She let it go at that, mulling over the information as she concentrated on driving. It was about six o’clock and the worst part of evening traffic was past, but they still had a way to go from her apartment all the way out to Abbott Loop where the facility was located.
Anatoly seemed so certain, she didn’t want to rain on that, but she had to remain objective, too. Until she was staring at proof of a connection, she wasn’t going to get her hopes up.
About thirty minutes later, they pulled into the driveway of Starry Meadows and found a place to park, which at this hour wasn’t difficult. The facility would have had round the clock staffing, but naturally night shift saw a lot less visitor traffic.
“Let me do the talking,” she told him as they strode across the lot together. “Without a warrant, they may not be able to tell me much, but I’ll do my best to find out what I can. I promise.”
Anatoly only nodded as he opened the door for her and waited for her to step inside.
A very tired looking receptionist glanced up at them and immediately pointed at a sign on the wall. “Visiting hours are over. Come back tomorrow.”
“I’m Detective Boone and this is my consultant, Mr. Brusilev, working with me on a case,” Maggie cut straight to the chase, flashing her badge in the lady’s face. “I’m gonna need to speak with someone in administration. Now.”
The woman glanced between them as if trying to decide what to do with the information. She must have decided it was too high above her pay grade because she picked up the phone a second later. “You may need to wait a few minutes, the director just went home, but I’ll try to get him back.”
“Perfect. We’ll wait over here.” Maggie stepped aside, drawing Anatoly with her.
Given the time, Maggie half expected to be kept waiting for a while, or to be brushed off entirely, but to her surprise a man joined them within thirty minutes.
He didn’t look particularly thrilled as he pushed through the main entrance, but as he closed the gap to the pair of them a tight smile tugged at his thin mouth.
“Detective Boone, was it?” He held out a hand to shake, and Maggie took it firmly.
“That’s right. Is there somewhere we can speak in private?” she asked, resisting the urge to side-eye the nosy receptionist who was pretending not to listen in.
“This way,” he indicated the hallway and started in that direction. On the way, he began to introduce himself. “I’m Director Matthews, I run the facility here and I don’t mean to be rude, but it has been a very long day, Detective. I hope this is as pressing as Miss Ida made it sound. I should be taking my son to hockey try outs, my wife is furious I’m missing it…”
Maggie didn’t let anything he said offend her. She was used to coming at a bad time and generally being unwelcome. That he was polite about it was the only reason she remained civil and didn’t double down or interrupt as he whined about his personal life.
“I’m sorry for the late visit, but we came across information that had to be investigated immediately. Are you at all familiar with a Father Abrams?”
“I’m afraid I don’t know anyone by the name Abrams, but I might be able to check the database.” Matthews stopped short by the nurse’s desk, his eyes bouncing from Maggie to Anatoly and then back again. “Do you have a warrant?”
“Father Abrams may have been checked in under a false name, Robert Johnson,” Maggie answered instead, dodging the other question entirely.
“Doesn’t ring a bell,” he replied, shaking his head, but his eye twitched giving away his lie. “Detective, you know if you don’t have a warrant, I can’t give out personal information about a client.”
She nodded, agreeing wholeheartedly. “I’m not asking for his personal information. I just need verification, off the record, that Robert Johnson or Father Abrams was in fact a patient at this facility.”
Matthews narrowed his eyes and shook his head in irritation. “Again, without a warrant?—”
“Yeah, you said that,” she interrupted. The clenching of her jaw was the only sign of frustration she showed. “Look, is there anything at all you can tell me?”
“No, Detective. Even if I remembered the person in question, I wouldn’t tell you anything. It’s the law that every patient has the right to privacy.” Matthews swept his arm back the way they had come, clearly dismissing them. “Now, if you please, I have somewhere to be…”
Chapter Forty-Eight
Frustration radiated from Maggie as she and Anatoly walked back to the car. She wasn’t about to give up so easily, not when her gut was telling her they were on to something. The more she thought about it, the more she realized there had to be merit to this. She got the sense Matthews had recognized the second name and that was enough confirmation for her to take further action.
She pulled her phone out and made a few calls, first to the station and then to a judge friend of hers that owed her a favor. Anatoly played his part as well, securing Bishop Peter as a witness to give them enough probable cause. It took a few hours, but by the time ten o’clock rolled around, she was walking back into Starry Meadow with everything she needed.
She slapped the warrant down in front of the receptionist and grinned. “Hi again.” Maggie couldn’t keep the smugness out of her tone. What could have taken days, she’d done in a night; surely she had the right to be a little proud of herself.
The receptionist must not have thought so, because she didn’t return the smile. She picked up the phone and dialed the person in charge though, which was all Maggie really cared about.
Minutes later, they were sitting in a bland office with Mr. Matthews, who had been dragged out of his house in the middle of the night and he was none too pleased.
“Is this really so pressing?” he asked in a clipped tone as they all took a seat around his desk. “I don’t see why you couldn’t wait for normal business?—”
