Josh’s.
Instead of putting his phone away, he found himself thinking about calling Hayden. Except he had no good reason to. And she was probably working. His call would just go through to her voice mail. And he was going to see her tonight anyway.
Of course, if he could reach her, she could save him some time . . .
Hayden pushed the remains of her chicken salad wrap away and picked up her phone again. No new texts. No messages. Not that she’d really expected any. Josh was gone, and all the friends she had left in Fredericton were right here at the hospital. They could pretty much find her anytime they wanted to. She didn’t even know why she bothered to power the phone up for her lunch break anymore. She was just about to hit the “Kill” button when a call came in.
Boyd McBride. Her pulse leapt. “Hi, Boyd.”
“Is this a good time? I don’t want to take you away from anything.”
“I’m on my lunch break still, so we’re good. What’s up? Have you learned something already?”
“I learned there’s no notebook hidden in Josh’s room, but that’s about it.”
“Oh, that’s too bad. I was hoping you’d find it straight off.”
“Thanks. I guess I should have known it wouldn’t be that easy, huh?”
She pictured the wry curve of his mouth and smiled. “Things seldom are.”
There was a brief silence. When it started to get awkward, Hayden filled it. “So, what now? What’s your next move?”
“I’ve got an appointment to see Dave Bradley, at the paper.”
“The reporter,” she said. “I know him. Actually, I think I’ve met all of the reporters Josh worked with, if you count having after-work drinks with them as ‘knowing.’ I’ve seen more of Dave than the others, though. I think he must live in one of the apartment complexes close by.”
“What’s your impression of the guy?”
She closed her hand around her tea mug. “I don’t know him well enough to say.” Though not for lack of trying on his part. The man had attempted to strike up a conversation every time their paths crossed, which had seemed to be happening way more often than coincidence could explain. She’d suspected he’d been working up the courage to ask her out. When Hayden had mentioned it to Josh, he’d immediately volunteered to have a heart-to-heart with the guy, but she’d vetoed that idea. She could handle Dave Bradley, or anyone else who put the moves on her. She’d had a quiet word with him about her strict no-dating policy, and that had been the end of it. He’d stopped popping up everywhere she went. Hayden didn’t tell Boyd any of that, though. She didn’t want to negatively influence him, and, really, she couldn’t blame a guy for trying. It had even been a bit flattering. “He did seem to idolize Josh, but so did most of the crew up there. Josh was a mentor of sorts, I think.”
“Detective Morgan said something like that too,” he said. “I gather his wife works at the paper.”
“That’s right. Grace Morgan. I really love her work.”
He chuckled.
“What’s so funny?”
“Are you sure this place isn’t growing on you? Reading the local rag, following a columnist?”
“She’s good, and I have to read something with my supper. Plus you can often predict the volume and type of traffic you’re going to get in the ER based on what’s happening in the community.” She pushed away the mug of cooling tea. “Frosh Week at the two universities? Alcohol poisonings, hazings gone wrong, drinking-related accidents. High school graduation parties? More of the same, with some fights mixed in, plus a major trauma or two from motor vehicle accidents. I like to be plugged in.”
“Your work sounds a lot like mine,” he said.
“Oh, I imagine yours gets a lot grittier. Not to mention more dangerous.”
“Yeah, well I don’t have to try to put anyone back together. I just have to find out what happened.”
“I’ll still take my end of it, thank you.”
He chuckled, and
Instead of putting his phone away, he found himself thinking about calling Hayden. Except he had no good reason to. And she was probably working. His call would just go through to her voice mail. And he was going to see her tonight anyway.
Of course, if he could reach her, she could save him some time . . .
Hayden pushed the remains of her chicken salad wrap away and picked up her phone again. No new texts. No messages. Not that she’d really expected any. Josh was gone, and all the friends she had left in Fredericton were right here at the hospital. They could pretty much find her anytime they wanted to. She didn’t even know why she bothered to power the phone up for her lunch break anymore. She was just about to hit the “Kill” button when a call came in.
Boyd McBride. Her pulse leapt. “Hi, Boyd.”
“Is this a good time? I don’t want to take you away from anything.”
“I’m on my lunch break still, so we’re good. What’s up? Have you learned something already?”
“I learned there’s no notebook hidden in Josh’s room, but that’s about it.”
“Oh, that’s too bad. I was hoping you’d find it straight off.”
“Thanks. I guess I should have known it wouldn’t be that easy, huh?”
She pictured the wry curve of his mouth and smiled. “Things seldom are.”
There was a brief silence. When it started to get awkward, Hayden filled it. “So, what now? What’s your next move?”
“I’ve got an appointment to see Dave Bradley, at the paper.”
“The reporter,” she said. “I know him. Actually, I think I’ve met all of the reporters Josh worked with, if you count having after-work drinks with them as ‘knowing.’ I’ve seen more of Dave than the others, though. I think he must live in one of the apartment complexes close by.”
“What’s your impression of the guy?”
She closed her hand around her tea mug. “I don’t know him well enough to say.” Though not for lack of trying on his part. The man had attempted to strike up a conversation every time their paths crossed, which had seemed to be happening way more often than coincidence could explain. She’d suspected he’d been working up the courage to ask her out. When Hayden had mentioned it to Josh, he’d immediately volunteered to have a heart-to-heart with the guy, but she’d vetoed that idea. She could handle Dave Bradley, or anyone else who put the moves on her. She’d had a quiet word with him about her strict no-dating policy, and that had been the end of it. He’d stopped popping up everywhere she went. Hayden didn’t tell Boyd any of that, though. She didn’t want to negatively influence him, and, really, she couldn’t blame a guy for trying. It had even been a bit flattering. “He did seem to idolize Josh, but so did most of the crew up there. Josh was a mentor of sorts, I think.”
“Detective Morgan said something like that too,” he said. “I gather his wife works at the paper.”
“That’s right. Grace Morgan. I really love her work.”
He chuckled.
“What’s so funny?”
“Are you sure this place isn’t growing on you? Reading the local rag, following a columnist?”
“She’s good, and I have to read something with my supper. Plus you can often predict the volume and type of traffic you’re going to get in the ER based on what’s happening in the community.” She pushed away the mug of cooling tea. “Frosh Week at the two universities? Alcohol poisonings, hazings gone wrong, drinking-related accidents. High school graduation parties? More of the same, with some fights mixed in, plus a major trauma or two from motor vehicle accidents. I like to be plugged in.”
“Your work sounds a lot like mine,” he said.
“Oh, I imagine yours gets a lot grittier. Not to mention more dangerous.”
“Yeah, well I don’t have to try to put anyone back together. I just have to find out what happened.”
“I’ll still take my end of it, thank you.”
He chuckled, and
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