Anahera blew out a breath. “Is there anything you can do to find out if he’s lying or not?”

Will stared into the distance, but he was still there, just thinking. “Yes,” he said slowly before turning to look at her. “You’re going to have to trust me on what I’m about to ask you to do.”

“What’s the plan?”

62

Will took the first step while Anahera was in the bathroom throwing water onto her face to wake herself up for their planned excursion. He wanted to keep her out of this and out of possible danger until he had an answer for better or worse.

Picking up his phone, he input the call. “Evelyn,” he said when she answered. “I’m sorry to call so late, but I’m finalizing Miriama’s file and I didn’t want to bother Matilda or Dominic.” No lie there. “I was hoping you could help with some of the details.”

“Oh, of course,” the gossipy but ultimately kind woman said. “Mattie’s in no state to talk to anyone and that poor young doctor’s gone to pieces. What do you need?”

“It’d be useful if I could track down any X--rays Miriama might’ve had done recently. My guess would be that Dominic was no longer her doctor.”

“Oh, that one’s easy. I ran into her once when she was catching the bus to go get a prescription for hay fever, I think it -was—-I asked her why Domi-nic didn’t just write her one and she said there were rules about doctors dating patients.” A quick breath. “Anyway, she told me who she was off to see and I was happy for her. Dr. Symon is a lovely man, saw my cousin through a bad bout of shingles.”

“Do you have a full name for him?”

“Roger, I -think… No, wait, it’s Richard. Dr. Richard Symon.”

That took care of the chain of -evidence—-as long as Evelyn’s information was correct. If it wasn’t, he’d have to go to Matilda after all. And he’d have to break her heart -again—-because she’d want to know why he was asking the question when Vincent had already been arrested.

“Thank you,” he said, and hung up before Evelyn could burst out with her own questions.

Now, to confirm the name without tipping his hand, or causing Matilda fresh suffering.

“Ready?” Anahera stepped out of the bathroom.

Will nodded. “Let’s go.”

They walked to their destination: the Golden Cove doctor’s surgery.

Breaking into it at night wasn’t exactly the Great Train Robbery. The only reason the place wasn’t regularly vandalized was probably because Dominic kept his drug samples locked up in an ancient metal filing cabinet so heavy you’d need a crane to lift it. The lock on the cabinet was all but impossible to pick.

The same couldn’t be said for the front door.

While Anahera stood as lookout, Will made short work of that lock and stepped inside.

He went straight to the -less--than--new computer that held patient files.

This was where it could get tricky, but when he booted it up, it took him straight to the main page, no password required. That -small--town mentality again. It was, however, to his advantage this time around.

Quickly bringing up the file he wanted, he saw the words he’d expected to see: Patient file closed.

Below that was an explanatory note:

Miriama Hinewai Tutaia is switching to another general practitioner as she is in a personal relationship with me, the physician of record for Golden Cove. To be clear, she has never been my patient and I was not aware that she was on the practice’s roll at the time that we met. It appears she was enrolled at this surgery as a child, but has had no need to visit it in the past three years.

To maintain ethical lines and give her access to a primary physician who can keep track of her overall health, I have referred her to a fellow practitioner in the nearest town. Referral letter annotated to file.

That referral letter was to Dr. Richard Symon.

He shut down the computer and made sure everything was as it had been, then exited the clinic, the door lock snicking quietly behind him.

“You have it?” The oval of Anahera’s face looking at him from under the black knit cap she’d pulled on.

He nodded. “Let’s get out of here.”

It wasn’t until they were back home and making themselves a midnight snack that Will said, “I’m going to have to go out of town tomorrow. I’ll leave before dawn so I can make the trip and be back by midmorning.”

Anahera nodded. “If you don’t mind, I’ll use your computer to sort out a new passport for myself.” She finished stirring sugar into her hot cocoa. “I might swing by the cabin, too.”

To reclaim it, replace the memories of Vincent’s violence with peace. “I’d rather you wait until I’m back,” Will said. “Or if you want to go alone, give me another -twenty--four hours.”

Dark eyes locked with his. “You think Vincent is telling the truth.”

“I’ll know after my visit tomorrow morning.” Hit by a sudden cold that reached into his bones, he closed his hand over her wrist. “Come with me.”

He knew she was a woman who valued her freedom, but after studying his expression, she said, “I need to buy some more clothes and a new laptop anyway. Will I be able to get those where you’re going?”