Who else would know I’d gone to New York? And why would she mention it to her gynecologist?
“Look, Manny,” I said. “I get the confidentiality thing, but I need to know who this person is. I’m investigating my father’s murder.”
Manny reddened.
“Shit,” I said. “She told you something else, didn’t she?”
“I’m sorry.” Manny shook his head. “I can’t. It’s not worth my license. I shouldn’t have told Burke you were in New York. It has nothing to do with her treatment, so I’m probably in the clear, but I should have kept mum.”
“Agreed,” Hoss said.
I turned to Lacey. “Is there any way around the confidentiality thing?”
She shook her head. “I’m afraid not, unless you subpoena his records. But to do that the records would need to be relevant to some sort of legal claim. A civil lawsuit or a workers comp case, for example.”
“Damn.”
“I’m real sorry, man,” Manny said. “I should’ve kept my big trap shut.”
“You’re not going to lose your license over this,” Hoss said. “Hell, I’ve seen doctors who fuck their patients get off. Gotten a few off myself, as long as they pay their bills.”
“What does it matter, anyway?” Manny asked.
“I told you,” I said. “I’m investigating my father’s murder.”
“And that has to do with my patient…why?”
“Maybe nothing, but I’m following every lead. Why would some new patient of yours know anything about me?”
“Maybe she read about your father’s death.” Manny took a drink of the beer Honey had set in front of him.
“No,” I said. “You said she asked you if you knew me.”
“Look,” Manny said. “Can we just not talk anymore about this? I’m really uncomfortable.”
“Damn,” I said again.
A woman. And she’d told Manny something else, something he was loath to tell me. Manny was a good guy. He probably was truly concerned about doctor-patient confidentiality.
Who the hell was it?
Nieves? She’d found out somehow. But Manny knew Nieves. She wouldn’t be a “new” patient. And Nieves would never let Manny near her.
No, this was someone else.
Someone here in Montana—or who’d come to Montana—knew I’d gone to New York when I hadn’t told anyone I was leaving.
It could be completely innocent.
Yeah, right. There was something more here—something only Manny and his patient knew.
And I aimed to find out.
I opened my wallet and slid a hundred dollar bill—courtesy of my new ATM card that accessed the Wolfe troves—over to Manny. “There’s a lot more where that came from. We’ve known each other for years, Manny. You know I wouldn’t ask if it wasn’t important.”
“I get it, but I’m sorry. I can’t.”
“Especially not in front of his attorney,” Lacey said. “And yours.”
Easy enough to read between the lines. I needed to get Manny alone. If I promised to be discreet, I might be able to convince him to give me the woman’s name. I didn’t relish the idea of leaving Lacey in the company of Hoss, a serial misogynist, but I had to try.
“Care to step outside, Manny?” I said.
“Not at the moment.”
Okay. So much for that idea.
Honey brought our meals, and we ate in silence, my mind churning. This could be nothing. A complete dead-end.
Or it could be a clue I needed.
Lacey clearly thought Manny could be bought, but she didn’t know him. I did. He was a good guy, but even the best guys could sometimes be persuaded by the green god himself. Money. Manny made a great living, but he had no idea the kind of money I now wielded.
I signaled Honey for the check. “It’s on me today.” I placed bills on the table.
“Thank you, Rock,” Hoss said.
“Obliged,” Manny agreed.
I stood, offering my hand to Lacey. “You know where I am if you change your mind.” I led Lacey out the door.
“Okay, baby,” I said. “We’re taking another ride. A long one. A gorgeous one. I want you to free your mind and enjoy it. Because tonight I need you to use that beautiful brain of yours and figure out how we can get Manny to spill his guts.”
“I don’t think he will,” she said. “He seems pretty principled. His attorney, on the other hand…”
“Hoss?”
“Yeah. I don’t get a good vibe from him.”
“Probably because he’s a sexist pig.”
“Well, that. Yeah.” She smiled. “But more that he admits to defending doctors who screw their patients.”
“He’s an attorney. It’s what he does.”
“True. Part of the reason why I went into trusts and estates. I can’t stand working with shitty people.”
“You worked with my father.”
“Yeah. When I got into the trusts and estates, I realized my error. There’s no area of the law where you don’t deal with shitty people, but I do see less than some.”
“Hoss, huh?”
“I’m not telling you to bribe someone,” she said. “But if you choose to do something like that without my knowledge, Hoss is where I’d start.”48LaceyThe landscape deprived me of breath, it was so gorgeous. And the ride… Holding on to Rock’s strong body while we nearly flew over the road held me captive.