Hush

“I’m surprised you didn’t stop for me.”

He sighed and glanced off to the left.

“I should have. But to be honest, I was having a pretty intense discussion with Hilary. It would have been awkward.”

Lake wondered if it was about how flirty Hilary had been with Keaton during dinner.

“Is that all you told them then?” Lake asked.

“What do you mean?” Steve said. “What else would I tell them?”

“Nothing. I just don’t want to be caught off guard again.”

“That was it-and again, I’m sorry. Is everything all right?”

“Yes, I’m just feeling a little rattled,” she said. “Because of everything. I’ll be back in a little while.”

It was hot out, in the mid-eighties, and the walk did nothing to calm her, only left her blouse damp and sticky with sweat. But at least she could relax with the knowledge that Steve hadn’t seen her on Crosby Street, or going into Keaton’s.

Upon her return, even the receptionist was now gone from the waiting area, though she found Maggie, Rory, Chelsea, and Emily bunched by the kitchenette, whispering. Clearly they’d been discussing the murder.

“Oh, there you are,” Maggie said, smiling weakly.

Lake glanced at her watch. It was twenty to four.

“Was Dr. Levin looking for me?” she asked.

“No, but a man called for you. He wouldn’t leave his name.”

It was hard for her to imagine who it would be. Hotchkiss? Had she ever told him the name of the clinic?

She started to turn to get back to the small conference room, but caught herself. She should stay, she thought. Gossiping with these four would help keep her in the loop-though she would have to be careful of every word she spoke.

“So how’s everyone doing?” she asked, forcing a sympathetic smile.

“I’m scared to death,” Maggie said. “I asked my sister to spend the night with me.”

“You don’t think you’re in danger, do you?” Lake asked.

“I just don’t want to be alone,” Maggie said. She turned to Rory. “What are you going to do? You shouldn’t be under stress in your condition.”

“I know-I have to think of the baby,” Rory said. “Colin’s going to be away for a few more days and our house is kind of secluded. I’ll probably call a friend.”

Emily shook her head.

“You girls are being silly. It’s not like there’s some serial killer out there stalking people who work at fertility clinics.”

“What do the police think?” Lake asked. “Was it a burglary?” She’d tried to make her voice seem natural, but her words sounded stilted to her, like she was acting in a high school play.

“They asked me if I knew if he was seeing someone,” Maggie whispered. “Like it might have been one of those crimes of passion.”

“They asked me that, too,” Rory said. And then she turned to Lake. “Did they ask you that, Lake?”

“No,” Lake said. “But then again they wouldn’t. They know I’ve just been here a short time.”

“But you knew him, didn’t you?”

“Keaton?” Lake said, startled. “Um, no. I only met him when I started here.”

“Oh, I saw you talking to him for quite a while yesterday. I thought you might have known him from before.”

Was that why the police had asked if she’d known him previously-based on something Rory had said?

“No, I didn’t.” She could hear a slight defensive edge in her voice. “We were just talking about work-”

“Well, speaking of work, I’ve got things to do,” Emily said. “Can you give me a hand, Maggie?”

Good, Lake thought. She didn’t want any more awkward conversation about Keaton and was glad for the excuse to leave. The group broke up and Lake walked away.

It was almost four. Before going to Levin’s office, Lake returned the folders of articles she’d been reading to the storage room in the back of the clinic. She was pretty certain she’d studied every press clipping and journal article filed there, but just to be sure, she thumbed through the drawer once more. With her mind on everything but the presentation, she needed all the inspiration she could get.

Finding nothing she hadn’t already seen, she pulled the lower drawer open. It seemed to contain mostly old correspondence. Just as she was about to close it, she noticed a hanging file with the word “Archer” in the tab, and Lake could see pages of a magazine peeking out. She tugged the file out of the drawer. At a glance she saw that it was an article about the fertility business. She slapped the file closed and took it with her.

By the time she arrived in Levin’s office, the doctors had already gathered there-Sherman, Hoss, Steve, and Matt Perkins. Brie was there, too, perched on the windowsill.

“We’ve had two calls from reporters since I spoke to you,” Levin said grimly to Lake as she sat down. “The Daily News and Channel 7.”

“We should have seen something like this coming,” Sherman said. “You pick someone flashy and this is what happens, isn’t it?”

“Oh, for God’s sake, Dan,” Levin said. “The fact that he was a good-looking guy doesn’t mean we should have expected he’d end up murdered.”

“It’s ironic, isn’t it?” Sherman said. “We finally decide to get serious about marketing and we end up with a mess like this.”

“It doesn’t have to turn into a mess for you,” Lake interjected. “But you do have to do some damage control.”

“Damage control?” Brie asked curtly. “You make it sound as if we’ve done something wrong.”

“That’s not at all what I’m saying,” Lake said. “This is an external situation beyond your control, but it has the potential to impact your business. I know a PR person who specializes in crisis management. I’d suggest bringing her onboard briefly. She-”

“But isn’t that what you’re supposed to be doing?” Brie said. “PR?”

“Please, Brie, let her finish,” Levin said. Brie straightened her back, looking irritated.

“I’ve got a PR person on retainer as part of the marketing plan,” Lake said, “but she’s not an expert at handling a crisis, and neither am I. You need a real pro here. The woman I’m suggesting doesn’t come cheap, but I highly recommend that you hire her.”

“I think it’s essential,” Hoss said. “We don’t have a choice.”

It was agreed that Lake would make the call. After that, there was thirty more minutes of anxious talk-about dealing with patient questions, upsets to the schedule, and just getting through the next few days. Levin and Hoss dominated the discussion, while Sherman mostly shook his head in disgust. Steve and Matt Perkins looked shell- shocked and spoke up only when they were asked specific questions. Finally, Levin suggested that everyone go home and try their best to relax.

“I also recommend that you not discuss this with anyone outside your immediate families,” Lake added.

Everyone streamed out of the office, and as Lake followed them to the door, Levin called to her.

“Do you think this woman can really help?” he asked, rising from the desk.

“Absolutely,” Lake said. “She’s handled situations far worse.”

He crossed the room, buttoning his jacket. She saw him glance at the file in her hands.

“Where did you get that?” he asked sharply.

“From the file drawer in the storage room-I’ve been reading all the clippings.”

“Well, that’s not one you need,” he said, grabbing the file from her hand.

6

IT WAS JUST before six when Lake finally arrived home. Following the awkward encounter with Levin, she’d returned to the small conference room and left a message for Hayden Culbreth, the crisis guru she’d recommended.