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  “You’re lucky you’ve been off for the last couple of days. He lost a patient last night and he took it hard. He’s been snapping at everyone who comes near him.”

  Chanel stopped and turned to face Tanya, her heart filling with sadness. The chances she knew the patient were high.

  “Who was it?”

  “Who?” Tanya asked distractedly, her attention on the traffic.

  “The patient. The one that passed away. Who was it?”

  “Robyn Evan. It’s weird. She was…”

  The rest of what Tanya had to say was lost to Chanel. A buzzing sound started in her ears and quickly took control. She watched Tanya’s lips moving, and heard nothing but the roar in her head.

  How could Mrs Evan be dead? She was due to be discharged three days ago. Chanel had done her paperwork. It couldn’t be her. It wasn’t possible. She clutched at Tanya’s arm to make her stop.

  “Robyn Evan? You don’t mean the lady I diagnosed with pneumonia more than a week ago?”

  Tanya’s face filled with sympathy. “Oh, that’s right. You knew her. I’m sorry, Chanel. She died last night.”

  Chanel shook her head in confusion and disbelief. “How? Why? I don’t understand. She was meant to be discharged. She couldn’t wait to go home.”

  “I’m sorry, Chanel. I don’t know all the details. Apparently, she started complaining of pains in her abdomen not long after you left her. By that night, she was suffering from severe vomiting and acute stomach cramps. She couldn’t keep anything down. Nobody could work out what was happening. Her blood pressure sky rocketed. And then, it was all over. She died with Doctor Baker by her side.”

  Chanel pushed her hand against her mouth and tried to hold back a sob. Shock ricocheted through her and left her gasping. It couldn’t be true and yet it was. Tanya had no reason to lie. Mrs Evan was dead and Chanel had no idea why.

  At the thought of the old woman’s husband, tears welled up in Chanel’s eyes. She wondered who’d told him and whether he’d made it to his wife’s bedside to say good-bye. She prayed that he’d made it in time and that his wife had known he was there. It was suddenly important for Chanel to believe it had happened that way.

  “What did Doctor Baker say? He must have some idea what caused her death?” she asked.

  “I think he’s as shocked as the rest of us. No doubt there’ll be an autopsy.”

  The mention of an autopsy triggered another memory. She turned to Tanya. “Do you remember a woman by the name of Amelia Arncliffe? She was a patient we saw with Doctor Baker on our very first day, when we were all still together.”

  Tanya frowned in thought and then shook her head. “I don’t think so. Why?”

  “She was hospitalized so that she could be treated for a horrible bed sore. It was an abscess the size of my fist. She’d been brought in from a nursing home.”

  “Oh, that’s right. I remember her. She was a tiny little thing with a pile of white hair. You did the diagnosis, right?”

  “Yes, that’s her.”

  “What about her?”

  “She died a few days after we met her. Doctor Baker told me. I’m sure she died the same way Mrs Evan died—with severe vomiting and stomach cramps.”

  Tanya frowned again. “What are you saying? Do you think their deaths are related? Could it be a superbug? Are you suggesting—?”

  “I don’t know what I’m suggesting, but the similarity is a little odd, don’t you think?”

  Tanya shrugged in bewilderment. “Maybe. I don’t know. It could merely be a coincidence. This is a hospital. As much as we hate to admit it, sometimes people die.”

  Impatience surged through Chanel and she took off toward the train station. Tanya hurried to keep up with her.

  “Hey, slow down. I didn’t mean to annoy you. I don’t know what you want me to say.”

  Chanel slowed her steps and drew in a deep breath. Letting it out on a heavy sigh, she gazed at Tanya and shook her head.

  “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have said anything. I don’t know anything for sure. As you said, it could merely be a coincidence. They were both old and according to Doctor Baker, Amelia Arncliffe at least had a number of other health issues.”

  The girls lapsed into silence, each lost in their own thoughts. Chanel wished she could get rid of the sense of foreboding that had taken hold deep inside her, but right at that moment, that was beyond her.

  * * *

  Chanel took another sip from her wineglass. Her heavy sigh wasn’t lost on her brother Tom, who refilled his glass with iced tea and then regained his seat across from her. Dinner was over and Tom’s teenaged children had drifted away from the table to concentrate on homework—or more likely, to text and talk to their friends. Tom’s wife, Lily, was in the living room, on the phone to her mother who was caravanning with her husband somewhere in the far north of Australia.

  “What’s the matter little sister? That’s the third sigh in as many minutes and you were way too quiet over dinner. What’s going on?”

  Chanel bit back another sigh and glanced at Tom over the rim of her glass. He’d always been able to judge her moods, even when she was a child. As the oldest, he’d grown up observing them all and he had a knack for seeing past the obvious to what was at the heart of the matter. It was one of the things that made him such a good police negotiator.

  “Do you mind if we sit outside?”

  Tom’s eyebrows rose in silent query, but he pushed back his chair and stood. Chanel followed him through the French doors and out onto the paved outdoor area that bordered the inground swimming pool. The air was warm and heavy with the scent of Lily’s roses and the star jasmine vine that grew over the fence. Chanel filled her lungs with it and took a seat in a deck chair.

  Tom sat next to her and put his glass and a jug half filled with iced tea on the ground beside him. The night had fallen at last and tiny stars bathed them with faint light.

  “Talk to me, little sister. I thought you loved your job and being in Sydney.”

  “I do, Tom. I love everything Sydney has to offer. The rush and noise and excitement; the people, the beach and you guys, of course. It’s so nice to be close enough to drop around for dinner when the whim strikes me and not to have to plan days off, travel time and everything else that goes with an interstate excursion. You don’t know how much I’ve enjoyed being this close to you all.”

  Tom smiled. “The feeling’s mutual, honey. We love having you around.” He picked up his glass and took another swallow. “So, what’s troubling you?”

  Chanel sighed. “My job’s getting me down. Weird stuff’s been happening and it seems like I’m the only one who’s concerned. Things keep going round and round in my head and I don’t know what’s true and what’s only imagined. I’m so confused, I sometimes feel like I’m going crazy.”

  Tom blew out his breath. “Whew! That’s what I call a pickle! Why don’t you start at the beginning? Tell me about this weird stuff.”

  “If you want me to start at the beginning, I have to tell you about Doctor Leo Baker.”

  Tom gazed at her. “So, tell me.”

  * * *

  Hours later, back in her apartment, Chanel stared at her reflection in the bathroom mirror. It seemed like she’d spent half the night filling Tom in on what had happened, including the improper approach by Doctor Baker.

  After managing to convince her brother not to seek out her boss at first light and pummel him into the ground, she’d listened to Tom’s advice and in particular, his take on the recent patient deaths under Doctor Baker’s care. While Tom had reiterated Tanya’s words that it wasn’t unusual for patients to die in a hospital, especially elderly ones, he was just as concerned as Chanel by the sudden and unexplained manner of their deaths. With his cop instincts humming, he urged her to take her concerns to the police.

  The very thought sent quivers of fear and nerves rushing through her. To give voice to her suspicions to a trusted brother was one thing, even if he was a dete
ctive held in high regard. There was no question he’d keep her confidence. But to walk into a police station and talk to a stranger about her misgivings and to have them recorded… That was something else.

  What if she were wrong? The police would initiate an investigation. Doctor Baker would be interviewed. If her accusations proved groundless, she’d never work in the state again—maybe not even the country. The Australian medical profession wasn’t that large, after all. Something of this nature would eventually get out. She’d be forever labeled as the Judas doctor who’d had the audacity to accuse one of their own, and one at the pinnacle of the profession. The betrayal would never be forgotten—or forgiven.

  But what else could she do? Every time she thought of Amelia Arncliffe and dear old Robyn Evan, fresh pain built up inside. If there were even the slightest chance their deaths hadn’t been from natural causes, she owed it to them and their families to search out the truth.

  What was her career in light of something like that?

  Her sense of fairness and justice had always been acute. She guessed it came from being raised by a family intimately involved in law enforcement, including her father who was a retired District Court judge. It must have rubbed off.

  The clock in the hallway struck one. Despite her misgivings, she was clear on what she had to do. She’d go to the police and file a report. What they did with it after that was their concern. Whether they chose to pursue it any further or not would be outside her control. Her conscience would be clear.

  Maybe then, she could get some sleep.

  CHAPTER SEVEN

  Bryce stared at the computer screen in front of him and tried to concentrate on the words in his report. He’d been at it for more than an hour and a half. It was just as well the station was quiet. Every time he tried to focus on the case file, last week’s conversation with his wife’s doctor kept coming back to him.

  No matter how much he wished for things to be different, the truth was, Angela was never going to wake up and talk to him. She wasn’t ever going to wake up, period. The weight of his decision rested heavily on his shoulders and filled his heart with dread. Three years might have elapsed, but the guilt was just as fresh.

  “Hey, Bryce.”

  Jett strode toward him. Forcing his dark thoughts aside, Bryce acknowledged his partner with a nod. “What’s up?”

  “There’s a hot-looking woman downstairs who wants to talk to a detective about a suspicious death at the Sydney Harbour Hospital. I’d do the interview myself, but I’m about to go on a break and I have an appointment downtown. You up for it?”

  “Sure. Bring her up and put her in one of the interview rooms. I’ll be there shortly.”

  “Will do.” Jett turned and walked back the way he’d come.

  Turning his attention back to his screen, Bryce saved the work he’d managed to put together and exited the program. A few moments later, he heard Jett’s tread on the wooden stairs, followed by the lighter tapping of a woman’s heels. He caught a glimpse of a lemon-colored summer dress and the back of a pair of shapely tanned calves before Jett and the woman disappeared around the corner. Collecting his pen and a blank legal pad, Bryce headed after them. He met Jett in the corridor.

  “I’ve left her in Interview Room Two. She’s all yours.” Jett offered him a wink and disappeared.

  The woman stood with her back to him, her arms folded across her chest. She turned upon his entry and with a start, Bryce recognized her. Chanel Munro. Doctor Chanel Munro.

  In one quick glance, he took in her gilded hair, this time swinging loose in a casual ponytail. It somehow managed to make her look younger than he remembered. The yellow, sleeveless cotton dress he’d glimpsed outside clung to her in all the right places and it took considerable effort to keep his body from reacting. The V-neck offered him a tantalizing glimpse of her cleavage and despite his best efforts to cool his ardor, he was wholly unsuccessful.

  In an effort to deflate his hard-on, he fixed his thoughts on something other than the beautiful woman in front of him. She’d come to speak to someone about a purported crime. The least he could do was act professional.

  “Doctor Munro, I’m Detective Sergeant Bryce Sutcliffe You might remember me from the clinic last week…” He extended his hand by way of greeting and she shook it firmly. He tried not to think about how small and soft her hand felt in his.

  “Of course. I did your physical exam. I should have realized you worked here. How’s your grandmother?”

  Bryce was quietly impressed that she remembered. “She’s fine. She’d fallen asleep in her room and didn’t hear the phone. It was nothing.”

  “I’m glad. She’s lucky to have such a caring grandson.”

  He flushed with pleasure. “Thank you. My grandmother feels the same way, although she’s not exactly objective. Now, what can I do for you?”

  She lowered her gaze and stared at the charcoal-and-navy patterned carpet. A pulse leaped in the side of her neck. Her arms once again were folded across her middle. He’d seen his fair share of nervous people before and he’d had plenty of practice putting them at ease. It was the least he could do after her earlier comment.

  “How about you take a seat and get comfortable, Doctor Munro? Can I get you a coffee or maybe you’d rather a Coke? It’s hot out there today.”

  “A-a Coke would be great. Thank you.”

  “Diet or regular?”

  “Diet, please.”

  Bryce wasn’t surprised. A figure like hers would take some maintenance. Good genes could only take you so far.

  “I’ll be right back,” he murmured and took his leave.

  Heading to the drink dispenser further down the corridor, he was relieved to realize his erection had subsided. He wished he could better control his responses, but the truth was, he couldn’t. His was a purely physical reaction to a beautiful woman. The last woman he’d made love to was his wife and it had been so long ago, he could barely remember. The strain of his enforced abstinence was taking its toll.

  He pushed a few coins into the slot and punched in the Diet Coke code. It fell into the bin and he reached down and pulled it out. He turned and made his way back to the interview room.

  “Here you go.” He handed her the can and didn’t even flinch when their fingers brushed. She murmured her thanks and opened the drink. He busied himself by taking a seat opposite her. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw her take a mouthful of Coke. Her tongue snuck out to lick at a stray droplet on her lip and he dragged his gaze away. With a quick breath, he tugged the notepad toward him and got down to business.

  “My partner, Detective Craigdon, said you wanted to report a suspicious death. Is that right?”

  The nerves were back, but she took a deep breath that seemed to give her a level of control. When she spoke, her voice was clear and firm.

  “Yes, that’s right.”

  “All right, how about you tell me what you know?”

  She made a quick swipe across her lips with a small pink tongue, but nodded. “Okay.”

  “Right, start at the beginning. How long have you worked at the Sydney Harbour Hospital?”

  “A little over a month. I started there in early February. I was accepted into a medical residency program headed by Doctor Leo Baker. It’s a twelve-month tenure.”

  Bryce noted the information and then nodded for her to continue.

  “Doctor Baker’s known in every medical circle in Australia. He’s an excellent physician and demands the best from those doctors who train under him. I was thrilled to be accepted and more than a little surprised. Doctor Baker chooses only the best.”

  Bryce inclined his head. “So, you’re good at your job.”

  She shrugged and a becoming blush stained her cheeks. Her humility intrigued him. It was unexpected from someone who must know they stood head and shoulders above their peers.

  “When I met Doctor Baker, he was everything I expected. He was good-looking, charismatic and a brilliant physician. I had
both admiration and respect for him, but it wasn’t long before my impression of him was shattered.”

  Bryce leaned forward. He’d heard of Doctor Leo Baker, of course. You couldn’t live in the city of Sydney and not know about one of the country’s most eminent doctors. Apart from that, the man treated Bryce’s grandmother. Naturally he’d looked into the doctor’s credentials.

  From what he’d read on the Internet, Leo Baker deserved every one of the numerous accolades. Not only was he an exceptional doctor, he was also a generous philanthropist and had even privately funded a cancer rehabilitation center in the western suburbs for underprivileged women. As much as Bryce disliked the medical profession, he had to concede the man was a saint. Or so it appeared.

  “What happened?” he asked, his attention now focused sharply on the woman in front of him.

  “He made a pass at me. Actually, it was more than that. He said if I slept with him, my career path would be smoothed out along the way. Any job was mine for the taking. In effect, he promised me the world.”

  Bryce frowned. “He actually said that? He told you that sleeping with him would be beneficial to your career?”

  “Yes, only there was more. If I didn’t sleep with him, my career would suffer accordingly. The threat was very clear.”

  “What did you say?”

  “I told him to go to hell.”

  “What was his response?”

  “He didn’t take it well. In fact, he made certain I knew he’d do all he could to make my remaining time under his tutelage as difficult as he could.”

  “And has he?”

  “For most of the time, yes.”

  Bryce jotted down a few more notes and thought about what she’d said. She was beautiful enough to tempt any man, but what she said didn’t make sense. Why would a man at the top of his game, and according to the tabloids, happily married to a stunning socialite, jeopardize all of it by making a pass at one of his students? And not only make a pass, but follow through on his threats when she hadn’t responded in the way he hoped.

  The slightest whiff of scandal and the medical board would string the man up for breakfast. The board prided itself on taking the moral high ground every single time. There was no room for a gray area, even for a favored son.