BooksBarbecue
Back The Night Bird
Chapters (60)
  1. Title Page
  2. Copyright Page
  3. Dedication
  4. CONTENTS
  5. Start Reading
  6. 1
  7. 2
  8. 3
  9. 4
  10. 5
  11. 6
  12. 7
  13. 8
  14. 9
  15. 10
  16. 11
  17. 12
  18. 13
  19. 14
  20. 15
  21. 16
  22. 17
  23. 18
  24. 19
  25. 20
  26. 21
  27. 22
  28. 23
  29. 24
  30. 25
  31. 26
  32. 27
  33. 28
  34. 29
  35. 30
  36. 31
  37. 32
  38. 33
  39. 34
  40. 35
  41. 36
  42. 37
  43. 38
  44. 39
  45. 40
  46. 41
  47. 42
  48. 43
  49. 44
  50. 45
  51. 46
  52. 47
  53. 48
  54. 49
  55. 50
  56. 51
  57. 52
  58. FROM THE AUTHOR
  59. ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
  60. ABOUT THE AUTHOR

“No, he said he was a witness. He saw it.”

“You should talk to the police about this.”

“Don’t you think I want to? I can’t. Unless he says or does something that lets me break privilege, my hands are tied.”

“Then what are you going to do?”

Frankie crossed the treatment room to the door that led to her office. She went behind her desk and used her keys to unlock her filing cabinet. That was where she kept all her patient records. She hunted in the second drawer and found the slim folder for Todd Ferris.

“I need to reach out to him,” she said. “Meet him. Talk to him.”

“Alone? No way. Take me with you.”

“I already told you that I can’t break privilege. I can’t let you find out who he is.” Jason didn’t answer, and she added, “I’m sorry.”

“This is the way it always is between us,” he snapped.

“What do you mean?”

“It’s you on your own, Frankie. It’s never you and me.”

“That’s not true. It’s not my choice.”

“Of course it is. You don’t need me. You don’t need Pam. You don’t need anybody.”

“Jason—”

“Do what you want,” he snapped. “I’ll see you at home.”

He turned around and stalked out of the office. The first door slammed, and then she heard the outer door slam, too. She was alone again.

He’s wrong, she thought.

She didn’t need to keep the rest of the world off her island. Or maybe she was just kidding herself. She’d learned her lessons from her father growing up. Don’t ask for help. Don’t need anyone else, because they won’t be there for you.

Frankie opened Todd Ferris’s file and found the patient information sheet that every new patient completed. Hesitating, she keyed the number of his cell phone. She tried to think about what she would tell him. When she heard the phone ringing, she held her breath.

“Hello?”

It was a woman’s voice.

Frankie was silent for a moment. “I’m sorry, I was trying to reach Todd.”

“Who?”

“Todd Ferris.”

“You got the wrong number,” the woman replied.

“Oh, I’m sorry.”

Frankie rattled off the number she’d dialed, thinking she’d made a mistake, but the woman said, “That’s the number, but no Todd here. Good-bye.”

“Wait, sorry. Can you just tell me, did you recently acquire this phone number?”

“I’ve had it for six years. Now good-bye, okay?”

The woman on the other end of the line hung up. Frankie stared at the patient information form. It was handwritten, not typed. Each patient filled in the details personally.

Todd Ferris had given her a fake phone number.

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