The Maker Page 12

The early morning sun beamed in through Chanel’s opened blinds and hit her straight in the face. She groaned and flung her arm up to cover her face, but the damage had been done. She was awake and far from happy to be facing the day. She looked at the clock on her nightstand and groaned again, but this time for an entirely different reason. She had less than an hour to shower and get to work.

  Noises coming from the direction of the kitchen told her that Tanya was already up. They were both rostered on the morning shift. It would serve Tanya right if she were as tired and out of sorts as Chanel was.

  Knowing there was nothing to do but get on with it, she sighed and climbed out of bed. Padding to the bathroom down the hall, she turned on the water in the shower and did a quick scrub. With no time for the luxury of shampooing her hair, she quickly stepped out and dried off. Another five minutes and she was dressed and ready to go. With a fortifying breath, she strode into the kitchen.

  Zoe was eating breakfast from her cat bowl near the door. Tanya sat at the small kitchen table chewing on a piece of toast. Fresh coffee percolated on the stove. The smell of it was almost enough to soothe Chanel’s disgruntled mood.

  “I made coffee. There’s toast in the toaster. I even saved you the crust.”

  As far as peace offerings went, it was huge. Both of them loved to toast the crust and smother it in butter and honey. Chanel threw Tanya a small smile, acknowledging her kind gesture.

  “Listen, about last night, I’m really sorry,” Tanya started.

  Chanel sat down across from her. “No, please, I’m the one who’s sorry. I had no right snapping at you like that. What you do with your life is your business. It’s not my place to judge.”

  “You’re right, it’s not. You don’t know how important it is for me to get through this program. I’m the first Singh in my family to go to college, let alone be accepted into something as prestigious as this course. It means everything to me. My dad’s so proud he could burst.”

  She shook her head, pleading with her eyes for Chanel to understand. “I can’t disappoint him. If sleeping with Leo…I mean, Doctor Baker means I don’t have to worry about passing anymore, I’m prepared to do it. Besides, it’s not exactly a hardship. He’d give men half his age a run for their money.”

  She smiled, but Chanel couldn’t find it within herself to return it. She shook her head. “You shouldn’t be put in this position, Tanya. He’s taking advantage of you. It’s not right.”

  “Oh, Chanel! Nobody cares about what’s right! Haven’t you learned that yet? Look at Doctor Baker! Do you think he knows he’s doing the wrong thing? Of course he does! Does he care? Of course he doesn’t. It’s just the way it is.”

  “Would it make any difference to you if you knew you’re not the first student he’s hit upon?”

  Tanya frowned. “What do you mean?”

  “Surely, you can’t think he’s never done this type of thing before? Men like Doctor Baker thrive on exercising their power and what better way than to get a young student to sleep with him?”

  “You don’t know that for sure,” Tanya replied, uncertainty clouding her voice. “You’re just guessing.”

  “That’s where you’re wrong. I do know for sure. He propositioned me back in February, a few days after starting the program.”

  Shock, followed quickly by disbelief and anger spread across Tanya’s face. “I don’t believe you,” she stated.

  Chanel shrugged. “Believe me or not, it doesn’t matter, but I’m telling you the truth. Why do you think he turned on me? Everyone noticed it, even you. He propositioned me for sex, probably the same way he propositioned you. He promised me an easy ride through the program and a boost to my career. All I had to do was sleep with him. He didn’t take it well when I turned him down.”

  Tanya stared at her in increasing horror, her eyes wide. “No, no! You’re lying! There’s no way he made a pass at you! You just can’t stand the thought that he might prefer me over you. That’s all it is! You’re jealous!”

  “No, Tanya! Oh, hell. How can I make you understand? He’s a sleaze of the highest order. He’s using you for his own pleasure. It’s nothing more than that.”

  “No, you’re wrong! He told me I was beautiful!” She gasped. “And last night… Last night he told me that he loved me. He said he’d been trying to fight it since the moment he laid eyes on me. He didn’t want to fall in love with me, but…but he did!”

  Chanel stared at her, aghast. She couldn’t believe how easily her friend had fallen for his lies. Knowing Tanya wasn’t in the mood to hear anything more against their boss, she clenched her jaw and moved over to the counter. She poured herself a cup of coffee and took refuge in the caffeine. Tanya returned to her toast.

  Chanel looked at the clock on the wall and then over at Tanya. “We’re due at the hospital in fifteen minutes. We need to get moving.”

  Tanya’s head snapped up. “I can’t go to work today! What will I do if I run into him? I love him, just like he loves me. How will I stop from throwing myself into his arms? It would be the worst possible thing I could do! He told me last night we have to be discreet. I promised it would be our little secret. I promised I wouldn’t breathe a word about what we’d done and yet, I’ve broken it already!”

  She pushed away from the table and clutched at Chanel’s blouse. “You won’t tell him I told you, will you? Please, Chanel! I’m begging you! Please don’t tell him you know!”

  Chanel closed her eyes against the wild desperation in her friend’s expression. She couldn’t bear to witness the madness a minute longer.

  “Tanya! Stop it! You need to get a hold of yourself. You’re a grown woman, not a silly teenager. Besides, I was here when he turned up with those roses last night. I watched you both walk out the door. He knows I know at least that much. Now, I’m going to work and you’re coming with me. If you’re mature enough to carry on a relationship with your married boss, you’re mature enough to face the consequences if and when it all heads south. Do you understand?”

  Tanya blinked at Chanel as if trying to make sense of what she was saying.

  “Tanya, we need to get to work, okay?”

  “Okay.”

  “Go and finish what you need to do. We’re leaving in five minutes.”

  With a gentle push, Chanel sent Tanya in the direction of the bathroom and then hurried to finish her coffee. After being woken at three in the morning, the last thing she’d needed was a confrontation with her roommate, but that’s the way it went. She could only hope Tanya would think about what she’d said and reconsider her relationship with their boss. It would make life much easier for both of them if Tanya ended it, although from what Chanel had seen so far, she didn’t hold out much hope.

  * * *

  Bryce stared at the papers on his desk and tried to make sense of the statements made by Chanel Munro and Leo Baker. On the one hand, there was a young woman who freely admitted she was feeling justifiably wronged and angry after her boss had made a pass at her. It wasn’t too much of a stretch to imagine she might even be feeling vindictive. It would explain why she thought the object of her anger could be responsible for the deaths of two of his patients.

  On the other hand, there was the doctor. The fact that he was older, rich and good-looking wasn’t his fault. Bryce had no right to hold those things against him and he didn’t. The man was a successful, highly regarded doctor. His healthy ego didn’t make him a sleaze.

  There was nothing illegal about coming on to a work colleague—unethical, yes; distasteful, certainly; but very much within the law when the alleged victim was an adult, provided it wasn’t actual sexual harassment. Even if the doctor was guilty of such behavior, it didn’t make him a murderer. The leap from one to the other was absurd. So what was behind Chanel Munro’s accusation?

  It had been a week since he’d met with the beauty and he still wasn’t sure what to make of it all. She’d appeared genuine in her complaint about Leo Baker and had come across as far from hyst
erical. In order to get a better sense of her, he’d done a little more digging into her background. In addition to her impeccable family credentials, she didn’t have a criminal record. Not so much as a parking ticket.

  She’d attended college at the prestigious Brisbane University and had graduated with honors. He’d managed to track down a couple of her professors and at least one of her former bosses and all of them spoke highly of the lovely Chanel Munro. Without exception, they were sad to see her leave Brisbane and wished her all the best in her new endeavors.

  No matter where he turned, he couldn’t find anyone who had a bad thing to say about her, apart from Doctor Baker. Certainly, there wasn’t even a sniff of a scandal in her past. This didn’t gel with Baker’s certainty that she’d slept her way to the top, but it could well explain her discomfort at coming forward with a complaint.

  Baker would be publicly outed, but her reputation would also be scrutinized and laid bare for all to see. Bryce could understand how a decent woman with a reputation to protect might be reluctant to risk having it tarnished.

  Tugging the phone out of his pocket, he dialed his grandmother’s number. She’d been a patient of Baker’s for years. Not only that, she was a good judge of character. He wanted to get her take on the situation.

  “Bryce, how nice of you to call. What’s the matter?”

  “Nothing, Grandma. I just wanted to see how you were doing. Did you take your medication at lunch time?”

  “Of course I did, like always. I keep telling you, it’s not necessary to check up on me. I might be old, but I haven’t yet lost my marbles.”

  “I’m not checking up on you,” Bryce protested. “I’m checking in with you. There’s a difference. In fact, I called to ask for your opinion.”

  “Really?”

  Bryce grinned at the pleasure in her voice. “Yes, Grandma, really.”

  “What do you want to know? Are you trying to decide what color tie will go with that new suit you bought last week?”

  Bryce laughed and shook his head. “No, although now you mention it, I probably do need to get a new tie.”

  “It’s such a smart suit, Bryce. I’m so glad you splashed out on it. Every man needs a decent suit.”

  “So you’ve told me, maybe a hundred times before.”

  She made a sound of mock annoyance and pretended to be upset. “All right, I promise you won’t hear a word out of me about your wardrobe again. I was only trying to help, but who am I to—?”

  “Okay, Grandma, enough with the theatrics,” he said dryly. “We both know you don’t mean it. Now, are you going to listen to the reason for my call?”

  “You wanted my opinion.”

  “Yes.”

  “I’m not sure that I want to give it.”

  Now it was Bryce’s turn to make a sound of irritation in the back of his throat. “Grandma,” he said, warning thick in his voice.

  She laughed. “I’m just having fun with you, Grandson. What is it you’d like to ask?”

  Bryce cleared his throat and readjusted his thoughts. “I wanted to talk to you about Doctor Baker.”

  “Doctor Baker?” He heard the confusion in her voice. “Why would you want to talk to me about Doctor Baker?”

  “Something’s come up at work and I just wanted to know what you thought about him.”

  “At work? You mean, like something criminal?”

  “I can’t say anything more, Grandma, but I’d appreciate it if you’d answer a couple of questions.”

  “On the record?”

  Bryce groaned in frustration. “On the record, off the record… What difference does it make? I’m not going to use it against you.”

  “Okay, just checking. A lady can never be too sure.”

  “Okay, are you finished? I want to know how you find Doctor Baker. What kind of man he is.”

  “Well, he’s been treating my diabetes for years. I keep going back. That ought to tell you something. Besides, I enjoy my visits with him. He’s polite and charming and good-looking. I’m not too old to appreciate a little eye candy, Grandson.”

  Bryce suppressed another groan and forged on. “Has he ever done anything or said anything inappropriate?”

  “No, of course not. He treats me with the utmost care and respect. Why do you ask?”

  Bryce debated in silence about how much to tell her. Her confidentiality was guaranteed, but he didn’t want to upset her by putting thoughts in her head about her doctor that might be totally unfounded. On the other hand, he valued her insight and opinion.

  “A young doctor came to me recently with concerns about the level of Doctor Baker’s care. A couple of his patients have died recently. The young doctor’s concerned they might not have died from natural causes.”

  “That’s ridiculous! What did Doctor Baker say? I assume you’ve spoken to him?”

  “Yes. He denied any wrongdoing. He said the female doctor in question was struggling with the demands of his program. She’d approached him with a view to trading grades for…er…certain sexual favors.”

  Bryce felt the heat rush up his neck and spread across his face. He might have turned thirty last birthday, but that didn’t mean he was comfortable talking about sex with his eighty-three-year-old grandmother.

  “What did he say?”

  Bryce’s cheeks got hotter at the open curiosity in his grandmother’s tone. “He rebuffed her, of course,” he said, and hurried on. “He says her accusations of his wrongdoing are probably her way of getting back at him for turning her down.”

  “Doctor Baker’s a much-sought-after physician, Bryce. He must treat hundreds of patients over the course of a year. It’s not beyond reason he might lose one or two along the way.”

  “Yeah, you’re right. The more I think about it, the more it makes sense this woman was only trying to stir up trouble, no matter how genuine she appeared. Some people just know how to turn it on for the cameras, don’t they?”

  After final good-byes and assurances he’d be home as soon as his shift was over, Bryce ended the call. He blew out his breath on a sigh. So, that was it. According to his grandmother, Doctor Baker was the epitome of virtue—a godlike figure who could do no wrong—apart from losing a patient or two here or there… And that was to be expected, wasn’t it?

  So where did that leave his investigation? Was there an investigation? With Baker such a public figure, Bryce wanted to be sure before he took things any further by making contact with the hospital. If the media got wind of it and it all turned out to be nothing more than a young woman hell-bent on revenge, he’d be a laughing stock. Not to mention the negative publicity the police service and the hospital would suffer.

  He cursed under his breath and shook his head. He was getting nowhere. He needed to go over everything with his boss and get his take on all of this. As if conjuring him up, Detective Superintendent Holt Denman strode out of his office and headed toward Bryce, his expression grim. Sitting up straighter in his chair, Bryce waited until his boss came to a stop a few feet away from Bryce’s desk.

  “Bryce, what are you up to?”

  Bryce looked down at the statements on his desk and gave a noncommittal shrug. “This and that, boss. I’m just trying to work through something. What can I do for you?”

  Holt’s frown darkened and he stared down at the papers in his hand. “I’ve just had a call from Senator Jeremy Green.”

  “You mean…?”

  “Yes, from the state legislature.”

  “What’s he lobbying for this time? Don’t tell me he’s still going on about the bail laws?”

  “No, not this time.” Holt tightened his lips. “This time it’s personal.”

  Bryce leaned back in his chair. “Okay.”

  “The senator’s wife was admitted to the Sydney Harbour Hospital three days ago suffering an acute asthma attack. The attack was brought under control and all was good, but before Eileen Green could be discharged, she started complaining of severe stomach cramps. She bega
n vomiting quite violently. By midday today, she was dead. The senator’s convinced she was murdered.”

  A shiver of dread ran down Bryce’s spine. “Shit.”

  “Yes, it gets worse. The senator’s called a press conference. It will take place in an hour. He’s taking his accusations public.”

  “Who’s the doctor?”

  Holt grimaced. “As if this thing couldn’t get any worse, Eileen Green was admitted under Sydney Harbour’s poster boy: Doctor Leo Baker.”

  The dread in Bryce’s gut intensified. He shook his head slowly back and forth, unable to believe what he’d heard and yet from the moment his boss had started talking, a part of him had known what the man was going to say. He looked up at Holt.

  “You’re not going to believe this, but a week ago I interviewed a junior doctor from the Sydney Harbour Hospital. She came forward with two similar, unrelated complaints.”

  “You’re kidding me!” Holt sounded as shocked as he looked.

  “No, I’m afraid not. I’ve been sitting on it because… Well, it’s complicated. During the same interview, she also accused Doctor Baker of sexual harassment. I spoke to the doctor and his explanations seemed reasonable. It appeared that the woman was merely causing trouble. Now, I’m not so sure.”

  “Give me everything you have. I want to be kept fully informed. Have you looked into the deaths of these others?”

  “No, as I said, I was still trying to determine the legitimacy of the woman’s claims. It’s quite possible her complaints are nothing more than sour grapes.”

  “Except now we have a third death and an independent claim of wrongdoing.”

  “You and I know full well how easy it is to blame the doctor when a loved one dies unexpectedly. Some people find it difficult to let go. They need someone to take responsibility.”

  “Of course and who knows, this might turn out to be that, after all, but we don’t have the freedom to investigate it at our leisure. By four o’clock this afternoon, everyone with access to a media outlet will have heard about it. We need to act fast. You can bet your bottom dollar I’ll be expected to front the press shortly afterward and I’ll need to be prepared.”