Then he searched old messages.
His phone still held texts from the week Margaret died.
One from his sister, Rebecca.
Some weird volunteer keeps hovering around Mom’s room.
Daniel had replied:
What volunteer?
Rebecca:
Heavy woman, dark hair. Says she’s helping families. Mom doesn't like her.
He had forgotten.
Completely.
Because at the time it seemed irrelevant.
Daniel called Rebecca.
She answered on the fourth ring.
“You okay?”
“No.”
That woke her.
“What happened?”
“Do you remember a volunteer around Mom’s room?”
Silence.
Then:
“What?”
“The week she died.”
Rebecca took a breath.
“Why are you asking?”
“Do you remember her?”
“Kind of.”
“What did she look like?”
“Daniel, it was three years ago.”
“Please.”
His sister became quiet.
“Big woman.”
“Yes.”
“Dark hair.”
“Yes.”
“Loud.”
Daniel closed his eyes.
“Anything else?”
Rebecca hesitated.
“She wore ridiculous sunglasses.”
“What color?”
Long silence.
“Purple.”
Daniel sat down.
Rebecca heard him breathing.
“What is happening?”
“The woman who lives next door.”
“What?”
“Karen.”
“What about her?”
“She volunteered at Mom’s hospital.”
Rebecca went completely silent.
Then:
“No.”
“Yes.”
“You're sure?”
“I found the newsletter.”
“Why does that matter now?”
Daniel looked toward the burned mailbox.
“Because yesterday she tried to burn a letter from that hospital.”
Rebecca said nothing.
CHAPTER 6: THE RECORDS
The hospital released the files at 11:32 the next morning.
Daniel downloaded everything.
Forty-seven pages.
He printed them.
Then sat at the kitchen table with a yellow legal pad.
Most of the records looked ordinary.
Vitals.
Medication administration.
Nursing assessments.
Then page nineteen.
NURSING ESCALATION NOTE.
Time:
7:48 p.m.
Margaret reportedly stated that a “woman from visitor services” attempted to give her pills not listed on her medication schedule.
Daniel read it again.
Attempted.
Not necessarily administered.
The nurse documented removing an unmarked paper medication cup from the bedside table.
Patient unable to identify volunteer.
Described “purple glasses.”
Daniel’s hands went cold.
Next record.
Pharmacy communication.
Two tablets recovered.
One was a prescription sedative.
Not ordered for Margaret.
The other was a blood-pressure medication.
Also not ordered.
Hospital security notified.
Daniel stared.
Why had nobody told him?
Then he found the answer.
Internal incident review.
Security interviewed several volunteers.
One volunteer admitted entering Margaret’s room.
The name had been redacted.
The stated reason was that the patient appeared anxious and the volunteer offered medication she claimed had been “left by family.”
No family member confirmed leaving medication.
The volunteer denied personally placing pills in the cup.
Security could not establish who did.
The volunteer was removed from patient-support duties pending review.
Then:
Volunteer resigned before follow-up interview.
Daniel’s chest tightened.
He turned the page.
Attached witness description.
Female.
Late forties.
Heavy build.
Dark brown hair.
Purple-framed sunglasses.
Daniel closed his eyes.
Karen.
Almost certainly Karen.
Then he found the name.
Not in the main report.