Jack’s patience ultimately paid off and finally he got to speak with Dr. Gomez. After introducing himself, he told her that Dr. Susan Passero had died the previous evening.
“I’m so sorry to hear,” Dr. Gomez said. “That’s a shock. What happened?”
Jack said, “The cause of death is still pending, which is the reason I’m calling you. As medical examiners we have the right to subpoena her medical records if necessary.”
“Of course. I understand.”
“What we need to know is if she ever had had any cardiac issues or symptoms to your knowledge.”
“I don’t think so,” Dr. Gomez said. “But give me a moment to bring up her record in our system.”
“Certainly,” he said. He could hear a series of keystrokes during a brief pause.
“My memory was correct,” Dr. Gomez said. “There were no cardiac issues. She even had an entirely normal ECG recently. In our judgment, Dr. Passero was in fine cardiovascular health. She had absolutely no evidence of diabetic retinopathy, either. We checked that out by an ophthalmology consult and fluorescein study.”
“Thank you,” Jack said. “That’s very helpful.”
He disconnected and tossed his mobile phone to the side. He hadn’t even thought of asking about the status of her retina. With no retinopathy the chances of her having coronary artery disease were probably close to zero, meaning Histology wasn’t coming to the rescue in the search for a mechanism of death. So, only Toxicology and the DNA lab were left, and he wasn’t hopeful.
Without another convenient way to put off calling Abby, Jack grabbed his phone and lined up the slip of paper Cheryl had given him so he could read the number. He wasn’t looking forward to making the call for many reasons, but by far the biggest was that it reminded him of the worst call he’d ever gotten in his life. It had been a call from a small rural Illinois hospital informing him his wife and daughters had perished in a plane crash after visiting him in Chicago, where he was doing his second residency, this time in forensic pathology.
“Get a grip!” he snapped as the call went through. He almost hoped Abby wouldn’t answer, but he did and in a way Jack had not anticipated.
“Thanks for calling, Jack,” Abby said right off in a sad, hesitant voice without even saying hello, apparently having Jack’s mobile number in his phone. “I can imagine it’s difficult, probably reminding you when your first wife and children died.” Abby had a slight and refined English accent. Although he’d grown up in Egypt, he’d gone to boarding school in England before coming to the United States for college.
It took Jack a few beats to recover his thoughts. Here was a man undeniably suffering acutely, yet able to empathize with someone else and his experiences. Jack had shared the sad story of his former life one night with both Sue and Abby after several bottles of wine.
“I’m so sorry for Sue’s passing,” Jack managed.
“It was so unexpected,” Abby said, his voice cracking. “I still don’t completely believe it. She was so vital, so healthy, so much healthier than I. Why am I the one here and she’s gone? It doesn’t seem right.”
“I know how you feel,” he said, but then didn’t know what else to say. It was the first time in years that he was at a loss for words. A rush of guilt from having even briefly entertained the crazy idea of Abby involved in some wild insurance scam had him embarrassed and tongue-tied.
“Laurie said that you would be taking care of Sue for us,” Abby continued, seemingly unaware of Jack’s discomfort. “Thank you for doing that. I’m sure it’s not easy but it’s appreciated. She also said that you would be arranging to have the body released today, so we can have the burial. We appreciate that as well.”
Jack cleared his throat to speak yet his voice still came out in a higher key than usual. “Yes, I will make the arrangements. All you will need to do is select a funeral service and have them call here. They know the ropes.”
“I’ve already chosen a funeral home,” Abby said. “I’ll call them and let them know. Meanwhile, I hate to cut you off, but Nadia and Jamal just arrived, and as you can imagine, they are very upset. I need to spend time with them.”
“Of course,” Jack said, again surprised. The unexpected twists of the conversation were disconcerting. “But before you go, I did want to ask you a quick question. When I was talking with Virginia Davenport earlier today, she happened to mention that you had stopped by Sue’s office this morning. Was there some particular reason?”
“Purely for sentimental reasons,” Abby said. “Sue loved her work. She was so caught up in it. It was a way of saying goodbye.”
“Did you take anything?”
“No, but I know I’ll need to do that,” Abby said. “We’ll be in touch. And thank you again.”
It took Jack a moment to realize the call had been disconnected. Slowly he put the phone down. He’d expected Abby to have been particularly interested in the exact cause of Sue’s death, if only to justify the autopsy that had been done despite his objections. Yet the question hadn’t even come up, making him wonder yet again if an insurance scam wasn’t all that far out of the realm of possibility. But then he remembered the sound of Abby’s voice when he answered the call as well as the surprising empathy he voiced about Jack’s loss of his own wife.
Jack shook his head in frustration. He’d never been caught up in a forensic conundrum in which he was so emotionally involved. He’d wanted a puzzling case as a challenging distraction, but this wasn’t what he’d had in mind. Picking the phone up again, he called down to the mortuary office, looking for Vinnie. Marvin Fletcher answered and said he’d find Vinnie and have him call.
Putting his phone back down, he glanced at the imposing stack of autopsy folders next to his monitor and the equally towering group of histology slide trays next to his microscope. He knew he needed to deal with them, but at the moment he felt incapable. Instead, he had an idea, which required putting in a call to the MMH Internal Medicine Clinic in hopes of reconnecting with Virginia. Although it wasn’t she who answered the call initially, he got to speak with her quickly, much more quickly than he’d gotten to speak with Dr. Gomez.
“Sorry to bother you again, knowing how busy you are,” Jack said.
“It’s no bother,” Virginia said. “We’ve finally gotten a handle on the day, dealing with Dr. Passero’s absence. What can I do for you?”
“First I’d like to thank you for the help you have already given me,” Jack said.
“It was my pleasure.”
“I’ve been thinking about Dr. Passero’s committee work,” he said. “You mentioned she was really fixated on two goals: being a member of the Mortality and Morbidity Task Force and the hospital board.”
“Very much so. Particularly the task force.”
“Do you think she could have been depressed about it since you mentioned she found it frustrating?”
“Not at all. As I said, Sue was the opposite of a depressive type. I think the challenge was stimulating for her rather than vice versa.”
“I had planned on looking at the contents of the Mortality and Morbidity Committee file after what you had said. Unfortunately, I had to leave the hospital rather suddenly and get back here to my office.”
Jack paused for a moment to give Virginia a chance to respond, to see if his expulsion by Marsha Schechter was part and parcel of hospital gossip. When she didn’t react, he continued. “I’m thinking it might be helpful for me to glance through it. Would you be willing to leave the folder down at the information desk with my name on it? I could stop by on my way home this afternoon and pick it up. I could have it back tomorrow if necessary.”