"Yesterday. His admin assistant didn't mention that you were a client. She said you were a friend, and he was doing this as a favor."
Damn it.
Dr. Escoda went on. "Regardless of the circumstances, Mr. Walsh discovered that my father had been your primary physician. He had arranged a meeting at my office this morning to deliver your records to you." She paused. "We do have a file for Eden Larsen. Daughter of Pamela and Todd Larsen. Born 1987."
"That'd be me."
"It ends when you were nearly two. Your parents decided to take you to another physician. I believe they'd moved and our office was no longer convenient. Normally, the file would have been transferred, but there's no record of that."
"So you only have my early file. That's fine."
"No, I'm afraid it isn't. The file we have for Eden Larsen can't be yours. The child in it had spina bifida. If you were her, you'd be in a wheelchair by now, which you are not, as I un
derstand."
"Definitely not. So your father mixed up the records?"
"I ... I cannot imagine him doing that, but someone has made an error."
She went on to assure me that her staff was searching old records for the file that belonged to me. She promised she would contact me as soon as it was found.
Chapter Forty-nine
I stood there, holding the phone, feeling ... pissed. Yes, I was pissed. Unreasonably so, really. I'd only thought in passing of getting my preadoption medical records and had promptly forgotten mentioning it to Gabriel. But now that my files seemed to be lost, I wanted them. Or, at least, I wanted to know that I'd be able to get them if necessary.
When a knock sounded at the door, I walked over and opened it on autopilot. I saw Gabriel and I completely forgot that he wasn't supposed to be there, and all I thought was thank God. Gabriel was here, and he'd know what to do about this.
Then I noticed he was holding coffees. Definitely not his usual MO. Which is when I remembered that I'd fired him. In the same moment, I remembered what Dr. Escoda said, about Gabriel setting up an appointment for me to get my medical records. Which is why he was here. To take me to that appointment. To present his peace offering.
"Hey," I said. "Come on in."
He hesitated, as if surprised.
"Dr. Escoda called," I said.
"Ah."
He handed me a coffee. I took a sip. A mocha, made exactly the way I liked it.
Rose had said Gabriel wanted this job. Apparently, he really wanted it. There was a moment where I paused and wondered if his eagerness was a tad suspicious. I couldn't see any nefarious motivation for wanting back on the case. Money and the chance to free notorious serial killers was quite enough.
"You'd mentioned wanting those records," Gabriel said. "So I got them. As..."
"An apology?"
His lips tightened at the word. "A conciliatory gesture."
"No apology then?"
He said nothing, but his look asked if I really wanted to go there.
"I appreciate your trying to get my records," I said. "Even if the doctor's office apparently has lost them."
"What?"
I explained, then said, "Do records routinely go missing? Should I be concerned?"
"Concerned that it's not a mere clerical error? That someone has purposely hidden your file?" He sat at the dinette. "I don't think so, but I'll see how common this is. If it isn't, there may be grounds for a lawsuit."