instructions and pressed something into her hands. Probably medicine for the boy.
The Mexican woman shepherded her children single file past the two Americans and averted her eyes while the doctor stared warily from inside the sparse room.
Charlie held out her hand and introduced herself. Seth did the same.
Dr. Martínez seemed frightened at first, then angry. He held up his hands. “I received a phone call from the state’s coroner yesterday, telling me you would be here.”
“And?” Charlie looked from him to Seth then back to the doctor. Were they already conspiring to hide evidence?
“There’s no need for your concern as to why you received the surgeries—you would have been disfigured, unable to go anywhere without causing a stir. Perhaps some of it was unnecessary, such as breaking your jaw when it was fine, but the skin grafts and such… We had to do this. As for who suggested your operations and who paid for them, I don’t believe there should be secrecy,” the doctor explained. “I am a good man. An honest man.” He looked at Seth. “I helped give you a better quality of life than you’d have had without the surgeries on your face.”
Charlie assured him that she and Seth never had any doubts of that. “We’re just here to find out who signed the paperwork for his surgeries, how you were brought into this, and why he was told his name was Mason Aldridge when it’s not.”
“The American woman insisted, and who were we to disagree?” Martínez asked. “She offered money, lots of it, if we would just perform the surgeries and not ask any questions.” He looked at Seth and took a deep breath. “I am sorry if this has hurt you, but you received the best medical treatment possible. We worked many hours—there were so many broken bones and the torn skin. We felt grateful to have been able to make you look as you do.”
He seemed to be examining his work as he spoke to Seth, lifting a hand to touch Seth’s face and turn it this way and that, slowly, like he was studying a fine sculpture. “You healed nicely.”
“Thanks.” Seth sounded as if he meant it, but Charlie wondered if she detected a note of hostility. Not that she’d blame him.
“You say this American woman offered you money?” Charlie asked.
“What she paid your chief surgeon, I have no idea—it is none of my business. As for me? Two hundred fifty thousand for a new clinic. We’ve started building but were shut down because of the rains last month,” explained Martínez. “The new structure is two blocks to the north.” He added, as if qualifying once again his part in the deception, “A quarter of a million dollars is a lot of money in Mexico, especially for this community.”
“We don’t want to cause you any problems, Dr. Martínez,” Charlie told him. “We’re just looking for the truth so we can clear up some things back in Houston.”
Seth surveyed the room and nodded. “You and the people you help deserve a better environment. You won’t have any trouble from us. We won’t be involving the police, here or in the States.”
Martínez breathed what was obviously a sigh of relief. He nodded, and his eyes welled with tears. He choked when trying to speak. “Thank you.”
“You’re welcome.” Seth nodded as he spoke. “I do have a favor to ask. I need copies of my medical records, anything you’ve signed describing the procedures, who signed the permission slips, that sort of thing.”
“Of course. I’ll phone my office. It’s open tomorrow until noon if you can be there to pick them up by then. We don’t have a lot of money for postage to send them to the States for you.”
Seth shook the physician’s hand once more, then ushered Charlie out the door and down the hall. “I wonder how our driver is doing,” he commented.
The meeting with Martínez had been more emotional for Charlie than anything she’d encountered in a long while. She was glad Seth had put him at ease, that he hadn’t
The Mexican woman shepherded her children single file past the two Americans and averted her eyes while the doctor stared warily from inside the sparse room.
Charlie held out her hand and introduced herself. Seth did the same.
Dr. Martínez seemed frightened at first, then angry. He held up his hands. “I received a phone call from the state’s coroner yesterday, telling me you would be here.”
“And?” Charlie looked from him to Seth then back to the doctor. Were they already conspiring to hide evidence?
“There’s no need for your concern as to why you received the surgeries—you would have been disfigured, unable to go anywhere without causing a stir. Perhaps some of it was unnecessary, such as breaking your jaw when it was fine, but the skin grafts and such… We had to do this. As for who suggested your operations and who paid for them, I don’t believe there should be secrecy,” the doctor explained. “I am a good man. An honest man.” He looked at Seth. “I helped give you a better quality of life than you’d have had without the surgeries on your face.”
Charlie assured him that she and Seth never had any doubts of that. “We’re just here to find out who signed the paperwork for his surgeries, how you were brought into this, and why he was told his name was Mason Aldridge when it’s not.”
“The American woman insisted, and who were we to disagree?” Martínez asked. “She offered money, lots of it, if we would just perform the surgeries and not ask any questions.” He looked at Seth and took a deep breath. “I am sorry if this has hurt you, but you received the best medical treatment possible. We worked many hours—there were so many broken bones and the torn skin. We felt grateful to have been able to make you look as you do.”
He seemed to be examining his work as he spoke to Seth, lifting a hand to touch Seth’s face and turn it this way and that, slowly, like he was studying a fine sculpture. “You healed nicely.”
“Thanks.” Seth sounded as if he meant it, but Charlie wondered if she detected a note of hostility. Not that she’d blame him.
“You say this American woman offered you money?” Charlie asked.
“What she paid your chief surgeon, I have no idea—it is none of my business. As for me? Two hundred fifty thousand for a new clinic. We’ve started building but were shut down because of the rains last month,” explained Martínez. “The new structure is two blocks to the north.” He added, as if qualifying once again his part in the deception, “A quarter of a million dollars is a lot of money in Mexico, especially for this community.”
“We don’t want to cause you any problems, Dr. Martínez,” Charlie told him. “We’re just looking for the truth so we can clear up some things back in Houston.”
Seth surveyed the room and nodded. “You and the people you help deserve a better environment. You won’t have any trouble from us. We won’t be involving the police, here or in the States.”
Martínez breathed what was obviously a sigh of relief. He nodded, and his eyes welled with tears. He choked when trying to speak. “Thank you.”
“You’re welcome.” Seth nodded as he spoke. “I do have a favor to ask. I need copies of my medical records, anything you’ve signed describing the procedures, who signed the permission slips, that sort of thing.”
“Of course. I’ll phone my office. It’s open tomorrow until noon if you can be there to pick them up by then. We don’t have a lot of money for postage to send them to the States for you.”
Seth shook the physician’s hand once more, then ushered Charlie out the door and down the hall. “I wonder how our driver is doing,” he commented.
The meeting with Martínez had been more emotional for Charlie than anything she’d encountered in a long while. She was glad Seth had put him at ease, that he hadn’t
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