Chapter 12 - THE SILENT SHADOW
Two days later, Daniel appeared at my mobile clinic in rural Colorado.
He stood near the rear doors of the ambulance unit, wearing an old jacket.
He looked older than thirty-two.
His shoulders were stooped, his eyes shadowed with a weary, lingering anxiety.
I was packing medical supplies into a side compartment.
I did not stop working when I saw him.
“I heard you found the ledgers,” Daniel said.
His voice was thin, stripped of its old defensive anger.
“Hope told you?” I asked.
“Caleb did.”
He stepped closer, keeping his hands inside his pockets.
“I knew Ray was taking out policies,” Daniel admitted softly.
The air between us grew cold.
“When did you know?”
“A year before you collapsed.”
“Why didn’t you say anything?”
“Because he paid my college tuition,” Daniel whispered.
“He told me if I kept quiet, he would ensure I never had student loans.”
“He bought your silence with stolen money.”
“Yes.”
He looked down at his worn boots.
“I thought he was just cheating insurance companies. I didn't know he was going to poison you.”
“Does that distinction make you feel better, Daniel?”
He swallowed hard.
“No.”
“Good,” I said, closing the supply latch with a sharp click.
“Because whether I died from an allergic reaction or lived with a falsified disability record, my life was the currency you used for your degree.”
He did not argue.
He did not offer an excuse.
“What are you going to do with the ledgers?” he asked.
“I am handing them to the Attorney General.”
“Dr. Sterling will implicate everyone,” Daniel said quietly. “Including me.”
“Then you should hire an attorney.”
May you like
I stepped into the driver’s seat and closed the door.
I did not look back in the rearview mirror as I drove away.
