“You doin’ okay, Karen?” Jimmy asked as he stepped back from the grill.
“Oh, yes, thanks-I’m good.” She pointed to the next order slip, and he passed it her way.
A great guy was coming to pick her up in a few hours. The day had gone from her being braced for bad news to as carefree a one as she could remember in years. It was indeed turning into a very nice day.
TEN
Gabriel Thane
Gabe had planned to use their drive to Decatur to get his mind shifted firmly back onto the Florist case, but he was finding it difficult to concentrate. Evie was doing a better job of it, working down a lined notepad with a list of questions they should cover during the luncheon.
“Read me the ones you have so far,” Gabriel said. Evie did so. “You’ll be the one asking them,” he recommended.
Evie shook her head. “No, he’s going to respond better to interactions with you. You’re Sheriff Thane, the authority in the room.”
“He’s a psychiatrist with experience working with cops. He counsels couples and families, Evie. I’m thinking he’ll expect to give facts to me, and the ‘why’ of something to you, assuming a woman cares more about the emotional side of a situation. He’ll be more inclined to give you at least hypothetically speaking answers, rather than ‘I can’t comment’ statements.”
“A decent point, but I’d still rather you ask the questions.” She grinned over at him. “Rock, paper, scissors?”
“Not while I’m driving. Flip a coin.”
She found a quarter in the center cubbyhole. “Heads or tails?”
“Tails,” Gabriel called while the coin spun in the air and landed on the floor at Evie’s feet.
“Tails.”
“You ask the questions,” Gabriel replied, pleased.
“Then you’ll have to take notes.”
Gabriel winced, wondering if his version of shorthand was up for it. “I hate taking notes-I make my deputies do it.” He looked over at her. “Okay, this time I’ll take the notes.”
She studied the directions and pointed to the next exit. “It will be the second light, a right, and then we look for a gray, stone building about a block down on the left. Parking is just past the building, his assistant told me.”
Gabriel nodded. “Give me the CliffsNotes on the doctor again, please.”
“Doctor Richard Wales, twenty-three years in practice, married, two grown children. Gets good reviews from other doctors I know. A level-headed, commonsense guy is the gist of it.” She turned her phone so he could see a photo.
“Useful to hear about a psychiatrist.” The photo showed enough gray hair, the doctor wasn’t vain about his image, and he wasn’t so fit he lived on a golf course. Gabriel spotted the building and pulled into its parking lot.
“Don’t get your hopes too high,” Evie cautioned as they walked toward the building.
He smiled at her. “Now who’s being a pessimist?”
“I can identify lots of ideas. Finding the one that goes somewhere means wading through promising leads that turn into dead ends. I don’t hit a home run without first hitting a few fouls along the way.”
He held the door open for her. “Point taken.”
They found the office on the second floor, a receptionist stationed in front of a hallway with several offices to each side and a rather large waiting room with couches and child-sized tables with toys to their left. Gabriel took notice of the inquiry in the woman’s expression. Since they were both in civilian attire, maybe a couple here for counseling?
“Sheriff Gabriel Thane and Lieutenant Evie Blackwell. We have an appointment with Dr. Wales.”
The woman smiled, rose, pushed a button on her phone console to hold calls. “Of course. I hope you enjoy chicken parmesan-we ordered from a nearby restaurant for your lunch meeting. Please, follow me. He’s on schedule today, for a change,” she added over her shoulder as she led the way to an office at the end of the hall. They stepped into what could only be his private office, the desk cluttered with files and reading material, a round table at the window cleared and set for lunch. The receptionist motioned toward it. “Please, have a seat, Lieutenant, Sheriff. I’ll let him know you’re here. I have coffee, iced tea, or maybe a soft drink?”
“Tea would be fine,” Evie said.
“For both of us,” Gabriel added.
“I’ll bring it in. Lunch should arrive in about ten minutes.” The door closed behind her.
“A friendly receptionist,” Gabriel remarked, holding a chair for Evie.
“No doubt useful when the practice has families with kids coming and going.”
The door opened minutes later, and a casually dressed man matching the doctor’s photo walked in, carrying a tray with a pitcher of tea and ice-filled glasses. Gabriel rose to his feet.
“Welcome, welcome, let me get this put down before I spill it.” The doctor eased the tray onto the table and held out his hand. “Sheriff. We haven’t met, but I admit to having heard your name from clients over the years… well, your father’s name as often as your own.” He turned to Evie and offered a hand. “Lieutenant, I’m told you are the one who called.” He pulled out a seat for himself. “Lunch should be here momentarily. My schedule is clear for the next hour and a half-only paperwork awaits when we have concluded our discussion, so we should not be rushed. Would you mind if we have this conversation using first names? I’d rather be called Richard than Doctor.”
Gabriel poured the tea and let Evie handle the opening.
“Informal is fine,” she assured him. “You’re making an effort at welcoming us. I’ll admit, it’s a bit unusual in my experience with others in your profession.”
Richard smiled. “I don’t want you to have wasted a journey, and the courtesy of a welcome is the least I can do.”
Evie reached for her glass of tea. “We’re here to talk about some previous clients of yours, the Florist family.”
“My scheduler mentioned that was the reason for your call.” He looked from one to the other. “The Florist name is one that has come up many times over the last twelve years, if only in my own mind,” he replied, “as I’m aware of the unresolved search to locate the family. You are welcome to record this interview if you would find it helpful. My only request is that if you do so, you provide a copy of it for my files.”
Evie glanced over at Gabriel. He had no difficulty reading her reaction to the doctor’s opening remarks-heading toward unsettling. But she nodded to the doctor, dug in her bag, set a recorder on the table.
Gabriel was glad for it. He’d take notes as a precaution if the tape had technical problems, but it saved him the effort of getting the nuances right.
Richard reached for his tea. “Some ground rules, so you understand my position. You both realize I can’t reveal what was discussed with a patient. While I would like to help you, and will endeavor to do so, my answers will be limited to what the law permits me to say. I shall try to be tactful when I say no and will apologize for the fact it may have to be said a great many times.” He offered an engaging smile. “With that on the table, shall we begin?”
Evie simply smiled back. “Would you confirm you saw the Florists, individually and as a family, for a period of approximately two years, and that they were still clients who had a standing Wednesday night appointment when they disappeared?”
The doctor nodded. “Yes, I’ll confirm that. I’ll also mention that family dynamics often require sessions with all members present, even if they are themselves not the actual client. But in this case, Scott, Susan, and Joe Florist were each my clients. I had at least one individual session with each member of the family during the time in question, and at least one family session with all three present. The Florist family had a two-hour block of time on my calendar every Wednesday evening, which would occasionally go longer since they were the last appointment on my schedule. I would add too that the time frame is broader than two years.”