engaged in some kind of espionage for another clinic. Word would get around in her professional circles and the story could dog her for years, perhaps even ruin her business. Was this Levin’s backup plan? If he couldn’t manage to kill her, he’d destroy her reputation?
If, of course, Levin was the one behind it all. What if someone else at the clinic was the mastermind of the embryo stealing? Maybe it was Sherman, in cahoots with Hoss. Or, if he’d found the right person in the lab to assist him, even Steve might have been able to pull it off. It would be in his interest, too, to keep the clinic’s success rate high. If it was someone else, that person could have convinced Levin that Lake was stealing information—while also arranging to have her attacked.
She hailed a cab at 11:40 and was outside the coffee shop by 12:05. She felt exposed standing right in the front of the restaurant, so after a few minutes she ducked into the doorway of the shoe store next door, where she’d still be able to see Maggie coming. As she waited, she rehearsed what she’d say to Maggie. She would have to sound very credible, especially if Maggie had been told that Lake was a spy.
By 12:40 Lake started to worry. Based on her routine, Maggie should have been there by now. Maybe, in light of everything going on, Maggie felt the pressure to stay close to base. Lake shifted her position again and again because her body still ached from last night. Please, please come, Maggie, she pleaded in her head.
And then Lake saw her. She’d made the turn onto Lexington and was hurrying up the block, her shoulders slumped and her face blank. She was wearing another pretty dress today and carrying the same tiny summer purse—the reason she’d left Keaton’s keys in her desk.
“Hi, Maggie,” Lake said, stepping out from the doorway. “I hate to interrupt your lunch today but I was hoping I could sit with you for a few minutes.”
Maggie shook her head back and forth.
“That’s not—that’s not a good idea,” she said.
“Could I just talk to you out here for a few minutes, then?”
Maggie looked off, refusing to make eye contact.
“I’m sorry—I can’t.”
Lake’s heart sank.
“But why not, Maggie?” she asked. “What have I done to upset you?”
“It’s not me. It’s what you’ve done to the clinic. Dr. Levin told me all about it. He said you’ve been giving another clinic confidential information of ours—information about the techniques we use.”
“Maggie, I need you to understand the truth. Yes, I did look through a few files but not so I could pass the information to other doctors. I think the clinic is transferring some couples’ embryos to other women without anyone’s permission. That’s the real reason they want me out of there.”
Maggie’s brown eyes flashed with anger.
“That’s not true,” she said defiantly. “Dr. Levin is an amazing man—he’s a miracle worker really. All he wants is to help people.”
“I’ve spoken to a patient whose embryos were probably stolen,” Lake said. She could hear desperation beginning to seep into her voice and tried to squelch it. “And last night a man attacked me. I’m almost positive he was hired by the clinic.”
Maggie shook her head again.
“I don’t believe you,” she said. “That’s ridiculous.”
“But why would I just make all this up? What would I have to gain from it?”
Maggie raised her chin and looked Lake directly in the eye.
“Because Dr. Levin caught you stealing. And you need to cover your tracks.” There had been a slight hesitancy in her words, as if a part of her was still weighing what Lake had said.
“Maggie, over the last few weeks you’ve gotten to know me a little. Do you really think I’m capable of that?”
Maggie bit her lip. Have I made a dent, Lake wondered?
“I have gotten to know you a little, but I know Dr. Levin much better,” Maggie said. “And he’s the one I trust.”
She started to turn. Lake couldn’t believe it. This had been her chance and she’d blown it.
“Maggie, please,” she said. Lake reached for the nurse’s arm and grabbed it at the wrist. A man walking by with a bulldog caught the gesture out of the corner of his eye and swiveled his head in their direction. Lake dropped Maggie’s arm. “I can prove to you that what I’m saying is true—you just need to do one thing to help me.”