Page 40 of The Liar I Married
I hold John’s gaze. “Did you speak to my doctor? Do you even know his name?”
“Of course, I spoke to the one at the hospital, he arranged everything with the nurse I employed to care for you.” John rubs the back of his neck clearly agitated. “Dolly informed me the hospital doctor referred her to another doctor. I never spoke to him. I had no reason to. Dolly was giving me constant updates. In fact, she gave me more information than the other nurses I’d hired. I figured she was doing her job. If I’d known, I’d have fired her.”
Memories of the torment I went through that first week shiver through me like ghosts. A thought hits me. “Why do you figure they decided to wake me?”
“I’ve been thinking about this too.” John’s brow crinkles. “If you weren’t under a doctor for three months, perhaps the drug supply was running out. She had no choice. My guess is that she told Michael and they revised their plan.”
“One thing.” Alex looks at me his face set in stone. “Maybe you need to go back as a patient? She’ll believe everything is okay. I doubt that Michael has contacted her. He wouldn’t dare call her to discuss you over the phone, he knows his calls are being monitored.” He frowns. “Although he might have dropped by to see her?”
“No, he hasn’t. I instructed Maria to call me if anyone showed at the house.” John met my gaze. “It will mean leaving you alone with Dolly while I check her computer. You’ll need to keep her occupied.”
Although my stomach clenches at the idea of returning to the house, I nod. “I can do that.”
“It will be password protected.” Alex frowns.
“Maybe but it doesn’t matter.” John smiles and wiggles a finger. “When I purchased it, I added both my facial recognition and fingerprint. I doubt she’s smart enough to delete anything. I had a computer guy install everything a nurse would need to monitor you. It was set up before she arrived. She had no reason to change any settings.”
I stand. “Okay, let’s go.”
FORTY-TWO
As I climb into John’s Lexus, I notice one of the girls has left their pink sweater on the back seat. I grab it and press it to my nose. I’m sure a mom can find their child by scent. It might only be the smell from the laundry or the shampoo they use for their hair, but it triggers a response, a knowledge of belonging. Overwhelmed by the yearning to see my girls, I burst into tears. Nothing matters right now than seeing they’re safe and well. The next moment John has his arms around me, my face pressing into his shoulder, and the scent unique to my husband fills my nostrils. It calms me and I gather myself, grasping the sweater like a life preserver. “I’m okay. I just miss my girls so much.”
“We all miss you too.” John started the engine and slid on his sunglasses. “It hasn’t been easy for them being away from us for almost a year. Your mom is a wonderful person but she’s not you and I could only get to see them a few times. They’re so excited to be home and can’t stop talking about you. They love the FaceTime chats.” He squeezes my fingers. “It won’t be long. I have my lawyer working on your case and I believe you’ll be home soon.”
I pull a tissue from a packet in the glovebox and dab at my eyes. “Not Ms. Lawson?”
“No, I engaged one that deals in family law. Her name is Julia Thompson and she’ll represent you. I’m told she’s very good.” John flicks me a glance. “We’ll go and see her on Monday.”
I’m not sure I’m hearing him right. John never takes personal days. “You’re taking me? What about your clients?”
“I rearranged my schedule.” His hands grip the wheel as he stares straight ahead. “Now I’m a partner, I’ll have more time to spare. I’ve spoken to the boss, and he agrees I need to spend some time with you. In fact, he suggested it. I’ve signed up some very important clients for the firm, which makes me valuable. I’ll be home every weekend and I won’t be working such long hours. I have many people working in my office who are more than happy for the opportunity to take on some of my clients.”
Imagining my future unfolding, I lean back in my seat. “That would be wonderful.”
As we fly along the coast highway, I open the window to absorb the view. The sight feeds my soul, as waves break on the beach, rush in and withdraw. They appear to shimmer as sunlight turns them into a mercuric firmament that leaves a line of foamy bubbles along the stretch of sand. I look into the distance, seeing sailboats, and sigh at the endless blue sky. I’m like a starving person at a smorgasbord. All the little things are magnified: seagulls strutting along the wet sand, fighting over a morsel of fish, and children running with joy as they splash through the waves. I want to join them with my girls and leave footprints in the sand. I can almost feel the salty brine on my face as waves crash around me. I lean my head out of the window, loving the wind in my hair. The roar of the ocean fills my head with a symphony of sounds. It’s a peace I crave for and now it’s within reach. Only a few more days and I’ll be going home.
John and Alex are talking. It seems that John has accepted the fact that Alex is a friend and they are plotting how to getto Dolly’s computer. I straighten in my seat, listening. “I don’t believe you should allow Dolly to see both of you.”
“How so?” John turns to look at me as we wait at the lights.
I stare back at him as the plan opens in my mind. “If Alex takes me back, he can keep Dolly busy and then pretend to leave by the conservatory.” I turn to look at Alex in the back seat. “I’ll keep her busy, when you leave. You’ll need to set up your phone on record. If she tries to stick me with a needle, I want it on video.”
“I’ll go in through the front door and straight into her office.” John drums his fingers on the steering wheel. “I’ll download her patient records onto a thumb drive and look at her emails. I want to know who she’s been calling for advice.” He accelerates as the lights changed to green. “I should never have trusted her. I honestly believed you had the same doctor all the way through. How many times has a doctor visited you?”
I shake my head. “I don’t recall seeing a doctor at any time.”
“That’s not good.” Alex whistles. “It never amazes me what lengths people will go to for money.”
The entrance to Stonebridge Manor comes into view. Ornate wrought-iron gates set between red-brick posts with lion’s head statues greet us in an impenetrable barrier. We slow to allow the control on the dash of John’s Lexus to trigger the opening mechanism as he drives toward them. They slowly swing open and he heads up the wide gravel driveway but doesn’t go to the house. He takes the side road that leads to the rose garden and pulls up outside the gardener’s shed. From here it’s a short walk to the conservatory door.
“Ready?” John looks from me to Alex. “Give me time to scoot around the front. I have my key. I’ll sneak in and head toward Dolly’s office. I’ll need as much time as you can get me.”
I look at John. “Do you know if it’s illegal to steal things from somebody’s computer?”
“Legally the computer belongs to me, and I have a password.” John shrugs. “So I doubt it.” He slips from behind the wheel, shutting the door softly behind him, and jogs around the outside of the house.
Reluctantly, I leave the pink sweater on the seat as I climb out. I take Alex’s arm and we head slowly toward the door to the conservatory. I look at him. “What are you going to say to her? What excuse are you making for bringing me back?”
