by Jaden Skye
Tom Dillard tapped his hands on the table and gave Cindy a long, slow glance. “Sounds pretty conclusive to me,” he stated.
“Not at all conclusive,” Cindy objected. “There’s absolutely no way of knowing if someone or other didn’t come into the room and administer the substance.”
“If they did, Owen would still have been present,” Tim stated. “He was a consenting presence.”
“But what if Owen fell asleep and was dozing at the moment?” Cindy asked.
“You can dream up any excuse you care to,” Tim’s voice grew harsher, “but the facts are the facts.”
“It’s not an excuse, it’s a possibility I’m suggesting,” said Cindy.
“Possible, but not probable,” Tim replied. “What we are looking at is an active euthanasia case. That is charged as first degree murder.”
“Seems extreme to me,” said Cindy, staring to breathe fast.
“There are other forms of euthanasia as well,” Tim went on matter of factly. Passive euthanasia is different. It’s when a patient dies because medical professionals don’t do something necessary to keep the person alive, or when they stop doing something that has been keeping the patient alive. That isn’t charged the same way. Active euthanasia occurs when someone does something deliberately to cause a person to die.”
“Death is death,” Cindy retorted, “Why isn’t passive euthanasia charged as murder?”
“People make a moral distinction between active and passive euthanasia,” Tim continued. “It’s more acceptable to withhold treatment and allow a patient to die naturally. Medical people agree. It allows them to provide a patient with the death they want, without having to deal with deliberately killing the person.”
“Stopping treatment is also a deliberate act,” Cindy objected again. “Switching off a respirator is a deliberate act, isn’t it?”
“We are treading a fine line here,” said Tim. “I do not make the laws, only enforce them.”
“It’s just not fair to charge Owen so harshly, especially as it was his wife who died and all evidence shows that he loved her,” Cindy insisted.
“Whether he loved her or not is beside the point, if he actively decided to take her life,” Tim rebutted.
“It is not beside the point,” Cindy objected. “It goes directly to motive. Not only friends and family say he loved her, I have Tara’s diary which states how happy they were together.” Cindy was dead set on defending Owen, no matter what it took.
“You have Tara’s diary?” Eric asked perplexed. Obviously he hadn’t heard about it.
“Cindy got the diary from Tara’s nurse Alana,” Mattheus chimed in. “Alana took it from the patient’s belongings. When Cindy went to talk to Alana, she gave the diary to her.”
“Why did Alana take it?” Eric was distressed, it didn’t sit well with him. “Is there anything else I should know about Alana?” he asked then, looking hard at Cindy.
Cindy wondered if Eric knew that Alana had been fired from her past job due to negligent patient care. She held back saying anything, though.
“Alana was fired from a previous job due to patient negligence,” Mattheus quickly filled the information in.
Both Eric and Tim looked startled. “That’s trouble right there,” Tim muttered, “why didn’t Konrad let us know?”
“Good question,” Eric agreed. “I’ll speak to Konrad about it immediately.”
Eric turned to Cindy swiftly then. “Is there anything else you’ve found that we should know?”
“Just one more small point,” said Cindy. “I spoke with an aid on the case, Gloria. She told me she actually saw Tara wake up at one point and ask to die.”
Both Eric and Tim looked stricken. Tim turned to Eric swiftly, “What’s this about? Who’s this witness?” he demanded.
“Don’t worry about it,” Eric tried to calm him. “The locals down here are religious and superstitious. If someone’s in a coma for too long, they get nervous. They think they see ghosts and hear spirits speak. It’s actually a part of some of their religions. I wouldn’t take it too seriously.”
Tim calmed down a bit. “It wouldn’t change things much anyway,” he finally reflected. “Even if this report were horribly true, even if Tara did ask to die, the law is the law. You can’t honor a request like that, you can’t inject a lethal substance into her IV.”
Mattheus stood up then, irritated. “Naturally, this report is simply rumor and hearsay,” he agreed, “part of the local scenery. There are more important facts to be considered, like medical mistakes at the hospital.”
“What about that?” Eric looked startled.
“I don’t know enough yet,” Mattheus went on. “I have to check further into them, but, in my opinion the case against Owen is not a slam dunk, not by any means.”
Tim shook his head slowly. “We got all we need here,” he drawled slowly.
“Not really,” Mattheus objected, standing up. “Give me a little more time to get back to you.” Mattheus was obviously eager to move on.
“Check what you like, but time’s running out,” Tim smiled strangely.
“Cindy and I have to attend Tara’s cremation in a little while,” Mattheus responded. “We’ll be able to spend more time with the family there and see what else we find.”
Eric got up and stood close to Mattheus. “Go if you want to,” he said softly, “but don’t knock yourself out. From the looks of it now, the case is pretty much sewed up.”
*
On the way to the cremation, Cindy and Mattheus sat beside one another quietly in the cab. The news they’d received from the police was disturbing and Cindy couldn’t help but feel that a rush to judgment was taking place.
“This is a set up,” Cindy said finally, “it’s easy to go after Owen, but whatever they have is just circumstantial.”
“People go to jail for life with circumstantial evidence,” Mattheus retorted, as the taxi grew closer to where the cremation was taking place. “Seems like you’ve made up your mind that Owen’s innocent. Could go either way, I’m not sure.”
“There’s too much pressure on everyone here,” Cindy responded, “too much is conveniently getting brushed under the rug, like medical mistakes at the hospital and drug use by staff. There are plenty of reasons why it could have been necessary for the hospital to end Tara’s stay here.”
“Right after the cremation I’ll check more into it,” Mattheus promised.
“And, I don’t know if I mentioned,” Cindy suddenly remembered, “but I heard that Alana and Konrad are also involved in a romantic relationship.”
“You heard what?” Mattheus was taken off guard. “That’s important! You never mentioned it to me.”
“I forgot about it,” Cindy said sadly. “There’s so much going on all at once.”
“Yes, of course there is,” Mattheus relented. “You’re doing great Cindy, you’re amazing and wonderful. I’m just shocked by the news. It adds a whole new dimension.”
“I guess it does,” said Cindy. “But it happens, people fall in love. It’s a good thing, Mattheus,” and she smiled. “After all, look at us.”
“Yes, it is a good thing for us,” Mattheus couldn’t help smiling as he scooped Cindy into his arms and held her close.
“Maybe being in love is a good thing for Alana and Konrad, too?” Cindy finally whispered.
“Good or bad, I don’t know,” Mattheus responded, “but it makes things more complicated. Alana could be covering for Konrad in the case or he could be covering for her.”
“We’ll find out soon,” said Cindy softly, relieved for the moment to be held close in Mattheus’s arms again.
Chapter 15
Tara’s cremation was to take place in a long, low building with steel edges and small, framed windows. It was the last place Cindy wanted to be today, but not only did they have to offer respect to Tara, but to her family as well.
“This is going to be rough,” said Mattheus, as they walked to the entr
ance of the grim building.
“Awful,” Cindy agreed, her stomach clenching as they walked in and were greeted by a local attendant, dressed in dark gray.
“The family is waiting is the room down the hall,” the attendant immediately said. “I’m sure they’ll be pleased to have your company during their ordeal. Come with me and I’ll take you there.”
Several waiting rooms with leather furniture and plants on the tables were lined up off the corridor. The room Tara’s family was in was located at the end.
Cindy and Mattheus entered and once again saw Tara’s family all lined up silently, sitting together on a couch. This time, one thing was different, however. Tara’s daughter, Loretta, was there.
Cindy immediately glanced at the young, bony woman with her hair pulled tightly off her face. She sat by herself in a chair away from the others looking both overwrought and tired at the same time. Loretta was dressed in jeans, a long tunic and had an amber pendant hanging around her neck. Cindy wanted to go right over and introduce herself, but had to be sensitive to the solemn protocol and mood of the day.
Tara’s mother, Isabelle got up the moment Cindy and Mattheus entered, came over and graciously extended her hand.
“It’s very kind of you to join us,” she said, her eyes swollen and red. “This is our last good bye to Tara. Owen is beside himself that he can’t be here. And Konrad will joining us in a little while.”
“I’m so sorry about all of this,” Cindy repeated.
“Thank you,” said Isabelle, “come in and sit down. The officials will come out and let us know when it’s over. Eventually they’ll bring Tara’s ashes to us.”
It sounded awful to Cindy.
“I see that your granddaughter is joining us,” Mattheus interrupted the heavy tone, looking over at the thin, desolate girl on the bench.
“Would you like to meet Loretta?” asked Isabelle.
“Yes, of course,” said Mattheus.
“Fine,” Isabelle agreed, “it will be good for her to talk to someone. She never talks to us, that’s for sure. I believe that years ago Loretta got the idea that we were all her enemies, against her in every way. Loretta’s father filled her with that garbage. It was his way of getting revenge on Tara for leaving him.”
“Why did Tara leave him?” Cindy couldn’t miss the opportunity to find out.
Isabelle’s back arched as she thought about it. “He and Tara were ill suited right from the start,” she declared. “Tara was never happy with him, though you couldn’t get her to say so, no matter what he did to her. Tara was not so strong in her earlier years, or so discerning. Finally, she found Loretta’s father cheating on her.”
“Painful,” breathed Cindy.
“Painful in one way, good in another,” Isabelle enjoyed talking about it. “Somehow the awful discovery gave Tara the strength to leave. I was thrilled about it and so was her father. We encouraged her to get away from him and start again.”
“Did Loretta’s father get the daughter in a custody suit?” asked Cindy, still wondering why Loretta had stayed with him.
“No, actually, he did not,” Isabelle exclaimed. “The court awarded them joint custody, but the girl was incredibly attached to her father, wouldn’t let herself be pried away. She carried on so terribly when she was in Tara’s care, begged to be with her father so deeply, that Tara finally had no choice but to let her go.”
“That must have been very painful for Tara,” said Cindy.
“Terrible,” Isabelle agreed. “Thankfully, she met Owen soon after the divorce and had a happy marriage all these years. But somehow they could never have children together. It was a wound Tara had to live with. I believe her work in the orphanage made up for that.”
Cindy’s heart went out to Tara and she wanted even more to speak to her daughter Loretta now.”
“How often did Tara see her daughter over the years?” Mattheus also seemed gripped by the story.
“Very rarely,” said Isabelle, “and in the recent years almost not at all. I have no idea why the girl has turned up now. Must be her father, egging her on. There’s quite a sizable inheritance, you know. Owen took out a large life insurance policy on Tara and maybe her daughter thinks she’s due some of it? I have no idea what she thinks as she barely talks to us at all.”
Cindy looked over at Loretta intensely, eager to go over to her and speak. But just at that moment, the door to the waiting room opened and Konrad walked in. Although he was impeccably dressed and perfectly groomed, he looked unsettled.
“Oh, here’s the hospital administrator,” said Isabelle. “He’s finally getting in touch. I think he expects us to leave after the cremation, this visit must be his good bye.”
Konrad walked over swiftly and stood between Isabelle and Cindy and Mattheus. Obviously something was bothering him.
“How are you, Konrad?” Mattheus tried to break the ice.
“How can I be on a terrible day?” he replied officially, smiling at Isabelle. “I just hope that the family realizes that we at the hospital did all we possibly could.”
Isabelle went along graciously. “Of course we realize that, and we thank you for it.”
Konrad threw a quick glance at Cindy and Mattheus to see how they took Isabelle’s remark. Both of them made no response.
“If you’ll excuse me,” Konrad said then, moving away, “I want to say good bye to Tara’s father as well.”
Konrad went straight over to Ralph, who sat on the couch, his hands clenched into fists.
“It’s just a duty call, that’s all it is,” Isabelle muttered. “Konrad hasn’t come with any news about Owen for us.”
“Introduce us to Loretta now,” Mattheus said softly.
Isabelle nodded and they all walked together in Loretta’s direction.
When Loretta saw them coming towards her, she jumped up and away from her chair, alarmed.
“Loretta, this is Cindy and Mattheus, two private detectives who have come down to investigate your mother’s death,” Isabelle spoke firmly, taking charge.
Oddly enough that Loretta calmed down. “Oh, good,” she breathed, looking over at Cindy, “how do you do.”
Cindy was startled by Loretta’s reaction. “I’m so glad to meet you,” said Cindy, her eyes catching the glittering pendant hanging around Loretta’s neck.
“This is long overdue,” said Loretta. “No one told me that private detectives were trying to figure out how my mother died.” Then she cast a sour glance around the room.
“Excuse me,” said Isabelle then, backing away. “I’m going to go back and sit with the family,” and she returned to the couch.
“Go where you want,” Loretta hissed under her breath, as Isabelle walked away.
“You can’t stand your grandmother?” Cindy asked.
“Who said she’s my grandmother,” Loretta threw Cindy a pointed look. “She couldn’t care less about me, none of them do.”
“How can you be so sure about that?” asked Mattheus.
Loretta edged closer to both Cindy and Mattheus, like a frightened bird.
“I am sure,” she hissed again under her breath. “They whole family always said bad things about me to my mother. They hated my father and also took my mother away from me.”
This was an entirely different story than the one Isabelle had just told. Cindy wondered if Loretta were in touch with reality. “That’s not what your grandmother told me,” said Cindy.
“We heard you were very attached to your father,” Mattheus broke in, “that you didn’t want to be away from him.”
“Nothing they say is true,” muttered Loretta.
“What is the truth?” asked Cindy.
“I couldn’t care less about my father,” Loretta continued quickly. “He’s re-married now, and his wife keeps asking when I’m going to find someone and move away. The answer is, never, I told her.” Loretta had a strange smile on her face.
“They don’t want you, either?” asked Cindy.
“Nobody wants me, and I couldn’t care less,” Loretta uttered.
“How did you find out about your mother’s accident?” Mattheus asked, clearly fascinated by her.
“I read about it in the papers like everyone else,” Loretta replied. “Not one person in my mother’s family called me and told me about it in person. But what they didn’t know was that I kept track of my mother all these years.”
“You kept track of your mother, but you didn’t contact her?” Mattheus couldn’t stop.
“I contacted her once in a while,” Loretta pouted, “but she never answered me.”
“That’s hard to believe,” said Cindy.
“But it’s true,” Loretta blurted out. “My mother was so wrapped up with Owen, and all her little orphans. Once I wrote her an email that said, how about saving me, your very own daughter? But she never answered.”
“Maybe she didn’t get it?” asked Cindy appalled.
“Oh she got it alright,” Loretta sneered. “Don’t get taken in by this family. They’re not good people, not any of them.”
Cindy stepped back a moment, wondering what this could all possibly mean. “Do you think someone in the family put the toxic substance into your mother’s IV?” Cindy asked Loretta directly.
“Of course someone did,” Loretta’s eyes opened. “There’s no question about it. Anyone of them could have, if you asked me. Except my mom’s sister, Jenna. She’s always tried to be nice to me.”
Cindy was relieved to hear that there was someone among them who wouldn’t turn Loretta away.
“If you need more information,” Loretta stepped closer to them then, “why not talk to the other patient in my mother’s room.”
“Another patient in your mother’s room?” Cindy was startled. No one had said a thing about this.
“Yeah, they always keep a couple of patients in the same room when they’re in comas here. They put a divider between them. That other patient didn’t die though. She woke up, she’s still in the hospital and I’m sure she heard lots of things.”
Cindy had no idea if she could believe this story. “Are you sure, Loretta?”