Murder in the Maternity Ward

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Murder in the Maternity Ward Page 8

by Michelle Francik


  The woman’s face blanched and Maggie watched her closely, hoping she’d let something slip.

  “I’m so sorry. I didn’t realize that was you. It must’ve been horrifying to have that happen.”

  “It was, yes. And now, I’m just not sure I feel safe here in this hospital. I heard the police haven’t found the killer. Do they even have a suspect?” she tried to look innocent and anxious, twisting her hands in her lap.

  “Not that I know of.” Dorothy frowned and tapped her fingers on her desk. “You’d think when a prominent doctor gets murdered the police would do their jobs and not just sit around on their behinds eating donuts, or whatever it is they do.”

  Maggie’s blood started to boil, but she tamped it down. Now was not the time to defend the police. Dorothy was getting emotional, so it was time to turn up the pressure.

  “I know, right?” She scooted forward in her chair and leaned in, speaking in a low voice. “I heard he was having an affair and the cops think the woman killed him because he wouldn’t leave his wife.”

  Dorothy’s laughter rang through the air. “That’s ridiculous. Dr. Slade was a hound dog, but anyone who knew him could tell you he’d never leave his wife. Sure, he fooled around. She fooled around, too. But it was never serious enough for someone to kill him.”

  Maggie looked over at Reed who had a look of disgust on his face. “If the police haven’t found the killer, how can you be sure my wife and child will be safe here?”

  “We’re certain the killer had an emotional connection to Dr. Slade. It was a crime of passion, based on what the police found, so even though they haven’t caught the killer yet, they assured us that everyone else is safe.”

  There was a discreet knock at the door and an older woman appeared in the doorway, wearing a housekeeping uniform.

  “May I come in and take your trash?” Her voice was hesitant, and Maggie noticed she kept her eyes lowered as she spoke.

  “Can’t you see I have people in my office, Margaret?” Dorothy’s voice was shrill, and the woman seemed to shrink as the words assaulted her. “Come back later when I’m not busy.”

  “I’m sorry, Miss. It’s just that I’m leaving early today, and I want to be sure your garbage is emptied.”

  “I don’t care about your problems. Just take care of it before you leave.” Her dismissive tone annoyed Maggie who was still watching Margaret. Just before the woman turned to leave, a look of disgust flashed across her face.

  “I’m sorry about that. I’ll speak to Rose. She’s the head of housekeeping and she’ll make sure it doesn’t happen again.” She paused to look at her watch. “Well, did you have any other questions for me? If not, I have patients to see and paperwork to file.” She looked from Maggie to Reed, who both shook their heads.

  “I think that’s all, thank you for your time.” Reed stood up and shook hands with her. She held onto his hand a little too long and Maggie stifled a chuckle when he wiped his hand on his pant leg as he turned away.

  They walked into the hall and she was surprised to see nurse Roland and the housekeeper talking together, heads bent, and apparently in the middle of an argument. Reed and Maggie walked towards them, and when they realized they had an audience, Roland turned away with a sneer, headed for the nurse’s station.

  When they reached the housekeeper, her face was flushed, and she appeared out of breath.

  Maggie asked, “Are you okay?”

  The woman nodded. “Yes, I’m fine, thank you for asking. I’m sorry for interrupting your meeting.” She grabbed her cart and pushed it into the closest room, closing the door behind her.

  “Was that weird or what?” Maggie asked Reed.

  “Oh, it was definitely weird. What do you think they were arguing about?”

  “Who knows.” Maggie shrugged and rubbed her belly. “This little one is kicking something fierce. I think she’s hungry.”

  “She? Do you know something I don’t?”

  “Slip of the tongue, Reed, that’s all. I’m hungry. Is that better?”

  “Okie dokie, then. Let’s go get some grub and talk about that interview. There were definitely some strange vibes.”

  Maggie shook her head. “How do you go from ‘okie dokie’ and ‘grub,’ to ‘vibes’ in the same sentence?”

  “I don’t know but look at that.” He stopped to take a closer look at a picture on the wall.

  “Look at what?”

  “This plaque here. Read the inscription.”

  Maggie saw a picture of Margaret, the housekeeper, under a headline that read, “Housekeeper of the Month.” Below the picture was an inscription that she read out loud, “Margaret Denton consistently exceeds expectations. She is outstanding in all she does. She deserves more than just a plaque. Dr. Edgar Slade.”

  “Denton sounds familiar. Do we know someone else with that last name?”

  “Yeah. Me.” They turned, and Roland was standing behind them, arms crossed. “We need to talk.”

  “Margaret’s my mom. I don’t know why you were following her, but you need to stop.”

  “We weren’t following anyone. We walked out of the office and there you were, arguing. We had to walk down the hall to get to the elevator. I only stopped to read the plaque because I recognized your mom.” Reed’s tone was calm and reasonable, and it seemed to placate Roland.

  “I’m sorry, it’s just that Dorothy thinks she’s better than everyone else and she treats my mom like dirt. It really makes me angry.” He clenched his fists and his jaw worked as he tried to stay in control.

  “She was very rude to your mom, so I get where you’re comin’ from, but you getting all worked up about it ain’t gonna help nobody.”

  “I know, but it’s not right.”

  “No, it’s not.” Maggie’s quiet acknowledgement seemed to help, because he nodded, stuck his hands in his pockets and walked off, leaving the two marshals alone in the hallway. “Wow. That was intense.”

  “Yeah. And odd. I wonder if we just found another suspect,” Reed mused.

  “What do you mean?”

  “Well, if Dr. Slade was rude to his ma, like Dorothy was, Roland there might have felt the need to stand up for her.”

  “That doesn’t fit with the plaque, where the doctor has nothing but praise for her, but it’s something to keep in mind. Now how about some food?”

  “All right already. Let’s go.”

  As they walked out the front door of the hospital, Maggie noticed a young man watching them. He was wearing a uniform similar to Margaret’s and had a black eye. She smiled as she walked past, but he turned away, spraying cleaning solution onto a rag.

  Chapter Fourteen

  “How are you feeling?” Garrett rubbed the ball of her foot in a circular motion then moved his hands upward to massage her swollen ankle. They were sitting on the sofa with her legs draped across his lap, enjoying a few minutes of alone time.

  “Why? Do I look like I swallowed a watermelon or something?” Maggie was joking, but instead of teasing her back or arguing with her, he fixed her with a look that made her insides melt. Her eyes welled up and she sniffled. “You’re a great husband and you’re going to be the most wonderful father.”

  “What brought that on?” he asked, his husky voice making her quiver.

  “Oh, I don’t know. You work a farm, take care of a U.S. Marshal wife, are there for your family and you still manage to look hot.”

  “Well, it is 90-something degrees out there. Do I need a shower?” His husky voice was gone, replaced by his practical voice, and Maggie felt disappointment well up inside her.

  “You know what I mean,” she said. Irritated, she started to swing her feet to the floor, but he grabbed her ankles and didn’t let go.

  “Where do you think you’re going?” The husky voice was back. He leaned forward and placed a kiss on her lips. Their eyes met and she shivered with desire.

  “What’s going on in here?” Adam walked into the room and plopped down on the
sofa, on the other side of Garrett.

  Maggie’s frustration got the better or her and she cursed the day she’d told her husband Adam was welcome anytime. He definitely was not.

  Garrett reluctantly let her go and she stood up, losing her balance for a moment.

  “Are you okay?’ Adam asked.

  “Yes, I’m fine,” she snapped. “You try walking with a huge, rolling belly.”

  “Rolling belly?” Adam looked at her with one eyebrow raised.

  She reached down and smoothed her top across her belly. As they all watched, the baby moved, causing the muscles to ripple from top to bottom, creating a rolling effect.

  “Whoa! Cool!” Adam grinned, and he was so enthusiastic, Maggie forgave him for interrupting them.

  “It is cool,” she admitted. “But it’s not so good for walking.”

  She headed off to her room to lie down, hoping for a few moments of peace and quiet to think about the case. There was something nagging at her, but she couldn’t quite grasp it. Maybe it would come to her if she focused on something else. She fell asleep thinking about her husband’s eyes . . . and his lips . . . and his hands.

  She woke up with a new perspective. What if they’d been looking at this all wrong? What if it wasn’t a lover that killed him, but someone looking for revenge. He’d had two discrimination suits filed against him and she and Reed had witnessed his assistant, Dorothy, being disrespectful to Margaret. The same woman who was the mother of one of the nurses who filed a suit against Dr. Slade.

  She walked into the living room, ready to call a meeting of the minds with her posse, but the smell of fresh apple pie distracted her. She followed the scent and found Reed, Garrett and Adam eating thick slabs of pie on the front porch.

  “Hey, what’s going on out here?” Maggie sat down on the porch swing next to Garrett, who handed her his pie and fork.

  “Here you go, Mags. It’s really good.”

  “It smells wonderful. Did you make this, Reed?”

  He snorted. “I wish I could bake like this. No, it’s a Marta special. She said that a new mom needs good old-fashioned nourishment, like apple pie with vanilla ice cream on top.”

  She turned to her husband and he shrugged. “You snooze, you lose. I ate the ice cream first, before it totally melted.”

  He was so cute she couldn’t even pretend to be angry with him, so she took another bite of pie.

  “Did you have a good nap?” Adam’s voice was tentative, and she looked up to see him watching her, worry lines across his forehead.

  “I did, thank you. And Adam, I’m sorry I snapped at you. Thank you for picking up Ashanti and Jayla. I’m glad you were able to do that.” She watched his usual grin replace his concerned expression and felt a load lift from her heart. She really did love her husband and his family. Even if they got on her nerves sometimes.

  “I was thinking, partner. What if we’re looking at this from the wrong angle? None of the suspects we’ve interviewed so far seem very viable.” Reed’s question came right as she took a bite of pie and she ended up choking on it, she was so surprised.

  Garrett patted her back until she finished coughing and as soon as she could breathe again, she leaned forward, her eyes shining. “That’s what I think, too. A crime of passion can be committed by anyone who gets angry enough to act in the moment, without restraint. I could totally see Roland stabbing Dorothy for being disrespectful to his mom. Maybe Dr. Slade ticked off someone who just couldn’t take any more. And what’s with this ‘viable’ stuff? Did someone get you a word-of-the-day calendar or something?”

  Reed ignored her question. “I was thinking about Roland and his mom and I don’t think he did it. For one, he’s too tall. The blood spatter shows the murderer was someone shorter than the doctor. For two, he seems like a hothead, but also a coward. I don’t see him taking on anyone physically. He filed a suit against Dr. Slade, but he went through human resources and never had to actually face him. I can’t see him standing up to the man let alone stabbing him.”

  “I agree with you there. Ashanti made him shake in his boots. But if Roland’s out, who else do we have?”

  “I don’t know, but I think we should find out more about the discrimination suits. See what they were about. And maybe talk to Roland again and see if he has any ideas.”

  “Sounds like a plan. For now, though, I need to finish Garrett’s pie.” She grinned at her husband and ate the last bite.

  Chapter Fifteen

  The next morning Garrett, Reed, Susan, Maggie and Ashanti gathered at the kitchen table to discuss their next move.

  “I got an update from Santiago. He interviewed Dorothy and she told him she was with a married man at the time of Dr. Slade’s murder. The man confirmed she was with him in the basement of the hospital. In the autopsy room.” Reed paused and cleared his throat while he let that sink in.

  “Apparently they provided a time stamped video as well. Dr. Slade was killed around 3 pm and they were . . . um, busy, from 2:30 to 3:30. Santiago said after watching the first few minutes he felt like he needed a long hot shower, but he also said in the video, she was wearing a bracelet just like Mrs. Slade’s.”

  “Well that solves that mystery and gets us no closer to solving the murder.” Maggie was feeling particularly grumpy and apparently, she wasn’t hiding it well, because Reed and Susan looked at Garrett who shrugged and looked away. “I’m right here, you guys. I can see you.” She glared at each of them in turn until a chuckle from Ashanti drew her attention.

  “You’ll be okay, Miss Maggie. It’s just the ‘bout to pop’ blues.”

  Maggie made a face at her, then something Reed said replayed in her mind. “Wait a minute. They were messing around at the hospital?”

  “Yep. That’s what she said and what the video shows. I can see those wheels turnin’ from here. What’re you thinkin’?”

  “Dr. Slade was killed in the room above mine. A room that was supposed to be empty. If the room was empty, how did that receipt get into the garbage container?”

  “Santiago asked about that. Rose Mercer, the head of housekeeping, said sometimes doctors take a nap or make a personal phone call in an empty room. She said it’s not unusual to find trash in them.”

  “Right. But this wasn’t just any trash. It was a receipt for a very expensive bracelet. That’s not the kind of thing a cheater would want to leave laying around. So how come it wasn’t in his wallet?”

  “That’s actually a good question,” Garrett spoke up. “If I had a mistress, which would never happen in a million years,” he added, noticing Maggie’s murderous expression, “I would keep that receipt hidden and hidden well.”

  “But what if he wanted to show the woman how much he spent on her? Or what if she asked to see the receipt to prove it wasn’t the same bracelet he’d already given to his wife?” Susan’s question raised eyebrows all around.

  “Okay, now we’re getting somewhere. Here’s the scenario. Dr. Slade and Dorothy meet up in the room. He gives her the bracelet, thinking she’ll be pleased, but she says, ‘Isn’t this the same one you gave your wife last week?’ He says, ‘No, of course not, I bought this just for you.’ She says, ‘prove it.’ He reaches into his wallet and pulls out the receipt. When she sees the price and the date she says ‘okay, let’s do this.’ The receipt gets forgotten in the heat of the moment.”

  “That’s actually pretty plausible, Mags.”

  “Yeah, but how did it get into the trash? And why did Dr. Slade go back into the room? And it doesn’t answer the question, who was angry enough to kill him?” Susan blurted out.

  “Those are great questions, but we need to take this one step at a time, Susan,” Reed reached over and grabbed his fiancée’s hand. “Why don’t we start by askin’ that Dorothy woman if that’s what happened.

  “I agree. Once we confirm that part, we can take it a step further. For now, it’s all conjecture, even though my gut’s tellin’ me we’re onto something.” Maggie looked ov
er at her friend, who’d been quietly listening. “What do you think, Ashanti?”

  “I think it makes sense and again, I’m ‘stounded at how that mind of yours works.”

  “Why thank you, I think,” Maggie laughed.

  An hour later Reed and Maggie arrived at the hospital. Now she’d been questioned by the police and knew she was under suspicion for Dr. Slade’s death, there was no need for pretense.

  “Well, if it isn’t the fake couple, back to make my life miserable.” Dorothy’s smirk irritated Maggie, but she felt Reed’s hand brush her arm and remembered why they were there.

  “I’m sorry for the deception, Dorothy, but we’re trying to solve this murder. I’m sure you understand.” She wasn’t sure of anything as far as the cheating woman was concerned, but honey works better than vinegar for catching rats. Or was it flies? She could never get that straight.

  Reed cleared his throat and put on his best southern drawl. “We’re aware of your alibi for the time of the murder, but we think you can help us with somethin’ else. Now, I don’t want to ruffle your feathers none, so I’m askin’ nice. Do you mind if we ask you about the day Dr. Slade was murdered?”

  He put on his famous, charming grin and Maggie could feel herself holding her breath, waiting to see if he could work his magic on the woman. They needed to know if her hypothesis was correct and Dorothy was the only person who could tell them.

  “My, my, you are a charmer. Since you two aren’t a couple does that mean you’re available?” Her eyes did a slow roll over Reed’s tall, lanky frame and Maggie felt him tense up. “Not that it matters to me,” Dorothy admitted. “Available, not available, it don’t matter none. I’m just lookin’ for some fun.”

  “Well, I’m not married to Maggie, here, but I do have a fiancée. And I don’t believe in cheatin’. But I am interested in hearing about you and Dr. Slade and what you were doin’ in that room.”

  “Too bad, your loss.” Dorothy turned away and the two marshals looked at each other. Was she saying it was too bad he didn’t want to fool around or too bad, she wasn’t going to answer any questions?

 

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