Chapter Seventeen

Theo was grateful that Lucy Burrow, who held the Chief of Staff position at the hospital where Sheila Wallace had been taken off life support, had granted him permission to use one of the conference rooms on the top floor. Not even the distance between levels could lessen the potency of the antiseptic scent that made him nauseous. The strong odor brought back memories that he would soon rather forget.

"I'm about to meet with Fred Dawkins," Sylvie informed Theo, her face close to the screen of her phone as she shut the door to the SUV. Her black-rimmed glasses were slightly askew, but she fixed them before walking across what appeared to be a small parking lot. "Bit wasn't able to find much on the man's son. Shane basically fell out of sight after high school. I don't think Tyler had the right information regarding Mitch's friendship with the man. I think we might need to spend the night, because it would be near impossible to speak to everyone on our list by tomorrow morning."

"Arden took the liberty of making us reservations at a Marriott for the next two nights," Theo advised her, picking up his empty coffee mug. The white porcelain had the hospital's logo on the side, but he didn't like the shape of the rim. The contents tended to roll over onto the table, causing him to constantly use a napkin to wipe away the drips. "When he saw how many names were on the hospital staff who were included in the transplant operation, he booked the closest hotel to the hospital."

Theo closed the distance to a long table in the back of the conference room that basically served as a beverage bar. Lucy had one of her staff bring in a tray of sandwiches and fruit, though Theo hadn't touched any of the food. He held his mug underneath the spout of a coffee dispenser and pressed the pump several times. He couldn't help but inhale deeply, but the delectable aroma failed to mask the hospital"s clinical smell.

"I miss my ginger lemon tea," Sylvie muttered as she continued to walk, jarring the phone up and down with each step. "Once I finish speaking with Dawkins, I'll head your way. I haven't had a thing to eat since we left Crestlake, so I suggest an early dinner."

"I'll be waiting by the front doors in about an hour."

Theo retraced his steps after ending the video call to set his phone on the table. He glanced at the large black and white clock on the far wall, noting that Kevin Volson was now over a half hour late. Considering the nurse's schedule, Theo understood that he had to be flexible, which was why he had spent the past thirty minutes combing through the notes that he had jotted down from his previous interviews.

A lot of personnel had been involved with the transplant operation. Between the donor and recipients, there were attending physicians, anesthesiologists, an organ harvesting team, surgeons, perfusionists, scrub nurses, ICU nurses, and a slew of other positions needed to carry out such delicate surgeries. Theo hadn't gotten through half the people on his list, but Kevin Volson had been Sheila Wallace's floor nurse when she had first been admitted to the hospital.

Theo made himself comfortable in one of the rolling chairs at the end of the large table. He jotted down a note to request from Lucy a list of administrative personnel who also might have had access to the organ recipients. Once he clicked his pen and set down the small notebook that he always carried with him when in the field, Theo picked up Volson's personnel file.

Kevin Volson was twenty-nine years of age and an Ann Arbor native with an unblemished record. The picture taken for his identification badge displayed a short hairstyle, a round face, and a scar through his left eyebrow.

A knock garnered Theo's attention, and he glanced up as the conference door opened to reveal his next interviewee. Theo motioned for Volson to enter before closing the manilla folder.

"Mr. Neville? I am so sorry to keep you waiting." Kevin pushed the door open with his shoulder wide enough so he could carry in a tray with a plate of food and a beverage. "We had two new admissions, and it took longer than we thought to get things squared away. Dr. Burrow said that you wouldn't mind if I ate my lunch during our meeting."

Considering that it was after three in the afternoon, Theo could only imagine that the man's stomach had shrunk, especially given that his shift had started at six o'clock this morning. The delicious smell of lasagna was better than the antiseptic odor anyway.

"I don't mind at all," Theo said as he gestured toward the table. Once Kevin had placed his tray opposite of Theo's seat, the two men shook hands. "I appreciate you taking time out of your day to speak with me. I know you only have a few minutes, so I'll be as brief as possible."

"Suzie is covering for me, so I'm good for the next thirty minutes or so." Kevin took a seat before picking up his fork. The fact that he didn't blow on his food while there was steam rising from the plate suggested that he often wolfed down his meals. "Dr. Burrow said this is in regard to an organ donor patient from a year ago?"

"Yes, Sheila Wallace." Theo wasn't one to carry a briefcase, but he had brought with him the tablet that he normally used when in the office or at home. He slid the device over, ensuring that Sheila's picture stayed on the screen. "Do you remember her?"

"Yes," Kevin replied after swallowing a rather large bite. He paused to take a drink of what appeared to be apple juice. That wouldn't have been the beverage Theo would have chosen to go with an Italian dish, but to each his own. "Hard to forget, since someone missed the fact that Wallace had a DNR. She never should have been placed on life support."

Theo had been well-versed in Sheila's care during the days before her organs had been harvested. Dr. Burrow had taken time to explain that Sheila had suffered a stroke, but someone on the staff missed the DNR on file. Sheila had been placed on life support, and the oversight had posed a problem for all involved. It had been around that time when Andrea Simpson had discovered that Sheila had appointed her power of attorney.

Since Theo and Sylvie were staying overnight in Ann Arbor, they would need to make time to speak with Andrea Simpson again. It was imperative to find out if anyone had attempted to talk her out of following Sheila's wishes as an organ donor. Theo or Sylvie could have simply called Andrea, but Sylvie mentioned that it would probably be best to go back in person when Doss and Swilling weren't present.

"Is that what this is all about? Did the daughter decide to file a lawsuit?"

"No, nothing like that," Theo replied as he reached for his tablet. He switched screens so that Andrea Simpson's photo was front and center. "Is this the daughter you are referring to?"

"Yes." Kevin took another bite as his attention switched from the screen to Theo. "Her brother was there, too."

Theo switched out the picture for one of Tyler Doss.

Kevin nodded his recognition while chewing the remainder of his food. He reached for his napkin, wiping his lips before giving more insight into Andrea and Tyler's relationship. It was obvious that the two hadn't clarified their affiliation with Sheila.

"I felt for them. I really did, because I don't know if I would have handled the situation as well as they had after discovering the error."

"Do you recall anyone else visiting Sheila Wallace?"

"No, but the patient was here for close to three days before the organ transplant team took over." Kevin paused eating long enough to take another drink of his apple juice. He screwed the cap back on before setting the bottle on the tray. "I'm sure Dr. Burrow has a list of the other nurses who were in charge of Ms. Wallace's care. They might have had conversations with other family members."

"Did you happen to see this man?" Theo reached out and swiped to the right so that Fred Dawkins' image appeared on the screen. "Or this man?"

Kevin pushed his tray to the side as he leaned in close to inspect Shane Dawkins' photograph.

"I went to high school with that guy."

Given that the photograph Bit had uploaded to the software program was one from at least six or seven years ago, it was no wonder that Kevin would refer to Shane as a kid. The two were close in age, but Theo had never expected there to be such a connection between the two.

"His name?" Theo wanted confirmation. "And did you see him at any time at the hospital during the period of Sheila Wallace's admission?"

"Shane Dawkins." Kevin took the liberty of scrolling backward. "Yeah, that is definitely Mr. Dawkins. Our high school had close to a thousand students, so it wasn't like we hung out together. But I do remember Shane from back then. And to answer your question, no. I haven't seen either of them for over ten years. What do the Dawkins have to do with Sheila Wallace?"

"Fred Dawkins is a social worker, and Sheila Wallace was a foster parent many years ago. We're investigating anyone who might have had a grudge against Ms. Wallace."

"Wallace suffered a stroke, though," Kevin replied with a frown. He leaned forward until he could rest his arms on the table, the tray moving with the motion. "I was her nurse, and I read over her chart thoroughly."

Theo continued on with the interview, averting the need to share the real reason behind his questions. The mere mention that a recipient's life was in danger would spark a full-blown panic that the Bureau and SE Investigations didn't need at the moment. Twenty minutes later, Theo brought their meeting to an end.

"Kevin, before you go," Theo said as he stood while observing the nurse pick up his tray. "Did you ever overhear anyone on the organ transplant team talk about any of the recipients?"

"No, but my involvement ended when the team took over." Kevin held the food tray in one hand. "They handle everything from that point on."

"Thank you, Kevin. You"ve been very helpful."

Kevin stepped to the side before pushing his chair back underneath the table. After exiting the conference room, Theo motioned to him that the door could be left open. A security camera could be seen in the hallway, and the sight of it prompted Theo to check on the warrant that he had submitted earlier for footage of the hospital. The response from the judge wasn't exactly what he had hoped for, but it would have to do for now.

Theo picked up his phone and accessed his speed dial.

"Bit, it"s Theo. We were only granted access to the security footage on Sheila Wallace's floor, and there was also a time span given—from the moment of admission to when her remains were taken to the funeral home." Theo had initially requested access to all the hospital's security footage, but judges were leery about too much leeway being given due to the intricate language of the HIPAA laws. "If our unsub was in the hospital at any point during the time Sheila Wallace was on life support, let's hope that he was able to access her floor so that we have something concrete to go on."

"There could be a way around that, Big T."

Bit's voice became clearer when he turned down the volume of his music. The fact that he was blaring anything other than light jazz told Theo that Brook had yet to return to the lake house for the day.

"No," Theo stated matter-of-factly. "We stick to the rules this time around."

Theo wasn't proud of the lengths that he had gone to a few months ago after Sylvie had been attacked and Brook had basically been abducted and taken hostage. Theo had crossed lines that his parents never would have during their careers. While he was still coming to terms with his previous decisions, he didn't regret doing what was necessary to pinpoint Brook's location at the time.

"‘O ye, of little faith," Bit exclaimed before correcting Theo's assumption. "What I meant to say was that if I can prove that someone is just out of frame on the security footage, preventing us from identifying said person on Wallace's floor, then we can put in for another warrant on the grounds that we need access to some of the entrances from other angles."

"Just for that potential workaround, I'll buy you a jumbo bag of Skittles on our drive back to Crestlake," Theo said right as Dr. Burrow appeared in the doorway. She held a blue folder in her hand, which he was sure would include the names of the administrative personnel who had access to the list of donor recipients. While Theo had been vague with those he spoke to about his reasoning for such probing questions, he had been truthful with Dr. Burrow. "I'll touch base with you later tonight."

Theo disconnected the line while studying Dr. Burrow's features. The thin, vertical lines above her upper lip deepened as she frowned in what appeared to be disappointment. Maybe frustration, but he was about to find out which one as he set his phone on the table.

"Mr. Neville, I don't know if this helps your investigation, but it's come to my attention that Sheila Wallace's heart was initially meant to go to another patient," Dr. Burrow advised after she stepped into the conference room and closed the door quietly behind her. She stepped forward and handed over the folder. "The only reason the heart was not flown to the recipient at the top of the list was due to inclement weather. Every effort was made, but in the end, it was decided that Mary Jane Reynolds should receive the organ due to her proximity and the fact that she was second on the list."

"Thank you, Dr. Burrow."

Theo spent a few minutes discussing with her the best approach to speaking with the administrative personnel, and they both agreed that she should take the rest of the evening to set up the interviews to begin tomorrow morning at seven o'clock sharp. Once he was left alone to gather his belongings, he tucked the phone on his shoulder as he waited for Brook to pick up his call.

"We have a problem, Brook. There was a thirty-three-year-old man by the name of Reggie Hollins who was supposed to receive Sheila Wallace's heart. He has since died, and his family is now suing the hospital. I'll spare you the details for now, but suffice it to say the heart went to Mary Jane Reynolds instead. We're going to need Tirelli's help to weed through all the interviews. Our suspect pool has now turned into a damned lake."