Chapter 3 - The Threat in the Archives
Claire quickly slammed the medical folder shut, holding it tightly against her chest. "Dr. Vance. I was just... checking on my husband's latest lab results. Dr. Cole wasn't in her office."
Dr. Vance looked at the folder, then at Claire's pale, determined face. He was an older man, respected in the community, and his expression softened. "Mrs. Bennett, patients' spouses aren't permitted in the restricted archives. However... I think you and I need to have a private conversation in my office."
Minutes later, sitting across from Dr. Vance, Claire laid the fraudulent file on his desk.
"I know what they're doing," Claire said, her voice shaking with a mixture of fear and fury. "Vanessa Cole and my husband forged these medical records to steal one hundred and twenty thousand dollars from me. If you don't help me expose them, I will take this file straight to the medical board and the police."
Dr. Vance sighed heavily, rubbing his temples. "Mrs. Bennett, I discovered anomalies in Dr. Cole's billing logs just yesterday. I was preparing an internal audit. If this gets out prematurely, it will destroy the reputation of this entire hospital. Give me forty-eight hours to handle this quietly."
"Forty-eight hours?" Claire stood up, her eyes blazing. "In forty-eight hours, my husband will probably pack his bags, leave his paralyzed mother to starve, and fly to the Caymans with my parents' house money. I don't have forty-eight hours, Dr. Vance. Either you suspend Vanessa Cole immediately and freeze those accounts, or I go to the press."
Before Dr. Vance could answer, Claire's phone buzzed in her purse. It was a text message from an unknown number.
May you like
She opened it. It was a photo of the white vinyl kitchen table at her house. Sitting on top of the table was a signed eviction notice, and standing next to it was Mark, holding a suitcase.
The text read: Thanks for the house, Claire. Markie and I need a guest cottage for our new estate. The movers will be there on Friday.
