But Nancy has already started to panic. “The police are coming?”
“Maybe. But we have a few minutes at least. Alice will try to stall them. We’ve done this before. The most important thing you can do for us both is to stay calm.”
“It was that man, wasn’t it!”
“What man?”
“I told Alice, when I was coming up the path there was a man a few doors down, watching me. She said his name was Charlie or something. A patient of yours. Did he call the cops on us?”
“Ah, Chester,” Dr. Taylor says. “No, he’s a sweet man, and I don’t think he has any idea what goes on here. We’re very careful. That’s why I rent the upstairs apartment to a Jane, too.”
Nancy is less convinced, but tries to focus on the stucco ceiling, a dark circle that might be water damage.
“Deep breaths, Nancy, okay? The more relaxed your muscles are, the quicker I can work.”
Although she can’t see what the doctor is doing, Nancy can hear the clicks and creaks of metal on metal. She wishes they’d given her earplugs.
A moment later, Alice slides back into the room. Her eyes are wide, and her face is stony. Nancy hears footfalls on a distant set of stairs as their informant slips back into her apartment.
“We don’t have long, Evelyn,” Alice says. “Minutes, maybe. It’s us tonight.”
“Okay,” Dr. Taylor says. “Go into the hall and answer the front door when they come, Alice. If they press, tell them I’m doing a routine PAP exam, just like last time.”
“They had a warrant last time.”
“And they’ll have one again this time, I’m sure. They’re determined. I don’t know why they’re still bothering to waste their resources on us. This is kind of a moot point now,” she mutters, more to herself than to anyone else. More clicking of metal. “I’m going to finish here, Alice, so we can get Nancy home as soon as possible for a good strong cup of tea and a warm bed. There won’t be anything to arrest us on.”
Alice disappears again.
“Hey, Nancy,” Dr. Taylor says. “Look at me.”
Nancy leans her head forward slightly and meets Dr. Taylor’s eyes, her own brimming with the threat of tears.
“I can feel you shaking. I know this must be very scary for you, but for both our sakes, I need you to play along here and stick to the story.”
Nancy’s chest is tight and she’s having trouble breathing. “Okay,” she manages.
“Good. Now, you’re here tonight for a routine PAP test. Your last one came back abnormal so you’re getting a second opinion from another doctor that isn’t your usual physician. Our schedules didn’t line up this week during business hours, so you’re here tonight instead. That’s all. Okay?”
Nancy nods. “That’s all?”
“That’s all you need to remember. The less you say, the better. Just play along and don’t act surprised by anything Alice or I say. Got it?”
“Yes.”
“Nancy, this is critically important. I could go to prison.”
Nancy nods again. She hates herself for asking it but blurts out the words anyway. “Can I go to prison for this? For having it done?”
Dr. Taylor doesn’t answer. “I can tell you’re a brave woman,” she says instead. “We’ll get through this together.”
They hold each other’s gaze tightly for a moment, a distant hug that calms Nancy a fraction as she tries to steady her breathing. Then Dr. Taylor speaks again.
“I’m truly very sorry to have to say this, but please wipe your eyes. There shouldn’t be any reason for you to be crying. From their perspective, I mean.”
Nancy turns to the ceiling, focusing once again on the dark stain that blights the otherwise perfect landscape of the pure white stucco. She wipes her eyes on the backs of her hands, then runs a finger along the rims to rub off the mascara that’s probably smudged underneath her lower lashes. She sniffles her nose, clears her throat, and steels her resolve.
“That’s my girl,” Dr. Taylor says.
The doorbell rings, cracking into the smothering silence like a poorly timed joke. They’re here.
Nancy can just hear the sound of a deeper male voice interspersed with Alice’s when Dr. Taylor whispers, “That’s it, Nancy. All done. It’s over. Just stay still for now.”
Nancy fights back the tears of mingled fear and relief that still threaten. She closes her eyes for a moment, listening as Dr. Taylor packs up her equipment. She opens her eyes again, blinking slowly. The tears are retreating for now, but she knows they’ll be back later.
Dr. Taylor flies around the room, stashing things into locked cupboards. The ruffled snap of a garbage bag being tied. Voices out in the hallway. Nancy wants to go home more than she has ever wanted anything in her life. Dr. Taylor pulls out other items she didn’t even use for the procedure, sets them out on the metal standing tray that’s perched beside Nancy’s ankle. The actors are taking their places, Nancy realizes, fixing their expressions into forced and gleaming smiles. Ready to fool their audience the moment the curtain rises on the scene.
Nancy is still taking deep, deliberate breaths in an effort not to vomit when Dr. Taylor resettles herself onto the small stool. She lets Nancy out of the stirrups and rubs her hands up and down the tops of her feet in reassurance.
“I can’t let you get dressed just yet,” she says through her mask. “I still need to check a couple of things. But I’ve set out everything I’d normally need for a PAP,” she says, indicating the tray full of innocent tools. “That’s all they’ll see. As long as they don’t catch us in the act, they can’t charge us. We’ll try to keep them away from you, but they won’t want to come too close anyway. In my experience, men like these guys are thoroughly freaked out by anything to do with a vagina that isn’t sex.”
Despite the situation, Nancy feels the muscles of her face strain into a smile.
“Don’t say anything unless they demand to speak with you. Then just stick to the story.”
“Okay.”
Dr. Taylor gives Nancy’s left foot a small squeeze. The voices in the hall draw closer. Alice is demanding to see a warrant. Nancy can hear three or four men, their voices rising to an angry crescendo against Alice’s protests.
A moment later, there’s a soft knock on the door. It opens and Alice pokes her head through, eyes wide.
“Dr. Taylor?”
“Yes?”
“There are a few policemen here to speak with you. They have a warrant to search the premises.” Alice’s final word is still lingering in the stifling air of the bright room when the door is pushed open forcibly from over her shoulder. “Sir—”
“I understand you wish to speak with me, Officer.” Dr. Taylor stands up now. She strides the few steps across the small room to the doorway. Nancy’s breathing is shallow. She already misses the weight of Dr. Taylor’s hand on her foot.
Dr. Taylor extends that hand instead to the policeman. The officer hesitates before shaking it.
“Pernith,” he answers.
“Nice to meet you, Officer Pernith.” She grips his hand before dropping it aggressively, as though she would rather throw it across the room. “I understand you and your fellows here have a search warrant for my practice?” She nods to the other three young officers who stand behind Pernith. Two of them, closest to the door, wear hard expressions, their jaws set tightly, eyes narrowed underneath their heavy brows. The other lurks much farther back down the hall, his eyes cast down at his shoes.