Page 60 of I’ll Be Watching You

“Someone who worked with them, who knew about the adverse effects, but helped cover it up. And they would need to be privy to what Dr. Klein was doing. Maybe someone Klein talked to, either he accused them of wrongdoing or maybe he exposed the crime to the wrong person.”

“That’s my thought exactly.” Tess stared at the board. “Dad was involved only on the periphery—hooking Dr. Klein up with Dr. Pierce. But Dad wasn’t involved with the trial itself in any way.”

Tess tapped the day Klein was murdered. “An hour before his death, Klein called Dad. Dad went to the VA to meet with him and found him dead. I texted Mom and asked her about it. She said it was in the evening and Klein was upset about something, but she didn’t know what at the time. Dad went to talk to him, arriving fifty-five minutes after the call. I had Nico send me a copy of the autopsy. There was a short window where Klein could have been killed, the end of which was when Dad got there. Or, he could have been dead the minute after Dad talked to him on the phone.”

“Do we know if Dad actually talked to him or was it a text message or email?” Luisa asked.

“A call, according to Dad’s phone records. The police included the phone records in their report. And Mom said that Dad told her he was going to the medical center because Klein wanted to talk to him about something important. He didn’t tell her specifically what, and we don’t know what he actually knew.”

“Who are these people?” Luisa pointed to a list of names on the board. One she remembered, Willa Blankenship, as the supervisor from Neurovantix. The others she didn’t.

“Zachary Ames is the VA administrator. He runs the facility and should know everything that is going on within its walls, but he primarily delegates. He has several assistants. I listed them here, but they all do different things. Peter Stockman is the current head of research, but back then he was an assistant.”

“Who did he replace and when?” Luisa asked.

Tess pointed to a name at the bottom of the board. “Mildred Maddox retired from the VA last year, now splits her time between Scottsdale and Wyoming. She’s in her late sixties.”

“So that means she can’t be corrupt?” Luisa asked.

“No, but—”

“We need to follow up nonetheless.” Luisa added her name to the board, ignoring Tess’s frown. “You continue going through the paperwork and pull any names that are directly connected to the medical center. Focus on the money trail. I left a message for Willa Blankenship’s daughter, and I’m going to keep calling until she calls me back. Toss me anything you need me to dig into, and we can split the list.”

They had their work cut out for them, but Luisa was excited to get started.

“One more thing,” Luisa said. “Georgia mentioned that nurses and doctors can delete encounters—anytime a patient comes in for anything or goes to a test or whatever—but they have limited tools in that regard. The medical records department can do anything to a record, and may even be able to delete it. Do you think you can find out who is working in Medical Records now who might also have been there when Dr. Klein was killed?”

“Maybe,” Tess said, biting her lip as she considered. “The administrators and department heads are posted on their website, but most staff isn’t public information.”

Luisa had an idea, but it wasn’t legal and she’d need someone to be a distraction. She figured Margo would be up for it.

They just couldn’t get caught.

Chapter Twenty

Jack Angelhart

Jack escorted his mother and Aunt Rita through the busy Sky Harbor Airport, staying close in case either of them needed a steadying arm, while also watching for potential threats.

His mother’s left hand was tight around the strap of her purse, while her right hand pulled her small carry-on suitcase. Aunt Rita had a similar suitcase she rolled behind her. Rita tried to reassure his mom that they would have answers when they landed, but all three of them knew that might not be the case. They might not get in to see him today. Rita had a meeting with the assistant warden, but there was no guarantee they’d see his dad. It was a maximum security prison with far stricter rules for visitors than Eyman.

Quincy hadn’t returned his call this morning, and Jack was irritated. He hadn’t said for certain that he would be going to Colorado with them, but he had implied it wouldn’t be a problem. Jack didn’t want to let his mom and aunt go by themselves, not when there were uncertain dangers, but he also needed to be here to help his sisters find answers. So he promised to stay until they were safely through security. He knew of a private security company in Colorado that Angelhart Investigations had worked with a few times over the years; he’d hired someone there to drive his mom around and stick with her if Quincy didn’t show.

The escalator carried them upward, the low hum of the bustling all around them: rolling wheels, boarding calls, the smell of coffee and antiseptic floor cleaner. Halfway up, Jack heard his name sharply over the noise. He turned.

At the base of the escalator, FBI Agent Quincy Truman had just stepped on, raising one hand in greeting. Even out of his usual suit, with a dark windbreaker zipped nearly to his throat, Quincy looked every bit the agent. A garment bag was slung over his shoulder.

At the top, Jack guided his mom and Rita off the escalator to a nearby bench. “Sit here, okay?” he said softly. “I’ll just be a minute.”

Rita held his mother’s hand, leaning in to whisper something as Jack stepped away to greet Quincy.

“Thanks for this,” Jack said when Quincy reached him. “I know it’s not your job.”

“She’s Nico’s mom. That’s all that matters.” Quincy adjusted the strap of his carry-on. “Sorry I’m late. Had to show credentials to the airline so I can carry my weapon on board. I’ve gone through TSA training and didn’t want to risk checking it. So technically, I’m on duty.”

“We’ve still got an hour before boarding.”

Quincy’s eyes flicked past Jack toward Ava and Rita, then back. “I’m worried about Nico. This whole situation, the whole ‘we don’t know who’s coming after the family,’ means we have no idea where the threat will come from, if anywhere. Nico is a lab tech. He’s smart, but not built to defend himself.”