Reese stared thoughtfully into her coffee cup. This was turning into a strange day. Maybe it was just stopping by the Barrett's house that was strange.
"So I guess now we look up Lydia Flemming," Blaine spoke up, breaking the silence that had fallen over them.
Reese looked up in alarm, but when she realized he was joking, she relaxed. "Don't waste your time. I'd rather have actual proof."
"I don't know how we're going to find it . . . unless we break into Mrs. Smith's office at the orphanage."
"We couldn't do that," Reese said, but when she looked at Blaine she seemed unsure.
"I don't like to suggest it, but I'm running out of ideas."
"Do you think there would even be anything there?" Reese asked, thinking the idea over.
"There has to be some record of you in her office . . . Mrs. Smith knows something anyway, so it's not like you have no known past." He paused a moment to take a drink. "At this point, I think it's either that or listen to the psychic."
Reese sighed. She felt so conflicted. When she spoke again it was in a lowered voice. "How does someone go about doing something like that anyway? I can't afford to get caught doing something criminal."
"Maybe we don't have to literally break in. If we can catch her out of her office when the door is unlocked, all we would have to do is take a look in her files."
"I don't know . . .maybe that wouldn't be so bad, but it still seems wrong."
"Yeah, I know."
They fell into silence as Reese weighed her choices. It all came down to how badly she wanted to know.
"Forget it," he said, ready to change the subject. "It probably wouldn't work anyway. The timing would be too difficult to pull off."
"Not necessarily," Reese said thoughtfully. "If we're really serious about this . . .Mrs. Smith did ask me to be a guest speaker at an assembly. I wasn't going to do it, but if I did, it would give me an excuse to talk to her and get her out of her office."
"Do you think she would leave the door open, so I could sneak in?"
Reese shrugged. "Maybe."
"We could try it. Are you sure you want to?"
She nodded. "Are you? If something goes wrong, you'll be the one caught in her office."
Blaine shrugged. "I don't mind. If you want to do it, I'll help, but this is your project, so it's your call."
Reese took a deep breath. She still had her doubts, but she had made her decision. "Let's do it."
Veronica was curled up in her office chair with a book. She was so comfortable that she was nearly dozing off. When someone knocked on the door, she sat up with a start.
"Come in."
"I'm not interrupting, am I?" Edward asked from the doorway. "I don't usually see your light on at this time in the evening."
Veronica quickly tucked her book away. "Did you want something?"
"No, I was just checking up."
"You don't need to," she said harshly.
"I won't again," he said and backed out into the hallway.
As soon as the door closed, Veronica started to feel bad about snapping at him. After wrestling with her conscience she went out into the hallway and called after him.
"Wait a minute, Ed. I'm sorry. I should know better than to take my frustration out on other people. And you are a good doctor. I know you wouldn't let my husband or any other patient suffer."
"Thank you," he said, though slightly confused about where this was all coming from. "Are you ok, Veronica?"
"Well, I'm hiding out in my office instead of going home to my husband, so what do you think?"
After a moment's pause, Edward answered, "You're the psychiatrist, not me . . .I was going to the cafeteria for a cup of coffee. Care to join me?"
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