Heartless: a Derek Cole Mystery Suspense Thriller (Derek Cole Suspense Thriller Book 1) Read Online Free PDF Page B

me the creeps and your friend, Straus, that guy has some issues,” Stanley said before ordering a beer.
       
    “Stanley,” Mark said, “are you comfortable with the arrangements? I mean, are they secure enough?”
       
    “I guess. Who the hell knows,” Stanley said. “I think so. I just don’t trust that Straus character. He was trying to hide his excitement, but he sucks at hiding.”
       
    “What happened?” Henry asked. “Did they find anything out that we missed?”

    Peter Adams waited for his single-malt scotch to arrive at the table before answering Henry’s question. “Doctor Straus’s team each examined the patient, and all agreed with our assessment. It has no heart, no more than half of a lung and no reason to be alive.
         
    “Despite Stanley’s reservations, I fully trust William and am very confident that you made the right choice in trusting my judgment. William and his team will have no prying eyes as they figure out the mystery that is keeping the baby alive.” He downed the scotch in one, intentionally delayed, gulp. “And with that, I believe I have fulfilled my end of the bargain.”
       
    “Yes, you have, Peter,” Mark said. “And thank you. Enjoy your sabbatical.”
       
    “I plan to. And, in case you were worried, I’ll arrange for my associate, Doctor Cross, to provide his services full-time at the hospital during my extended absence. Mark, you will, of course, need to move his pay up close to what mine is. Needn’t overlook anything that might raise suspicions.”
       
    “Of course,” Mark said. “Anything else you can think of?”
       
    “Just tell people that I decided to go into private practice. A ‘spur of the moment’ decision. Not that I think anyone will doubt my interest in being on my own, but just in case, let any who are interested know that I am taking time to relax and to prepare.”
       
    “You’re a real dick, you know that, Peter,” Stanley said. “A class act dickhead.”
         
    Ignoring Stanley, Peter extended his hand to Mark, saying, “Continue to have my checks sent to my home address. I’ll alert you to where I will need them sent after I decide where I open my ‘private practice.’”
         
    Mark shook Peter’s hand. Without any other words or gestures, Peter turned and walked out of Shifts Lounge.
       
    “Now what?” Henry asked.
       
    “Return to business as usual.”

       
    Mark, Stanley, and Henry sat in silence, each wondering how long it would take for them to be able to return to “business as usual.” While Mark and Henry continued to discuss Peter and how disappointed they were with his behavior, Stanley sat quietly, staring at the half-empty glass of beer in front of him.
       
    “Stan?” Mark asked. “You okay?”
       
    “Fine,” he said. “Lots of stuff running around in my brain right now. Lots of stuff.”
         
    His description of his thoughts was not lost on Mark nor Henry, though Stanley knew that what was filling his mind was not just random “stuff.” It was thoughts of Michelle Pettingall.
         
    At thirty-years old, Stanley was not a stranger to having feelings for a woman, especially one as attractive as Michelle Pettingall. What he wasn’t accustomed to was what to do once an attraction was identified.
         
    Stanley did not lack self-confidence when it came to his skills as a surgeon. Nor did he struggle when an opportunity arrived to share his opinion. But building up courage to approach a woman was a much needed and utterly lacking skill in Stanley’s arsenal of talent.
         
    When he and Peter first arrived at the loading docks of Hilburn, they were met by Jacob Curtis, a short, stocky man, whose arms were intended for a much taller man. The three doctors stood in uncomfortable silence, with only Jacob Curtis’s repeated suggestions that “Doctor Straus should join us any second now.”
         
    When Straus arrived, he ignored feeling the