Don't Look (Pike, Wisconsin #1) - Alexandra Ivy Page 0,83

smiled wanly. Neither of them were reassured by his words.

“I’ll let you figure that out,” she said, pushing open her door. “I need to get to work.”

“Lynne.”

“I know.” She slid out of the SUV. “I’ll be careful.”

“Don’t go on any emergency calls alone.”

“I won’t.” She rolled her eyes. “Besides, I’m fairly sure the sheriff is going to be spending at least part of the day at my office.”

“I’ll swing by with some lunch.”

He waited until she had his father’s old truck running and was driving down the street before he pulled out of the driveway and headed in the opposite direction. He wanted to have a look at Nash’s place before the sheriff had a chance to run him off, and then do a quick check on Pastor Bradshaw. If he’d been out and about at such an early hour there might be evidence around his house. Then he wanted to check out the dump sites. It was possible there might be a connection that would finally click in his mind.

Stranger things had happened.

* * *

The truck’s old heater was still blasting out frigid air when Lynne reached the clinic. Hurrying inside she nearly cried when she saw Bernadine calmly seated behind the front desk. Whatever new craziness the day might have in store, at least she knew her patients would be in good hands.

“Thanks for coming in,” she said, her voice thick with sincerity.

The woman waved away her words of gratitude. “I’m here as long as you need me, Lynne.”

“How about forever?”

Bernadine clicked her tongue, but Lynne could see the pleasure in her eyes. She was the sort of person who liked to be needed.

“We’ll see,” she murmured. “I left your messages on your desk and that blond intern is setting up the exam rooms.”

Lynne’s lips twitched as she headed for her office. Bernadine never bothered to learn the names of the various interns. She said that they came and left too quickly to earn a place in her crowded brain. They still loved her. She made everyone’s life easier when she was there.

Lynne pulled off her parka and replaced it with a lab coat. She had a full morning of surgeries scheduled. She needed to get started if she hoped to take a break for lunch. And, it was the perfect way to keep her mind fully occupied. The last thing she wanted was to sit around brooding on the horrifying memory of Nash.

The morning passed in a blessed blur, and she’d just finished placing a sleeping boxer who’d tangled with a porcupine in a heated cubicle to start the healing process when she was distracted by the sound of raised voices coming from the outer lobby.

Her heart sank. What now?

She was halfway down the hallway when she finally recognized the shrill voice that was echoing through the clinic.

“Get out of my way, you old bat,” Chelsea yelled.

“You use that tone of voice with me and I’ll put you over my knee, Chelsea Gallen,” Bernadine warned. “It wouldn’t be the first time.”

Picking up her pace, Lynne entered the lobby to see Bernadine and Chelsea standing in the center of the room. They each had their hands on their hips, glaring at each other. Both were too stubborn to give in and Lynne had a momentary panic that Chelsea might actually attack the older woman. “What’s going on?” she demanded in loud tones, drawing the attention to herself.

Chelsea narrowed her eyes. “You bitch—”

“Go to my office or leave,” Lynne interrupted, pointing toward Chelsea. “Pick one.”

Chelsea tossed her hair, heading toward the hallway. “Whatever.”

“You mind your manners,” Bernadine called out.

Lynne rolled her eyes, joining Chelsea in the office and closing the door. She wasn’t in the mood to deal with the petulant girl who’d betrayed her, but it was the perfect opportunity to sever their relationship. Even if Bernadine decided she wanted to go back to her retirement, Lynne couldn’t have Chelsea in the clinic. She would never trust her again.

Lynne took a seat behind her desk, but Chelsea paced from side to side. “Is it true?” she at last burst out. “Is Nash dead?”

Lynne flinched, her stomach clenching. That wasn’t what she’d been expecting. In fact, it hadn’t occurred to her that word of Nash’s murder would already have spread through town. Stupid, of course. There were no secrets in Pike.

Except for the killer who was hunting them.

A shiver raced down her spine. “Yes.”

Chelsea blinked back tears, her face pale beneath the layers of makeup. “God. On the news