Page 33 of Haunted By Sin

Considering that it was after three in the afternoon, Theo could only imagine that the man’s stomach had shrunk, especially given that his shift had started at six o’clock this morning. The delicious smell of lasagna was better than the antiseptic odor anyway.

“I don’t mind at all,” Theo said as he gestured toward the table. Once Kevin had placed his tray opposite of Theo’s seat, the two men shook hands. “I appreciate you taking time out of your day to speak with me. I know you only have a few minutes, so I’ll be as brief as possible.”

“Suzie is covering for me, so I’m good for the next thirty minutes or so.” Kevin took a seat before picking up his fork. The fact that he didn’t blow on his food while there was steam rising from the plate suggested that he often wolfed down his meals. “Dr. Burrow said this is in regard to an organ donor patient from a year ago?”

“Yes, Sheila Wallace.” Theo wasn’t one to carry a briefcase, but he had brought with him the tablet that he normally used when in the office or at home. He slid the device over, ensuring that Sheila’s picture stayed on the screen. “Do you remember her?”

“Yes,” Kevin replied after swallowing a rather large bite. He paused to take a drink of what appeared to be apple juice. That wouldn’t have been the beverage Theo would have chosen to go with an Italian dish, but to each his own. “Hard to forget, since someone missed the fact that Wallace had a DNR. She never should have been placed on life support.”

Theo had been well-versed in Sheila’s care during the days before her organs had been harvested. Dr. Burrow had taken time to explain that Sheila had suffered a stroke, but someone on the staff missed the DNR on file. Sheila had been placed on life support, and the oversight had posed a problem for all involved. It had been around that time when Andrea Simpson had discovered that Sheila had appointed her power of attorney.

Since Theo and Sylvie were staying overnight in Ann Arbor, they would need to make time to speak with Andrea Simpson again. It was imperative to find out if anyone had attempted to talk her out of following Sheila’s wishes as an organ donor. Theo or Sylvie could have simply called Andrea, but Sylvie mentioned that it would probably be best to go back in person when Doss and Swilling weren’t present.

“Is that what this is all about? Did the daughter decide to file a lawsuit?”

“No, nothing like that,” Theo replied as he reached for his tablet. He switched screens so that Andrea Simpson’s photo was front and center. “Is this the daughter you are referring to?”

“Yes.” Kevin took another bite as his attention switched from the screen to Theo. “Her brother was there, too.”

Theo switched out the picture for one of Tyler Doss.

Kevin nodded his recognition while chewing the remainder of his food. He reached for his napkin, wiping his lips before giving more insight into Andrea and Tyler’s relationship. It was obvious that the two hadn’t clarified their affiliation with Sheila.

“I felt for them. I really did, because I don’t know if I would have handled the situation as well as they had after discovering the error.”

"Do you recall anyone else visiting Sheila Wallace?"

“No, but the patient was here for close to three days before the organ transplant team took over.” Kevin paused eating long enough to take another drink of his apple juice. He screwed the cap back on before setting the bottle on the tray. “I’m sure Dr. Burrow has a list of the other nurses who were in charge of Ms. Wallace’s care. They might have had conversations with other family members.”

"Did you happen to see this man?" Theo reached out and swiped to the right so that Fred Dawkins’ image appeared on the screen. “Or this man?”

Kevin pushed his tray to the side as he leaned in close to inspect Shane Dawkins’ photograph.

“I went to high school with that guy.”

Given that the photograph Bit had uploaded to the software program was one from at least six or seven years ago, it was no wonder that Kevin would refer to Shane as a kid. The two were close in age, but Theo had never expected there to be such a connection between the two.

“His name?” Theo wanted confirmation. “And did you see him at any time at the hospital during the period of Sheila Wallace’s admission?”

“Shane Dawkins.” Kevin took the liberty of scrolling backward. “Yeah, that is definitely Mr. Dawkins. Our high school had close to a thousand students, so it wasn’t like we hung out together. But I do remember Shane from back then. And to answer your question, no. I haven’t seen either of them for over ten years. What do the Dawkins have to do with Sheila Wallace?”

“Fred Dawkins is a social worker, and Sheila Wallace was a foster parent many years ago. We’re investigating anyone who might have had a grudge against Ms. Wallace.”

“Wallace suffered a stroke, though,” Kevin replied with a frown. He leaned forward until he could rest his arms on the table, the tray moving with the motion. “I was her nurse, and I read over her chart thoroughly.”

Theo continued on with the interview, averting the need to share the real reason behind his questions. The mere mention that a recipient’s life was in danger would spark a full-blown panic that the Bureau and S&E Investigations didn’t need at the moment. Twenty minutes later, Theo brought their meeting to an end.

“Kevin, before you go," Theo said as he stood while observing the nurse pick up his tray. “Did you ever overhear anyone on the organ transplant team talk about any of the recipients?”

“No, but my involvement ended when the team took over.” Kevin held the food tray in one hand. “They handle everything from that point on.”

“Thank you, Kevin. You've been very helpful.”

Kevin stepped to the side before pushing his chair back underneath the table. After exiting the conference room, Theo motioned to him that the door could be left open. A security camera could be seen in the hallway, and the sight of it prompted Theo to check on the warrant that he had submitted earlier for footage of the hospital. The response from the judge wasn’t exactly what he had hoped for, but it would have to do for now.

Theo picked up his phone and accessed his speed dial.

“Bit, it's Theo. We were only granted access to the security footage on Sheila Wallace’s floor, and there was also a time span given—from the moment of admission to when her remains were taken to the funeral home.” Theo had initially requested access to all the hospital’s security footage, but judges were leery about too much leeway being given due to the intricate language of the HIPAA laws. “If our unsub was in the hospital at any point during the time Sheila Wallace was on life support, let’s hope that he was able to access her floor so that we have something concrete to go on.”