Skimming past those, Ellena was about to give up and close her phone when she saw a number she didn’t recognize. One with a Texas area code.
She pressed play and put the phone to her ear. Her heart thrummed against her ribs when she heard Gabe’s voice…
“Hey, Elle. It’s me. Listen, I know it’s been a long time, and this is going to sound crazy, but I think you’re in danger. I’m sorry to drop this on you out of the blue, and I promise I’m not trying to scare you, but…look, I’ll explain more when I get there, okay? I’m leaving Dallas tonight, and I’ll call you as soon as I land. Do me a favor and don’t go anywhere. Keep your doors locked and don’t answer them or the phone unless it’s me. Call me when you get this…please.”
He'd called her. Someone had told him she was in trouble, and the first thing he did was call to warn her.
She listened to the voicemail again. And again.
He sounded so worried.
For some odd reason, that made her feel good inside. Cared for in a way she hadn’t been in so long.
Ellena was in the middle of listening to it for a fourth time when someone knocked on the door. Startled, she fumbled and nearly dropped the phone before closing the screen and putting it back into her purse.
“It’s me,” Gabe’s voice traveled through the wooden door.
She unlocked it and swung it open. “Did you find anything?”
“Yes and no.” He let the door close behind him. “You?”
She motioned to the stacks of folders on the floor. “I went through the mess and got everything back where it belonged. I may have found a few things worth looking into. The ones in those stacks there.” She pointed to the two piles on the end. “But I’m not sure they’ll be of any help, since I don’t really know what it is I’m looking for. Plus, there are still several files in those cabinets over there. Those don’t seem to have been touched, though.”
“I’d say if whoever did this didn’t bother looking in there, whatever they did come for wasn’t in any of those.”
“That narrows them down then, at least.” Ellena blew out a breath. “Oh! I almost forgot. My computer is missing. I looked everywhere, but they must’ve taken it.”
“No, they didn’t.”
Between the exhaustion settling in, the headache that was determined to make its presence known, and being flustered from listening to Gabe’s voicemail, she didn’t hear what he’d just said and continued talking.
“Which is going to be a logistical nightmare. All of my patient files have now been compromised.” She started for the door. “I need to let Howard know, and I also need to call the department’s director. He’ll have to notify the state, and—”
“Elle!”
“What?”
Gabe held up a laptop.Herlaptop.
“How did you…where did you find that?” Ellena went to him, taking the computer from his hand.
“Howard had it.”
She frowned. “Why?”
“He said they installed an updated spyware program on all the staff’s computers the night of your wreck. When he found out you’d been injured and were a patient here, he decided to hang on to it for safe keeping.”
“Thank God.” Ellena exhaled loudly. The staff was notified of the update by email last week, but with everything going on, she’d completely forgotten about it.
Closing her eyes, she took a moment to rub her fingertips against her aching temple.
“Headache?”
“Getting there.”
“Come on.” Gabe walked over to the stack of folders. “Tell me again which of these you want to take home so I can get you out of here and into bed.” He swung his head around, eyes shimmering with that deer-caught-in-the-headlights look. “Because you’re hurting, and you need sleep.”
Ellena grinned. “It’s okay. I knew what you meant.”
