Chapter 11
Sitting in the waiting room of Dr. Karen Wilson's clinic, Tamsin absentmindedly flipped the pages of a hunting magazine in the corner.
She was quite familiar with this clinic. She had been coming here since she was a kid. Dr. Powell, their previous family doctor, used to practice here.
The 1200 or-so sqft clinic didn't appear to have changed much. The magazine table still had that dent made by a 5-year old Dylan. He was frustrated that day and he smashed his toy tractor at the table before their father could stop him.
Not only did they not change the table, they kept those fake flowers in the vase as well. Tamsin could never forget that ugly purple.
"Tamsin?" A young nurse that she didn't recognize called her name (well at least there is something new here, Tamsin thought). The nurse led the way into the exam room to take her temperature, weight, blood pressure and heart rate. Then, she asked her a set of basic questions.
"The doctor will be with you shortly," she told Tamsin afterwards, before she left the room and closed the door.
Bored, Tamsin stared at the poster on the wall. It was about type 2 diabetes meal planning. She grimaced at the portion control and the suggested low GI food. They made her crave a box of donuts with a glass of cold, full fat milk.
Dr. Wilson came in after a polite knock on the door. "Tamsin," she greeted. "It's nice seeing you again."
"Yeah, likewise," Tamsin nodded.
"Just went through your forms. You just wanted a physical today?" Karen asked as she sat down at the desk and flipped her laptop open.
"Yeah...been missing my annual physicals and I figure this year I'm gonna finally do it," Tamsin said.
"When was the last time you had one?"
"I don't remember. 10 years ago maybe?"
Karen gave her a long stare, before she turned back and started typing on her office computer. "Do you have any concerns?"
"No."
"Currently taking any medication?"
"Just my daily vitamins. Occasionally an ibuprofen or two."
"When was the last time you had a pap smear?"
"I had it when I had my physical last time, I think," Tamsin shrugged.
"It is recommended that you have one at least every 3 years," Karen told her dryly, like she was just reading a script instead of caring for her well-being.
"I just don't like having something shoved inside me," Tamsin smirked. "Unless it is from a really hot nurse."
Karen didn't respond to Tamsin's inappropriate joke. All she did was giving Tamsin another long stare.
"When was the last time you had an eye exam?" She asked after typing for a long time.
"I don't remember."
"How's your vision? Any concerns?"
"Nope."
"Would you like us to set up an appointment for you?"
"Nope."
Karen went back typing. She paused for awhile afterwards. "In your family history section, you mentioned that your mother had a rare liver condition which eventually caused her death. It appears that the condition is genetic. Have you been tested for that?"
"Yes, me and my brother both. Neither of us had it. Not that it matters cuz apparently it's not the only thing that could kill you."
Karen nodded. She stood up and pointed at the exam table. "Could you sit up there for me?"
"Absolutely," Tamsin nodded. She swung her legs and hopped on.
Karen gently placed each of her hands on one side of Tamsin's jaw. She lifted her head slightly and checked her lymph nodes. Then she checked her nostril and how her eyes would respond to lights.
"You are not from Crimson Rock, are you?" Tamsin pointed out.
"I'm not," Karen replied. She went back to her laptop and recorded something.
"Where are you from?"
"I was born in Boston, and I've worked in many places, if you must know," Karen answered with a plain tone.
"Bo mentioned that you used to work for some big hospital."
"I have worked for some big hospitals, yes."
"What brings you to Crimson Rock?"
"My medical practice?" Karen turned to give her a glance, as if the answer to Tamsin's question couldn't be more obvious.
"Right, Bo said that you took over Dr. Powell's practice after he passed away. I just don't know why anyone would choose to move here."
"Why not?"
"Compared to cities, I mean, gourmet food, shows, night life, you know what I'm talking about. Crimson Rock is quite boring. Don't you think?"
"Is that why you left town when you were young?" Karen asked absentmindedly as she put on her stethoscope. She tucked the diaphragm into Tamsin's shirt and placed it above her left chest to listen to her heartbeat. Then, she put it on her back. "Take a deep breath for me," she ordered.
Tamsin did as she was told. Then, she breathed out. "Did Bo tell you that? That I left town when I was young."
"Actually, it was your brother who told me that," Karen told her. "Another deep breath please."
Tamsin took a second deep breath. "Do you like it here?"
"It makes you slow down and really think about the things you want in your life," Karen explained. "Could you lie down for me please."
"Have you figured out what you want in your life yet?" Tamsin asked.
"I'm getting there." Karen pressed down gently on Tamsin's stomach a few times. "You can sit up now."
She stretched her hands out and asked Tamsin to hold her fingers and squeeze.
"Bo recommended you. She said that you helped her a lot with her...sleeping problems," Tamsin started. "She speaks highly of you. It's always Dr. Wilson this, Dr. Wilson that."
She noticed something fleeting across Dr. Wilson's eyes. Those fingers she was squeezing seemed to have suddenly gone rigid, but only for a split second.
"She's one of my patients, and I try to get her to stay healthy, just like I do for my other patients," Karen replied briefly. Her voice had turned a bit colder.
"What exactly is her problem, if you don't mind?"
"I do mind. I can not discuss that with you," Karen said.
"Right...HIPAA is a bitch. Look, I'm just...a bit concerned. It seems that she's having a really hard time, you know, because of-"
"I am aware of that," Karen nodded. "It's not easy dealing with the loss of a spouse. As her doctor, I will closely monitor her progress and recommend proper treatments or medications."
"I'm sure you will," Tamsin said as she observed the look on the doctor's face closely. She couldn't tell if Karen was indeed more concerned about Bo than she should.
"Everything looks good," Karen announced. "Since you haven't had any physicals for the past 10 years, I'd recommend a blood panel."
"Sure, always fun to get a needle stick into me."
"The nurse who does the labworks has gone home today, and I would like you to fast so can you come back tomorrow morning?"
"Let me check my schedule...oh wait, I don't have anything to do here really, so why not?" Tamsin replied.
"I am also going to refer you to an OB/GYN to get your pap smear done, okay?"
"Perfect," Tamsin huffed.
Karen gave her a polite smile. She shook her hand and said, "if you have any questions or concerns, please give us a call."
"Of course."
Tamsin didn't expect to see Agent Alex Rivera waiting for her outside Dr. Karen Wilson's clinic.
"What do you want from me, agent?" Tamsin growled.
"The truth," the other woman stared at her intently.
"I've told you everything I know," Tamsin shrugged.
"No, you haven't."
Tamsin rolled her eyes. She walked passed Alex, heading to her car. Just as she was about to get in, Alex said, "it's a postcard."
Tamsin froze. "I have no idea what you are talking about."
"Federal regulations require the post offices to take photos of every item they receive," Alex explained patiently. "They took a photo of that postcard you have received, too. It was mailed the day your brother went missing."
She observed Tamsin's silence briefly, before she continued, "I have also talked to the mailman who delivers to your apartment building. He had just checked your mailbox, and it was empty."
Tamsin sighed. She turned around and gave Alex a big, fake grin. "You got me. I have a postcard mailed to me. So what?"
Alex stared at her intensely. "I don't consider you a suspect, Tamsin," she told Tamsin. "I know you didn't murder your brother."
"Then why the hell are you still bugging me?"
"I think you know something," Alex pointed out. "I would really appreciate it if you would share."
"Sorry, agent. Not been very good at sharing since I was 3."
Alex smiled. "I'll tell you my secrets, if you tell me yours."
"I'm not really interested in your secrets."
"Aren't you a little curious why a white collar division agent like me would be interested in a may-or-may-not-be-murder case in a small town like this?"
Damn, it's like she can read my mind. Tamsin thought.
"If you want to talk, call me," Alex handed Tamsin her card, before she left.
The dinner at the mansion was quiet and heavy, as if they had returned to the days when Dylan had just been "missing". No one had any appetite. However, they still shove food into their mouths, because they had to, because they needed to, and because they were desperate to fill the silence with some activity.
Stella finally started to talk, telling everyone what she had learned from Detective Philsburg. Nothing was new. He was still baffled that an FBI agent was here investigating an already closed case. He didn't seem to believe that Dylan was murdered at all. Of course he didn't. How could there be a murderer in Crimson Rock? It was such a lovely town. Everyone here was friendly and nice. It was a big, warm family….
Silence returned when Stella finished talking. They all slowly ate the overcooked spaghetti while savoring the sauce that apparently lacked salt.
"I wish everything could just-" Bo murmured.
Kira, who sat next to her, immediately covered Bo's mouth with her left hand. The little girl looked spooked by what Bo was about to say.
Tamsin frowned, but the other two women seemed to be too used to Kira's behavior to even make a comment.
Bo knocked on Tamsin's door after midnight. Somehow, Tamsin was expecting that.
Bo asked if she could stay, just like the night before, and Tamsin said yes.
They both quickly settled - Tamsin in her sleeping bag, Bo in the bed. After staring at each other in the darkness for a while, Bo asked, "do you really think Dylan was murdered?"
"I...don't know," Tamsin admitted.
Was Dylan really murdered? She wondered. Sure, the evidence pointed to a second person at the scene. Sure, there was also the earring that she had discovered. An FBI agent was in town, eager to know the truth, and she had secrets….
"I just can't believe that someone would...murder Dylan," Bo whispered. "He was such a nice guy."
After a long pause she continued, "The FBI agent came to talk to us today. She asked me if Dylan had any enemies."
"Did he have any?"
"No, he didn't. At least I wasn't aware of any."
"I doubt he had any."
Another long pause. "She also asked me if I had any affair."
Tamsin rolled over in her sleeping bag uncomfortably. "Have you had any?"
Bo chuckled. "No."
"Don't worry about it. Those are just standard questions. Besides, they always consider the spouses as the primary suspects. If it ain't the spouse, it's the lover. If it ain't the lover, then it's some family member or friends and it is probably about money."
"You say it like you know all about this stuff."
I do know all about this stuff. I used to be a cop and now I am now a private investigator. Tamsin thought as she felt a bit surprised that Bo would make such a comment.
"Stella is freaking out." Bo sighed.
"I'm sure she is. It's hard for me, too."
"Tamsin."
"What?"
"Are you still mad at her because..."
Tamsin closed her eyes and took a deep breath. "No, not anymore. It wasn't her fault that my mom died."
A long silence with the sound of them both breathing.
"Do you miss her?" Bo asked.
"Sometimes," Tamsin admitted.
"Yeah, I sometimes miss my mom too. It's just...when they were alive they were always arguing and...I don't know if I have much good, peaceful memory of either of them."
"We are both adults now. We don't need our parents." Tamsin snorted.
"I know." Bo sighed.
They both stared into the darkness for a long time.
"Tamsin?"
"Hmm?"
"If you are no longer mad at Stella...why did you-why haven't you come back?"
Tamsin closed her eyes. Frustration and anger suddenly started to burn inside her chest. You know damn well why I haven't come back. She thought. I didn't leave because of Stella, or anyone else. I left because of you!
"Sorry, I probably shouldn't have asked," Bo murmured nervously.
Tamsin answered her with silence. For a moment there, she almost let her anger burst out. She wanted to ask Bo if she had really been that oblivious, or cruel. She wanted to ask her why she'd say one thing and then immediately act the opposite. She wanted to ask her if anything happened between them meant absolutely nothing.
She pretended that she had fallen asleep, however, for she couldn't bear the agony of being crushed again.
Tamsin eventually drifted into sleep, but only briefly. When she woke up in the middle of the night, she found Bo in her arms.
She had no idea whether she had invited Bo into her sleeping bag, or the brunette had invited herself in, but now Bo was soundly asleep.
Tamsin couldn't help but caress the side of Bo's cheek with the back of her index finger. Bo moaned softly into her touch.
"Eyes…" Bo muttered.
"Hmm?"
"Watching…" Bo slurred.
Tamsin flinched. She was now wild awake. "What? Who's watching?"
Bo mumbled something incoherently. She went quiet for a while before she whispered, "blue...eyes...hundreds of them...watching me…."
Tamsin frowned hard. Somehow, what Bo had just said triggered a vague memory of hers. She tried to hold on to that spark but it went out after a faint flash.
Bo snuggled to her closely and moaned again.
Painfully and with guilt, Tamsin held her to her chest.
Stop. Stop. Stop this. Right now.
No, stay. Stay. Stay with her.
Taking a whiff of Bo's hair, she closed her eyes and held her breath. Please. She prayed to whoever that was listening at this bewitched moment. Please, either let me have her, or let me leave her and never come back.