He called Melinda at six. “Are you awake?”
“Yes, Dad,” said a grumpy voice, “I’m up. Where are you?”
“We just got out of the Holland Tunnel in Jersey. We should be at the hospital in about thirty minutes. Are you ready?”
“Yep.” She yawned. “Got all the right stuff in front of me.”
“Well, let’s see how this goes. If I need you, I’ll call.”
He hung up.
***
Andy drove the limo up to the front of the hospital. Lowell exited, extending his hand toward Gloria who took it and stepped from the car.
She looked up at the three-story colonial mansion that housed her husband’s private laboratory and shivered at the wealth and power it represented.
Lowell turned to Andy “If you don’t hear from me in thirty minutes, you know what you have to do.”
Andy nodded. “I’m ready.”
Lowell and Gloria went up the white wooden steps onto the wraparound porch, and entered the building. The admitting nurse at the front desk looked up as they entered. “May I help you?”
“This is Mrs. Williamson, Dr. Williamson’s wife.”
The nurse looked at Gloria suspiciously. “I didn’t know the doctor was married.”
“We’ve been separated for many years.”
The nurse eyed her for a moment. “How can I help you?”
“Mrs. Williamson needs to see her husband immediately,” said Lowell. “It’s a matter of the gravest importance.”
“Well, this is most irregular.” The nurse picked up the phone and pushed several numbers. “There’s a woman here claiming to be Dr. Williamson’s wife…I didn’t know either…Well could you check for me please?” She hung up. “It’ll be a few moments. The doctor is prepping for surgery.”
“I’m sure he is,” said Lowell.
A moment later the phone rang. The nurse picked it up. “Yes? I see. Alright, thank you.” She hung up. “Someone will be right down.”
A nurse came down the winding staircase. “Mrs. Williamson?”
Gloria nodded.
“Would you please come this way?”
Gloria and Lowell began to follow her.
“I was only told to bring Mrs. Williamson, nobody else.”
Lowell was about to protest when out of the corner of his eye he spotted him. At first it was too quick a glance to be sure. Precious seconds passed. Finally he saw him again, clearly this time, his reflection in the hall mirror as he hid behind the door, his scar quite visible. McFarley.
Lowell tensed, expecting trouble. “I’m here as Mrs. Williamson’s adviser, and I must insist.”
Lowell looked in the mirror again but McFarley was gone.
The nurse shrugged. “I have to clear it.”
She walked over to the admitting desk and whispered a few words to the nurse who picked up the phone, hit some buttons, and whispered into it. Then she nodded.
“Very well, follow me.” She headed up the stairs with Lowell and Gloria right behind.
They were led into a comfortable waiting room with several couches and chairs all made of expensive looking leather. There were two very large windows overlooking the expansive grounds. It was a beautiful clear day with just a wisp of white clouds hanging in the sky. One window was open allowing in a gentle late summer breeze. Lowell noted the faint smell of chrysanthemum blossoms.
“If you will wait here. I’ll get the doctor.”
They sat.
Gloria’s nervousness was obvious. She kept wringing her hands as if trying to wash off some horrible stain. “I just know something’s terribly wrong.”
Lowell patted her shoulder. “Try to relax. We’ll get to the bottom of this.”
The door to the operating room opened and Williamson came through it. “Now, what’s this all about? For God’s sake, I’m about to perform a lifesaving operation, as you know. Can’t this wait?” He was dressed in dark green scrubs, holding a pair of latex gloves, a surgical mask hanging off his ears. He impatiently smacked the gloves against his left hand as he spoke.
Lowell stood and stepped toward Williamson. “I’m afraid not. You lied to me about your sons’ birth information.”
“What? What is this nonsense?”
“You gave me the wrong date and year of birth.”
“Mr. Lowell, I have a serious task at hand. I can’t be bothered with some triviality. Perhaps I made a mistake, or maybe you misheard me.”
Lowell shook his head. “It was no mistake. You know a great deal more about astrology than you let on. Your wife tells me that you spent several years studying the celestial arts.”
“Well, yes, that’s true. I didn’t want you to think that I might challenge your results or second guess you, so I kept that to myself.”
“You also studied with Jeannie McMillan, whose specialty is medical astrology.”
“I’m a doctor. And you of all people should understand my interest in the subject.”
“I most certainly do. The first chart you gave me showed a weakness in the kidneys. The real birth chart shows the difficulty is in another part of the body.”
Williamson shrugged. “So you say. I don’t agree.”
Lowell smiled briefly. “I thought you didn’t want to challenge my expertise.”
Williamson wasn’t easily intimidated. “Perhaps in this case you’ve made a mistake.”
“Perhaps.” Lowell gestured toward his garb. “You’re prepared for the transplant?”
“Yes, if you’ll let me do my job.”
“Alone?”
“Of course not. No transplant can be done solo. I’ve called in Dr. Lewis Meltzer to assist in the operation. He’s the top man in his field and will be invaluable in case something were to go wrong.”
“What could go wrong?” asked Lowell.
Williamson was obviously annoyed. “There are always unknown factors in every operation. Dr. Meltzer is one of the top transplant surgeons in the country. He has performed countless kidney operations and has the highest degree of success.”
“Does he only do kidney transplants?”
Williamson remained silent.
Gloria looked at Lowell. “What’s going on?”
“Your husband purposely gave me the wrong birth information for your twins.”
He turned to Williamson. “You told me that Edward was born June 10th, 1999, at 3:44 a.m., fourteen minutes after Kevin. This chart shows a very afflicted Venus, ruler of the kidneys. You knew I would interpret the chart that way and cleverly chose that birth date and time so I wouldn’t suspect your true motivations. In fact, Edward was born February 4th, 2000 at 10:56 in the morning, twenty-six minutes before Kevin. This gives him a Sun-Uranus conjunct in square to Saturn and the ascendant. Venus isn’t afflicted in this chart at all. It’s the Sun that’s badly placed. And because of the time difference of twenty six minutes, the ascendant, which rules the physical body, is only part of that equation in Edward’s chart, not Kevin’s. That’s why Edward has developed the problem and not his brother.”
Gloria looked confused, and scared. “What does all of this mean?”
Lowell looked at Williamson. “Do you want to tell her, or shall I?”
“Tell me what?”
Williamson said nothing.
“The Sun in an astrology chart rules the heart and circulatory system. Uranus is the most upsetting and erratic of the planetary influences.”
Lowell took a step toward Williamson. “The machine your son is hooked up to. Tell her,” he pointed to Gloria. “Tell her what it is.”
Gloria was shaking. “What is it?”
Lowell could hardly contain his anger. “It’s an external ventricular assist device or VAD. It’s used to replace the function of a failing heart. I’d say that Edward is in the final st
ages of heart disease.”
Williamson’s face was stone.
Lowell was enraged. “Gloria, your son doesn’t need a kidney transplant. He needs a new heart.”
“What?” asked Gloria. It still hadn’t sunk in. “What are you talking about? A heart transplant, but that’s impossible. For that to happen he’d have to…” her voice trailed off as the reality hit her.
Lowell turned to Dr. Williamson. “Did you plan to have an accident occur during the operation that would kill Kevin, but still give yourself time to make the switch? Maybe too much anesthesia with the help of Maria Rodriguez?”
Williamson’s stoic persona was starting to crumble. He slowly moved to his left.
Lowell looked at Gloria. “He planned to take Kevin’s heart and put it into Edward.”
Gloria’s eyes grew wide. She leaped out of the chair and shrieked. “What! Why you bastard. How could you kill your own son?”
Williamson strode quickly over to the desk before Lowell could react, opened the drawer, and removed a pistol. He whirled around and pointed it at Lowell. “Kevin isn’t my son. He stopped being so the day you took him away from me. Edward is my only child, and I will do whatever it takes to save him.” He reached into the desk drawer and removed a silencer, which he slowly screwed onto the end of the gun as he talked.
He waved the gun at Lowell and started to pace. Gloria held onto Lowell’s arm for support. “Don’t be a hero, or I’ll use this. No matter the consequences, I’m going to do this operation. My son, Edward, is not going to die.”
Lowell stared at him, helpless to act. He fisted his right hand in futile anger, then relaxed it, and took a deep breath. Unfocused fury never got you anywhere. “You had McFarley kill that private eye in L.A., didn’t you? He found out that you illegally acquired some of your patents.”
Williamson shrugged. “What could they prove? That was just a nuisance. My lawyers would have taken care of that.”
Lowell nodded. Maybe if he could keep him talking an opening would present itself. “That’s what I thought. So what happened? Did he also uncover the plan you had for your sons?”
Williamson turned his head slightly. “That detective was too smart for his own good. Once he discovered that Gloria was living on the East Coast he wouldn’t leave it alone, even after I paid him off and told him to drop it. He had to keep digging.”
“So you had him killed.”
“I admit to nothing. You’ve got no proof.”
“What do you think you’re going to do with us?”
Williamson picked up the phone and pushed a few numbers. “McFarley, get up to the third floor, outside operating room number two. And bring your gun.”
He hung up.
“He’s on his way,” Williamson sneered at Lowell, “and then I will proceed with the operation. If either of you interferes I’ll have you killed.”
“You can’t get away with it,” Lowell replied in a clear, steely voice. His powerless rage bubbled just below the surface.
“These walls are very thick, almost soundproof. I don’t believe a gunshot with a silencer would be heard.” Williamson glanced behind him at the open window and edged his way over to it. “I don’t want to kill you, but I will if necessary. I’ll just say that she became hysterical, you reacted violently, and I was forced to protect myself. Without a witness, and with you both dead, it’ll be my word alone. And in any case, no matter what happens to me, my son will be alive.”
Williamson slowly backed up, his attention never straying from Lowell, the gun never wavering. He reached the open window, shifting his eyes briefly, put one hand on the open window, and was about to close it.
Gloria screamed: “You son of a bitch. You’re not killing my boy.” She shoved off Lowell and leaped the two steps toward Williamson, landing in front of him. There was no time for Lowell to react.
By the time Williamson realized what was happening, it was too late. He started to turn the gun in her direction. Her eyes were wild with rage, her breathing erratic. She smacked both hands onto his chest, driving the gun hand up and shoving him at the open window. She spit as she shouted: “No, you bastard!”
Off balance, trying to angle for a shot, he stumbled back as Gloria butted her head, shoulders, and open hands into him with the strength of a mother lion protecting her cub. The gun flew out of his hands as he tried to grab hold of the wooden window frame, fingers scrabbling. His hand slipped off the slick wood as Gloria heaved with all her scrawny might, grunting, wild with rage, and toppled him out the window. They could hear his scream all the way down followed by a sickening distant thump.
Gloria dropped to the floor shaking violently. Lowell ran to her and cradled her in his arms. “It’s over, it’s alright.”
He kicked the gun under the desk just as the door opened and a nurse appeared. She stared at Lowell and Gloria for a few moments.
Lowell looked up at her. “We need some help here.”
“I’ll get the head nurse.” She quickly left the room.
Lowell stood and scooped up the gun using a tissue, careful not to leave any prints, put it back in the desk drawer, and then went back to Gloria and wrapped his arms around her. The door opened and several people came in, including McFarley.
The head nurse entered. “What’s happened here?” she bellowed.
Gloria started to speak. “I…”
“There’s been a terrible accident,” said Lowell. “Dr. Williamson went over to close the window and tripped.”
The nurse looked out the open window. There were several people surrounding Williamson’s body. “Oh my dear, God!” She turned to another nurse. “Olivia, please call the police.”
Lowell saw McFarley hurry out.
The nurse picked up the phone. “This is Nurse Johnson. What’s the status on Dr. Williamson?…I see…Let me know when the police arrive.” She hung up and turned toward Gloria. “Your husband is dead. He landed on his head and apparently died instantly.”
Gloria fainted into a heap.
Chapter Forty-four
Lowell picked up Gloria and carried her to the couch. The nurse took her pulse on her wrist and neck.
Gloria began to come around. “What happened?’
“You fainted,” said the nurse. “Can you sit up?”
“I think so.”
With Lowell’s help she managed to get into a seated position. The nurse handed her a glass of water and applied a wet cloth to her forehead.
Gloria sipped the water. “I’m feeling much better, thank you.” Color was starting to return to her face.
The door to the operating room opened and a man wearing scrubs and gloves came out. “What’s going on here?”
The nurse walked over to him. “Dr. Meltzer, there’s been a terrible accident. It’s Dr. Williamson. He’s fallen out the window. I’m afraid he’s dead.”
“What?” said Meltzer, the shock quite obvious on his face. “Dead? But how is that possible? Who was here when it happened?”
“We were.” Lowell extended his hand.
The doctor took off his glove and shook it, without thinking. “Who are you?”
“David Lowell. I’m a private detective hired by Dr. Williamson to find the whereabouts of his wife.”
“Wife? I didn’t even know Ethan was still married.”
Gloria sat forward. “I’m Mrs. Williamson. We’ve been apart for many years but never divorced.”
Meltzer sat in one of the chairs. “I don’t know what to say. Ethan was my friend. I just can’t believe this has happened.”
Lowell took Gloria’s hand and patted it. She smiled weakly.
The door to the operating room opened again and a young woman in scrubs came out sobbing. As she ran past, Dr. Meltzer called out. “Maria?” But she continued out the door of the waiting room.
Lowell wat
ched. “Maria Rodriguez, I assume?”
“That’s right,” said Meltzer. “But how…”
“I don’t think she’s coming back.”
“I don’t understand.”
Lowell turned to the doctor. “I’ll explain it all to you in due time. Right now we have another problem that must be addressed immediately. There’s a very sick boy in that operating room.”
The doctor looked at him, his attention scattered. “Yes, I was about to assist in a transplant.”
“Doctor, what are the options for a heart transplant when a potential donor dies suddenly?”
The doctor sat back in the chair and removed the second glove. “While other organs such as kidneys can be kept ready for some time, a heart transplant must occur within about four hours of the removal of the organ.”
“Dr. Williamson was an organ donor. You’ll find that in his records.”
Meltzer shook his head. “The closest transplant center is in New York. We would have to hurry to secure Dr. Williamson’s organs, especially the heart, to make sure it can be donated in time.”
“You have a patient right here who’s on the list of recipients, but without a proper donor.”
Dr. Meltzer looked surprised. “But I don’t understand.”
Lowell tugged on his ponytail and tried to word his response carefully. “Actually, if you examine the donor you’ll find that he’s a perfectly healthy young man.”
The doctor looked at him incredulously. “What are you talking about? I was told the boy had late stage brain cancer with very little time left. I have to look into this.”
He went into the operating room and returned a few minutes later.
“I don’t know what’s going on here, but I was brought in to assist in a heart transplant, and now I find that my donor is, in fact, perfectly healthy. This is most irregular.”
“I believe you will find Dr. Williamson’s blood type is a match for his son. Can you do the operation?”
“I can. But I don’t know if I should. There’s something very amiss here.”
Gloria stood unsteadily, walked over to him and took his hand. “My boy is dying. Without this transplant he won’t last much longer. He’s on the list of recipients, and his father is a donor.”
Evil in the First House: A Starlight Detective Agency (Starlight Detective Agency Mysteries Book 3) Page 18
