3
Chapter 569 Tara Confesses
"
Tara's unease over the conference trip grew. She knew she had a moral obligation to warn Steve. It wouldn't be fair to not say anything even if that meant he could refuse to accompany her on the drive.
To bolster her chances, she was going to make him a nice home-cooked meal—the kind you can't get at a restaurant. She had a pot roast with onions and carrots in her slow cooker. She was going to serve it on a bed of creamy, buttery mashed potatoes with peas on the side to give the dish a balance of color. She even made a banana cake for dessert with caramel icing that she was going to serve with ice cream. Her only decision that remained was whether to tell him after dinner of after sex.
Once they finished their romantic dinner complete with candles and wine, Tara decided to tell him about her fears that something was going to happen to her when they went to her conference. She finally decided that waiting until after sex was tacky.
They were sitting on the sofa in the living room each with a final glass of wine.
"I kind of had an ulterior motive for inviting you to go to the conference with me."
"I sort of figured that out," he said with a smile before taking a sip of wine.
"No, I don't think you have," Tara said seriously. "It isn't just about romance, but that is part of it."
"So what's the missing piece?"
"There are some things going on at the hospital that are making me uneasy."
"Illegal?"
"I think so," she said with a nod. "The more I look, the more I'm convinced that there are some seriously illegal activities going on and there's no one I can tell at the hospital."
"Why can't you go to the police?"
"I have to have perfect proof before I can do that or I'll lose my job."
"Are you putting this proof together?"
"Yeah, but it takes awhile. I think they suspect that I know what they are up to and that's why I feel so uneasy about this conference."
"You think they might try to hurt you?"
"Normally, my boss would go. He doesn't like me so it was odd that he suddenly couldn't go and I was chosen to go in his place. I have this feeling that something bad is going to happen."
Tara had done her best to convince herself that she was jumping to conclusions and that healthcare professionals especially surgeons did not kill people—well not intentionally anyway. Unfortunately a few had killed, so she couldn't take that as a guarantee that Dr. Namid or Margaret's status would protect her. If what she suspected was true, there was more than enough money to justify them killing her.
"That's OK. I'll bring a gun."
"You still want to go with me?"
"Of course. I can take care of any threat."
Tara forced herself to smile. Steve was a typical man full of bravado. She knew that he thought she was being overly dramatic because she was a woman. She'd been right about the danger Kohn poised to her, she reminded herself. She hadn't imagined that, but she had dismissed the possibility of his following her to Charming.
The night when she killed him came rushing back to her. She swore as she fought for her life that she would never take chances with her safety again and she was going to keep that promise to herself even if it made her look foolish to Steve.
She'd done the right thing by warning Steve. He was going to take precautions and bring a gun. The only other option open to her was to fake an illness and not go to the conference; that was about all she could do. She really hoped that she was wrong about the danger because the conference would give her a great opportunity to network. With Steve along for protection, maybe it was worth the risk. After all, she could be wrong about the danger or she could be right about the danger but wrong that they were planning something fatal for her at the conference.
There as a lot to do before the conference. She still had a lot more investigation to do. She wouldn't finish it all, but she would put together enough so if something did happen to her, it would point people in the direction of who hurt her.
All she had to do was decide who she trusted with the information.