“We were just going to her place,” Walter said, his gaze sweeping the area.
“Dr. Franklin?” Laurel partially leaned over to catch her breath. “Do you know a Dr. Joseph Keyes?”
Christine’s brow furrowed. “Of course. He’s the best cardiac surgeon in the country.” She held her door for balance. “Why?”
“Are you positive you don’t know a Sharon Lamber? She might’ve known the doctor.”
She frowned. “I never met a Sharon Lamber, and I don’t pay a lot of attention to Dr. Keyes’s personal life.”
“Do you have a good relationship with Dr. Keyes?” Laurel asked.
Christine’s fingers tightened on the top of the door as her high heels slipped on the ice. “Yes, I do. In fact, that promotion I mentioned? We were both up for it, and I received it.”
Laurel’s ears heated. “Did that make him angry?” Christine shook her head. “No. Not at all. In fact, he was quite gallant about it. Even sent me congratulatory roses—very pretty red ones. He said he was happy for me.”
Sure he was. Laurel turned back inside, her heart rate accelerating.
She needed to find Huck.
Chapter Eighteen
“If we could’ve waited an hour for Monty to return my rig from the mandatory service appointment, I could be driving,” Huck groused, knowing he was being an ass.
Laurel snorted, maneuvering her SUV cautiously down the icy roads. “You should have somebody take a look at that control freak nature of yours.”
Did she say freak? Did Laurel Snow just make a joke? “I already have. Several times, in fact.” He’d been treated for PTSD, and still was being treated once in a while, although he’d always liked to have control in most situations. He didn’t know any snipers who felt differently. “I had to leave my dog back at the office.”
“Your dog was sitting on the lap of Officer Ilemoto and seemed to be just fine,” Laurel retorted, flicking on the heat. “He can survive without you for a couple of hours.”
Yeah, but could Huck survive without Aeneas? He shifted his weight on the leather seat. The dog grounded him.
Laurel’s phone dinged and she pressed a button on the dash. “Hi, Nester. You’re on speaker and Captain Rivers is here.”
“Hi. I’ve done a really quick background on Dr. Keyes. He’s from Minnesota and has an excellent reputation as a cardiac surgeon, according to the medical journals, although he’s moved three times. Started in Philly, then went to LA, and then to his current position. I’ll need to make phone calls to each place for more information, but I can tell you from a quick search of public records in Washington State that he’s had seven malpractice suits against him as well as one civil suit that was settled with a confidentiality clause.”
Interesting. Huck leaned toward the dash. “Seven malpractice cases isn’t usual for a surgeon of his caliber. Find out what you can about each situation, would you? Who was on the other side of the civil matter?”
“The plaintiff was a woman named Louise Ferranto, and the complaint reads as sexual harassment. For some reason, the hospital wasn’t involved—it was a personal suit between the two. She didn’t sue the hospital.” He was quiet for a moment. “Oh, I see. She was his housekeeper and said he tried to force himself on her. The criminal case was dismissed for lack of evidence, so she sued civilly.”
“When?” Laurel asked, driving onto the interstate toward Seattle.
“Criminal case was dismissed six months ago, and the civil case was settled two months ago,” Nester said. “The settlement documents are not part of the public record.”
Laurel leaned to the side and then merged with the rapidly moving traffic. “If there were other similar complaints that happened at work, the hospital might’ve settled them outside of the court system. We don’t have enough for a warrant yet, but perhaps Christine Franklin could be of assistance there.”
Huck watched a small sports car zip by them going too fast. It didn’t belong on the roads this time of year. “She might be, but more likely she’s under a nondisclosure agreement.”
Laurel nodded. “Agreed, but she’s scared. She might make an exception for us if we keep all information confidential.” She eyed Huck. “That means no exchanging information with journalists.”
Huck stiffened. So they weren’t going to play nice.
Nester cleared his throat loudly. “I need to get back to my searches.”
Laurel’s lips twitched. “Have you been able to reach Dr. Keyes’s assistant, Nester?”
“I had to leave a message with her, and a scheduler called me back to say that the assistant is out for the day. She said that the doctor is scheduled with patients all day, as far as she could tell. I didn’t ask her to let the doctor know you were coming.”
“Good. I’d rather catch him off guard,” Laurel murmured. “Let us know when you have more.”
