Zimmerman’s jaw dropped for a split second before he recovered. “I forgot that was today. Welcome back. How was it out there? Sounded like they lost a lot of homes and animals.”
“Oh, yeah. It was pretty devastating, that’s for sure. I was just glad to be able to lend a helping hand. They were in desperate need of medical assistance. They still are, but I couldn’t stay there forever. I need to keep this job.” He smiled.
“Well, I’m sure everyone will be glad to see you’ve returned safely.”
“I didn’t miss anything, did I, Chief?”
“Nope. Not a thing.” Zimmerman returned a smile until Bishop left, then his face fell sullen once again. He wanted to tell him to just go home and take a day or two to recover. Pete was going to have a conniption, but what else could he do? He had no proof Bishop had done anything wrong. Pete, though, he would struggle to sit in a truck with him tonight, given what he suspected.
Zimmerman picked up his cell phone. “Hey, Pete. It’s the Chief. Listen, um, maybe you should take the night off?”
“Why would I do that?” Pete asked.
“I need some time, Pete. I’m working on stuff we talked about and Bishop’s back and…”
“He’s back?”
“Yes. Which is why I need to figure this out.”
“Chief, that’s all the more reason why I should come in tonight. It’s not a good idea to let Bishop out there alone. I mean, are you kidding me? No. I’m coming in and that’s all there is to it. See you in an hour.”
Zimmerman dropped his head into his hands when the line went dead. Maybe Pete was right. If what he believed turned out to be true, it was the best way to protect the patients. “Good God. What the hell am I supposed to do?”
He didn’t have long to contemplate an answer because his cell phone buzzed on his desk and it was the one person who might hold the answer.
“Dr. Caldwell. You have no idea how good it is to hear from you,” Zimmerman said.
“Well, I’m not sure you’ll feel the same after what I managed to get my hands on regarding this Theodore Bishop. I’m going to send this to you via email, but to sum it up, this Bishop character has been in and out of trouble with various medical boards since the beginning. Even going as far back as medical school where he graduated but received no recommendations.”
“Is that unusual?” Zimmerman asked.
“Very. It means they wanted him out.” Caldwell sighed. “There’s nothing illegal, per se, but Bishop is trouble and maybe you ought to find a way to get rid of him.”
“I can’t just fire him for no reason.”
“Then I suggest you find one. Keep an eye on your email. Ray, watch yourself.”
“Thanks, Doc. I’ll take a look at what you got and figure it out. I’m glad you could help.”
“You and me, both, my friend. Keep in contact with me, you got that?”
“I will. Talk to you later, Doc.” Zimmerman ended the call and stared at his computer, waiting for the critical information to arrive. When it did, he opened the file and his eyes raked over the details. “Oh my God.” His sights were lasered in on the screen and he hadn’t noticed Pete enter.
“Chief?”
Zimmerman pulled his eyes away from the screen. “Pete. You’re early.”
“I know. I needed to get down here.” He closed the door and continued inside. “You know something, don’t you? What did you find out?”
“I don’t want to jump to conclusions, Pete. There’s a lot to take in here.”
“I’m going out with Theo in the next 30 minutes. You owe me this. Am I in any kind of danger?”
“No. No, of course not. If I thought that was the case, I wouldn’t hesitate to get the cops involved. Theo’s had a troubled past. Just how troubled, I’m trying to ascertain now. I think it’s best you go out there with him tonight and just keep it professional. You get a call, document everything. Even if you don’t think it’s worth noting, note it. Call me if you think anything smells funny.” Zimmerman leaned over his desk and dropped his tone. “Don’t let him think you know anything.”
“I don’t know anything because you won’t tell me.”
The chief raised his hands. “Don’t act any differently around him. I mean it. I have a feeling if he thinks for one second we know what’s what, he’ll jump ship. And until I know more, I want to keep Theo as close as I can.”
“Okay. I won’t change anything. I’ll do what I always do.” Pete pulled open his jacket to reveal a gun tucked in his waist. “But until we know more about what the hell is going on here, I’m not taking any chances.”
Zimmerman looked at the gun. “No. Absolutely not. You can’t take that, Pete.”
“I don’t think you’d be saying that if you were me. I’ll be all right so long as I stay alert and have some sort of defense.”
“For Christ’s sake, don’t let anyone see it.”
Kate inserted the key into the lock and opened the door of the condo she shared with Nick. It was 1am and all she wanted was to sleep. As she walked in, she spotted Nick on the couch with the television on. “You’re still up?”
He spun back and stood. “I’m just going over some files we got today. I’m glad you’re home.”
“There was no point in me staying any longer because I have enough to create the profile. I started it on the plane, and I’ll work on it tomorrow.” She set down her purse and overnight bag. “Honestly, I don’t think I’ve ever been so happy to leave a field office. You should’ve seen the agent I was assigned to. Man, that guy could talk. His boss, Surrey, he was all right. But wow.”
Nick smiled and approached her for an embrace. “Sounds like you had fun, then.”
“Sure. Fun.” She held his
