Truth or Lies? by A. Gomez (books to get back into reading TXT) 📕

other people now but have always remained good friends,” I mused. “When my brothers and I were younger we vacationed with them a few times.” I paused, “You think I’m a wily one… whoa! Their oldest daughter was a challenge, to put it mildly.” I shook my head.

We made it down to the ER, which was surprisingly calm for a Friday, and headed to the nurse’s station to ask who called me down. The nurse handed me a patient’s chart and asked me to give the doctor just a few minutes. I nodded my head and began to read the chart. I noticed Ben scanning the floor like the good FBI agent he was—being very inconspicuous about it, too. I turned to lay the patient’s chart on the counter so I could flip through the pages and noticed David treating two girls that looked a lot like the two girls from Belín’s laptop, Elsa and Inara, the two girls from Kosovo. He noticed me staring in his direction and held up one finger indicating to give him a minute. I nodded and decided to get a closer look.

“Hey, where are you going?” Ben asked.

“Ben, is it possible for you to get Belín to come here? If David is treating who I think he’s treating then Belín doesn’t need to go to Dallas.”

Ben looked puzzled but he did as I asked. “Stay where I can see you, please. If you can see me then most likely I can see you. Got it?”

“Got it.”

I walked toward David. He saw me coming and shot me a panicked look. He mouthed the name Ginger and I froze, nodding my head. I headed for the patient charts on the counter by where he was treating the two girls. I looked in Ben’s direction to make sure he could still see me—Belín at his side. I motioned for her to come join me; she might be able to get close enough to see.

“Belín… Inara and Elsa, I think they’re here and I think David is treating them as we speak.”

Her expression fluttered. “Are you sure?”

“No, I’m not, but you can make sure for both of us.” I inclined my head in David’s direction. “They’re behind that curtain with David. I can’t go but you can. Just casually walk by… you’ll be able to see something.”

I watched her as she walked away in David’s direction, feeling butterflies in my stomach. I looked back to Ben to make sure he was still in view and saw he had the phone to his ear.

“Isabel, Isabel.” Dr. Rick Somer was calling my name, jolting me back to the present. “Thank you for waiting for me. Did the nurse give you the girl’s chart?”

I glanced down at the counter to make sure I still had the chart. “Yes, I have it right here,” and then I saw it. In the stack of patient charts there was one with the name Elsa on it. I gulped. Could it be the same Elsa that’s being seen right now? Feeling so distracted I was only able to catch half of what Dr. Somer just told me. I nodded politely, wanting him to hurry and leave so I could take the chart.

“Maybe you can get her to go to your group therapy sessions,” he said. “She’s with the police right now shaking uncontrollably. I’m going back there to give her something to calm her down. If it really is a sex ring operation then she’s going to need a lot of help, and not just from the authorities. Especially if what she’s saying is true.”

I looked up with a jerk. “What is she saying?”

“Something about the boy she thought was her boyfriend forced her into this. It all sounds very fantastic.” He continued, “I did a rape kit on her and ordered some blood work. I should have those results by the end of today. If I get more information I’ll let you know.”

“Thank you,” I replied. “Rick, by any chance do you happen to know who those two girls are that David is seeing right now?”

He peeked around the curtain to see who I was asking about. “Yeah, they come here quite often. Well, not the two girls but the woman they’re with brings different girls in here a lot. She says she runs a non-profit that helps girls get the medical attention they need.”

“And the girls?” I asked. “Have they been here with that woman before?”

“I think they were here last week. This may be a follow up to that. Is there a reason why you’re asking?”

“I’ve just been getting called for so many consults lately I’m having a hard time keeping track, especially since they all happen to be girls around the same age,” I lied.

Dr. Somer seemed to be satisfied with my response and just nodded. He thanked me again and I told him I’d be in touch if I had any questions for him. Belín came back looking wild-eyed. Her expression spoke volumes. I didn’t have to ask to know what she was about to tell me.

“Isa, it’s Elsa and Inara for sure. They’re with an older Caucasian woman and a very large Asian man. I got the impression that the nurse with David knows the woman.” She frowned. “They were hugging and talking about getting together this week, but something seemed very off about their exchange.”

“Did anyone notice you?”

“No, no one. I made sure of it,” she promised. “I also pretended to take a selfie so I could get a picture of the man and the woman.”

“What a great idea! Good thinking.” I gave her a fist bump. The nurse was gone from where I was standing so I looked around and laid the chart I had gotten from Doctor Somer on the counter. Very discretely, I slid Elsa’s chart on top of it