Chapter 2 Doubts

Maxine was at home in bed, asleep, when the nngmg

phone woke her. She stared at the clock: 3 : 1 6 AM.
"Yes? Hello?" Maxine said into the phone.
"Maxine, thank God. It's Hank." He sounded upset and
a little drunk. "What happened to Nanette? My
receptionist called me. What the hell happened?"
Maxine turned on the lamp and sat up. "Hank, I tried
to reach you, bur your cell phone was turned off. I'm so
sorry to tell you. Nanette came into Mercy Hospital ER
about midnight. She was very sick. We did everything we
could."
"What? I don't understand. "
"Nanette said she felt sick," began Maxine. "She couldn't
breathe. Her muscles were weak. While I was examining
her, her heart stopped. The heart specialist tried everything
he could, but . . . Hank, I'm so sorry."
"Why did Nanette go to Mercy Hospital? There are
hospitals nearer to our home!"
"We could ask the taxi driver," suggested Maxine.
"Taxi? What happened to her car?" Hank's voice shook.
"I don't know."
"Nanette was healthy," Hank said. "She never had any
serious illnesses. There was nothing wrong with her heart."
"Shall I order an autopsy?" Maxine asked.
Hank didn't answer right away. An autopsy meant
Nanette's body would be kept for tests. An autopsy was a
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good idea when a person died with no obvious cause. As a
doctor, Hank knew this. But it was a hard decision. And it
might delay the burial.
"All right," Hank said finally. "Who'll do the autopsy?"
''Aaron. Here at Mercy Hospital pathology lab. I'll ask
him to do it as quickly as he can."
Maxine hung up the phone and turned off the lamp. She
could still hear Hank's voice in her ears. The man had a
physical effect on her - and on everyone else. He had a
power which either drew people or frightened them away.
She had known Hank for five years. He'd been very kind to
her during her divorce six months ago. Hank had suggested
that Maxine take a leave of absence from her job at
Marquette University. He suggested that she go to work at
Mercy Hospital ER. Hank was right. At Mercy Hospital,
Maxine was able to put the divorce behind her.
As she went back to sleep, Maxine thought about the last
time she had seen Nanette. It had been the weekend before,
at Hank and Nanette's lovely home by Lake Michigan. It
had been a barbecue party by the swimming pool. Most of
the guests were doctors that Maxine knew. Some were
professors from Marquette University. Maxine thought
about Nanette, moving amongst her guests, laughing and
talking. It was difficult to think that Nanette was now
dead.
Monday was Maxine's day off, but she called Aaron at
the hospital and asked him to do an autopsy on Nanette.
Aaron promised he would do it by the next day.
Late Tuesday afternoon, Maxine was back at ER when
Aaron phoned from the Mercy Hospital pathology lab with
the results of the autopsy.
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 "The autopsy didn't show anything unusual. Nanette
died of heart failure," he said.
''And the pills we found in her shoulder bag? Did you do
tests on them?" Maxine asked.
"Yes. We found nothing unusual. They were just what
they said."
"Thanks for telling me, Aaron."
He didn't hang up the phone. "Did you know Nanette
well?" he asked. "I saw you at Hank and Nanette's party
last week."
"I know Hank better. He was on the Research Review
Committee at Marquette. He reviewed my research each
year. He and Nanette invited me to a lot of parties at their
house. "
An hour later, the ER was empty again. Maxine signed
all the reports. She sat down in the armchair to drink
coffee. Shirley sat next to her, keeping an eye on the
entrance to the ER.
"I heard that the autopsy results showed that Nanette
died of heart failure," Shirley said. "Do you believe that
such a young woman could die of heart failure?"
"Well, it's possible, but . . . " Maxine began, but the
phone rang before she could finish. She answered it.
Maxine listened for a minute and then hung up. "That
was Hank's receptionist. Hank wants me to come to
Nanette's burial tomorrow," she told Shirley.
Shirley raised an eyebrow. "You know Hank well?" she
asked.
"We're just friends," Maxine said sharply.

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Chapter 3 Poison

Nanette was buried on Wednesday in a grassy space shaded

by tall trees. Birds sang and a light wind from Lake
Michigan cooled the J uly heat. Most people at the burial
were doctors and their wives, dressed in expensive suits.
They seemed more curious than sad, or just doing their
professional duty. There were also many professors from
Marquette University, including Maxine's colleague, Dr.
Virginia Gaust.
The reception after the burial was at Hank's house. People
filled the beautiful house, talking and eating. Maxine carried
her plate into the library where there was a grand piano and
tall bookcases. The walls were covered in the same Chinese
material as the comfortable sofas and armchairs. French
doors led outside to the garden and the swimming pool.
Maxine sat down at the shining library table. Then she felt a
hand on her shoulder.
"Virginia!" Maxine exclaimed. She liked Virginia
because she was friendly and full of energy. They had been
colleagues for years and had shared the same lab at
Marquette. Virginia did brilliant research for new drugs.
Virginia set her plate of sandwiches on the library table
and sat down. "Maxine, I've been leaving messages for you
at Mercy Hospital. Why don't you call me back?"
Maxine took a bite of her sandwich. '' I'm sorry. I've been
working so hard lately."
"What do you do besides work at the ER? Have you met
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any m ce men? Are you dating anyone?" Virginia leaned
forward.
"No, Virginia. I'm still learning how to be an ER doctor.
After three years doing research at Marquette, I'd forgotten
what a heartbeat sounded like," replied Maxine.
Virginia raised an eyebrow. "I still don't understand why
you left Marquette. You were doing excellent research."
" It's only a temporary job at Mercy Hospital. I need
something different to help me start my new life as a single
woman. My research is waiting for me and in six months,
I'll come back."
Virginia started searching for m ore news. "I heard you
were the doctor in the ER when Nanette died. Was she
really wearing a tight leather skirt and a red wig?"
Maxine looked around nervously. "Where did you hear
that?"
"There are no secrets in hospitals, dear. There are always
people watching. I heard that Nanette died of heart
failure."
Maxine frowned. "That's what the report of the autopsy
said. But I think it's a mistake."
"Why?" asked Virginia.
" Because Nanette was a healthy woman. Hank said she
had never been seriously ill. There was no reason for her to
die suddenly of heart failure."
Virginia nodded. "True. She used to play tennis with me
at the tennis club. She was always giving parties. Do you
know why she suddenly got so sick?"
" I tried to ask her where she had been before she came to
the ER," Maxine went on. "But I didn't have time to talk
to her before she died."
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