Jonathan closed the door and spun on Verity with snarling rage.
Chapter Five
Green Bay, Wisconsin
Present Day
SINCE IT WAS THE last appointment of the day, Mathew escorted Mrs. Silvers from the patient room to the reception desk. Her tiny Pomeranian had digestive issues, and after lengthy questioning, Mathew discovered his client couldn't resist the cute tiny doggy face begging for food, so she gave him treats. Now the dog was obese with recurring constipation.
"Thank you so much, dear," she said to Mathew. "You always offer the best service. And your prices are good."
"Thirty-five today, Mrs. Silvers," Kiko said.
"—for a woman on social security," Mrs. Silvers added.
Was she manipulating him or in honest distress? He had to give her the benefit of the doubt. "Kiko, give our loyal customer here five percent off."
Mrs. Silvers beamed with a broad smile. "Bless you, child. You're too kind."
"You're welcome. Come back again when Twinkies needs anything." Mathew held the glass door open for her and the tiny cotton ball of a dog.
"Sure thing."
While she and her dog stepped through the doorway, Mrs. Silvers said to it, "Does Twinkies need a treat? You look half-starved." The dog ignored her until she rustled in her pocket and tossed something on the ground. He sucked it up in a flash.
Mathew pressed his lips together in frustration and closed the door. He flipped the deadbolt and shut off the waiting room lights. He needed to grow a backbone, but if he stood up to his customers, bad reviews and word-of-mouth could sink him. But if he did nothing, he'd sink anyway. Mathew's resolve returned.
Kiko clicked away at the computer, face bathed in a glow from her screen.
"Hey, scram. The day's over. What are you still working on?" Mathew's eyes roamed the young woman's high cheekbones, angular eyes, and smooth lips. She had a unique beauty and an intimidating brain, but Mathew had no interest even though he'd known her for a year. He couldn't read her expression any better than braille.
"I'm working on a project for my master's degree. Would you give me a hand? It would only take a night."
Mathew kicked up an eyebrow. What kind of night did a school project require? "Tonight? I'm headed down to the police station to file the report. Or try to—again." Mathew hooked a thumb toward the SUV in the parking lot like a dummy.
She switched off the monitor and slowly stood. Was she delaying him?
"Do you need anything?" he asked, to hurry her along.
"I need your help."
Kiko stepped around the desk and stopped close enough that her floral scent reached his nose. Mathew's feet fastened to the floor as if cemented. She had a commanding presence despite her short stature.
"It's due in two days. I just need to you sleep and report what happens in your dream."
"Can't it wait until after I return from the station?"
"I'd feel more comfortable doing the study this afternoon, rather than overnight. And I need a day to fill out my report. The deadline is the difference between graduating or not."
He understood Kiko wasn't comfortable conducting an overnight study with him, and he felt terrible that she relied on him to graduate. He wasn't heartless, but Mathew pictured himself laying on a clinical bed with electrodes all over his head and chest, beeping computers, and dental lights blinding him. Nope, nope, nope.
"I don't think so. I have to go." He motioned to exit, but not wanting to leave her in the building alone, he stopped at the door with his fist covering the handle. He needed to make that report and make the police cooperate. He needed help.
"Please?" she insisted. "Tomorrow I'll go with you to the station. I'll be your backup if things get hot. I promise we won't leave until it's filed, even if we both end up getting booked."
Her hand embraced his forearm. Having support at the police station would mean a lot to him. Besides, she could talk him down from doing something stupid. He couldn't afford to get himself arrested. "Okay, but no electrodes involved, right?"
She scrunched her nose at him and laughed. "No, I promise. Take us to your place."
Mathew and Kiko left the darkened clinic, and he steered them west across the bridge and south down Oneida Street to the two-story, brick apartment building. It had been built in the 1960s, and it hadn't been updated much since. He parked in the surface lot just under his balcony. He chose the less-convenient second floor since he wasn't home much anyway, and the rent was less.
They stepped out of the SUV, and Kiko craned her neck toward his patio and then scanned the area. "I expected a nicer place."
He shrugged. Mathew had picked the best apartment based on a location-to-price ratio. Location being the closest to the clinic and price being the cheapest. It was sketchy, but so far, no one had been shot in the complex, and since he was so far removed from impressing a woman, there was no point in dwelling on it.
He unlocked the community door, and she followed him across the crushed carpet, the pairs of coin-op laundry units, and up the stairs. It smelled like stale piss and cigarettes. Hopefully Kiko didn't judge him too much. He unlocked his apartment door and waited for her to enter before locking up behind them.
"Mind the mess. I wasn't expecting visitors." Mathew's face burned hot while he scrambled to collect dirty dishes and toss them into the sink and wad up dirty laundry and shoot it toward the hamper. Satisfied, he drummed his fingers against his thighs and waited for her to take the lead. His throat felt like a scorching desert.
"Drink?" Mathew crossed to the refrigerator and stuck his head inside. "I have a beer we can split, bottles of water, and..." He trailed off and opened an orange juice carton. He sniffed and tossed it into the sink. "And that's it. I'm not home much."
"I am not judging. Have a seat." Kiko sat on his old recliner, a used lay-z-boy in mauve with a matching couch. Replacing his hand-me-downs was on the list of things to improve in his life. One step closer to finding his family. Mathew plopped on the couch, and his knee bounced. His eyes darted to her hands, searching for electrodes.
"So, what do I do?"
Kiko smiled, but it didn't help. She assessed his clothing and frowned. "Can you remove your lab coat?"
Mathew did, forgetting to leave the coat at the clinic, and transferred his phone to the coffee table. He placed a toe at his heel to kick off his dress shoes when she interrupted him. "No, leave your shoes on."
Mathew chuckled. "The smell in here can't get any worse, I promise."
"Leave them on," she repeated with a soft chuckle. He didn't know what to think of her sometimes. "Trust me on this. Everything will be okay. Lie down."
"Am I taking a nap here, Kiko, or running a race?" Mathew obliged and watched the petite woman loom over him. She showed him a small metal trinket.
"I'm putting this in your pocket. Don't lose it for any reason. You can use it to come back." It was a small round steel trinket, like those buzzing gag gifts from the 1980s.
"What do you mean, come back?"
"You can press the button to awake. That's all."