I told him more about the staff and the brief run-in I had with Dr. Pines.
“I’m putting my contact information into your phone,” he said as I watched. “And I’m sending these pictures to my phone.”
He handed me my phone back.
“Now you have my direct number. Anything you need, call me.”
He emphasized the word anything. But I tried not to think much of it. He meant about this case. I shook that thought loose.
“Sure.” I nodded and stuffed my phone back into the pocket of my scrubs. “I will do that.”
Chael eyed me, falling silent, at the same time our waitress came to drop off the check. He didn’t even take his eyes off of me as he handed her his credit card.
Minutes later, we exited the restaurant, and he walked me back to the door of the urgent care clinic.
“I meant what I said.” He took me by the arm. His hold wasn’t harsh, but it was firm. That warm blanket feeling returned, but I tried hard to convince myself that it was because we stood directly in the sunlight.
“What was that?” I asked, needing a reminder.
“If you need anything, call me. First.” His words held a sharpness.
“I don’t want you doing any more of your independent investigation, either.”
“I needed the proof,” I defended.
His mouth twisted. “That’s what you come to me for. If what you suspect is happening is going on, then these people could be dangerous.” His hand tightened around my arm. Again, it wasn’t painful or harsh, but it was… I didn’t know.
“Okay,” I relented.
“Here.” He reached around to his back pocket with his free hand and pulled out a card, handing it to me.
“You already gave me your number.” I handed the card back to him.
He pushed my hand back into my body, the card still in my possession. “In case your phone dies.” He nodded in the direction of the pocket where I carried my phone. “You should get that fixed.”
“Soon,” I reassured, though I didn’t know how honest that answer was. Between saving money for Henry’s surgery and my already tight funds, a new phone was an added expense I didn’t need.
Plus, there was the question of how much hiring this PI firm was going to be.
“Speaking of new things,” I started. “How much exactly does LS Investigations charge?” If they were considered one of the best in the state, I could only imagine how much they cost.
“Don’t worry about the cost for now.”
That didn’t sound right. “Is this like a discount because I know Savannah or something?”
“I wouldn’t say anything I didn’t mean.” He squeezed my arm again.
It took special effort on my part to gather the mental fortitude to extricate myself from his hold, and once I did, my body’s core temperature dropped a few degrees.
Strange.
“I appreciate your kindness.” I nodded and stepped back, my back coming right up against the glass of the clinic’s door.
“I’m not being kind,” he shot back. “I’m being truthful. We don’t know what the owners of that home are up to, and I don’t want you to put yourself in a dangerous situation.”
“Noted.” I nodded to let him know I understood. Besides, I didn’t have any intention of going snooping again. I hoped that there was nothing to all of this, anyway. It’d be a dream if this were a figment of my imagination.
But between the unexplained disappearances, sudden deaths, and the dreams that I’d been having…
