Richard Mabry: Diagnosis Death

"I want Dr. Gardner to go over her story one more time."

"Why?"

Hernandez rose in response to a tap on the door. He returned accompanied by a middle-aged woman dressed in a navy business suit. Her red hair was perfectly styled, her makeup was understated but flawless, and her manner said, "I'm in charge, and don't you forget it."

Hernandez pulled out a chair for the newcomer. Elena noticed it was padded, in contrast to the ones on which she and Will sat. "Mr. Kennedy, I believe you know Mrs. McMurray?"

Will and the woman shook hands, not necessarily like old friends but at least long-time acquaintances. "Diane, what brings you out at this hour?"

"Two reasons, Will-getting the story firsthand before taking on this case, and the fact that I'm up for reelection next year."

"Score one point for honesty." Will turned to Elena. "Dr. Elena Gardner, Diane McMurray, Summers County District Attorney."

Mrs. McMurray nodded once. "Doctor, I'm glad you came out of this unharmed."

Elena started to respond to the "unharmed" description, but decided it wasn't worth it. "Are you going to charge Glenna with murder in the death of Charlie Lambert?"

"Honestly, I'm not sure. Manslaughter might be more appropriate. Then again, a grand jury might be sympathetic to a woman whose husband was in a permanent coma."

Like mine was, but I didn't try to kill him. On the other hand, I was willing to withdraw life support and let him die. She'd leave the moral distinction to lawyers and theologians. Diane McMurray would do what she had to do. It was out of Elena's hands now.

McMurray crossed her legs and leaned back in her chair. "Would you please go over your story once more?"

Elena wanted to scream. "If I have to."

Hernandez punched the key on a battered tape recorder in the center of the table. He recited the day and hour, named those present, and said, "Doctor, you make this statement voluntarily?"

Elena nodded. Will nudged her and she realized her mistake. "Yes."

She gave a brief account of the deaths of her husband and Chester Pulliam, explained what she'd since learned through hypnotic regression by Josh Samuels and from her phone conversation with Karri Lawson. "That led me to the conclusion that the death of Charlie Lambert was unrelated to the events that took place in Dallas. But I wasn't sure who was behind it, or what their motive was."

"Tell us about that," McMurray said. Elena noticed that she hadn't taken any notes. Either the tape would be sufficient, or McMurray had a phenomenal memory.

"Realize that Charlie Lambert had suffered a severe stroke," Elena said. "The likelihood that he'd recover was slim. So whoever ended his life might have thought they were doing a favor for him and his wife. But several people had other reasons as well."

"Go on."

Elena went through her list of suspects and the reason each of them might have wanted to kill a patient and put the blame on her.

McMurray leaned forward as though this was the most interesting story in the world. "So how did you come up with Glenna Dunn?"

"Glenna's husband was in an auto accident that left him in a vegetative state. She was worried about what she'd do when her insurance benefits were exhausted. Marcus said she told him she kept working so she could save others from going through what she experienced. I thought she meant she wanted to help keep patients alive. Then I realized maybe she meant using her position in the ER and ICU to put an end to the lives of patients in a vegetative state."

"What made her think she could get away with that?"

"With me around, who'd ever think about suspecting anyone else? It was a perfect setup for her."

McMurray nodded. "Why did you think she'd strike last night?"

Elena emptied the water bottle that sat in front of her. "Gossip travels like wildfire in any hospital, and this one is no exception. Glenna's position in the ER gave her a direct line to both hospital news and tidbits from law officers. She knew I was under suspicion for Charlie Lambert's death, just as she'd planned." She indicated Hernandez, who sat pokerfaced across from her. "The sergeant here fingerprinted me yesterday. The odds were that I'd be arrested soon. She had to end her husband's life while I was still in circulation so I could be blamed for it."

"That's a pretty slim reason," McMurray said.

"There's more. Last night, I called the hospital's business manager at home. I asked her a question, and she knew the answer immediately because she'd worked on it all day. Bill Dunn's insurance coverage runs out today."

After leaving the police station, Elena wanted to go home and sleep for a week. Unfortunately, that wasn't an option. Cathy was out of the office until after the baby came. So Elena sucked it up and, with the help of more cups of coffee than she could count, made it through the day.

It was almost six o'clock when Jane took the last chart from her. "Dr. Gardner, I hope you can rest this weekend. Did Dr. Brown agree to cover for you?"

"Yes, bless his heart. He's a good man and a good doctor."

"That he is," Jane said. "You know, when you came here I was afraid Dr. Sewell's patients might be a bit hesitant to see a doctor. .. I mean-"

"You mean they'd be influenced by skin color," Elena said. "Emmet is almost charcoal; my complexion is sort of like cafe au lait. Cathy's so fair she'd disappear against new snow. But in the short time I've been here, I've noticed people paying less attention to the color of their doctor's skin and more to the person inside. That makes me happy."

In her car, Elena set a course for home. Well, the Kennedys' home. She'd lived with them half a month, and already it was home to her. Next week she'd look for a place of her own-maybe that apartment near David.

Dora Kennedy met Elena at the door and gave her a hug that threatened to crack a couple of ribs. "You come in here and sit down. I saved you some supper. There's meat loaf, mashed potatoes, sliced tomatoes, corn, peas, and biscuits. And if you're still hungry, I think there's some chocolate cake left."

Elena tried to remember when she'd last eaten. "That sounds marvelous. Thanks so much."

As they entered the kitchen, David rose from the kitchen table, almost knocking a cup of coffee onto the floor.

"I took the liberty of inviting Dr. Merritt to eat with us," Dora said. "I figured a bachelor couldn't turn down some home cooking. Now you two just visit a minute, while I finish reheating everything."

Elena covered the distance to David in three swift strides. He enfolded her, and she buried her head on his chest.

"How could you put yourself at risk like that?" David asked.

"I had to. It seemed the only way to trap Glenna."

"You could have asked me to be there with you."

"I… I guess I wanted to do it myself."

David smoothed her hair and held her a bit tighter. "It's time you realized that you don't have to do things by yourself for the rest of your life."

"I hate to interrupt you two young people," Dora said, "but my food tastes better when it's hot." Soon, the three of them were seated at the kitchen table, Elena and David with heaping plates, Dora with a cup of coffee.

Two weeks with Matthew and Dora had conditioned Elena. She didn't pick up her fork. Instead she took her hostess's hand and bowed her head. David reached out and completed the circle.

"You do it, dear," Dora said.

Elena almost panicked. She swallowed twice. "Dear Lord, thank you for so many blessings. Not just the food, not just this home that's been opened to me, but for your protection and presence-even when I didn't recognize it. Thank you for David, who's always been there for me. I promise not to take him for granted anymore. I know I haven't been in touch with you for quite a while, except when I really needed something. But now I ask you to speak to me. Now I'm listening. Amen."