Breach of Ethics

by Sharon St. George

  “You two sit,” I said. “I’ll go.”

  I walked through the house to the living room and opened the front door to find Harry and Nick standing on the porch, smelling like they’d just come from a locker room. It took a shocked moment to register that Nick was here in the flesh. While they both stood there grinning, I found my voice.

  “Nick, when did you get home?”

  “A few hours ago. I should have called, but I wanted to surprise you. I was planning to go home and clean up first, but then—”

  “My fault,” Harry said. “I picked him up at the airport and dragged him to black belt class.”

  Amah came up behind me. “For heaven’s sake, Aimee. Let them in.” I stepped aside. She caught a whiff and said, “Oh, my. You’ll probably want to wash up while I set more places.”

  “We’re not staying, Amah.” Harry glanced at Nick. “We were working out at the dojo when we heard someone talking about the murder at TMC. We came by to learn the details firsthand from Aimee.”

  A puzzled look crossed Amah’s face. “Murder? What do you mean? And what’s it got to do with Aimee?” Obviously, she and Jack hadn’t watched the news.

  “I was about to explain when the doorbell rang.”

  “Rosa, what’s going on out there?” Jack yelled from the family room.

  Amah insisted on filling plates for Harry and Nick, who had managed to clean up well enough to sit with the rest of us. After Nick fielded several questions from Amah and Jack about his time overseas with Buck, the conversation turned to the murder at the hospital.

  I told what I could about Lowe’s death, which wasn’t a whole lot. I was careful not to divulge anything that had happened between Lowe and Quinn during the committee meeting.

  “I get that you can’t spill everything you know,” Nick said, “but the man’s body was found in your boss’s office. Will that have an impact on your job?”

  “No more than anyone else’s.”

  Not quite true, since I was a witness to Lowe’s assault on Quinn at the Ethics Committee meeting. But I wasn’t the only witness. The half a dozen doctors in the room had all seen the blows exchanged. What they hadn’t seen was the aftermath. Not even the two security guards witnessed that. Both of them had left before Quinn and Lowe’s dialogue about Natasha’s transfusion and before Lowe’s apology. I was the only other person who heard that, and the only person to hear Quinn ask Gavin Lowe about stress in his life. Only Quinn and I heard Lowe’s answer when he said, “It’s nothing I can’t handle.”

  Amah broke into my thoughts. “Your hospital is certainly getting its share of negative publicity lately.” She looked to Jack. “Remember, honey? There was something else just last night on the news. It was about that little girl prodigy who plays piano. She was a patient and her parents were raising a fuss about something. Do you know what that was about, Aimee? Is that child going to be okay?”

  “I’m sorry. I can’t talk about that, either.”

  “Let the girl eat, Rosa.” Jack picked up my plate of cold food and headed to the kitchen. “I’ll nuke this for you, kiddo.” He came back to the table and placed one hand on Harry’s shoulder and the other on Nick’s. “If you gentlemen are finished, maybe you should go home and hit the showers.” Jack wasn’t known for subtlety. With him, blunt usually got the job done.

  Harry excused himself and headed toward the bathroom. Nick tossed a look at me that said he wanted to talk. I followed him to the front door where he leaned in for a quick kiss. I backed up and pressed my hand to his chest.

  He covered my hand with his. “When can we get together?”

  Before I could answer, Harry appeared and clapped Nick on his shoulder. “Let’s go, buddy, I have to get home and clean up for a late date.”

  “Right,” Nick turned to me. “He’s my ride, unless … any chance?”

  “I’m afraid not. Someone’s coming by in a little while to talk about what’s going on at work.” I didn’t mention that it was Jared Quinn. In spite of my protests, Nick still thought my boss had a thing for me.

  I recognized Nick’s look as the one he gets when he’s thinking something he doesn’t want to say. “Okay, then, I’ll call you later.”

  After Harry and Nick left, Jack retreated to his den to work on an article about bass fishing. A professional outdoor writer, he contributed articles to a variety of magazines for outdoor sportsmen and women. I helped Amah clean up the kitchen, and while we worked she asked if I was excited to have Nick home.

  “I’m happy he’s back, but we hadn’t ironed out all the wrinkles in our relationship before he left. While he was gone, it was easy. We didn’t have to deal with them.” I couldn’t give Amah the answer she wanted to hear just yet. “I’m still making the mental transition from Nick thousands of miles away to Nick as near as a ten-minute drive from Coyote Creek to Timbergate.”

  “You know I’m always here for you if you want to talk about it.”

  “Thanks, I know.”

  After we worked in silence for a few minutes, she brought the subject around to Harry.

  “Do you know if he’s seeing anyone special?” Her question surprised me. She seems to think my love life is fair game, especially where Nick is concerned, but she doesn’t usually show a lot of interest in who Harry’s dating.

  Two years younger than me, Harry is a busy architect and commercial builder, and that hasn’t left a lot of time for a long-term relationship, especially with a lucrative contract to construct a three-story shopping mall in the heart of Timbergate. Along with his income and professional status, he has dark good looks and plenty of interested women. Although he’s played the field for years, I’ve never believed the role of playboy was a good fit. I hoped Amah’s suspicions were on target.

  “You know Harry,” I said. “He’s always seeing someone, but none of them ever last. I gave up and stopped trying to keep track a long time ago.”

  “Hmm.” Amah scrubbed at a pot for a long moment. Now I was curious.

  “Why are you asking?”

  “It’s probably nothing,” she said, “or just wishful thinking. He’s dropped a few hints.”

  “Well, if he is getting serious about someone, it’s news to me.” I loaded the last pot in the dishwasher. “You think I should ask him?”

  “Oh, no. If I’m right, he’ll let us know in his own good time.” She gave me a hug. “Let’s go have dessert. I made pecan pie.” She didn’t have to twist my arm.

  Before I left I mentioned that Quinn would be arriving in about an hour. “I told him I’d alert you and Jack so you wouldn’t wonder who was driving down the lane to the barn.”

  “Wasn’t it his office where the body was found?” I saw the concern in her eyes. I assured her he wasn’t a danger to me, and apologized for being so stingy with information.

  “Just promise to stay safe,” Amah said, “and tell us what you can.”

  I promised and made my exit, jogging down the muddy lane to the barn. I looked forward to having some alone time before Quinn arrived. I wanted to sort out my thoughts about Lowe and Quinn and whether the murder would have an impact on my job. Several people had seen me take Lowe down in that conference room. And the two security guards had been surprised and probably amused when they saw me restraining him.

  Quinn’s headlights flashed through my kitchen window at eight o’clock. By then I had brewed a fresh pot of coffee and tidied up most of the signs of my casual approach to housekeeping. I emptied a bag of pretzel twists into a bowl just as he knocked on my door. I checked my peephole and opened the door.

  “You remembered how to find me,” I said. “Come in.”

  “Animal Farm. How could I forget?”

  He stepped inside, trying for a smile, but thanks to his sore jaw, it wasn’t his best effort. As we sat at my little table, I realized I’d put out the wrong snack.

  “Sorry about the pretzels. Would you like some ice cream? I have marble fudge.”

  “No thanks, just cof
fee’s fine.”

  I poured coffee and we sat at my little dinette table with the bowl of pretzels between us. I waited while Quinn managed a careful sip. He avoided my eyes and fiddled with the handle of his cup.

  “I’m sorry you’re mixed up in this, Aimee.”

  “But I’m not really, am I?” Then I guessed where he was headed. I thought about his interest in the minutes, and about Dr. Snyder’s reaction when she heard Dr. Lowe was dead. “Does this have something to do with the Ethics Committee minutes?”

  “Not directly. It’s what happened after the meeting was adjourned that’s important.”

  “Why?” But I knew why. Because I was the only witness in the room when Lowe and Quinn made peace. Or was it a truce?

  “Did Cleo tell you I volunteered to be interviewed by a police investigator?”

  “I was in her office this morning when she talked to you on the phone. How did that go?”

  “For something that was supposed to be voluntary, it felt more like an interrogation than an interview.” Quinn worked his shoulders. “The two detectives didn’t slap me around or play good cop, bad cop, but it wasn’t pleasant. I answered every question, then they asked them all again and I answered them again, and again until I began to wonder if they were hard of hearing.” He took a pretzel from the bowl. Held it up and stared at it. “This is what I felt like by the time it was over.”

  “If you volunteered to be questioned, you could have left at any time, couldn’t you?”

  “I could have, but that would have given the wrong impression, and besides, I want to do what I can to help get this thing resolved.”

  I paused, reluctant to ask the obvious question, but there wouldn’t be a better time. “I heard a rumor that Lowe was shot with your gun.”

  “That’s true.” He spoke so softly I barely heard him. “It was the twenty-two semi-automatic pistol I keep in a drawer in my office desk.”

  “Wait. You’re telling me you keep a gun at work? In the hospital?”

  “It’s legal. And contrary to what most employees assume, TMC has no anti-gun policy. I told you months ago why I always keep a weapon with me.”

  “I remember.” His wife’s murder in Ethiopia. And the attempt on his life. “But we work in a hospital in California. We’re not in a third-world country.”

  “Tell that to ISIS and Al Qaeda. Or to our homegrown terrorists and local loonies.” Quinn rubbed a finger along the scar running through his eyebrow. “Hospitals are supposed to be safe, civilized places, but so are elementary schools, movie theaters, and shopping malls. It only takes one shooter to blow that notion to bits. It happened in an Alabama hospital a few years ago and again in Reno. There was another one in the news just the other day. Boston.”

  “I heard about it,” I said, “and I get it. Hospitals are filled with ill and injured patients. The most vulnerable of potential victims.”

  “So you see my point.”

  “Was the gun found in your office? That should be enough to prove you didn’t do it. There’s no way you would have left your own gun there if you shot Lowe.”

  “But it wasn’t found there. It was found by the Housekeeping staff this morning shortly after Lowe’s body was discovered. The gun was wrapped in soiled linens and stuffed in the bottom of a Housekeeping cart. The woman who used that cart said she’d returned it to the Housekeeping Department around eleven thirty. The gun was wiped clean of prints, of course.”

  “Had the woman been working on the fourth floor during her shift last night?”

  “She says not. She only worked the third floor. She has no idea when the gun was hidden in her cart, but she does leave it unattended while she’s changing beds or taking a bathroom break. Apparently the killer wanted to hide the gun someplace in the hospital, but not in a place that would look like a too obvious attempt to frame me.”

  “But knowing it was your gun, and knowing about your fight with Lowe, the police didn’t arrest you?”

  “I’ve been cooperating. I told them it was my gun. I told them I kept it in my desk. I couldn’t explain how it got out of my desk when I wasn’t there, but they can’t place me at the crime scene and there were no prints on the gun.”

  “Still, I’m surprised. His body was in your office. It seems like they’d almost have to—”

  “Damn, Aimee, whose side are you on?” Quinn rose up in his chair, then caught himself and sat back down. “Look, I know you’re trying to help, and I’m not off the hook, but the security cameras show me leaving the office at eight o’clock last night. I haven’t been allowed in there at all today.”

  My pulse quickened in reaction to Quinn's tension level. “Obviously this is none of my business, but were you with anyone through the night who could verify that you didn’t go back to the hospital?”

  “I wish that were the case,” Quinn splayed his fingers wide, then made them into fists. “Unfortunately, I slept alone.” I didn’t know if that was unusual for him, and didn’t ask. His body stiffened, and I saw him make a conscious effort to relax his shoulders as he sipped his coffee.

  “Were there signs of a break-in?”

  “I asked both Varsha and Sanjay about that. Apparently there were no signs of forced entry. The door from the corridor to the administrative suite opens into Varsha’s reception area. It was untouched, and so was the door from her reception area into my office.”

  Interesting. “Then someone from Housekeeping or Security must have unlocked both those doors to let Lowe in.”

  “They all claim they didn’t. The cameras didn’t record me or anyone else going through the doors to the administrative suite during the night, and the third floor cameras didn’t capture anyone tampering with the laundry cart.”

  “Did you view the camera footage yourself?”

  He stared into his coffee and sighed. “No. I only know what Sanjay told me. He was present when the police viewed the footage.”

  I hoped there was still an avenue he hadn’t investigated. “What about elevator cameras? I’ve never noticed whether we have them.”

  “We don’t, and I’ve been harping about it to the board ever since I was hired. They’ve always balked at the expense, but once this mess is resolved, you can bet that’s going to happen.”

  I didn’t know what else to suggest. “I hope the police get it solved soon.”

  “So do I.” He worked his sore jaw, reminding me it still hurt him to talk. “The police are still analyzing the camera footage, looking for evidence it was tampered with.”

  “Will you be back at work tomorrow?”

  He raised his eyes to mine, and I saw profound weariness in his expression. “Doubtful. I don’t think I’ll have access to my office yet.” He broke the pretzel into pieces and dropped them on a napkin. After a long pause, he said, “There are a couple of things you need to know.”

  My stomach did an odd kind of twitch. “What kind of things?”

  “You’ll most likely be questioned to corroborate my story about the incident with Lowe and how we resolved it.”

  I answered too quickly. “That shouldn’t be a problem. I’ll just tell the truth.” I remembered how they had both backed off while the three of us were alone in the conference room, but I also remembered what Quinn had said later in my office. If he tries a stunt like that again, I’ll be ready for him.

  “There’s something else.” Quinn toyed with another pretzel. “The police know you were the one who subdued Lowe at the meeting.”

  My neck stiffened. “How do they know about that?”

  “One of the security guards thought it was too funny to keep to himself.”

  “But that’s just hospital gossip.” I sounded whiney, even to myself. “I don’t see what it’s got to do with Lowe’s being shot.”

  “I’m afraid there’s more.”

  “What do you mean?” I heard the strain in my voice.

  “Lowe noticed some tenderness in his wrist during his surgery that afternoon and had to let the
assistant surgeon finish the case. As soon as he left the surgery suite, he started mouthing off to anyone who would listen that he was going to get both of us fired.”

  Now I was really angry. “That’s ridiculous. Everyone at that meeting saw Lowe throw the first punch. He even apologized to us.”

  He raised a finger to stop my protests. “But no one witnessed his apology except you and me. And your black belt gave Lowe just enough ammunition to go to Hector Korba with an ultimatum. Either fire the two of us or Lowe would sue TMC for bodily injury and loss of income.”

  I couldn’t believe what I was hearing. “Did he actually go to Korba?”

  “Unclear, Quinn said, “but I doubt it. I think Hector would have told me, but as you can imagine, I’m not about to ask him.” He dropped the second pretzel on his napkin. “Sorry to break the news, but you needed to know. I’m sure the police will ask you where you were the night Lowe was killed.”

  The odd feeling in my stomach became a sharp cramp. “But this is the first I’ve heard about Lowe wanting either of us fired. I had no idea he wasn’t able to complete his surgery. When did you hear about it?”

  “Not until this morning, but I can’t prove that and neither can you.”

  I was fully on the defensive. “Even so, the security cameras won’t show either of us near your office that night.”

  “In spite of the cameras, they’re going to suspect everyone, Aimee, until they find the killer. It would be good if you had someone who could verify your whereabouts.”

  I raced through my memory. I had come home, fixed a meal of crab salad and French bread in my apartment. I checked email from a few friends, watched the eleven o’clock news, and went to bed. Alone.

  Amah and Jack were the only people who could vouch for me, but they couldn’t swear I hadn’t left the ranch while they were asleep. I hoped they wouldn’t be asked.

  Nick called just as Quinn and I were finishing up. I told him I’d have to call him back. When I did, I sensed he was waiting for me to tell him who my company had been, so I did.