Undetermined Death : A Legal Thriller (Ashley Montgomery Book 2)

by Laura Snider

  Josh nodded. “I feel like I let Rachel down.”

  “You can’t say that,” Katie said, placing her free hand on top of his.

  Josh looked up, their eyes meeting. A flash of something passed between them, but Katie looked away before it built into something larger.

  “Rachel was an adult. Old enough to make her own decisions.”

  Josh issued a deep sigh. “I wish I could agree with you, but sometimes it isn’t that simple.”

  Katie wondered what he meant, but she didn’t push him. She suspected the answer lurked in the remainder of the calls. She had only read through two. There were ten years of calls, many of which would likely point to physical abuse. It was shocking that not a single one of the reports turned into a criminal offense. Probably because neither Lyndsay nor Rachel told the truth of what was happening behind closed doors. It spoke volumes about the strength of Isaac’s hold over them.

  20

  Ashley

  The loud, incessant beeping of machinery pushed through Ashley’s slumber, pulling her out of a deep, dreamless sleep. She was reluctant to open her eyes. She had been cocooned in a cloud of peaceful slumber and she did not want to leave it. It was tranquil. Quiet. At least up until the beeping started.

  Beep. Beep. Beep. She could not identify the source of the sound. It was foreign to her ears. A metallic squall that rose in volume, like an alarm. Not a sound she would expect to find in her home. So, where was she?

  Ashley’s eyelids fluttered open. The lighting was set to dim, but it illuminated the room just enough to see. She was in a hospital room, clean and sterile. A machine tracking her vitals sat next to her, still beeping, but it had jumped up four octaves and increased in volume in a way that could only be described as screaming. It was an alarming noise, one that surely meant something was wrong.

  “Stupid machine,” a nurse said as she bustled into the room. Her accent sounded like it came from somewhere in Central America.

  The nurse was a middle-aged, heavyset woman with silky black hair pulled back into a tight bun. Her scrubs had little turkeys trotting all over them, each holding a tiny sign that said gobble gobble. Ashley supposed that Thanksgiving was coming up. Not that she had anyone to celebrate with. Her mother had passed of cancer and she had never known her father. Her only sister lived in New York. Ashley had expected to spend the holidays with Tom and Katie, but Tom had betrayed her, and Rachel Smithson’s case would keep Katie and Ashley separated for at least another couple of months.

  The nurse pressed several buttons on the machine. “Sure, go with the cheapest contract,” the nurse muttered to herself. “The monitors are all the same. Mierda.” The machine stopped shrieking and the woman stepped back, satisfied.

  “Hello,” Ashley said. Her voice sounded scratchy, like she hadn’t used it in days. Maybe she hadn’t. She had no idea what day it was or even where she was. Yes, it was a hospital, but where?

  The woman jumped back. “Oh,” she said, pressing a hand to her heaving chest. “You frightened me. I didn’t realize you were awake.”

  Ashley nodded toward the machine. “That thing woke me up.”

  The nurse nodded. “Of course it did.” She cast a dark look at the machine. “They make sleeping difficult.”

  “What is it?”

  “It’s to monitor your vital signs.”

  “Is something wrong with me?”

  “No.” The nurse shook her head. “I mean, yes, but you are stable. These machines are junk. They just go off like that. You’re fine. I’m Angelica, by the way.” When she smiled, her entire face lit up.

  “What happened?” Ashley asked. “And why am I here?” She lifted her arm to gesture to the room surrounding her. It felt unnaturally heavy, like her bones were filled with lead.

  Angelica bit her bottom lip. “I’ll let Doctor Malloy answer that. She should be here in a few moments. She’s making her rounds now. In the meantime, what would you like for breakfast?”

  Ashley wasn’t satisfied with Angelica’s answer, but she didn’t press the nurse. Angelica was not the decision maker. Ashley had spent plenty of time inside hospitals while her mother went through cancer treatment. Back then, she had learned one very vital bit of information. Nurses followed a doctor’s orders, but that didn’t mean they were powerless. In fact, they wielded a great deal of power. Hospitals were never fun, and nurses were in a position to make life bearable. They were also able to do the exact opposite. Agitating the nursing staff was never a good idea.

  “What are my breakfast options?”

  Angelica handed Ashley a small pamphlet with a list of breakfast, lunch, and dinner options. “You are not under any dietary restrictions, but the doctor does want you eating full and regular meals. You lost a lot of blood. You need sustenance to regain your strength.”

  Ashley’s mind shot back to her last memory, when she was outside the Waukee Police station. Her stomach had twisted into knots, then she’d started vomiting blood. She had no idea what had caused her body to react that way. She suspected it was somehow connected to the nosebleeds and fatigue. She had chalked up the early symptoms to stress, but that wasn’t a likely option anymore. Hospitals did not treat patients for stress. At least not this kind of hospital.

  “I’m in Des Moines?” Ashley asked. She hadn’t driven herself to the hospital, so she must have arrived by ambulance. Waukee didn’t have a large hospital of its own, so she guessed the ambulance would have taken her somewhere in the Des Moines area.

  “Methodist. Downtown Des Moines.” Angelica tapped the pamphlet in Ashley’s hands with her finger. “Now, let’s get breakfast started, shall we?”

  Ashley scanned the options. “I’ll just have some oatmeal.”

  “Do you like eggs?”

  “Yes.”

  “We’ll add some eggs to the order, too. You need protein. Turkey sausage?”

  Ashley could tell by the stern set of Angelica’s jaw that there was no point in arguing. “That’s fine.”

  “I’ll put that order in for you. Doctor Malloy should be in shortly,” Angelia said before bustling out of the room.

  The room felt empty and cold without Angelica. Everything was white and beige. Sterile and boring. She wished it was colorful like the children’s hospital. Ashley used to volunteer every weekend at Blank Children’s Hospital in Des Moines, but she’d had to put those visits on hold during the Smithson trial preparation. She missed the kids, but the days were too short and there was still so much to do.

  A sudden and overwhelming sense of dread seeped through her skin and settled into her bones. How much time had she lost thanks to this hospitalization? A few hours? A day? More? Since Angelica had wanted Ashley to order breakfast, it definitely wasn’t Saturday anymore. Her last memory on Saturday was from close to lunchtime. So Sunday, then. Hopefully.

  Where’s my phone? Ashley wondered, her eyes scanning the room. It would give her the date. It would also give her access to her voicemails. She suspected there would be one or two messages and texts from Tom, but those weren’t the ones she cared to see. Her concern was for her clients. They needed her at all hours of the day.

  She spotted her purse lying on the beige recliner in the corner next to the clothes she’d been wearing on Saturday. They were neatly folded, but Ashley could still see some of the blood stains from across the room. The clothing was ruined. Without a doubt. She started to shift her legs toward the edge of the bed, intent on retrieving her phone and inspecting her clothes, when someone interrupted her.

  “Stay put, Ms. Montgomery,” came a stern, chastising voice.

  It reminded Ashley of her mother when she was young. A demand termed in a way that wasn’t easy to ignore. Ashley froze and her head swung toward the short, stocky woman standing just outside the doorway.

  “Thank you,” the woman said as she stepped across the threshold and into Ashley’s room. Her voice was less stern but still authoritative. “Good morning. I’m Doctor Malloy.”

 
Doctor Malloy did not smile, but her eyes were kind. A bright sky blue that sparkled even in the depressing surroundings. Light blue scrubs peeked out from beneath her white coat, accentuating her eyes.

  “Hello, Doctor. You’re just the person I was hoping to see.”

  Doctor Malloy quirked an eyebrow. “Is that so?”

  “Yes.” Ashley propped herself up on her elbows. Her body was so heavy that moving was a struggle. “I need to get out of here. I’ve got to get back to work.”

  “You aren’t ready for discharge.”

  A matter-of-fact statement that dashed Ashley’s hopes. “When can I leave?”

  “That depends.”

  “On what?”

  “On how quickly you recover.”

  Ashley groaned. “Why? What’s wrong with me?”

  Doctor Malloy narrowed her eyes, assessing Ashley. “You don’t know?”

  “No,” Ashley said, but the doctor did not look convinced.

  “I’ve got a few questions for you.” Doctor Malloy held up a finger as she stepped outside the door and grabbed a clipboard hanging on the wall. She scanned a series of documents as she returned to Ashley’s side.

  “I’ll do anything to get out of here,” Ashley grumbled.

  “Good. I’m happy to hear you will be cooperative.” Doctor Malloy said this without the hint of a smile. “Are you taking any blood thinners?”

  “No.”

  “Not Warfarin or Coumadin?”

  “No. Why?”

  “Are you taking any medications at all?”

  “No. Again, why?”

  Doctor Malloy gave her a hard look. “Have you ever had thoughts of hopelessness?”

  “Does now count?”

  Doctor Malloy looked up, concern in the set of her downturned lips.

  “I mean, it does seem hopeless that I’ll get out of here today, doesn’t it?”

  “Very funny. But you’re smarter than that. You know what I meant.”

  “Fine,” Ashley said with a sigh. “No. Not really. I am stressed out a lot, but that’s because I have hope, not the other way around.”

  “Hope for what?”

  “That things will change.”

  “What kind of things?”

  “Mainly the criminal justice system.”

  “How about your personal life?” Doctor Malloy said as she wrote something on the clipboard.

  “How about it?”

  Doctor Malloy looked up, giving Ashley a stern look.

  “Okay,” Ashley said with a sigh. She had a tendency toward sarcasm when she was nervous. “My personal life isn’t ideal. I just caught my boyfriend with another woman. Someone I knew from childhood, and not in a good way.”

  “Have you ever considered harming yourself?”

  “No,” Ashley said, studying the doctor. What was she getting at? Did she think Ashley had tried to kill herself? “Why?”

  Doctor Malloy flipped the page on her clipboard and silently read to herself. Then she looked up. “It doesn’t look like you have a history of depression or suicidal ideation.”

  “Umm, no. I don’t. Again, why?”

  Doctor Malloy walked over to the other side of the room, where a large whiteboard occupied most of the wall. Both Doctor Malloy’s and Angelica’s names were already written there in red dry erase marker under “providers.” Below their names was a section for “condition.” It was empty. Doctor Malloy picked up the dry erase marker and popped the cap off. Turning her back to Ashley, she began writing. When she finished, she recapped the marker and stepped aside, allowing Ashley to read.

  Anticoagulant Rodenticide Poisoning.

  Ashley read the words, blinked several times, then read them again. “I’m sorry, what? Poisoning? That can’t be right.”

  “But it is.”

  “Rodenticide? Is that what I think it is? Rodent? Like a rat? Are you saying I am here because I ate rat poison?”

  Doctor Malloy nodded. “There are three options as to how this could have happened: homicidal, accidental, or suicidal. Judging by your history and your reaction to learning your condition, I think we can safely rule out suicidal. So, that leaves homicidal and accidental.”

  “You’ve got to be kidding.”

  “Do I look like I’m joking?”

  The doctor’s expression was grave. She did not look like she’d laughed a single time in all her life. “No.”

  “So, we need to talk about the other two options.”

  A wave of exhaustion washed over Ashley. She fell back against her pillow, staring up at the ceiling. There wasn’t a chance that she’d accidentally eaten rat poison. She would never have something like that around the house. Not with her two curious dogs. That only left one option, and the very thought of it was overwhelming. Once again, someone was trying to kill her. It had only been a year since the last time this had happened, and the culprit back then was now in prison.

  “I don’t have rat poison. Not at my office or at my home.”

  “So that leaves homicidal.” Doctor Malloy made another notation. “Which means you are in danger. Whoever did this isn’t likely to give up because they failed. What do you remember from yesterday?”

  “Yesterday?” Ashley said hopefully. “So today is only Sunday?”

  “Yes.” Doctor Malloy motioned with her hand for Ashley to go on.

  Ashley sighed, looking up at the ceiling. It was white, unremarkable, a blank slate to try to piece the day together.

  “I left Brine in the morning. I was going to see my boyfriend. Who I just broke up with, so I guess I should call him my ex-boyfriend.”

  “How did you feel at that time?”

  “I mean, fine. Upset. Pissed, actually, but that had to do with my ex, not anything I’d eaten.”

  Doctor Malloy nodded, writing in her notepad. “Had you had any strange bruising or nosebleeds prior to that day?”

  Ashley’s eyes widened. “Yes. For a week or two. I just thought it was stress. Are they related?”

  “Could be,” Doctor Malloy said. “You ingested a massive dose yesterday. If you hadn’t been outside the police station where there was a well-trained emergency response team, you would have died. Without a doubt. But the earlier bleeding indicates that you may have been exposed to smaller doses prior to yesterday. I’ll have a nurse up here to collect some of your hair in a little while.”

  “My hair?” Ashley said, absentmindedly fingering the tips of her long, mousy-brown hair.

  “They’ll take some from the back of your head. You won’t even notice. We need to test for earlier exposure. The poison will be in your hair.”

  “Like drug testing?”

  Doctor Malloy gave her a curious look. “Yes. Should we be testing for controlled substances as well?”

  “You could,” Ashley said with a shrug. “But you won’t find anything. I’m a defense attorney. It’s my job to know how drug testing works.”

  “A defense attorney,” Doctor Malloy said, writing another note on the clipboard. “Is it fair to say that you are exposed to a less than reputable section of society?”

  A flair of indignation ignited in Ashley’s chest. “Yes, but my clients didn’t do this.”

  “You sound certain.”

  “I am.”

  “Then who do you think did?”

  Ashley sucked in a deep breath and released it through her nose. “I don’t know. Maybe one of those weirdos who sends me gifts in the mail. They are always sending me candies and letters claiming they are in love.”

  Doctor Malloy quirked an eyebrow. “You eat things that random people send you?”

  “No. I’m not stupid. I don’t eat anything unless the seal hasn’t first been broken.”

  “What was the last thing you remember eating on Saturday?”

  Ashley thought back. There was the argument with Tom. Then she’d stormed off. The box of chocolates he had sent her earlier that week was in her SUV. She’d eaten the entire box.

  “Chocolat
es,” Ashley said with a sigh. “My boyfriend had sent them to me.”

  “Your ex-boyfriend?”

  Ashley nodded. “Yes.”

  “Was this the first package of food that he’s sent to you?”

  “No. There was one other.”

  “Did you have nosebleeds and bruising before or after you received the first box of chocolates?”

  Ashley tried to remember, but the days and weeks flowed together. “I don’t remember. But I don’t think he did this.”

  “Why not?”

  “I don’t know,” Ashley said with a sigh. “I just don’t.”

  Doctor Malloy narrowed her eyes.

  “I know it doesn’t sound convincing. But Tom wouldn’t hurt me.”

  “Tom.” Doctor Malloy wrote the name on her clipboard. “What’s his last name?”

  “Archie. But like I said, he didn’t do this.”

  Doctor Malloy ignored her. “So we’ve got potential poisoning in both Brine and Waukee. Is that right?”

  Ashley nodded. She knew where this was going.

  “Do you want me to notify the authorities?”

  “Is that necessary? I mean, are you sure that it wasn’t an accident.”

  Doctor Malloy’s frown deepened. “That was the reasoning for my earlier questions. Would you like to revisit them? Maybe there is something more you would like to add?”

  “No. Nothing more.”

  “Should I notify the authorities?” Doctor Malloy asked a second time.

  Ashley sighed deeply. “Yes.”

  “I’ll need you to fill out and sign a release of information.” Doctor Malloy removed several documents from the front of her clipboard, then handed it to Ashley. “These top two pages are for the release of information. Make sure you include both the Brine and Waukee Police Departments.”

  “What’s that?” Ashley nodded to the documents in Doctor Malloy’s hands.

  “These are for the eyes of medical staff only.”

  “All right,” Ashley said, before looking down at the clipboard. She filled out the papers and signed with a flourish. “I would request that you speak to Officer Katie Mickey, if that’s at all possible.”

  “She wouldn’t be the woman who has been marching around the waiting room since you arrived, would she?” Doctor Malloy said, a sparkle lighting up her eyes.