“I don’t know Dr. Ellis.”
There was a pause.
“That’s what concerns us.”
I glanced at Grady.
He had gone completely pale.
Kelsey whispered, “What’s wrong?”
I covered the phone.
“Both of you stay here.”
Grady stood.
“Mom—”
I raised my hand.
“Not one word.”
Then I stepped outside.
The dealership doors closed behind me.
The September air was cool against my face, but I barely noticed.
“Ms. Grant,” I said, “please tell me exactly what you can tell me.”
“I need to be careful because of privacy regulations. But Dr. Ellis listed a vehicle associated with your name as one of his emergency transportation contacts.”
“My name?”
“Yes.”
“What vehicle?”
She gave me the plate number.
It was my SUV.
The same SUV sitting thirty feet away from me.
I closed my eyes.
“Is Dr. Ellis a patient there?”
“Yes.”
“Is he currently there?”
Another pause.
“He was admitted yesterday.”
My stomach tightened.
“Is he okay?”
“He’s stable.”
I exhaled.
“Then why are you calling me?”
“Because he specifically asked us to contact you if his condition changed.”
“Why would a stranger do that?”
“We don’t know.”
I looked through the glass.
Grady was arguing with Kelsey now.
Neither could see me clearly.
“Did he tell you who I am?”
“Yes.”
“What did he say?”
Melissa hesitated.
“He said you were the only person who might believe him.”
My breath caught.
“Believe him about what?”
“I can’t discuss his medical situation over the phone.”
“I understand.”
“But there is one thing I can tell you.”
“What?”
“He gave us your full name.”
She paused.
“Then he said something unusual.”
“What?”
“He said, ‘Karen Whitlow doesn’t know me yet. But she will.’”
The call ended.
I stood in the parking lot staring at nothing.
When I returned inside, Grady immediately approached.
“Mom, what did they want?”
I looked at him.
“Who is Nathan Ellis?”
“I told you. I don’t know.”
“Then why did you look terrified when I mentioned his name?”
“I wasn’t terrified.”
“You were.”
Kelsey stepped between us.
“Karen, this is getting ridiculous.”
I looked at her.
“Was Nathan Ellis at your townhouse?”
Her face changed.
Only slightly.
But I saw it.
Grady saw it too.
“What?” he asked.
Kelsey shook her head.
“No.”
“Mom didn’t say he was.”
“I know.”
“Then why did you react like that?”
“I didn’t.”
Grady stared at her.
“Kelsey.”
She crossed her arms.
“I don’t know who that man is.”
I watched them both.
Then I asked the question I had been avoiding.
“Who was in the white sedan?”
Neither answered.
I repeated it.
“The white sedan parked outside your townhouse.”
Kelsey looked at Grady.
Grady looked at the floor.
And suddenly I understood something.
The mysterious car wasn’t a mystery to them.
It was a mystery to me.
That distinction mattered.
“Grady,” I said quietly.
He finally looked up.
“Who was in the house?”
His lips parted.
Nothing came out.
Kelsey whispered, “Nobody.”
I turned to her.
“You said nobody?”
“Yes.”
“Then why has that hospital parking tag been hanging in the same car outside your home for two mornings?”
Her expression hardened.
“You’re driving past our house?”
“I was driving on the street.”
“You said you weren’t coming over.”
“I didn’t.”
“You were watching us.”
“No.”
She laughed bitterly.
“Then what were you doing?”
“Wondering why my son told me to stay away while a stranger’s car appeared at his house every morning.”
Grady suddenly said, “Mom, I can explain.”
Kelsey turned toward him.
“Grady.”
He ignored her.
“I didn’t want to tell you.”
“Tell me what?”
He looked exhausted.
“I made a mistake.”
Kelsey whispered, “Don’t.”
“I have to.”
He looked at me.
“About six months ago, I borrowed money.”
“How much?”
“Twenty thousand.”
I stared at him.
“From whom?”
He didn’t answer.
“Grady.”
“Nathan.”
The dealership seemed to disappear around me.
“You borrowed twenty thousand dollars from Nathan Ellis?”
“Yes.”
“Why?”
He swallowed.
“Debt.”
“What kind of debt?”
He rubbed both hands over his face.
“Business.”
“What business?”
He looked at Kelsey.
She shook her head.
“Don’t.”
I felt a coldness settle inside me.
“What business, Grady?”
He finally answered.
“Online medical equipment.”
I frowned.
“What does that mean?”
“It was supposed to be a resale business.”
“And?”
“It failed.”
“How much did you lose?”
He didn’t answer.
“Grady.”
“Eighty-seven thousand.”
I stared at him.
Kelsey started crying.
But my anger wasn’t directed at the money.
It was directed at the lie.
“You lost eighty-seven thousand dollars and never told me?”
“I was going to fix it.”
“With what?”
He looked at the floor.
“With the SUV.”
I understood.
“The buyout.”
He nodded.
“I thought if I bought the SUV under my name and sold it later, I could pay Nathan back.”
I looked at Kelsey.
“And she knew?”
“She knew some of it.”
Kelsey snapped, “I didn’t know about Nathan!”
Grady looked at her.
“You knew I owed someone.”
“I thought it was a bank.”
“You knew I was meeting him.”
“I didn’t know who he was!”
I stepped backward.
For three years I had been paying bills because I believed my son was simply struggling to establish his family.
But this wasn’t ordinary struggling.
This was a hole.
And I had been pouring money into it without realizing how deep it was.
“Why did Nathan’s name get added to my lease?”
Grady looked at Kelsey.
“I don’t know.”
Kelsey shook her head.
“I didn’t add him.”
“Someone did.”
“I know!”
“Then who?”
Neither answered.
My phone buzzed.
A text message.
Unknown number.
Karen, please don’t let them return the SUV. I need you to hear what happened before you make any decisions. —Nathan
I showed them the message.
Grady’s face went white.
Kelsey whispered, “Delete it.”
I stared at her.
“Why?”
She didn’t answer.
Grady stepped closer.
“Mom, don’t contact him.”
“Why?”
“Because you don’t know what you’re getting involved in.”
I almost laughed.
“You borrowed money from him.”
“I know.”
“And now you’re warning me about him?”
“Yes.”
“Why?”
Grady looked at me with something I hadn’t seen in his face since he was a child.
Fear.
“Because Nathan isn’t who I thought he was.”
I left the dealership without another word.
I didn’t go home.
I drove directly to St. Matthew Medical Center.
The white sedan was there.
Parked beneath a tree near the emergency entrance.
I sat in my car for almost ten minutes.
I considered leaving.
I considered calling Grady.
Then I remembered what Melissa had said.
He said you were the only person who might believe him.
I walked inside.
At the reception desk, I gave Nathan’s name.
A nurse checked the computer.
“He’s awake.”
“Can I see him?”
“Are you family?”
“No.”
She looked at me.
“Friend?”
I thought about it.
“No.”
“Then why are you here?”
I took the folded lease packet from my purse.
“I think my son owes him money.”
The nurse’s expression changed.
She made a phone call.
A few minutes later, Melissa appeared.
“Mrs. Whitlow?”
“Yes.”
“Come with me.”
She led me through a quiet hallway.
Room 418.
She stopped at the door.
“One thing before you go in.”
“What?”
“He has been asking about you since yesterday.”
“Why?”
She looked uncomfortable.
“I don’t know.”
Then she opened the door.
Nathan Ellis looked nothing like the man I had imagined.
He was probably in his late forties.
