Becky exhales loudly. “He claims he had a family emergency and had to move back to Rhode Island to be near his parents.”
“But you don’t believe that.”
She shakes her head. “I don’t. Because Dr. Monroe was hired to replace Dr. Greg Post, who was also a single, good-looking man.”
“And he left because?” I ask.
“Because he filed and won a sexual harassment suit against Constance.” Becky confides, “Most men probably wouldn’t do that, but Dr. Post did.”
“Why is Constance still working here if someone won a lawsuit against her? I’d think there would be cause to fire her over that.”
“I don’t think there’s any getting rid of her.” She shares, “Her family founded the hospital over a hundred years ago. Your best bet would be to find someone else to date. That way, Constance would have to accept she doesn’t have a chance.”
An image of Finley pops into my head. Sweet, blonde Finley with big green eyes and the camera hanging around her neck. “There is someone I’m interested in,” I tell her.
Becky’s eyes sparkle with curiosity, but she doesn’t ask who that might be. Instead, she says, “If I were you, I’d ask her out ASAP. Send the message to Constance that you’re not on the market.”
I’ve been telling our boss that very thing, but she won’t listen. “Thanks for the advice, Becky,” I tell her. “I’ll definitely keep that in mind.”
With those parting words, I head toward the doctors’ lounge to make sure the afternoon doctor is here. I wouldn’t want ElkLake to have its first real emergency and not have anyone on hand to take care of them.
The quaint bell above the door at Happy Snaps rings, announcing my arrival.
I hear Finley’s disembodied voice call out, “I’m in the back, Thomas.”
Walking through the doorway leading to the studio, I ask, “What if it wasn’t me? What if I were an ax murderer?”
Her eyes peer over the top of her computer, where she’s probably reviewing someone else’s pictures. “If you were an ax murderer, I’d hit you over the head with a baseball bat before calling the cops.”
“Do you even have a baseball bat here?” I challenge her.
She leans down and stealthily picks up something beside her. She raises a baseball bat over her head.
“I’m glad you take your security seriously,” I tell her.
Putting the bat back down, she replies, “Elk Lake is a small town, but that doesn’t mean there aren’t bad people everywhere.”
“Have you ever met any?” I ask her. As far as I’m concerned, Elk Lake is the most mild-mannered town on the planet.
She shakes her head. “I haven’t, but as a female business owner, I like to be prepared.” She adds, “I grew up onLaw and Order, you know.” Taking a breath, she asks, “Now, which costume should we start with?”
I inwardly grimace at the thought of playacting. “You pick,” I tell her.
“Why don’t we start with a policeman?” Her eyes sparkle in such a way I can’t help but wonder if that’s her favorite.She points to the clothing rack against the wall. “I have a few different sizes, but I can always pin it if the fit is off.”
I smile in response and walk toward the men’s costumes. Then I rifle through them and pull out a uniform that looks like it’s about my size. I take it into the bathroom to change. The pants are a bit snug but not too bad. The problem is with the shirt. It seems to be a much smaller size than the pants and it doesn’t have any buttons.
I’m in here long enough that Finley knocks on the door. “You okay in there?”
“I’m … um … fine?”
“Your voice raised at the end like a question. What’s wrong?” Apparently, it doesn’t take a psychic to know I’m lying.
I open the door so she can see. “The buttons fell off this shirt. Also, I think I need a bigger size.”
Finley starts laughing. “Thomas, you’re here to have fantasy photos taken.” Her eyes run down the length of my body before she mumbles, “This is how the uniform is supposed to look.”
“It feels unnatural,” I tell her. “I mean, how am I supposed to arrest a perp like this?”
