Back Bitter Pill
Chapters (47)
  1. Also by
  2. Title Page
  3. Copyright Page
  4. Prologue
  5. Chapter 1
  6. Chapter 2
  7. Chapter 3
  8. Chapter 4
  9. Chapter 5
  10. Chapter 6
  11. Chapter 7
  12. Chapter 8
  13. Chapter 9
  14. Chapter 10
  15. Chapter 11
  16. Chapter 12
  17. Chapter 13
  18. Chapter 14
  19. Chapter 15
  20. Chapter 16
  21. Chapter 17
  22. Chapter 18
  23. Chapter 19
  24. Chapter 20
  25. Chapter 21
  26. Chapter 22
  27. Chapter 23
  28. Chapter 24
  29. Chapter 25
  30. Chapter 26
  31. Chapter 27
  32. Chapter 28
  33. Chapter 29
  34. Chapter 30
  35. Chapter 31
  36. Chapter 32
  37. Chapter 33
  38. Chapter 34
  39. Chapter 35
  40. Chapter 36
  41. Chapter 37
  42. Chapter 38
  43. Chapter 39
  44. Chapter 40
  45. Chapter 41
  46. Epilogue
  47. Teaser chapter

The middle-aged man, dressed in a white jacket, nodded. “Of course. What would you prefer to eat? We have smoked salmon with crème fraîche, poached chicken salad, roasted vegetable salad, or a charcuterie board.”

Isabelle spoke first. “I’ll have the salmon, please.”

“Madame?” The attendant looked at Alexis.

“Charcuterie board, please. And sparkling water, too.”

“Very well.” The man nodded again, turned, and walked back to the galley.

“Now, this is the way to fly.” Isabelle sighed.

“Yeah. Ain’t that the truth.” Alexis chuckled.

Several minutes passed, and the women moved to the other side of the jet, where there were two identical chairs and a table.

The flight attendant returned with a rolling cart and set their food on the table.

Isabelle grinned and started in on her food. Alexis did likewise.

After they finished their lunch, the women went back to the other table and scrolled through their information again, watched the video, and studied the layout of the offices. Luckily, it wasn’t massive, like Bethesda or the Mayo Clinic. Aspen was famous for the celebrities during skiing season—which was why this hospital specialized in orthopedics. But the general population of Aspen was less than eight thousand people, and if there was a major medical crisis, one could go to Denver.

Thinking about that point, Isabelle asked Alexis, “Do we know if Mrs. Brewster was transferred to Denver? It doesn’t look like they could accommodate someone in her condition for any length of time. It would make sense if they transferred her there.” Isabelle kept sifting through pages on her screen but could not find any information about possible transfers.

“That should be on her release form, right?” Alexis asked. “Have you thought about how you are going to gain access to one of the computers? You know, the distracting people part?”

“As soon as we get there! But most likely, I’ll pretend I got an e-mail saying they—the home office—need me to look at some schematic, but the file is too big to download on my phone, and I don’t have my laptop with me, and is there a computer terminal I could use for a couple of minutes? Then you are going to have to distract whoever else is hanging about.”

“Sounds pretty sketchy, but it could work.” Alexis considered. “You’re right. We’ll have to wait to see how it all plays out, how many people are on staff, in the area, et cetera.”

The steward returned to the cabin. “I beg your pardon, but we are beginning our descent into the Aspen area. Please fasten your seat belts and store your electronic equipment. Please let me know if I can be of service.”

The women looked up. Isabelle responded, “Thank you. I think we’re fine. Alexis?”

“Yes. Thank you.”