“Lori Devlin. I heard Mia was here.”
“Yep, room 104, although she’s going home today.”
“Thanks.” He searched for room numbers.
Jackie pointed to the one he needed. “Find Santa yet?” She stifled a chuckle.
Tom drew a deep, steadying breath before answering. “Not yet.”
“I’m not commenting on your skills, but every patient I’ve had today has been sharing their take on who stole Santa.”
“Believe me, the calls at the police station are approaching ridiculous.”
She draped her stethoscope around her neck. “I’ll call you if I hear anything.”
“Thanks, Doc.” His professional tone held a sarcastic edge.
Jackie quirked a brow, most likely commiserating with his tone. “I’m with you, but then I’m not native, so the attachment to the dear old guy escapes me.”
Tom rubbed his neck. “There are some days this small town gives me a headache.”
The doctor stifled a smile. “I have a prescription for that.”
Tom gave a short laugh. “I’ll just bet you do.” He went farther along the hall and knocked on 104 before pushing the door open.
Lori Devlin met him with her forefinger over her mouth. She tiptoed into the hall and let the door close behind her. “She’s asleep. Finally. She was awake all night coughing.”
“Tough virus. Sorry she’s sick.”
“I know she was helping you, but I figured you’d be happy to have her out from under foot.”
“Truthfully, she was quite the assistant, but we’ll deal without her. Tell her to get well, and I’ll catch her later at home.”
“She’s not going to be doing much running around. Her poor notebook isn’t going to get much more information logged in.”
“Her notebook?”
“She’s been taking notes about her findings. Not sure whether it’s for her or if she has a project for class.”
“She’s been asking questions and searching for answers, so it’s not surprising, the way she works, that notes are involved. Mind if I review them?”
“Notebook is at home. Could you stop by and talk to her later, look them over there?”
“Yes, I can. Take care of her, and if there’s anything you need, call me. Can I bring you a cup of coffee, some breakfast?”
Lori shook her head. “Thanks so much for asking, but Chrissy brought me something from the cafeteria.”
“She’s so thoughtful.”
“Yes, she is. Thanks for coming, Tom.”
Stymied, he left the hospital. Most likely, there wouldn’t be any information in her notebook different from Carmen’s.
Sighing, he drove to Meg’s. Bret was off this morning, and he wanted a deeper conversation in a private space about the high school population and about his Christmas gift for Summer.
Bret met him at the door with a dish towel over his shoulder. “Come on in. Cleaning and watching Stevie. Quiet, though, he’s asleep on the sofa in front of the television. What’s Summerdoing this morning? Sounds like this project she’s taking on is huge.”
“When I left, she was in her art studio sketching, muttering, pacing. Concept is eluding her.”
