Page 10 of Enigma (Pros and Cons Mysteries #6)
J ason reached over and took his father’s hand. “Dad, that woman could have killed you.”
Lloyd remained quiet for a long moment before saying in a hoarse voice, “I know.”
“Do you have any idea why this woman targeted you?” Jason continued.
Lloyd remained quiet a moment, and Olive sensed he was contemplating how to say something.
“Dad . . .” Jason prompted, urging him to talk.
“I might have an idea,” Lloyd finally said with a shrug.
“And what’s that?”
Olive pressed her lips together, trying to remain silent. More than anything, she wanted to jump in with questions. But she knew she was treading dangerous territory.
Lloyd looked directly at her. “I think she might have had something to do with my time in Oasis.”
Her throat tightened.
“Oasis?” Jason repeated.
Lloyd’s expression grew pained. “There are things about that time that I probably should have told someone years ago. I was just too scared, and then too much time passed, and I convinced myself it was better to let sleeping dogs lie.”
“What kind of things are you talking about?” A new edge entered Jason’s voice.
Before Lloyd could answer, a soft knock came from the doorway.
They all turned to see a woman wearing dark slacks and a light-pink cardigan standing there. She was in her fifties with graying brown hair pulled back in a neat ponytail.
Olive bristled.
Was this the same woman who’d gone to Lloyd’s house earlier? Had she come back to finish what she started?
“I’m sorry to interrupt.” The woman sounded subdued and apologetic. “I got a call from the hospital and rushed here. The nurse said it was okay for me to come in.” Her gaze found Lloyd, and her expression softened. “Oh, sweetie. How are you? I was so worried!”
Lloyd’s face brightened. “Nancy! I wasn’t sure if they’d called you.”
“Of course the hospital called me. I’m listed as your emergency contact, remember?” Nancy approached the bed and took Lloyd’s hand in both of hers, a gesture that spoke of intimacy and genuine affection. “I got here as soon as I could. I was so scared when I got the call.”
Jason cleared his throat. “Dad, I don’t think we’ve met.”
“Oh, right. I’m sorry.” Lloyd looked between them. “Jason, Olive, this is Nancy Brennan. Nancy, this is my son, Jason, and this is Olive—she’s the one who found me.”
Nancy turned to face them, and Olive could already see the toll this had taken on her.
Her eyes appeared bloodshot as if she’d been crying, and her ponytail had loosened, strands of graying hair framing her face.
Her cardigan was wrinkled, as if she’d been clutching it tightly, and her hands trembled slightly as she smoothed her clothes.
“Thank you,” she said simply, looking at Olive. “The nurse said if you hadn’t found him when you did . . .” She didn’t finish the sentence, but her meaning was clear.
“I’m just glad I was there.” Olive ignored the sheepishness she felt at the statement. She’d come to question Lloyd, not to save him. But she was thankful the timing had worked out like it did.
“Why were you there, Olive?” Lloyd’s eyes narrowed with curiosity.
She plastered on a smile, trying to put him at ease instead of raising suspicions. “I happened to be in the area and thought I’d visit. It’s been a long time.”
“It sure has been. Don’t get me wrong—I’m not complaining. Your timing was impeccable.”
Nancy looked at Jason as if trying to figure out how much he knew about her relationship with his father. “And Jason . . . Lloyd talks about you all the time. I know he’s missed you, but he’s so proud of you—of all his children.”
“So remind me again—how long have you and my father been . . . ?” Jason paused, clearly unsure how to phrase the question.
“Dating?” Nancy offered.
Olive hid a smile. She had a feeling Jason knew exactly how long they’d been dating. He was either trying to make conversation or trying to trap her in a lie.
“About eight months. We met at a book club at the library.” She squeezed Lloyd’s hand. “He was the only other person there who actually read the assigned book.”
Despite the circumstances, Lloyd managed a small smile. “She was the only person there who had intelligent things to say about it.”
They both chuckled at their memory.
Then Nancy’s expression grew serious again as she looked back at Lloyd.
Her voice carried a mixture of fear and anger. “Lloyd, what’s going on? This wasn’t some random break-in, was it?”
Lloyd glanced at Jason and Olive before answering. “It’s complicated, Nancy. There are things from my past that still haunt me.”
“What kind of things?” Nancy’s voice was quiet but firm as she said the words. “Lloyd, if you’re in danger, I need to know.”
“We all need to know.” Jason’s voice carried the weight of everything they’d discovered.
Nancy looked between them, clearly sensing undercurrents she wasn’t privy to. “Maybe I should give you some privacy to talk.”
“No,” Lloyd said quickly, gripping Nancy’s hand. “If we’re going to have this conversation, you should hear it too. If people are willing to hurt me to keep these secrets, then you could be in danger just by being with me.”
Nancy stepped back, her expression resolute. “Then tell us. All of it.”
Lloyd was quiet for a long moment, and when he spoke, his voice sounded heavy with old regret. “When I was practicing in Oasis, I got involved with some people who weren’t what they seemed to be.”
A knot formed on Jason’s brow. “What people?”
“I don’t know.” Lloyd shrugged, looking more exhausted by the moment. “I never saw their faces. I only heard their demands.”
“You’re going to need to explain that a little more, Dad,” Jason murmured.
Lloyd seemed to instantly age ten years.
He drew in several deep breaths before looking back at them.
“Whoever these people were, they asked me to falsify medical records to support disability claims. To create documentation of injuries that never happened. To write prescriptions for medications that were then sold on the black market.”
“Why would you do that?” Jason demanded, his voice rising with outrage.
“At first, it seemed simple enough, and I knew I could use the extra money.” He shrugged.
“I know—I was a doctor. I made good money. But life is expensive and . . .” He paused for long enough to shake his head as if disgusted with himself.
“I knew it was wrong. After I did it a few times, I decided I wanted out. But these people had me between a rock and a hard place. I was already in too deep to get out.”
“So what happened?” Jason asked.
“So I kept doing what they wanted. Every time I tried to get out, their threats increased. They told me even if I wasn’t concerned about myself that I should be concerned for my family.”
They gave him a moment to gather his thoughts.
Then Lloyd started again, his voice barely above a whisper. “I felt trapped by my own bad choices.”
“But you did get out, right?” Lines formed on Jason’s forehead.
“Eventually. But not before I’d helped launder hundreds of thousands of dollars through my practice and created false medical documentation for dozens of people.”
The room went quiet.
Nancy stared at Lloyd with an expression Olive couldn’t read, while Jason looked like he was trying to process everything his father had just revealed.
Olive . . . well, she had to wonder if her father had anything to do with this.
She wished the answer was easy.
She wished the answer was a definite no. But she couldn’t say that for sure. Her dad had been involved in some shady things, and she’d only just begun to scratch the surface.
She did, however, plan on asking Lloyd about it. Just not right now. Not when everything still seemed so tender and fresh.
Nancy finally spoke, her voice carefully controlled. “Lloyd, you’re telling me that you were part of a criminal organization? That you falsified medical records and laundered money?”
“I was scared, and desperate.” Lloyd’s words sounded thin and quiet. “But yes. I did all those things. And I’ve regretted it every day since.”
“Why didn’t you tell me?” Nancy’s voice cracked.
Olive heard the hurt in her voice. Though their relationship was fairly new, these omissions must feel like a betrayal.
The corners of Lloyd’s eyes seemed to curl downward with regret as he gazed at her. “Because I was afraid you’d leave. Because I was ashamed. Because I convinced myself it was ancient history that couldn’t hurt anyone anymore.” Lloyd squeezed her hand. “I was wrong about that last part.”
Nancy was quiet for a long time, clearly trying to process everything she’d just learned. Finally, she looked at Lloyd with an expression that was sad but not angry.
“You should have told me,” she said simply. “But I understand why you didn’t.”
“Nancy—”
“We’ll talk about this later, when you’re feeling better and not in a hospital bed.” Nancy shifted and smoothed the front of her cardigan. “Right now, what matters is getting you healthy.”
“I agree,” Jason murmured.
Nancy turned to Jason and Olive. “What do we do? Why did someone choose to strike now? Did something happen?”
“Good question,” Jason said.
Olive’s mind raced. She’d started investigating Lloyd’s background. Looking into his financials. Asking questions.
Had her searches triggered something?
She swallowed hard but couldn’t bring herself to say those words aloud.