, too, Lenny.”
Helene’s eyebrows shot up. “Don’t you dare. It’s bad enough my parents call me that.”
He laughed heartily. “We used to call your mother Rosie Posie. Start throwing that back at her and your nickname will die away pretty quickly.”
Smiling, Helene said, “Really? That’s awesome. What else don’t I know about her?”
Her uncle went on to share several more stories about what it had been like for them as children. His intent was to make Helene feel better, and it worked. She was smiling and laughing in no time.
Eventually her uncle glanced at the clock on the wall, stood, and said, “I hate to say it, but I have to get back to work. Was there anything else you needed?”
Helene smacked her forehead. How could I forget? “Yes. I met someone yesterday who asked me a question that I thought you’d be the better one to answer.”
“Who did you meet?” he asked, already beginning to shuffle through papers.
Helene went to stand in front of his desk. “Andrew Barrington.”
Her uncle went pale and sat down. “Where did you meet him?”
“Here at the clinic.” She leaned forward. “Are you okay?”
Looking like he was far from fine, her uncle said, “Sorry, I got lightheaded for a moment. Probably because I skipped breakfast. Luckily I’m surrounded by doctors, right?”
“Do you want me to call someone?” she asked in a mild panic.
“No. No. They nag me enough about my blood sugar. I’ll have Marcy bring me a snack after you go.” He rested his hands on his desk. “Now, tell me about this Andrew Barrington. What did he want to know?”
“We don’t have to talk about this now. It’s nothing.” The last thing she wanted to do was add to her uncle’s stress, especially when he wasn’t feeling well.
“Tell me,” her uncle said in a harsh tone she’d never heard him use. Her shock must have shone on her face because he grimaced. “Sorry, I get testy when my BSL is low.” He picked up his phone and asked his secretary to have orange juice sent up from the cafeteria. “Now, what were you saying?”
“Just that the question can wait.”
“What was it? His question. What did he ask you?”
“It’s about his brother. He died at birth in this clinic twenty-nine years ago. The family is still wondering how it happened. I told Andrew if he had a question about it he should ask you directly.” Her next suggestion sounded ridiculous as she said it now. “I thought we could have him over tonight for dinner. It’s Andrew’s family who are pushing for answers. He understands that awful things like that can happen no matter how good the care is. I thought if you met with him it might smooth the whole thing over.”
“Why are they asking about this now?”
“He didn’t say.”
Her uncle brought a shaking hand up to smooth his hair back. “Did he say anything else? Ask about anyone else?”
“Not really. I mean, yes. A nurse. He said his family asked him to find the nurse who had worked for you during that time.”
“What was her name?”
“Pamela Thorsen.”
“That’s it? That’s all he said?”
“Yes.”
“Are you sure?”
“Absolutely.” Helene didn’t want to ask, but she had to. “Do you remember his family? I know it was a long time ago.”
Her uncle’s face tightened. “You never forget the ones you lose. I remember the Barringtons. They’re an extremely wealthy family from Boston.”
Wealthy? Andrew didn’t give off that vibe at all. “And the baby that died?”
Her uncle stood and walked to the window of his office. “Nothing could be done to prevent what happened.” He turned back to face her. “Did you say you invited Andrew Barrington to dinner?”
“I told him I’d ask you.”
“Do it. Invite him for seven. We’ll have a late meal.”
Helene hesitated. “Are you sure you’re up to it?”
His smile looked forced. “I’ll be fine.”
Unsure of what to say or do next, Helene just stood there feeling like she’d let him down.
As he often did, he seemed to read her mind. “You did the right thing, Helene. If his family has concerns, it’s our duty to help them find some peace.” He referenced the clock again. “Now, if you don’t mind, I have too much to do and not enough hours in the day to get it done.”
“Of course,” Helene said. She started walking to the door, stopped, and rushed over to her uncle to give him a hug. “Thank you for being so good to me.”
He kissed her forehead. “If I had a daughter, I’d like to think she would have turned out like you. The world looks better when I see it through your eyes.” He turned away again. “Now go on. Get back to work.”
“See you tonight,” she said just before she closed the door.
He didn’t answer, but she didn’t wait for him to. Her uncle was a busy man. He had, though, agreed to meet Andrew and, hopefully, that would bring a good conclusion to a very confusing couple of days.
I’ll see Andrew tonight.
Most likely, for the last time.
He’ll have his answers and there’ll be no reason for us to see each other again.
Chapter Five
Stiles’s house wasn’t the mammoth structure Andrew had expected. It wasn’t small, nor was it flashy. It was a villa on a hill, stucco exterior, muted colors, a gated home within a gated community, on a third of an acre with nothing blocking the view from the street. A guesthouse flanked one side with not so much as a tree blocking it from the main home. Stiles seemed to value security over aesthetics, which was a curious positio
n for a supposedly beloved benefactor.
Andrew pressed the video intercom on the stone pillar at the gate and announced his arrival. A man responded, telling him to pull up and park in front of the far left garage, and Andrew did so after the gate swung open. Before getting out, he leaned over, opened the glove compartment of his car, and tucked a 9mm Berretta in the back of his trousers. He didn’t think there would be a need for it, but he hadn’t taken the advice he’d gotten on the beach that morning lightly. When someone yells duck, a wise man does so first and figures out the nature of the threat later.
“If you’re not careful, you will get her killed,” the anonymous blonde had said. Careful about what? She hadn’t exactly been specific with her warnings. Was his association with Helene putting her in danger because of who he was, because of something her uncle had done, or for some completely unrelated issue someone was afraid he’d stumble upon? The blonde had known about Iraq, or implied she had. Was the threat against him because of what he knew, and Helene was someone Ahearn might use against him? None of it made sense. He’d tried to call the number on the card, but it had rung many times without answer. Not exactly the helpline the blonde had implied it would be.
As Andrew walked up the many steps of the villa, he asked himself if it was wise to be there at all. The last thing he wanted was the blood of another person on his hands. And for what?
My brother sent me to find out about a death that happened nearly thirty years ago. Even if the clinic was at fault, what would the truth change? Nothing. If negligence was a pattern of behavior, Dr. Clarence Stiles wouldn’t still be in business.
Does any of this matter enough to put an innocent woman’s life at risk?
If she is innocent.
She definitely had nothing to do with what had happened twenty-nine years ago, but there was no way to know what her uncle might be mixed up in now.
