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The receptionist interrupted Their conversation by buzzing Carrie’s office to let her know her 9:30 appointment, Henry Smithson, had arrived.
Chapter eight
Jeff relaxed at his camp several days later, preparing for the upcoming bow-hunting season. The meeting with the wealthy client had not gone well because the man refused to pay a fair wage for the assignment. Perhaps that might be why he had money. The prospective client felt Jeff could capture great photos of bears, deer, and bobcats with only a few days of effort. Jeff knew waiting for the perfect shot could be minutes or days. He’d learned when you have a disconnect like this with a client, the best thing to do is walk away. Besides, with his newfound celebrity, he had plenty of work to keep him busy.
Today Jeff needed to do a final check of every treestand on the property. Grant operated on strict orders from his doctor to avoid unnecessary physical activity until his next exam. Jeff liked doing this type of work anyway and assured Grant he would handle this task himself. Jeff knew falling was the biggest risk when hunting 20 ft high in a tree. He insisted that every treestand on the property have a safety rope attached. Chet checked all the stands in the Spring and assured Jeff they were all secure.
The Tower stand sat atop a high bluff with large boulders below. Being at the top of the ridge gave the hunter an excellent view of a deer trail that extended past the stand about 30 feet below. Jeff climbed the ladder with his safety vest attached to the safety line. He reached the top of the ladder next to the stand, raised his leg, and stepped onto the treestand platform with his right foot. Then he released his left foot from the ladder and placed it on the platform. As soon as he had his full weight on the platform, the strap securing the platform to the tree broke. The platform buckled, and in an instant, Jeff started to plummet from the tree. His 205-pound body began a rapid freefall when suddenly, the safety line saved Jeff from falling into the boulders below. He dangled in mid-air, trying to catch his breath while the platform clanged noisily to the ground. Jeff had to swing his body inward to get one foot back on the ladder. He carefully got his second foot on the ladder and climbed safely down to the ground.
This was Jeff’s closest call in over 20 years of bowhunting. What had happened to that treestand? He examined the strap to see why it broke. It didn’t appear frayed or chewed as he would expect if a squirrel or mouse had gnawed it. It looked like a clean cut had left only a few fibers remaining to hold the stand in the tree. He couldn’t figure out why it broke today because Chet supposedly checked all the stands in the Spring. As Jeff stood at the base of the tree, he pulled out his cell phone and dialed Chet’s number.
When Chet answered, Jeff said, “Hey Chet, I’m standing at the base of the Tower treestand at camp. I almost got killed climbing into the stand. The strap holding it to the tree let loose. I might be dead on the rocks below if I hadn’t worn my safety rope. You told me you checked all the stands in late April. Did you do so, and did you check the Tower Stand?”
“Hell yes I did,'' said Chet. “I went to all those stands, and they were all good. Whatever happened to that stand occurred since I checked it out in April. You weren’t implying I had something to do with it, were you?”
“I’m not implying anything, but I just want to figure out what happened here. It almost looks like it got cut with a knife or something.”
“Well, I don’t think I believe that Jeff. Some critter like a squirrel or porcupine probably chewed it. Nobody would have cut it intentionally. You’re lucky you had that safety line attached today because I’ve seen you climb without it.”
“Yes, I am lucky to have worn it. Now we need to check every other stand to ensure they’re secure. I’m done for the day, but nobody is climbing up one of these stands before each and everyone is re-inspected.”
“I gotta run, Jeff,” Chet said. “Glad you weren’t seriously hurt.
Chapter nine
Carrie Cunningham’s day wasn’t going well at all. Mondays were always the worst day because people put off doctor visits until after the weekend. As a primary care physician in a small town, she saw all kinds of patients. Her first two appointments that morning were with young children getting shots for school. These were relatively easy visits, and each had gone smoothly. Next came Sam Regwalski, a hypochondriac who always found something wrong with himself. At 76, it’s normal to have aches and pains in the morning, but Sam always thought he hovered on “death’s door.” Today he said he might have ALS, commonly called Lou Gehrig’s disease. He claimed to have diagnosed the affliction based on some research he did on the internet. His symptoms did not match this terrible disease in any manner, but Carrie had a hard time “talking him off the ledge.” Finally, he left her office, reassured. Carrie knew he would likely return in a week or two with another imaginary problem.
Her last appointment involved a young man who had contracted gonorrhea. He seemed oblivious to the need to protect himself from venereal disease by utilizing a condom. On top of that, he resisted Carrie’s insistence he contact all partners he had sex with over the past two months. She finally got him to promise to contact the three women involved but didn’t believe he would actually follow through. The laws are lax in Michigan regarding notification of sexual partners.
Carrie felt exhausted and was in a bad mood by the morning’s end. Dealing with today’s patients made her question what she loved about her job. She had just enough time to eat a deli sandwich before embarking on another task she dreaded. The second Monday of each month marked her regularly scheduled meeting with Anna Timmons, the bookkeeper for the medical practice. Anna had handled the books for her uncle for many years. She built a robust accounting practice servicing many of the businesses in Granite Cove. As Carrie finished her sandwich and grabbed her car keys, she wasn’t looking forward to going over finances. At least her uncle was in the office and could handle the afternoon appointments. That was the best news she could come up with for now.
“Hi Carrie, I’ll be with you in just a minute. Have a seat in my conference room, and I’ll be back as soon as I grab your records,” Anna said.
“Will do. Hey, do you mind if I grab a cup of your coffee? I’ve had a terrible day and need some caffeine desperately.”
“Help yourself, and I will be with you in a jiffy.”
Anna entered the room with her laptop and copies of invoices in case they were needed. She proceeded to review the complete financial status of the practice in a comprehensive manner. “Overall, you and Dr. Waymont are doing very well. In fact, I wish all my clients were doing half as well as your practice. Cash flow is excellent, and almost all your insurance companies are paying on time. I see you’re continuing the pro-bono work that Dr. Waymont has done for years. That’s the only major aspect of your business that is not profitable. You guys should be commended for helping out some people around here without the ability to pay. Your office manager Diane is doing an excellent job of controlling costs and inventory. Your inventory levels have decreased despite keeping up with demand. Diane is following some of the tips I gave her a few months ago to ensure you have adequate, but not excessive, inventories of medical supplies. I can also see you’re putting in long hours, Carrie, based on the number of clients you saw this past month. Dr. Waymont was gradually cutting back even before his illness, so I bet he’s excited you agreed to join him and lead the practice. Is he still going to be seeing patients going forward?”
“Yes, following his COVID, he has had to reduce his workload because he’s still tired much of the time. He’s slowly starting to come into the office a bit more. I think he isn’t ready to fully retire anytime soon.”
Anna spent most of the next half hour showing Carrie the profit and loss data, along with accounts receivable displayed in fancy charts. Carrie started to get a little impatient by the end of the session when Susan pulled out her last folder to review. “You’ve had an excellent month securing new clients, Carrie. Our records show 12 new patients have selected your practice this month. Here’s the list of new patients. Does this look right to you?” Carrie quickly scanned the list and nodded as she recognized all the names of the new people she saw last month. “On the other hand, you only lost three patients this month, so the practice is growing steadily. Of the three patients, one moved out of state, one died, and one transferred their records to Dr. Smalls in Trout River.”
“May I see that list?'' Carrie asked. She wasn’t used to losing any patients and took it personally when someone dropped her. Susan handed her the list, and Carrie scanned the page until the name appeared. An amused smile broke out on her face as she silently read the name: Jeffrey Koehler! Susan was surprised by Carrie’s reaction since she’d never seen a doctor appear happy to lose a patient.
Chapter ten
Jeff had been busy selling some of his photos at an art fair in nearby Bangate City for the past week when he finally rolled into the Cuppa Joe coffee shop in the afternoon. He had many photos that needed to be sorted and classified. Jeff brought his laptop so he could work while enjoying a cup of black coffee and a scone. He settled into the shop’s back corner as he sorted pictures and placed them in folders on his hard drive.
Jeff heard the bell on the door ring as someone stepped into the shop. He glanced up absent-mindedly before seeing Carrie, her two children, and a man he immediately assumed to be her ex-husband by how he interacted with the kids. The girl stood about 5ft 6in tall and looked remarkably similar to her mother. She wore white shorts and a Taylor Swift T-shirt. The boy also seemed tall for his age, with reddish brown hair. He sported a Ben Wallace throwback jersey, black Nike shorts, and Jordan basketball shoes. They had been in the coffee shop before because the waitress immediately asked, “What flavor of ice cream will you have today, Jenna? How about you, Tyler? Are you going with Superman again today?”
Carrie looked up and spotted Jeff sitting in the back of the shop and gave a quick smile and nod before turning back to the clerk to pay for the ice cream. The man Jeff assumed was Carrie’s ex-husband noticed Carrie smiling at Jeff. His gaze lingered on Jeff for a few extra seconds before he ordered a single scoop of butter pecan. He stood tall and muscular, with straight blonde hair and a mustache. His face looked beet red from sunburn, and he wore flip-flops and a “Foster’s beer” T-shirt that made him look younger than his actual age. The kids seemed to adore him as he teased them about ordering double scoops of ice cream. The four of them left immediately after everyone got their cones. Then they disappeared around the corner as quickly as they arrived.
Jeff found this incident a bit unnerving. He remained interested in Carrie despite the impediments in his way. He wondered if this meant she and her ex-husband were getting back together. Jeff knew timing meant everything in a relationship. Carrie’s life was incredibly busy and complicated. He decided to redirect his energy to other important things, like his career. He finished his photo review, returned several calls with potential clients, and drove home.
Jeff’s house featured a modern two-bedroom layout overlooking Lake Huron on what many people in town felt was the best lot along the entire shoreline. Jeff bought the small home from the proceeds of his interest in Koehler. He remodeled it and created a very comfortable home out of what, at one time, had been a dated cottage. His house sat on a bluff overlooking Hartfield Bay, providing extraordinary views of the lake freighters and pleasure yachts that passed by regularly. The house had hardwood floors, a living room with a fieldstone fireplace, a guest bedroom, a modern kitchen, and a full bath. Upstairs sat the Master bedroom, complete with a master bath and a balcony overlooking the lake. Jeff truly loved the house and sometimes wished his schedule allowed him to spend more time there.
On Saturday, Jeff had some trim to paint around the new interior doors he had recently installed. He got in his truck and drove to the Ace Hardware store on the main street of Granite Cove. Jeff greeted the owner Ralph, an old friend from high school days, and stood near the front counter waiting for his paint to finish in the paint shaker. From the back of the store, he heard a voice saying, “Yeah, that should do it. My wife gave me a “honey-do” list, and this job is at the very top. Even though we aren’t married anymore, she still can’t do without me.” Carrie’s ex-husband then walked toward the front counter with several plumbing fixtures in his hand. He immediately noticed Jeff standing there and said, “Hey, you’re the guy I saw yesterday at the coffee shop. I’m Todd Cunningham. I could see yesterday that you obviously know my wife. Are you one of the farm boys she looks after here in Granite Cove?”
