Spurred (Steele Ranch 1)

I scrolled through my list of contacts, found the number for the rehab place.

“New Beginnings.”

“May I speak to the supervisor on duty, please?”

“Just a moment.”

Canned hold music came on the line as Riley came over, sat down beside me. “What’s up?”

“My sister. She’s no longer in rehab. And she got married.”

“This is Dr. Shemanski.”

I introduced myself to the woman on the phone and reminded her we’d met during Beth’s initial check-in. “I just talked with my sister, Beth, and she said that she didn’t need to be there any longer.”

“Miss Parks, I’m pulling up your sister’s file right now.” There was a pause. “Interesting.”

“What?” I asked.

“Her file has no mention of you as a contact. I do remember you, of course, and know that you were actively involved in your sister’s progress, and as the person financially responsible for her care. You were listed to be called for emergencies or updates.”

“But not now?”

“Exactly. I’m not sure why, unless she had your name removed.”

“So she was released? I thought she needed the full four months of treatment.”

“She does. But she checked herself out.”

“She checked herself out,” I repeated, not just for me, but for Riley as well.

Cord came over and stood before us, one foot on the step and leaned in.

“Put it on speaker,” Riley said.

I fiddled with the phone and held it up between us.

“As you’re well aware, we can’t keep a patient in our facility. If Beth wanted to leave, she could. And, well, she did.”

“Did you know she got married?” I asked. Cord’s eyebrows winged up.

Dr. Shemanski cleared her throat. I remembered her to be a calm woman, strict because of the kind of patients she had, yet kind. “No, I was not aware of that.”

“She said his name was David.”

There was a pause and I glanced between Cord and Riley. “Kady, David Briggs was a patient here until a few days ago when he, too, checked himself out.”

“At the same time?”

I heard the clicking of a keyboard. “No, the day before Beth.”

“What can you tell me about him?”

“I can’t say much due to patient confidentiality, but he is of the same age as your sister. They had some groups together.”

“What can you tell me?”

“Your sister will most likely return to drugs.”