We reached the hospital in two cars.<\/p>\n
Rebecca drove me.<\/p>\n
Ortiz followed with another detective.<\/p>\n
The entire trip, I watched the city pass without registering a single building.<\/p>\n
Someone had entered Evelyn\u2019s room.<\/p>\n
Someone had disconnected her oxygen.<\/p>\n
The phrase repeated until it stopped sounding real.<\/p>\n
At the hospital entrance, Ortiz instructed us not to approach Evelyn until security cleared the floor.<\/p>\n
I ignored her for exactly six seconds.<\/p>\n
Then two officers physically blocked the corridor.<\/p>\n
Rebecca caught my arm.<\/p>\n
\u201cClaire.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cShe could die.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI know.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cShe could die before telling me.\u201d<\/p>\n
Rebecca tightened her grip.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis isn\u2019t only about what she can tell you.\u201d<\/p>\n
The words stopped me.<\/p>\n
Evelyn was not evidence.<\/p>\n
She was a frightened eighty-one-year-old woman whose son may have pushed her down a staircase and who had spent years carrying secrets that were now closing around all of us.<\/p>\n
I sat.<\/p>\n
Ten minutes later Ortiz returned.<\/p>\n
\u201cShe\u2019s stable.\u201d<\/p>\n
My shoulders dropped.<\/p>\n
\u201cCan I see her?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes. Briefly.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWho entered the room?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHospital security is reviewing footage.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWas it Nolan?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHe was in police custody.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cSo he sent someone.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWe don\u2019t know that.\u201d<\/p>\n
I heard the caution in her voice.<\/p>\n
Facts.<\/p>\n
Not assumptions.<\/p>\n
I nodded.<\/p>\n
Evelyn looked even weaker than before.<\/p>\n
A nurse stood inside the room.<\/p>\n
Another officer waited outside.<\/p>\n
When I approached the bed, Evelyn opened her eyes.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou went.\u201d<\/p>\n
I knew what she meant.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe basement.\u201d<\/p>\n
A faint sadness moved across her face.<\/p>\n
\u201cI told you not alone.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI wasn\u2019t alone.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDaniel?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
Her eyes closed.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe finally came back.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou knew he would?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI hoped.\u201d<\/p>\n
I sat.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat happened to my father?\u201d<\/p>\n
Evelyn\u2019s breathing changed.<\/p>\n
\u201cClaire.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI heard the recording.\u201d<\/p>\n
Her eyes opened.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou heard it?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
She looked toward the nurse.<\/p>\n
\u201cCan we have privacy?\u201d<\/p>\n
The nurse hesitated.<\/p>\n
Ortiz appeared behind me.<\/p>\n
\u201cWithin reason.\u201d<\/p>\n
The nurse stepped into the doorway.<\/p>\n
I moved closer.<\/p>\n
\u201cMy father hit his head.\u201d<\/p>\n
Evelyn stared at me.<\/p>\n
\u201cDaniel wanted an ambulance.\u201d<\/p>\n
Her eyes filled.<\/p>\n
\u201cNolan said no.\u201d<\/p>\n
One tear slid toward her temple.<\/p>\n
\u201cTell me.\u201d<\/p>\n
She whispered, \u201cIt was an accident.\u201d<\/p>\n
I felt the room tilt.<\/p>\n
\u201cWho caused it?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNolan.\u201d<\/p>\n
The answer was barely audible.<\/p>\n
I gripped the bed rail.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat happened?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYour father had the ledger.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThe black one?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHe confronted Nolan?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDaniel was there.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHe had brought records.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd you?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI was trying to keep them from killing each other.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDid Nolan hit my father?\u201d<\/p>\n
Evelyn shook her head.<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThen what happened?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYour father tried to leave with the evidence.\u201d<\/p>\n
She swallowed.<\/p>\n
\u201cNolan grabbed him.\u201d<\/p>\n
I waited.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe pulled his arm.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYour father stumbled.\u201d<\/p>\n
I could see it without wanting to.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe struck the desk.\u201d<\/p>\n
Evelyn closed her eyes.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe corner.\u201d<\/p>\n
My throat tightened.<\/p>\n
\u201cWas he conscious?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
That surprised me.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe recording made it sound\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHe was dazed.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy didn\u2019t you call an ambulance?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI tried.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat stopped you?\u201d<\/p>\n
Her face crumpled.<\/p>\n
\u201cNolan took the phone.\u201d<\/p>\n
I stood.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe took it?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHe said your father would recover.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDid you believe him?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThen why didn\u2019t you leave?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI was afraid.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cOf your son?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
The honesty of it silenced me.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat did Daniel do?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHe tried to take your father outside.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat stopped him?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNolan locked the door.\u201d<\/p>\n
I stared at her.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat doesn\u2019t make sense.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cIt will.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThen make it make sense.\u201d<\/p>\n
Evelyn\u2019s fingers moved weakly beneath the blanket.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere were documents everywhere. Money records. Forged signatures. Accounts. Your father said once he reached the police, Nolan would go to prison.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd Nolan panicked.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat happened next?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYour father stood up.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHe could stand?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThen why did he die?\u201d<\/p>\n
She looked away.<\/p>\n
\u201cEvelyn.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHe said he felt dizzy.\u201d<\/p>\n
My heart pounded.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe sat down.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHe became sick.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat kind of sick?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHe vomited.\u201d<\/p>\n
My mouth went dry.<\/p>\n
\u201cFrom the head injury?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThat is what I thought.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat happened?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNolan gave him water.\u201d<\/p>\n
Something in her tone changed.<\/p>\n
I heard it.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n
Evelyn would not look at me.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat was in the water?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t know.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cEvelyn.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI never saw him put anything in it.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThat isn\u2019t what I asked.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHe kept medication in the house.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat medication?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHis father\u2019s old heart medicine.\u201d<\/p>\n
My skin went cold.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat kind?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDigitalis.\u201d<\/p>\n
I knew the word.<\/p>\n
Not enough to understand dosage or effects.<\/p>\n
Enough to know it could affect the heart.<\/p>\n
\u201cAre you saying Nolan poisoned my father?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI am saying I do not know.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDid Dad drink the water?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat happened?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHe got worse.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHow quickly?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWithin minutes.\u201d<\/p>\n
I stepped away from the bed.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy didn\u2019t you tell anyone?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI tried later.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThe next morning.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWho?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThe hospital.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat did they say?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThat he had suffered cardiac arrest.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDid you mention the drink?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy?\u201d<\/p>\n
Her eyes filled again.<\/p>\n
\u201cBecause Nolan told me Daniel would go to prison for murder if I did.\u201d<\/p>\n
I stared at her.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe framed Daniel again.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHe said the police already believed Daniel was a thief and fugitive.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd you believed him.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat about me?\u201d<\/p>\n
She began crying quietly.<\/p>\n
\u201cI thought telling you would destroy your life.\u201d<\/p>\n
I almost laughed.<\/p>\n
\u201cMy life was already destroyed. I just didn\u2019t know it.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI know.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo. You knew enough to make a choice.\u201d<\/p>\n
She accepted the words without defending herself.<\/p>\n
That made them hurt more.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen did my father leave that house?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cLater that night.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWith Nolan?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAlive?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
My chest tightened.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe was alive when he left?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHe walked to the car.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThen what?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNolan said he was taking him to the hospital.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDid he?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t know.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBut Dad ended up at a hospital.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat hospital?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThe one where he died.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cSo Nolan could have taken him there.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
I searched her face.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat happened to Daniel?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHe followed.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cIn another car?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThen he should know.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHe does.\u201d<\/p>\n
I turned toward the door.<\/p>\n
Evelyn grabbed my hand.<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDon\u2019t go yet.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThere is more.\u201d<\/p>\n
I sat again.<\/p>\n
She took several breaths before continuing.<\/p>\n
\u201cDaniel followed Nolan toward the hospital.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHe lost him.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHow?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNolan turned off the highway.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhere did he go?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t know.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBut you think Daniel does?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBecause Daniel came back before dawn.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cTo the Mercer house?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat did he say?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThat Nolan had stopped somewhere.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhere?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cA clinic.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat clinic?\u201d<\/p>\n
She shook her head.<\/p>\n
\u201cI never knew the name.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat happened there?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t know.\u201d<\/p>\n
Evelyn\u2019s voice cracked.<\/p>\n
\u201cDaniel said your father walked inside.\u201d<\/p>\n
Alive.<\/p>\n
My father had been alive after leaving the Mercer house.<\/p>\n
Alive after drinking whatever Nolan gave him.<\/p>\n
Alive enough to walk into a clinic.<\/p>\n
\u201cThen how did he end up dead at the hospital?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t know.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cEvelyn.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI swear.\u201d<\/p>\n
For once I believed her completely.<\/p>\n
A knock sounded.<\/p>\n
Ortiz entered.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe need to stop.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cOne minute.\u201d<\/p>\n
She looked at Evelyn\u2019s monitor.<\/p>\n
\u201cOne.\u201d<\/p>\n
I leaned close.<\/p>\n
\u201cDid Nolan kill my father?\u201d<\/p>\n
Evelyn closed her eyes.<\/p>\n
\u201cI have asked myself that every day for twelve years.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThat isn\u2019t an answer.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
She opened them.<\/p>\n
\u201cBut I know he lied about where he took him.\u201d<\/p>\n
The minute ended.<\/p>\n
Outside the room, I told Ortiz everything.<\/p>\n
She wrote quickly.<\/p>\n
\u201cDigitalis?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThat\u2019s what Evelyn said.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019ll check medical records.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWould an autopsy show it?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cPossibly, depending on what was tested and whether an autopsy occurred.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cCan a body be tested twelve years later?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cSometimes.\u201d<\/p>\n
The word landed heavily.<\/p>\n
My father had been buried.<\/p>\n
I knew what she was suggesting.<\/p>\n
I was not ready to think about exhumation.<\/p>\n
Daniel arrived twenty minutes later under escort.<\/p>\n
Ortiz interviewed him privately.<\/p>\n
I waited with Rebecca.<\/p>\n
When Ortiz emerged, she looked tired.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe confirms most of Evelyn\u2019s account.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cMost?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHe says your father was alive when Nolan left the Mercer house.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd the clinic?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHe followed them.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat clinic?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHe doesn\u2019t remember the name.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cConvenient.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHe remembers the location.\u201d<\/p>\n
My frustration vanished.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhere?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAn old private medical office near Route 18.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDoes it still exist?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cClosed eight years ago.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWho ran it?\u201d<\/p>\n
Ortiz hesitated.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThe physician was Dr. Elias Voss.\u201d<\/p>\n
E.<\/p>\n
The man Vanessa said Nolan met in Switzerland.<\/p>\n
My heart began pounding.<\/p>\n
\u201cElias.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNolan called someone E.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019re checking that.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWas Voss connected to my father\u2019s death?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWe don\u2019t know.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhere is he now?\u201d<\/p>\n
Ortiz looked at me.<\/p>\n
\u201cAccording to licensing records, he left the United States nine years ago.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cSwitzerland?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019re confirming.\u201d<\/p>\n
Rebecca and I exchanged a look.<\/p>\n
I felt the pieces move closer.<\/p>\n
Not enough to form the whole picture.<\/p>\n
Enough to make the shape frightening.<\/p>\n
A hospital security officer approached.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe identified the person who entered Mrs. Mercer\u2019s room.\u201d<\/p>\n
Ortiz stood.<\/p>\n
\u201cWho?\u201d<\/p>\n
The man handed her a printed image.<\/p>\n
She looked at it.<\/p>\n
Then at me.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou know him?\u201d<\/p>\n
She turned the page.<\/p>\n
A grainy security photograph showed a man in hospital scrubs pushing a supply cart.<\/p>\n
His face was partially visible.<\/p>\n
I had never seen him.<\/p>\n
Then Rebecca leaned closer.<\/p>\n
\u201cOh my God.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n
She pointed to the badge clipped at his waist.<\/p>\n
The photo was too blurry to read the name.<\/p>\n
But the corporate logo was visible.<\/p>\n
MERCER HEALTH CONSULTING.<\/p>\n
I stared at it.<\/p>\n
\u201cNolan owns that company?\u201d<\/p>\n
Rebecca shook her head.<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThen who does?\u201d<\/p>\n
She looked at me.<\/p>\n
\u201cAccording to the incorporation papers I reviewed on the drive over, you do.\u201d<\/p>\n
We reached the hospital in two cars. Rebecca drove me. Ortiz followed with another detective. The entire trip, I watched the city pass without registering a single building. Someone had … <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":11614,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-11621","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-insightdrama"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11621","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=11621"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11621\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":11645,"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11621\/revisions\/11645"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/11614"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=11621"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=11621"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=11621"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}