Strange Medicine (Dr. Maxwell Thornton Murder Mysteries #1)(2)

Pop over. Look-see. Didn’t these people understand protocol?

“I’m not set up to see patients yet.”

“Dr. Pine—your predecessor—left over three months ago. We haven’t had a doctor that whole time. If we wanted to see someone, we had to travel all the way into Dallas.” Ned sighed. “Come on. What would it hurt to take a peek?” He scratched his arm. “It’s awfully uncomfortable.”

“Doc, what should I tell Mrs. Lowe?”

“Tell her to make an appointment in three days when I’m ready for business.” I took a few more steps toward my private office.

Another knock on the doorjamb set my teeth on edge. I glanced over to find an elderly woman wearing a large hat with sunflowers. “Hello,” she called out in a sing-songy voice. “Is there a doctor in the house?” She giggled as if she found herself hilarious, and she held out her hand. “I’m Penelope Granger, mayor of Rainy Dale.”

I shook her hand.

“I was here first,” Ned grumbled, eying her impatiently. “Mayor or no mayor.”

“Oh. Well, I don’t need much time. Just a renewal of my um… medicine.” She pulled her hat off and fanned herself. “It’s hot as Hades today.”

Two more people entered the small clinic, and I avoided making eye contact. Had someone sent up a plane that had skywritten the message “The new doctor has arrived”? Why were all these people descending on me?

The phone rang again, and I clenched my jaw. I didn’t like crowds, and I didn’t like being pushed into things. “Look, you all need to go away. I don’t open until Thursday.”

Apparently not hearing me, Girdy spoke with her hand over the mouthpiece of the phone. “Doc, Patricia Bones would like to bring her son in. He has a cough.”

I faced her, my shoulders stiff. “Please don’t call me Doc. I prefer Dr. Thornton. And no. I won’t see Patricia Bones, or anybody.” I raked a shaky hand through my hair. The small room felt even tinier with all these people staring at me expectantly. “I open for business at 8:00 a.m. on Thursday. Unless it’s an emergency, go away.”

“Go away?” Penelope widened her eyes. “What do you mean?”

I hitched my suitcase higher. “I mean go home. Make an appointment and then go.” I headed toward my office, feeling their eyes burning into my back.

“But you’re a doctor.” Ned’s voice was outraged.

I stopped and faced them. “Yes. During business hours. If you want a beer but the bar is closed, it’s not like the owner opens the bar for you just because you show up.”

“But we’re not talking about a bar. You’re a doctor. You deal in life or death.” Penelope’s eyes were cool and her mouth a hard line.

“Are any of you dying?” I raised one brow.

“Well…” Ned sputtered. “I might be.”

I rolled my eyes. “Go to the pharmacy and buy an intensive healing cream for eczema or something. That should give you some relief.”

The phone rang again and Girdy lifted the receiver, but when she met my stern gaze she hung up.

“Good girl.” I turned back toward my office and opened the door. The musty smell of stale air hit me. I closed the door behind me and leaned against it. I’d hoped to have a few days to acclimatize myself to this town, but the way they’d all come at me, I felt a little like the last donut at a police station.

Glancing around the stuffy, dark room I noticed an EKG machine and a sphygmomanometer, aka blood pressure monitor. White cupboards and a sink were across from the examination table, and several pairs of stethoscopes hung from a hook on the wall. I moved to the storage area and rummaged through some drawers, checking over consumable supplies and making a mental note of things we’d need. Making lists and organizing always calmed me.

There was a soft knock on the door, and I closed my eyes, feeling irritable. “What is it?”

The door opened slowly and Girdy poked her head in. “They’ve all gone.”

Relief washed through me. “Good.”

“I’m sorry about that.” She grimaced. “Dr. Pine pretty much let people come and go as they pleased.”

“That’s no way to run an efficient office.”

“I know.” She shrugged. “But people liked him.”

“I’m not interested in making friends. I’m here to keep the people of this town healthy.” I crossed my arms.

She bit her lower lip. “Is there some reason you couldn’t maybe do both?”

I snorted. “Why would I?”

She stepped in and closed the door. “You were a surgeon before, right?”

“Yes.” I sighed.

“So, you mostly dealt with people who weren’t awake.”

I frowned. “I consulted with patients too.”

“But mostly, you just operated?”

“Where are you going with this?”

She moved closer, her voice soft. “You might need to tweak your bedside manner a little bit if you’re going to last in Rainy Dale.”

“I can’t even believe I’m stuck here,” I snapped. The moment the words were out of my mouth, I regretted them. I’d been lucky this opportunity had come up for me. I’d needed to get away from the city and had jumped at the chance to take this position.