The Patient's List: A gripping psychological thriller with a killer twist by James Caine

Author:James Caine [Caine, James]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2022-10-08T16:00:00+00:00

Chapter 20

Rina knocked hard on Ron Alder’s front door. She waited patiently for a response. After a few moments she rang the doorbell, and again knocked. Nobody answered.

Rina knew he was home. His black Escalade was parked in the driveway, clear as day. Not knowing what else she could do, she knocked again.

“Hell,” Rina blurted out. “What now?” She looked at her watch; it was nearly ten thirty at night. Ron did not come off as the type to pass out at this time, but she could be wrong.

Rina returned to her car, but before getting inside she turned and looked at the home’s large windows. She scanned each of them for movement.

A voice inside Rina told her to leave, but she needed to talk to Ron. Things were not adding up, and Rina had to know why. Everything stemmed from Amy Deaver, an eighteen-year-old autistic girl who tried to kill herself.

Ron Alder had answers.

Rina walked around the side of the house, opening a small black gate. She peered into the backyard and the rear windows. A light in an upstairs room caught her attention. Rina squinted and saw a shadow of something inside.

Could be a lamp or anything, she thought. Suddenly, the shadow moved.

“Hey!” Rina called. She ran to the front door and knocked and rang the doorbell again. She waited patiently for a response from Ron, who she’d clearly seen inside. He lived alone. Divorced, his son did not live with him, although Rina was sure he wished he still could.

“C’mon!” Rina shouted again.

A snapping sound made her turn her head towards the driveway. All she saw was her car. She thought she heard footsteps and called out.

“Mr. Alder? I need to talk to you. It’s not about Cody.” She headed out to her car, but nobody was there. Despite not seeing anything, she had a strange feeling.

She knew someone was in the house. They weren't answering the door though. She looked up at the front windows again, hoping to see movement. They were dark. Nothing was visible.

“We need to talk!” Rina shouted. “Please!” When nothing happened, Rina got into her car, and started it. The lights turned on. She put her foot on the brake and looked at her rear-view mirror. The red brake lights illuminated a group of thick trees across the street. Rina backed up her car and started to leave the driveway. She looked again at the rear-view and for a moment thought she saw something move in the brush behind her.

“Just leave!” the voice inside her yelled. She had never experienced such a visceral feeling of danger before. This time she listened to her gut and began driving down the street. She looked out into the dark wooded area as she did.

When she got back to the hospital, she waved at Ryan before swiping her pass. “Still quiet?” she asked the guard.

“Nothing to report,” Ryan said. “Where’s your files?”

“What’s that?” Rina asked.

“The files you went home to grab.”

Rina shook her head. “What a night,” she said, smiling.

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