Creep - Jennifer Hillier [109]
“It’s late. You have her home number?”
“No.” Morris’s frustration swelled again.
Jerry sighed and pulled out his notepad. “What’s her name? I’m sure I can find it for you. Don’t get your hopes up, though, because these people take doctor-patient confidentiality very seriously. I doubt she’ll give you anything.”
“It’s worth a shot.” Morris reached for his BlackBerry. “Her name is Chang. Marianne Chang. I have her office number here in case you need to cross-reference—” Morris stopped when he saw the PI staring at him, his pen poised over his notebook. “C-H-A-N-G. What, you want me to spell out Marianne, too?”
Jerry tucked his notebook back into his breast pocket, his face the picture of amusement, even with the swelling eye. “It’s your lucky night. I know the lady. Personally.”
“You do?” Morris grinned with relief. “Finally, something’s going our way. Maybe you can get something out of her.”
“If anyone has a shot, it’s me.” The private investigator gave Morris a sideways glance and cleared his throat. “Of all the therapists in all the towns in all the world . . . craziest thing, Morris. Dr. Marianne Chang? She’s my wife, Annie.”
CHAPTER : 36
The house was dark when Jerry let himself in, but he knew Annie might still be up. In a hurry, he kicked off his shoes and raced up the staircase, his leather jacket still on.
He was glad to see his wife wide-awake when he entered their bedroom, but was dismayed at the pissed-off look on her face. He moved in to kiss her but she turned her head at the last second. Instead of her lips, he got a freshly scrubbed cheek.
“Are you nuts?” Annie had a book in her lap and her dark eyes glared at him behind thin reading glasses. “Keisha’s sleeping. You sounded like a gorilla coming up those stairs.” His niece and part-time receptionist often slept over.
“Sorry,” Jerry whispered. He shrugged off his coat and flopped next to her on the bed. “We gotta talk.”
“I figured.” She wasn’t amused. She bookmarked her page by folding in one corner, a trait he’d always found strange since she loved books and otherwise took good care of them. She took in his face. “What happened to you?”
“Tell you later. Right now I want to talk about Sheila Tao. She’s your patient, yes?”
Annie removed her glasses. “Yes,” she said warily. “And how, exactly, would you know that?”
“Because her fiancé, Morris Gardener, is my client. He’s hired me to find her.”
Annie’s jaw didn’t quite drop, but her mouth did open slightly. “You’re shitting me.”
Jerry couldn’t help but grin. His wife didn’t swear often.
“I had no idea he was going to hire a PI.” Annie’s voice grew faint as she processed this information. “Since he hadn’t called me, I assumed he’d let it go and was moving on. He said Sheila had made it very clear . . .” Her face clouded over.
Jerry put a comforting hand on her thigh. “You’re not a babysitter, honey. If a patient wants to take off, what are you supposed to do? Assume the worst every time? You deal with adults who need therapy, not children who aren’t allowed to run away. And by the way,” he said, his eyes narrowing, “when did you start treating sex addiction? That’s news to me.”
His wife gave him a look. “And when did you start handling missing persons again? I thought all you’d been doing since you went civilian is catch cheating spouses.”
She didn’t know about the deal Jerry had going with Torrance, so he quickly changed the subject. “What can you tell me about Sheila?”
Annie frowned at him. “You know I can’t tell you anything about our sessions.”
“Give me a break.” Jerry stifled a sigh. “You’re not on trial here. I’m not going to do anything to make you lose your license. I’m your husband. I just need some information.”
“About?