the same. I recalled Uretsky’s chilling words. I wish you could have seen what I did to her. . . . It would have definitely inspired you to try a little harder.
“I just need to see some identification. Again, you can refuse. . . .”
I held up a hand to stop him.
“Here you go,” I said, handing over our Massachusetts ID cards with the name Uretsky on the front.
If Dobson wondered why we didn’t have driver’s licenses, he didn’t ask. He just jotted down some information on his sheet. Meanwhile, at his request, I produced several bills, cable TV and electric, all in Elliot Uretsky’s name thanks to the paperwork I had previously filed. Dobson seemed satisfied with that as well. His writing speed accelerated proportionally with my desire to have him leave. Perhaps he sensed his welcome wearing out.
“What now?” I asked.
Dobson pushed his chair back and shoved his clipboard back into his leather case. “Nothing,” he said. “I do feel terrible for having put you through all this rigmarole, and I greatly appreciate your time and cooperation. Damn system. We’ve got to check into every whistle-blower’s accusation. Believe me, you’re the last people I’d want to investigate. Personally, this is very hard for me.”
“Why’s that?” I asked, curious.
Dobson smiled, albeit somewhat sheepishly.
“Prostate cancer,” he said, putting a hand on his belly. “Early diagnosis saved my life. So while I love my job and get a lot of satisfaction bringing the bad guys to justice, I don’t derive much pleasure having to investigate a couple going through what I know to be a difficult ordeal. And my timing couldn’t have been worse.” His eyes went to the floor and might as well have burned a hole into Rhonda Jennings’s apartment below. “I’m not just giving you lip service here. I know. This is a tough battle you’re facing, and I hate being another obstacle in your way. But that’s the job.”
Ruby seemed to have lost her earlier nervousness. Despite all our troubles, she connected with Dobson on a level I couldn’t, not without being a cancer survivor myself.
“I’m so sorry,” Ruby said to him.
“No,” Dobson replied. “I am.”
“So we’re all set, then?” I asked.
I wanted Dobson out of our apartment, shared painful experience notwithstanding.
“All set,” Dobson said.
“What now?” I asked.
Play the part. . . .
“Now you get healthy and take care of each other,” Dobson said.
I noticed he wasn’t wearing a wedding ring, and there was a hint of sadness to his voice. Perhaps he was a bachelor who, despite our health struggles, felt lonely in our presence. I thought of Clegg. He hadn’t called, hadn’t tried to reach us to check up on Ruby. Maybe he went by our Somerville apartment again; maybe the professors from Spain answered the door this time. They were still there. I had told them they didn’t need to move out.
Before he left, Dobson checked his phone. “Another appointment,” he said to me, holding up the device and shaking his head grimly. Ruby and I escorted Dobson to the front door, where he paused. He took out his wallet and handed me his business card with the UniSol Health logo embossed in gold on the front. “You shouldn’t need to get in touch with me,” he said. “But take this just in case.”
“Thanks,” Ruby said.
Ruby was talking to Dobson about cancer treatments when the phone rang. I felt my pulse drop. Dobson noticed something was wrong. “You all right?” he asked. “Your color just changed.”
The phone rang again.
“Yeah,” I said.
I left him and Ruby and went back into the apartment. I picked up the receiver, noticing that Ruby was watching me. Dobson, too, for that matter.
“Hello?” I said.
“Good for you, John.” Uretsky spoke into my ear. “Looks like you’ve won round two, but we’re not done yet. Not even close. We’ve got round three to play, and this time, John, you’re going to rob a liquor store. Details to come.”
I heard a click. The line disconnected. I hung up the phone.
“Who was that?” Ruby asked, her voice dripping with dread.
“Wrong number,” I said.
CHAPTER 18
I told Ruby about Uretsky’s call the moment I heard Dobson descending the stairs. She didn’t break into tears, didn’t seem all that shocked to me, either. If anything, she looked numb, just like me.
“He wants you to rob a liquor store?” Ruby asked.
I nodded.
“Which one?”
“Well, I don’t know,” I said. “He didn’t say. He just hung up.”
“How could he have known that we successfully played the part?” Ruby asked