Ask a Shadow to Dance Read Free Page B

in the yellow pages for Morgan Enterprises. One phone call to a J.C. Morgan verified it wasn’t the same man. They must have an unlisted number or just a cell phone.
    There wasn’t a lot of investigating he could do on Sunday, but he had to try. For a reason he couldn’t name, he knew he had to find Lisette Morgan again, if for no other reason than to prove he hadn’t imagined her.
    He spent an hour that afternoon in the main library at Peabody and McLean, searching without success all the telephone books for Memphis and every suburb and town within a hundred miles. He even checked the listings as far away as Little Rock and Nashville. Nothing. Any further search would have to wait until Monday. The clerk at the front desk asked if he wanted to look in the Memphis room, part of the history section. He told her he was looking for someone who lived in Memphis now, but thanked her for the suggestion.
    Marilu called after supper to tell him again how wonderful he was and how dreamy Phillip had proven to be. She’d been home at ten of one, earning Joe’s approval, and Phillip had asked Marilu for a date the following weekend. Life couldn’t be better. He half-listened, thinking about Lisette while Marilu chattered on and on.
    He didn’t sleep much that night, either.
    * * * * *
    Monday morning, David called the Chamber of Commerce, the telephone company, and the public utilities, just to see if they had a customer by the name of Jacob Morgan. There were no listings. He had no idea what to do next. He hurried through hospital rounds and got to his office fifteen minutes late.
    “Morning, Lana.”
    “Good morning, Doctor Stewart.” She took one look at his red eyes and said, “Big weekend?” David didn’t answer. She called the first patient.
    He worked steadily until noon, met Joe for potato skins, wild rice and shrimp, downtown at The North End—one of their favorite restaurants—then saw another steady stream of patients until a little after five o’clock.
    He always checked with Lana before leaving. She had run the office for the past four years and he depended on her. She could have held him up repeatedly for raises, and he would have caved in and agreed without a single protest. He gave her bonuses twice a year, hoping to keep her working happily for years to come, but that could change soon.
    Before Greg Chandler had entered the scene, David had taken her to dinner a couple of times, but nothing had ever come of it. He thought it best to keep their relationship strictly professional. This new boyfriend made it easier—and harder, too. A pediatrician just out of residency, Greg would soon be David’s partner, giving David more free time and Greg a chance to establish his practice in Memphis. David had no idea what effect that arrangement might have on Lana’s loyalty.
    “Busy day.” She filed the last of the case folders. “Tomorrow’s better.”
    “When’s the first one coming in?”
    “Not until after lunch. I decided to give you a chance to sleep late. There were only two in the morning, so I rescheduled them.”
    “Bless you, my child. Does it show that badly?”
    “Let’s just say I’ve seen you look brighter. Get some sleep, Doctor, and don’t call me in the morning.”
    “Thanks. See you tomorrow afternoon.” David’s only thought was hot water and the Jacuzzi.
    At home, he fished the newspaper from its usual resting place in the junipers and went straight to start the water filling the huge tub—a luxury he’d never regretted installing after they bought the house—then to the kitchen to find something to eat. At this rate, he’d be in bed early—barring any emergency calls. He had to come up with a new strategy to find Lisette. Sleep was essential for clear thinking.
    He grabbed a cold beer and a chunk of leftover roast beef from the refrigerator, then took everything back to the bathroom and turned on the Jacuzzi. Easing into the turbulent hot water felt wonderful. He lay back