Chapter 5: The Lie That Almost Won
Felicity backed away from the table.
“That account was mine.”
Silas’s attorney shook his head.
“It was opened in Eleanor Hart’s name.”
“She gave me permission.”
“I did not,” I said.
Felicity pulled out her phone.
“Then perhaps you should explain these.”
She thrust the screen toward Julian.
A string of messages appeared under my name.
I NEED THE MONEY NOW.
IF SILAS FINDS OUT, I’LL SAY YOU TOOK IT.
YOU OWE ME FOR KEEPING QUIET.
Julian read them twice.
“Eleanor, were these sent from your number?”
“They look like my number, but I never wrote them.”
Felicity’s voice rose.
“Of course you’d deny it.
You threatened me for months.”
“Show the dates.”
“Why?”
“Because three years ago I had a different number.”
Her thumb froze over the screen.
Dad stepped beside Felicity.
“The messages are clear enough.”
“No,” Silas said.
“Eleanor asked a reasonable question.”
Felicity swiped to another image.
“Here’s her hospital badge.
Here’s a copy of her passport.
She sent both when we opened the account.”
I stared at the photographs.
They were real.
“You took those from my room.”
“Prove it.”
Julian’s certainty slipped for the first time.
“Eleanor, could anyone else have had those copies?”
“My father kept our documents in his study.”
Dad’s cheeks reddened.
“Don’t drag me into this.”
“You are already in it.”
A man in a dark suit entered and spoke to the venue manager.
The manager pointed toward me.
Felicity’s mouth curved into a small smile.
The man approached.
“Eleanor Hart?”
“Yes?”
“I’m with hospital compliance.
A serious complaint was submitted this afternoon regarding your discussion of a former patient’s confidential information.”
Silas stepped forward.
“I am that patient.
I made no complaint.”
The man held out a printed form.
“It bears your electronic signature.”
Silas read it.
His jaw tightened.
“This is not my signature.”
“Until we verify that, Ms.
Hart must surrender her staff identification.
Her access is temporarily suspended.”
My hand moved to the badge clipped inside my purse.
Felicity leaned close enough that only I could hear her.
“Some people are not meant to be seen, Eleanor.
You should have stayed in the back.”
I unclipped my badge and placed it in the compliance officer’s palm.
“You filed this today,” I said.
“Can you prove that?”
“Not yet.”
“Then be careful what you accuse me of.”
Julian looked from the false messages to the copied documents.
“Felicity, did you know this man was coming?”
“How could I?”
“Because you smiled before he said her name.”
Her expression vanished.
The compliance officer raised a hand.
“There’s something else.
The complaint included pages from Mr.
Montgomery’s protected medical record.”
Silas took a sharp step forward.
“How did she get those?”
Everyone looked at me.
“I didn’t,” I said.
“But I know where the original file was stored.”
“Where?” Julian asked.
“In the locked records unit at my hospital.”
The compliance officer checked the final page.
“According to the access log, the file was opened with your credentials yesterday.”
“I worked a twelve-hour shift yesterday.
I never entered records.”
He studied me.
“Then someone used your badge.”
Felicity’s fingers moved toward her handbag.
May you like
A small white card was visible through the open zipper.
My hospital photograph stared back at me.
