Chapter 5
Evelyn Ross was not a member of the family.
Daniel had never heard the name. Neither had Claire or I.
The hospital reviewed the transfer form while Grant requested the original. A signature appeared at the bottom, claiming Evelyn was Emily’s authorized representative.
Emily had signed no such form in front of me. Daniel said she had named him for medical decisions years earlier.
Dr. Kim brought us into a private room.
“We’re treating the first hospital’s paperwork as a separate investigation,” she said. “Our priority is Emily’s care. The records we’ve seen contain serious inconsistencies.”
“What about Dr. Harlan?” Daniel asked.
“He was involved in her treatment and signed the death record. The hospital is reviewing that. I can’t speak for its investigators.”
Daniel rubbed his hands together.
“I left my wife there because I was told she was dead.”
“I’m sorry,” Dr. Kim said. “We’re working to learn how that happened.”
No one in that room offered a simple explanation. For once, I was relieved. The truth was too serious for someone to guess at.
Grant found Evelyn Ross by the end of the day. She was a clerk employed by a private patient transport company. She told him she had delivered forms to the hospital but had never met Emily.
Her name had been entered in the wrong place on the transfer form, or someone had used it deliberately. Grant would not say which until he had more.
Meanwhile, Emily’s strength began to return.
She could sit up for short periods. She asked about Lily every time she woke. Dr. Kim arranged a brief visit.
Lily entered the room holding Claire’s hand. She stopped when she saw her mother.
“Mommy?”
Emily opened both arms.
Lily crossed the room and leaned against her carefully. Daniel stood beside them, crying without trying to hide it.
“I thought you went away,” Lily said.
“I’m here,” Emily whispered.
“Are you coming home?”
“When the doctors say I can.”
Lily nodded and laid her hand against Emily’s.
I waited by the door. Emily looked over Lily’s head at me.
“Thank you,” she mouthed.
I shook my head. She had been the one who kept knocking.
After the visit, Daniel asked if we could speak alone.
“I want you to know I told Mom she can’t see Emily or Lily right now,” he said.
“Did she accept it?”
“No. She said you turned me against her.”
“I didn’t tell you to stop seeing her.”
“You didn’t have to.”
He looked through the window at Emily.
“For months, she said Emily was getting forgetful. When Emily questioned her, I told her Mom was only helping. I saw them argue and chose the answer that asked less of me.”
“You can choose differently now.”
“I will.”
A call from Dr. Perez interrupted us. Grant had spoken to her, and she had Emily’s permission to share information with Daniel’s doctor.
Dr. Perez said Emily had visited her six weeks earlier because the new medication made her dizzy. She had advised Emily to stop taking it until she could speak directly with the prescriber. Dr. Perez had also tried to reach Dr. Harlan.
“He returned my call,” she told Daniel. “He said your wife understood the risks and wanted to continue.”
Emily had told us the opposite.
Dr. Perez sent her notes to Dr. Kim and Grant.
That evening, Officer Grant called me. He had reviewed security footage from the day Emily was declared dead.
Patricia entered Emily’s hospital room shortly before Dr. Harlan made the declaration. She left carrying a small bag. Later, she returned with Mr. Vale from the funeral home.
“Did the camera show what was in the bag?” I asked.
“No.”
I remembered the missing bottle and phone.
“I’ll come in tomorrow if you need another statement.”
“Thank you. One more question: did you ever see Patricia use Emily’s phone?”
“Yes. Emily handed it to her sometimes to answer calls when she felt ill.”
“Do you know the passcode?”
“No.”
He thanked me and ended the call.
I sat on the edge of the guest bed at Claire’s house. She had insisted I stay until the police no longer needed me nearby. I could have gone to my own apartment. I also wanted to be close enough if Emily asked for me.
My phone lit up with a number I did not recognize.
A woman said, “My name is Grace Bell. I’m an attorney. Emily called me the day before she was taken to the hospital.”
I gripped the phone.
“What did she say?”
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“She asked how to stop someone from controlling her medical decisions. We had an appointment for the following morning.”
Emily had never made it.
