Healed to Death, page 4
8
Detective Samuels was brusque at first. He told Kenzie just to email her initial findings, and sounded irritated when she said she wanted to review them in person. Kenzie reminded herself that he probably had a number of other files he was working on, and he didn’t have unlimited time. He wanted to budget his time just as she did. He might have a wife and children to go home to at the end of the day. He might have some really big cases on his desk right now. She just didn’t know what his challenges were. So she needed to be patient with him and not be offended by a few short words.
When she pressed, Samuels agreed that she could come upstairs to see him and review the results, but warned her he didn’t have very much time. Kenzie headed immediately for the elevator, not wanting to waste any of that time. They might be interrupted at any time. She needed to get her point across quickly.
The Officer of the Day at the front desk escorted her down the hall for a few steps, indicating an office just down the corridor. “Second door there, on the right.”
Kenzie approached. She knocked on the doorframe and waited for Samuels to look up from his computer and motion to the guest chair before entering his office. Several piles of papers and files competed with the computer for space on his desk.
“Sorry for the interruption. Thank you for making the time.”
“Of course, Dr. Kirsch. So, this is your report?” He reached for the stapled pages she handed him.
“This is just preliminary findings. We are still waiting for a number of lab tests, need to ask questions of family, friends, doctors who treated him, and so on.”
“I’m not sure you’ll be able to do that. Is there any question of what he died of?”
“There are several possibilities.”
“All of them natural.”
“We have some concerns about possible medical malpractice,” Kenzie said slowly. She elected to use “we” to give it more weight and hoped Dr. Cook would back her up if asked. “If there was medical malpractice, that changes it from natural causes to accidental.”
“But not to homicide,” he stated.
“It depends on how he was treated. If he was treated for hematemesis and then released, then that would be more than just malpractice. Whoever treated him might be guilty of manslaughter or worse.”
“What is hemate-whatsit?”
“Throwing up blood. He had quite a bit of bleeding in his upper GI tract. In fact, he bled so much that all of his organs were pale. He might have thrown up two liters of blood. If a doctor saw that and released him…”
The detective stared at her. “Who releases a man who had just thrown up two liters of blood?”
“That’s exactly my point. He had been under a doctor’s care. We know that from the IV. Or that he had, at least, been under some kind of medical care. We don’t know whether or not it was a board-certified doctor at this point. But within an hour or two, Lane is dead on the street.”
Samuels ran his fingers through his disorderly, wavy hair. “Okay… you’ve got my attention. Could anything have been done for him?”
“If they acted quickly enough… possibly. Give him enough fluids and enough blood, get him into surgery to stop the bleeds… maybe they could have saved him. But he certainly should not have been out of his hospital bed.”
“Or his bed wherever it was. Not the hospital, remember.”
“Right. They should have immediately gotten him to the hospital for care when it became obvious that he was in critical condition. And you cannot tell me that if you, a first responder, saw a man throwing up great gouts of blood like that, you would not know he was in critical condition.”
Samuels smiled. “I certainly hope that I would be able to recognize it.”
He started to flip through the pages of the preliminary findings. His eyes skimmed over the words and photos. He shook his head. “He was in pretty bad shape. Do you really think anyone could have saved him?”
“Maybe not. Maybe all they could have done was to keep him comfortable. But then at least they could do that and not release him out onto the street. But… I’m not convinced that they did.”
“Not convinced that they… took care of him?”
“I am not convinced that they released him. I am wondering if they actually let him die, not realizing how dire his condition was, and then they dumped his body in the alley.”
“Why would they do that?”
“I don’t know. Maybe they knew that what they had done amounted to more than just negligence. They misdiagnosed him or gave him the wrong treatment. They didn’t want anyone to know what they had done, so they cleaned him up and dumped his body.”
“You think it was the hospital and they wiped him out of their records?”
“I don’t think their system allows for that. But I think that whoever it was… for whatever reason, they couldn’t call the police or ambulance and explain what had happened. That suggests that it was not just a matter of not being able to save him or get him to the hospital in time.”
“What makes you think that his body was dumped after he died?”
“With that amount of blood loss, he would not have been able to walk a block or two down the street. Either he left the clinic under his own power and then bled out, or he bled out there and then was dumped. If he bled out on the street… where is the blood?”
“Ah.” Samuels nodded. “No blood on the scene. Are you sure he could not have left under his own power and… just bled internally rather than bleeding out on the sidewalk?”
“No… there was barely any blood left in his GI tract. He threw it up. It should have been on the scene. It was on the scene, which is how we know the dump site was not the scene of death.”
Samuels leaned back in his chair, making it tilt and creak alarmingly. It was all Kenzie could do to refrain from warning him that he was going to tip himself right over. She gritted her teeth and waited.
“So, somebody, possibly not a medical professional, tried to take care of an old drunk while he was sick. He died and they panicked and dumped him. I’m not sure that’s a criminal offense.”
“They put an IV in. That tells me it was some kind of medical professional. Anyone with that kind of training is obligated to provide the best possible medical care and find him the help he needs if they cannot provide it.” Kenzie struggled to keep her voice calm and even. “Whether it is a doctor, nurse, or paramedic, they had a duty to look after him. And if they were not able to get him help in time, to call the police and let them investigate what had happened.”
“Okay… well… I’ll keep that in mind, Dr. Kirsch. Thank you for bringing this to my attention. It will inform my investigation.”
Kenzie had been expecting more. She had expected him to get angry or outraged. To promise to dig into it until he found out the truth. But he was pretty relaxed about it. If he cared what had happened to Lane, he hid it well.
“I will be calling the man who reported finding the body to ask him some questions,” she told Samuels.
“I gave you the information I have. Go ahead. I don’t think you’ll get anything more from him than I did, but you’re welcome to try. That’s certainly within your purview.”
9
When Kenzie got home, she found Zachary in a tizzy. He was moving from one room to another, opening and closing drawers at random. His skin was pale and shone with sweat. He looked at her with panic in his eyes.
“What’s wrong?” Kenzie demanded, her heart thumping hard, already trying to figure out what could be triggering such an anxious response from Zachary. He had been feeling pretty good lately. She always let herself get too comfortable, too sure that everything was okay, and then any change came out of nowhere, surprising her and making her feel like her whole life was unpredictable. Anything could happen at any time.
“I can’t find it,” Zachary said, his breath coming out in short puffs. “I have looked everywhere, and I can’t figure out where I left it!”
“Left what? What are you looking for?”
It was clearly something of great value to him. Something expensive? Or some trinket from his past that he had managed to hang on to over the years despite foster homes and fires and everything else he’d been through?
“The stuff! For the gala tonight. The… the thing,” he made a motion across his waist, “and the…” a motion to his throat, “the tie! And the…”
Kenzie made a calming motion with her hands, encouraging him to relax. “And the pocket square,” she said smoothly. “For the gala.”
She had nearly forgotten that the big Kirsch family foundation fundraising gala, which she had been pressured into attending with Zachary, was tonight. She had even seen it on her calendar, noted it, and then gotten wrapped up in her other daily tasks and put it out of her mind.
“You can’t find it because it is in my closet. Everything is together so that we would be able to find everything easily. Take a breath. It’s not lost.”
“I looked everywhere!”
Kenzie removed her jacket and shoes and walked through the house to her bedroom. She removed a couple of dark garment bags from her closet that held her dress and Zachary’s tux. Above them on the shelf were a couple of boxes containing her jewelry and Zachary’s cummerbund, bow tie, and pocket square. She laid everything out on the bed and opened the bags and boxes.
Zachary let out a huge sigh of relief. “I thought I put it away somewhere safe and I couldn’t find it again.”
“You probably did, but I gathered everything together a couple of weeks ago to ensure we had everything we needed and wouldn’t…”
“Be in a panic when it was time to get ready,” Zachary finished.
“Exactly.”
“Well…” He ran his fingers through his hair, “What kind of fun would that be?”
Kenzie smiled at him. She took a deep breath and let it out, trying not to betray how fast her heart had been pumping when she had seen Zachary’s panic.
“Whew. Well, I am going to go have a sandwich. We won’t be eating until late with this gala, and I personally cannot wait that long to eat. And I would be so starving I would eat like a pig when the food finally came. After I eat, I’m going to shower, do my hair, and dress. Are you going to have something to eat?”
“Maybe I should get ready first so I don’t get distracted or run out of time.”
They both considered this. Kenzie didn’t endorse his plan and, in a moment, he waved it off.
“No. I’m not going to put on a tux and then eat a jelly sandwich. I’ll end up with red stains all over my shirt and tie. I’ll eat first, with you. That’s the safest. Then I’ll shave, shower, and get dressed.”
He looked at her. Kenzie nodded. “Sounds good. We’ll keep each other on track. You don’t have to do as much to get ready as I do, so you’ll probably still have some time to check your email or do some little jobs once you’re dressed and ready to go.”
“Okay.” He nodded his agreement.
Kenzie knew she would probably still have to give him a few reminders to make sure that he was ready to go when she was, but that was just the way things worked. They had different priorities and brains that worked very differently from each other.
As it turned out, Zachary remained focused throughout their preparations, and the only thing she had to remind him to do was to put on socks. She had them ready for him so he didn’t have to look for a clean, matching pair. Then he put on his shoes, and they prepared to leave.
“This is going to be fun,” Zachary said, his words a little forced. “We’re going to have a good time.”
Kenzie nodded. “There will be good food, music, dancing, and Lisa will be giving a speech about our featured charities this year. That part might be a bit tedious. There will be a lot of people you don’t know wanting to shake your hand, but all you have to do is smile.”
“I’m your arm candy,” Zachary contributed smugly.
“Exactly.”
“I went to events with Bridget, when we were married. Formal stuff with lots of forks…” He swallowed, and she could see this was an area of concern.
“Look, there’s nothing to be worried about. If you’re not sure what to do, just watch me, or someone else at the table. If you use the wrong fork or spoon, it isn’t the end of the world. Seriously. No one will care.”
She could see by his dark look that Bridget had cared, and he didn’t believe her that it would be okay and she didn’t care if he made a silly mistake.
“If it makes you feel better, I will make sure I use the wrong cutlery at least once tonight, okay? And you’ll see that no one will notice or say a thing.”
“If you are going to use the wrong one, and I’m watching you to see which one to use, then I’m going to be copying the wrong thing, and I’m going to get it wrong!”
“You see? We’ll be wrong together. If you don’t want to get it wrong, then watch someone else. Mom, if she is at our table. But she probably won’t be. She’ll want to circulate.”
“What if I drop something?”
“Just leave it where it falls, unless someone will trip over it. If you need a new one, just ask a server for it. No big deal.”
“It’s going to be fun,” Zachary repeated as they entered the garage to get into Kenzie’s car. But he sounded more like he was attending a funeral than a party.
The gala really did go quite well. Kenzie did not catch Zachary using the wrong fork or spoon at any time throughout the evening. But she didn’t watch him the whole time, either. Bridget, his ex-wife, had watched him like a hawk, making sure she noted every misstep he made or came close to making and ripped him apart for it.
Kenzie was there to make other connections. To make sure that other people saw her as being active in the family foundation. Showing her support for it, letting them know that the next generation was, in fact, involved. They didn’t need to worry that the organization was going to go down the tubes after her parents were gone. And they were not going anywhere for a very long time.
Walter, her father, was not at the fundraiser. He was still under wraps, pretending to be recovering from a stroke. Kenzie was sure he was probably not too disappointed to be missing the gala. Although he had been isolated for a while now, so maybe he actually would miss the chance to see everyone.
He could go to next year’s. Everything would be back to normal by then. Except it would be the new normal, where he was retired from his work and everyone understood he was not going back to lobbying in the Capitol as he had. Before.
Kenzie realized she had gotten distracted from Lisa’s speech, and tried to refocus. She smiled and nodded a few times and let her eyes wander around the room to the people at other tables, analyzing who was interested in the speech or in the causes they were supporting, and who just wanted to get out of there. Who would cut a big check. Who would pledge money and then not follow through. She didn’t know them as well as Lisa did, but she needed to make an effort. One day, Lisa would no longer be there, and Kenzie would be expected to know it all.
Lisa wrapped up her patter and said that she would take questions. A few people made their way over to the standing microphones to ask their questions.
One of the first questions was about the causes they were supporting.
“The foundation has always been a big supporter of research and treatment of kidney disease and organ transplant. Now it seems like you are defunding those areas and are more concerned about… social issues rather than medical ones. Mental illness, addiction, homelessness. Why have you changed your focus?”
“Since Amanda’s death, the foundation has put millions of dollars into kidney disease research and treatment,” Lisa acknowledged. “We have, I hope, advanced things significantly. But there are other areas that desperately need funding. Mental health has become an increasingly important part of our lives and needs our attention. We cannot simply ignore the ripple effect mental illness has across many other areas of study. We need to heal minds and spirits, not just bodies.”
“What about the charities you have defunded?” the woman asked angrily. “How are they supposed to survive now that you have pulled your funding?”
“We are not the only fish in the sea. There are many other organizations and grants that you can go to. Things do change from year to year. That has always been the case.”
She waited for the woman to step away from the mike and, after a few long seconds, she did. There was a murmur through the crowd, and then the next question was posed to Lisa.
Kenzie’s mind drifted to Jack Lane. Would the foundation’s money have made a difference to him if they had changed their focus a little earlier? Would he have made changes to his life if he had been contacted through the right charity? Could they have gotten him into the right rehab program? Gotten him into housing that would have given him the stability he needed to change his life?
If she could find out where he had been treated and what organizations had worked with him, she might be able to find out something about his past. Whether he had been dealing with mental illness as well as addiction and homelessness. Whether he’d had PTSD or other disabilities.
There were so many other things that she didn’t know about him, things that did not show up in an autopsy.
10
Kenzie was thoughtful as she drove back to Roxboro, pondering over the shift in the foundation’s focus and the ripple effect it might have on policy in Vermont. And the causes that they had supported for years and were now moving away from. The kidney research and treatment causes would not be happy about losing the foundation’s funding. As Lisa had said, there were a lot of other charities and grants out there, but they would have to work hard to replace the generosity of the family foundation. Had they thought that the family’s funding would last forever? At some point, it was bound to come to an end. If it wasn’t a change in focus, then it might be an economic downturn or the death of one of her parents. There had never been any guarantee that they would keep funding kidney research forever.
