Blind Retribution

by K. T. Roberts

  “Then let us hear the breakdown of your claim,” she teased.

  “Okay. You live alone, you don’t have a dog, or a cat . . . so where else would you get that high school glow from if it hadn’t been for a bite from the love bug?” He put his arm around her shoulders and squeezed her in a friendly hug. “If you both thought the way you ogle one another wasn’t obvious, then you haven’t been paying attention. Really, it’s no big deal, so why hide it? Besides, I love seeing this side of you.”

  Max nervously cleared her throat. “Okay, how about we get back to work?”

  “As you wish, my lady,” Riley said in a British accent, sweeping his arm in a gallant bow.

  Max rolled her eyes and sat down on one of the chairs. She pulled a file folder from her briefcase and set it down on the table. Now, it was Cory who couldn’t stop smiling, amused by Max’s reaction to Riley.

  “I don’t have a coffeemaker yet, but I have bottled water,” he announced with pride, “Anyone?”

  “No thanks.” Seeing Cory’s disappointment, Max reconsidered. “On second thought, maybe I will have one.” Cory got up and practically waltzed to the small refrigerator sitting on the back counter, pulled out two bottles, and handed one to Riley even though he hadn’t responded.

  “So, you know some of our good news,” she said. “Riley and I arrested the senator, the doctor, and Melanie Chambers.”

  “I’m happy about the first two, of course.” His shoulders slouched. “Although I’ve never met Mrs. Chambers, knowing the horrific death her daughter suffered at the hands of a madman, I can’t imagine how a parent deals with losing a child. So what went wrong?”

  Max shook her head in disbelief. “What I can tell you is she seems like a sophisticated woman that no one would ever suspect. And I guess that was their whole point. No one would ever think that she would get involved in anything like this.” She twisted the cap off her drink while she continued talking, “We only have fraud and conspiracy to commit fraud on Chambers right now, but . . .”

  “Don’t tell me it was that phony Barrett charm that convinced her to get involved?” Cory shook his head. “Is that why she agreed?”

  “No, it was a lot more than that. Intimidation, loss of job, and money. This all happened before she’d lost her daughter. Dangling money in front of someone who has a dire need obviously trumped her common sense. We still haven’t figured out how Valerie Morrison is involved, though.”

  Cory was nodding in agreement. “What about Jack?” he asked. “Surely with all these people charged, there’s no need to keep him jailed.” Max’s facial expression showed she wasn’t totally convinced.

  “I did some more digging into Jack’s life,” Riley said, “and I haven’t found anything other than the original circumstantial evidence and what is believed to be the threat to Helen. Maybe Cory’s right, Max.”

  “Let’s take it one step at a time. Given the circumstances, we haven’t yet proved any of them actually conspired to kill Helen. I just need a little more time, Cory.” He made a face. “I know you want to see Jack walk out of jail. I get that. We’re very close; please be patient.”

  Cory leaned back in his chair and put his feet up on the conference table, much to Max’s surprise.

  “Will you look at this?”

  He quickly pulled them down. “It’s a bad habit.”

  “What about those other cases?” Riley asked, bypassing their conversation.

  “I checked the status with Lucio and Howe this morning, and they still have not been solved. At one point, I thought it might have been a coincidence, but I’m not leaning that way anymore. They have to tie in somehow. Barrett and the senator swear they didn’t have anything to do with Helen’s death, and although I think it’s hard to believe given the evidence, what if they didn’t? That means we’re back to square one again on the murder, and I’m not going to leave this case unsolved,” Max said. “Even though the lieutenant hasn’t pressured me about closing this case, I know it’s coming, and I’m not about to rush to judgment just to have a closed case.”

  “I agree, Max,” Riley said, “but he knows this is a complex case. I can’t imagine him pressuring you to close it quickly.”

  “With a senator and a renowned heart surgeon at the center of this,” Max said, “I think not, but we don’t know what he’s getting from the higher-ups. So, let’s talk about these other unsolved cases. We know Lucio’s victim was the Chambers girl, and Howe’s victim was Morrison’s niece, plus there’s Helen’s murder. Based on the missing file and the blank box, I think we need to talk to Chambers again and see if we can get her to spill her guts.”

  Max watched as Riley loosened the cap from his water bottle and drank. “We should get back to the precinct and talk to this woman. I’ll catch up with you later?” she said to Cory.

  “I’m not sure if I’m available,” he said flatly.

  “Oh,” she said, the undertones of disappointment coming through loud and clear. “Okay, well, call me when you are.”

  “Just kidding, Max.”

  “I know.”

  Both men blurted out , “You did not,” simultaneously, and broke into hysterical laughter.

  “This is a very interesting side of you, boss,” Riley said. “It’s fun seeing her squirm just a little, isn’t it, Cory?”

  Cory knew better than to agree.

  Max gave Riley a tap on his arm before slipping her arms into her coat. She headed for the door. “Thanks, Cory.” She threw him a kiss. “Love the new office.”

  “Want to help me decorate it?”

  She nodded her agreement with a wide grin.

  Back at the precinct, Max called down to the guards and requested Melanie Chambers be brought upstairs.

  “I’m sorry, Detective,” the supervisor said, “but she’s been given a sedative to calm her down. She wasn’t in a good state of mind and the doctor thought it best to give her something pretty heavy. Maybe tomorrow.”

  “Okay,” she said with disappointment.

  “Chambers isn’t taking this well. She’s been given a heavy dose of sedatives.”

  “I’m sure,” Riley said. “She’s suddenly feeling the ramifications of her greed and the guilt is doing a number on her.”

  Max didn’t respond. “Well, we have plenty of other things to do.”

  CHAPTER THIRTY-FOUR

  “Hey, Max,” Riley said, rushing up to her when she walked in on Monday morning. “I called to get Mrs. Chambers up here to have her ready for more questioning, but she’s still in sick bay loaded up on sedatives.”

  “She’s worse?”

  “Apparently. The guard said she wasn’t eating or drinking, she sobbed throughout the night, and became combative when they brought in food, so she was put on suicide watch in a padded cell and loaded up with sedatives. I asked if she was going to be available to talk to us tomorrow, but I was told to call in the morning.” Riley’s palm rose in the air.

  “Damn,” Max said and released a sigh. Rubbing her hand across her forehead, a thought crossed her mind, and her eyes opened wide. “That’s it.”

  “What?” Riley said.

  “Let’s call Howe and tell him we want to talk to Valerie Morrison. I’m sure he’ll want to tag along with us. We haven’t ruled her out yet as to how she’s connected, so I’d like to sit and ask questions to see how she responds.”

  “That might prove to be good, but up until now, she only related to the case indirectly,” Riley said.

  “That’s probably true, Riley, but I’m out of ideas and thought maybe she could share the scuttlebutt in the hospital that might give us another avenue to take. So let’s think positive about this, okay?”

  “Yes, ma’am,” Riley said. “Sorry. I’m just a little frustrated, and I wasn’t being fair to you.”

  “No worries. Okay, I’ll call Howe. You tell the boss where we’re going.”

  A half hour later, the pair pulled out of the garage and drove in the direction of Mount Sinai where
Howe was planning to meet them.

  Howe was already sitting with Mrs. Morrison when they arrived. They greeted one another, and Mrs. Morrison herded them into her office and closed the door behind her.

  Howe began. “I’m not sure you’ve met Detectives Turner and Riley?”

  “Yes, we have.”

  “It’s nice to see you again, Mrs. Morrison,” Max said. “We’re here today because we’re hoping you can answer some of our questions.”

  “Have you found my niece’s killer yet?” she asked Howe.

  “No, and that’s why we’re here. We still have a lot of unanswered questions.” Howe sighed. “We’re still waiting on the lab results from our testing. The problem is, this killer, whoever he or she is, left very little evidence behind.”

  “There are a lot of rumors flying around this hospital about what Dr. Barrett and the senator did, but I’m having a hard time believing Melanie Chambers would ever be involved in something like that,” Morrison said, the expression on her face was one of disbelief as she continued.

  “I’d heard that Melanie’s daughter was killed, too. I don’t know if the things I’m hearing are true or not, but it certainly was brutal,” Morrison said. “And if they’re not related, then there’s a killer who’s still out there who could come back at any time.”

  “We’re doing everything we can, Mrs. Morrison,” Riley said.

  “We also realize your primary concern is finding your niece’s killer, but if these cases are in fact related, then it must have something to do with what went on here,” Max said. “So we’re hoping you might know something . . . maybe even something you think is insignificant, or maybe you don’t think has anything to do with the heart transplant surgery, that you can share with us even though that aspect was handled by Mrs. Chambers. Give it some thought,” Howe said, “and if there’s anything at all that comes to mind, please give me a call.” He handed her a business card.

  “Boy, I really wish I did, but as I told that good-looking private investigator, my only function here is hospital administrator, and when patient cases get down to that level of detail, I’m just not privy to any of it.”

  “What other kinds of things are you hearing from the rumor mill?” Riley asked.

  Morrison made a face. “Things like the senator and Dr. Barrett might have killed his wife because they wanted to be together. What a rat he is, and how stupid we were to have voted the senator into office. That’s about it, but it sure has left us totally drained and not very trusting. Something like that just shocks the hell right out of your faith in the medical field. I really wish I had something to help you, but honestly, the only one who can help you is Melanie Chambers. She ran the whole show over there.” She gestured in the direction of the transplant center as though it were down the hall and not several buildings away.

  “Well, we knew this was a shot in the dark when we came over here,” Howe said, “but we decided to give it a try anyway.” He shook her hand while the others nodded a thank-you.

  Walking outside to their vehicles, Howe continued to talk. “You’ve arrested that Chambers woman, haven’t you?”

  Max nodded.

  “So why aren’t you talking to her?” he asked. Riley shared what they’d done and finished with “. . . and rather than sit idle, we thought we’d try to find another avenue to fish out information.”

  Being the first to find his vehicle, Howe offered his hand. “Good to see you guys. Sorry this turned out to be a dead end.”

  “Yeah, us too. Thanks for meeting us here,” Max said. “See you again.”

  On the ride back, Riley brought up Morrison’s comment about Cory. “You’ll have to tell that good-looking guy of yours what Morrison said.”

  Max released a low laugh. “Yeah, I’m sure he’ll appreciate hearing that. Well, I’m really bummed, so I guess we’ll just have to wait and hope tomorrow brings good news.”

  CHAPTER THIRTY-FIVE

  Max arrived at the usual time on Tuesday morning and waited for Riley to arrive. At nine-fifteen, Riley waltzed over to his desk.

  “Sorry, Max. My wife is sick, my parents are away on vacation, and I was the designated carpool driver.”

  “No problem.” She slid a cup of coffee over to him. “Here, I got this for you.”

  Riley dug in his pocket for change. Max rolled her eyes and shoved his hand away when he tried to give her money.

  “All right. Let’s call for Melanie and see what happens. Keep your fingers crossed,” she said.

  “Crossed,” he said, hanging up his coat. He walked back and sat at his desk and listened to Max’s phone call. Her expression changed to a smile, and when she gave him a thumbs-up, he knew Melanie was able to talk.

  Disconnecting, Max blew out a breath. “Thank God for small favors.”

  It wasn’t long before Melanie entered the interview room. “Mrs. Chambers, how are you feeling?”

  “Numb.”

  “I’m sorry. Listen, we really need your help.”

  She did not acknowledge either one, nor did she look up until Max asked her again. Her brow arched. “I don’t know anything.”

  “Look, in case you haven’t heard, you’re turning out to be the heavy in the Stansbury kid’s transplant.” Hearing that comment, Melanie straightened her shoulders and pushed back in her seat. “We have another theory we’re trying to test, and you’re the one in the best position to tell us who was deprived of the heart given to the Stansbury child. The prosecutors’ office tends to go easier on those who cooperate. I’m sure after what has happened to you, the last thing you’re going to do is let Dr. Barrett and the senator go free.”

  “What?”

  “Trust me”—Max held up her hand—“that could happen if we don’t have enough evidence. So will you help us?”

  “What do you want to know?”

  Max breathed a sigh of relief, certain she had her attention now. “Everything from the time Barrett implicated you. Help us understand how the process worked. We know the OPTN has very strict guidelines, and if someone was bypassed, then that’s a break in protocol. It means Barrett will lose his license, not to mention the possibility of the hospital being hit with a civil suit.”

  “Yes, that’s the way these things work,” Chambers said.

  “So did Dr. Barrett break that protocol when he asked you to fix the scheduling of the Stansbury child’s transplant?”

  She nodded affirmatively while her eyes focused on the floor.

  “Mrs. Chambers, please say the words for the recording.”

  “I’m sorry.” She cleared her throat. “Dr. Barrett told me there would be another heart forthcoming that afternoon for the primary candidate, a child I’d grown to love. With that in mind, I was to move her out of the way because I’d been told the senator’s daughter’s condition was a higher priority.”

  “But aren’t you, as the coordinator, the first to hear about an available organ?” Riley asked.

  “Yes, I am, and I questioned Dr. Barrett, but he told me he’d spoken to someone in the OTPN, and I would be hearing something soon.”

  “How did he know it was going to be a match for this child?”

  “I asked him that, too, and he told me based on the information he’d been given there was nothing to worry about . . . so I believed him.”

  “And did that child receive the second heart?”

  “No.” She burst into tears. “I’m sick at heart because I’m just as responsible for that sweet little child’s death as they are. Dr. Barrett lied. There never was another heart.”

  “Oh, no,” Riley said. “How old was this child?”

  “She was five years old.” Max could see she was severely depressed.

  “Have you ever had a patient prepped and waiting for surgery, then turned away after they’d been told their blood work was a perfect match because something was suddenly found to make it a mismatch?”

  “That’s unlikely, because every test imaginable is performed to make s
ure the candidate is a viable match. I suppose it’s possible, but I haven’t seen it when it’s gotten that close to the countdown.”

  “What if both candidates are an even match? Who gets priority?”

  “It’s determined by the OPTN. The surgeon normally doesn’t even have a say.”

  “That surgeon being Dr. Jeffrey Barrett?”

  “Yes.”

  “So what you’re saying is the OPTN is basically playing God.”

  “That’s what I’m saying.” Chambers sipped the container of water Max handed her.

  “Had this child been prepped for surgery?” Melanie nodded in agreement. “A verbal, please.”

  “Yes, she was prepped for surgery.”

  “So the child had been brought into the hospital, had had her tests, and had been accepted as the likely candidate until Barrett decided to buck the system and dragged you into it?”

  “Yes.”

  Max glanced over at Riley. Their exchange said they both understood what happened.

  “The family must have been devastated.”

  “They were.”

  “Can you give me a name?”

  “Yes, he’s an orderly who works in the hospital.”

  “And his daughter was passed over for a VIP?”

  She never responded because Riley shot out another question. “What is this orderly’s name?” he asked.

  “Charles Wiggins.”

  “Is he a full-time employee?”

  “You’d have to contact the hospital. You’ll want to speak to Roberta Harris, the director of nursing.”

  “I’ll check the database,” Riley said, heading to his desk. Max nodded agreement.

  “Mrs. Chambers, how did you justify the death, the change in priority to the OPTN?” She didn’t respond. “Please answer the question.”

  After a long span of staring into space, she spoke. “I fixed the records so that our department wouldn’t get into trouble.”