Read Mistaken Identity for Free Online Page B

direction and then at Pamela.
    One of the men said, “We were just leaving.”
    “No, you were not,” Pamela snapped.
    “Hey, Pamela, we can come back,” the other man said.
    “Sit.” When they didn’t respond immediately, she said, “Now!” They slid back down but their bodies remained tensed, ready for flight. She turned to Lucinda. “You’ll need to make an appointment with the receptionist. Right now, as you see, I am occupied.”
    “Okay. If that’s your attitude, fine,” Lucinda said pulling a pair of cuffs out of the waistband at the back of her skirt. “We can go over to headquarters, if that’s the way you want to play it.”
    The two women stared at each other across Pamela’s desk. Pamela looked away first. Seeing the receptionist standing in the doorway wringing her hands, she said, “Jennifer, would you please escort the officer down to the conference room?” Turning back to Lucinda she plastered a sour smile on her face. “Just give me a minute, please. I’ll be right with you.”
    Lucinda continued to stare for a few more seconds before turning and following Jennifer. She understood that power play. We made Godfrey wait in an empty room. Now she’s going to return the favor. That’s okay. Once she thinks she’s put me in my place, her cockiness will make it easier to catch her off guard and corner her in a contradiction.
    Lucinda barely heard the stuttered apologies of Godfrey’s embarrassed employee. Her thoughts had already moved forward, forming a strategy. The challenge of the upcoming interview made Lucinda smile.

Eight
     
    The vibrations of the phone in her pocket pulled Lucinda’s thoughts away from Pamela Godfrey. Grabbing hold of the cell, she groaned when she saw the caller ID – Rambo Burns. She disconnected the call. She wished he’d leave her alone. He’d been calling her number and the office incessantly for the past ten days. She had no desire to talk with him – no desire for another round of reconstructive surgery. Not now. Maybe not ever. She ran her fingers over her lips, from the soft, full side to the thin, hard side. He was supposed to eliminate scarring, not add to it .
    She felt the buzz of her cell again. Her first thought was to ignore it but she decided it was too soon for Burns to call her again and slipped a hand into her pocket. This time the ID read “Spencer office”. Considering the timing, she felt certain that Spencer was calling for Burns. But she had doubts. What if it’s about Charley? What if something happened to Charley?
    She answered the call, “Pierce.”
    “Lucinda, it’s Evan Spencer.”
    “Yes. Is Charley okay?”
    “Charley? Oh, yes, of course. I’m not calling about Charley. I’m calling for Rambo …”
    “I’m hanging up now, Evan.”
    “Please, Lucinda. Rambo just wants to talk to you.”
    “Evan, I care about Charley. I’m always happy to talk to you about her – your daughter is very important to me. But I’m not going to talk to you about Dr. Burns. And I have nothing to say to him at all.”
    “Lucinda, please. He’s not going to force you into anything. He just wants to talk.”
    “ Does Dr. Burns take this much interest in all of his patients?”
    “You know Rambo and I are good friends. He has taken a special interest in you because of our relationship.”
    Our relationship? Dammit, Evan! “You mean because of my relationship with Charley?”
    “Well, that, too,” Evan conceded.
    Lucinda bit back the retort on the tip of her tongue. Why does he assume I care about him because I care about Charley? Why does he read so much into my interest in his daughter? Why doesn’t he just grieve the loss of his wife and stop grabbing for me as if I was born to be his crutch? “Doctor Spencer …”
    “Aw c’mon, Lucinda. When you start calling me Doctor Spencer …”
    “Okay, Evan. But don’t mention Dr. Burns unless I bring him up first.”
    “Okay. But he just wants to talk.”
    “Goodbye, Doctor