Chapter 3 - THE PATIENT WHO NEVER EXISTED
I didn't sleep that night.
Because he knows you opened the door before.
The words rattled around in my skull like loose change. I told myself it was nonsense. The ramblings of a disturbed child.
But something about the way he'd said it. The certainty. The calm.
I found myself in my office at 3 AM, pulling old files from the cabinet. Patient records from eight years ago. The year I'd first started my practice.
I was looking for something. I didn't know what.
Then I found it.
A file. Tucked behind a folder of insurance claims. The name on the tab:
THOMAS REZNIK
I'd never heard that name before. I was sure of it.
But the file was thin. Almost empty. Just a intake form with basic information. Name. Age. Occupation: Contractor.
And then, at the bottom, a single note in my own handwriting:
Patient referred to Dr. Adrian Vale for further evaluation. Case transferred.
I stared at the words. Dr. Adrian Vale. I didn't know anyone by that name.
I pulled out my phone. Searched for him.
May you like
Nothing. No website. No directory listing. No medical license.
It was like he didn't exist.
