The Body Thief (29 page)

“Would you please tell me about the
procedure from the time consent for organ donation is obtained to
when a patient is taken off life support.”

The nurse recalled for Rohan the timeline,
like the other staff members had done. He scribbled a few notes and
then asked the next question. “Is there any time during the organ
retrieval process when a doctor is left alone with the
patient?”

“No. The operating room is a hive of
activity. Depending upon the type of organs being harvested, there
can be up to four or five retrieval teams involved. That’s a lot of
people. The room is most definitely crowded.”

Rohan nodded. The information supplied by
the nurse was consistent with all the others. “I assume that as
each retrieval team takes possession of their organ or organs, they
leave the room. Time’s of the essence here, right?”

“Right.”

“So at some point, after the donated organs
have been removed, there are very few people in the room. Perhaps
the lead surgeon and a theater nurse?”

“Yes, that’s correct.”

“Who sutures the wounds closed?”

“Usually the surgeon in control of the organ
harvesting.”

“Is it possible that, at this time, the
doctor could be alone with the patient?”

The nurse paused. “I guess it’s possible.
The pressure has dissipated by then. The organs have been removed
and sent on their way. The retrieval teams have accompanied them.
The only people left are the hospital staff rostered on for that
shift. Because the rush is over, people are a lot more relaxed by
then.”

“So if a doctor suggested you take a break
and he would finish up, would that sound reasonable?”

“Yes.”

“Have you ever had a doctor suggest you take
a break and leave him to finish whatever needs to be done?”

“Yes.”

Rohan’s breath caught and his heart began to
pound. None of the staff he’d spoken to had answered that question
in the affirmative. “And have you taken that break, leaving the
doctor alone with the patient?”

“Yes.”

“Who was the doctor who made such a
suggestion?” he asked and could barely wait for the answer.

The nurse eyed him steadily. “It was Doctor
Alistair Wolfe.”

Bingo.

Rohan’s blood pulsed loudly in his ears. His
heart beat doubled in pace. “How often has this happened?”

The nurse shrugged. “I’m not sure. At least
once or twice a week, I guess. It’s usually after a late shift. I’m
more than happy to take him up on his suggestion.” Her features
suddenly clouded with fear. “I hope I haven’t done anything
wrong?”

After reassuring the nurse she wasn’t in
trouble, Rohan thanked her for her time and saw her to the door.
Slowly, he sunk into his seat and leaned his elbows on the desk.
With his head in his hands, he released a heavy sigh. He should
have been elated to finally have concrete evidence to confirm his
suspicions, but all he felt was dread. When Samantha discovered
what her brother had been up to, she’d be devastated, along with
the rest of her family.

Knowing there was nothing he could do about
it, Rohan pulled himself together and interviewed the two remaining
nurses. Both of them told him that Doctor Alistair Wolfe had
released them early from their shift after an organ recovery
procedure on more than one occasion.

When the last nurse left the interview room,
Rohan’s thoughts turned to Bryce and he wondered how his colleague
had fared. Reaching for his cell phone, he pulled it out of his
pocket and checked the screen.

“Dammit.” While his phone was switched to
silent he’d missed two calls from Samantha. No doubt she wanted to
talk about their magical night and set up another date. He thought
of what lay ahead of him and was glad he hadn’t answered her calls.
As much as he wanted to hear her voice, now definitely wasn’t the
best time.

Once he’d conferred with Bryce and gotten
the okay from their boss, he’d be searching the corridors of the
hospital for Alistair Wolfe. He’d have a list of charges in one
hand and a pair of handcuffs in the other. As much as it pained him
to admit it, more than likely it would be a long time before he
spoke to Samantha again.

With a sigh of resignation, he ignored the
evidence that she’d tried to contact him and speed-dialed Bryce. It
was time to put things into motion. After that, there would be
plenty of time for Rohan to survey the carnage and see what could
be done to resurrect what was left of his relationship with the
woman he loved.

* * *

Alistair glanced over his shoulder, relieved
to find the hospital corridor behind him was clear. Thanks to a
loyal staff member, he’d been tipped off that the police were at
the hospital, interviewing the theater nurses. Panic rose up inside
him at the thought the net might be closing in, but he refused to
believe they knew enough to arrest him.

Richard had assured him that the morgue’s
computer files had been deleted. Without that proof, there was no
way of knowing if the paperwork matched up with the state of the
bodies. It was just that he was feeling edgy and off balance after
the phone call from his sister. Knowing Sam had probably guessed
what he’d been doing unsettled him.

He hadn’t planned to tell her. Despite the
fact she believed as strongly as he did in organ and tissue
donation, he didn’t think she’d approve of his methods. It was best
for all concerned that he keep his activities a secret. But now, it
seemed the secret was out. He could only hope her loyalty to him
would prove stronger than her ethics.

Striding out through the automatic front
entry doors of the hospital, he breathed a sigh of relief. So far,
so good. He had to get to the morgue and convince Sam to keep quiet
before it was too late. Sliding behind the wheel of his Ferrari, he
gunned the engine and sped off down the street. Within minutes,
he’d pulled up outside the Glebe Morgue.

With his heart pounding, he forced a smile
on his face and greeted the young receptionist.

“Hi, I’m Alistair Wolfe. I was wondering if
I could see Samantha?”

The girl smiled back at him. “You’re Sam’s
brother. I can see the resemblance. Just a minute and I’ll let her
know you’re here. We’ve had some distressing news this morning
about a colleague. I’m not sure if she’s up to visitors.”

Alistair nodded in understanding, his
expression grave. “I know. Phillip Bond. Sam called me. Very, very
sad. It’s the reason I’m here. She asked me to come and get her.
She doesn’t feel up to driving herself home.”

The lies rolled off his tongue and he was
relieved when the girl appeared to believe him.

“Of course,” she said. “I understand. Sam
and Phillip were good friends.” She stood and came around the
counter and went up to a closed door. Punching in a security code,
she held it open.

“Do you know where Sam’s office is?”

“Yes. And thank you, I appreciate everything
you’ve done. This must be pretty tough on you, too.”

The girl drew in a deep breath and let it
out on a sigh. “Yes, it’s difficult for all of us.”

Throwing her another sympathetic look,
Alistair walked through the doorway. He’d only been to Sam’s
workplace a couple of times, but it wasn’t hard to locate the row
of offices that opened onto the main corridor. His boots made a
noise on the linoleum floor, but he didn’t pay them any heed. He
kept his attention focused on finding his sister and working out
what he’d say to her when he did.

Richard stepped out of an office directly
ahead. He froze at the sight of Alistair. “Wh-what are you doing
here?”

Alistair took in Richard’s swollen eyes and
blotchy, red complexion and felt a stab of sympathy for his friend.
The man had lost a work colleague in tragic circumstances. He
deserved a little kindness and understanding.

“I’m sorry to hear about Phillip,” Alistair
said quietly. “It must have been an awful shock.”

Some of the tension left Richard’s face and
he nodded jerkily. “Yes, it was. To all of us. What are you doing
here?” he repeated a little more forcefully.

“I’m here to see Sam, but I’m glad I ran
into you. I wanted to say thanks for coming through for me on our
other…arrangement. The police have been interviewing hospital staff
all morning. They think they’re onto something, but they won’t have
any tangible evidence of wrongdoing without those files. I owe you
one.”

Richard nodded, but his face lost all color
and fear flashed in his eyes. Alistair frowned.
What the hell
was going on?
A sense of foreboding crept through his veins. He
stepped closer to Richard and narrowed his gaze.

“You did destroy those files, didn’t you?”
he said, his tone conveying a promise of menace if the answer was
in the negative.

Richard took a step backward and wouldn’t
meet his gaze. Alistair’s concern ratcheted up another notch.

“Richard, tell me you destroyed those files.
You called and told me it was done. Were you fucking lying?”

Richard shrank back against the wall at the
anger in Alistair’s voice. “N-no! Of course not! I did! I deleted
them off the database. But—”

“But what?” Alistair shouted, his temper
getting the better of him. Christ, if the police had the files, it
was only a matter of time before he felt the noose around his
neck.

“I-I forgot about the hard copies—the paper
files we store out in the back. And… And there’s also a backup.
It’s possible the police might still get their hands on them.”

For a moment, fury and disbelief left
Alistair speechless. A moment later, he exploded. “Fuck! You idiot!
Do you know what you’ve done?” Rushing forward, he grabbed Richard
by the throat and shook him.

“
Stop!
Please, Alistair! Let me go!
I-I can’t breathe!”

The sound of Richard’s pleading only
infuriated Alistair further. He should never have trusted the
incompetent idiot in the first place. Any moment, Alistair’s world
could come crashing down around him and it was all this bastard’s
fault. Drawing back his fist, he prepared to drive it into
Richard’s face. A shout from behind stopped him.

“
Alistair!
What are you doing?”

Alistair lowered his hand and slowly turned
around to face his sister. She stared at him, white-faced with
shock. Her gaze went to Richard and slowly her expression turned
from horror to disbelief.

“Richard? No, not you. Not you, too! Please
tell me you’re not involved in this. I can’t bear to think that
both of you…”

With a gasp, she turned on her heel and ran
back into her office. Alistair threw Richard a glare to let the man
know this was far from over and then hurriedly followed Sam. She
was bent over a desk with a phone in her hand when he came in.

“Please, I need the police. The Glebe
Morgue. Fifty Parramatta Road. Hurry!”

Alistair stared at his sister, unable to
believe what she’d done. Her betrayal cut him to the quick. “You
called the
police
?”

She held his gaze, her eyes fierce with
determination. “Yes.”

He shook his head. “
Fuck
. Why, Sam?
Why
?”

The fire went out of her and all at once she
looked stricken. “I can’t believe you’re asking me that! What would
you have me do? Turn a blind eye and pat you on the back? You must
be mad, Alistair!”

Hurt and disappointment nearly overwhelmed
him. He’d been sure his baby sister would understand. After all,
he’d done it for their mother and for all people like her who
needed donated organs to stay alive. It wasn’t about him. It had
never been about him.

With another curse, he turned away and
strode back down the hall. The police were already on their way. He
had minutes to make good his escape.

* * *

Rohan heard the dispatcher relay the
emergency call over his radio only moments before he screeched to a
halt outside the Glebe Morgue. Alistair’s bright red Ferrari was
parked close by. An earlier search of the hospital had failed to
locate him, but Rohan and Bryce had been lucky when a security
guard manning the car park had alerted them that Alistair had left
the hospital.

Jumping out of the squad car, Rohan and
Bryce charged toward the building. They’d barely made the first two
steps when the front doors slid open. Alistair came barreling out
toward them, oblivious to their presence. With a shout, Rohan drew
his service revolver and pointed it directly at Samantha’s
brother.

“Police! Put your hands up!” Rohan shouted
and waited for Alistair to comply. As soon as he had, Bryce shouted
for Alistair to get down on the ground. Screaming obscenities,
Alistair reluctantly did as he was told. Quickly, Rohan handcuffed
him and then stood him on his feet.

“This is bullshit!” Alistair shouted.
“Somebody call my lawyer! I’m innocent! I didn’t do anything! Talk
to the fucking deputy coroner! I’m not going down on my own for
this!”

Rohan led him down the steps to the unmarked
squad car and helped him into the back seat. Alistair continued to
rant and rave all the way back to the station and Rohan began to
listen…

The deputy coroner’s name came up again and
this time, Rohan frowned and considered it. Richard Davis had
authorized the organ retrieval for every one of Alistair’s autopsy
patients. The man was worth a closer look.

Sam stared at her phone and willed it to
ring. She’d called Rohan three times, but the calls had gone
through to voicemail. After her shock at finding Alistair in her
building and placing the emergency call, she’d locked herself in
her office, too distressed to go anywhere.

It was more than an hour since it had
happened and she still couldn’t believe what Alistair and Richard
had done. The very thought was sickening. She didn’t know that
she’d ever get over it. As if the day hadn’t already been grueling
enough.