The First Family by Michael Palmer

Author:Michael Palmer
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: St. Martin's Press

CHAPTER 32

Lee and Karen took an Uber back to the MDC. On the ride they discussed the nootropics.

“It’s our last best shot of getting Hilliard back on our side,” Lee said.

Karen fished the samples out of her purse. “Take them,” she said, handing him the plastic bag with a collection of yellow, white, and brown pills. “Getting them wasn’t exactly the best part of my day.”

“I’ll find a place to get these analyzed,” Lee said, slipping the contents into the inside pockets of his blazer.

“What did Cam whisper to you back in the office?” Karen asked, suddenly remembering the odd exchange in Gleason’s office.

“He said, ‘Don’t leave me. Gleason’s a liar.’”

* * *

BACK AT the MDC, Karen and Lee headed to the sixth-floor ICU to check in on Susie. When they reached her cubicle, there was no sign of the security guard Lee had paid handsomely to keep watch.

Can’t trust anybody but family to do the right thing, Karen thought.

“I’ll call Josh,” Karen said to Lee. “We’ll get him to guard Susie for the night.”

Susie could not voice her opinion either way. She was still ventilated and connected to a dialysis machine with two tubes, one taking blood from her body and the other putting it back in.

Lee reviewed her charts.

“Her vitals are stable. Heart rate and blood pressure both normal. Flow rates on her catheter are excellent, too, but her BUN and creatinine levels haven’t come down substantially. Maybe her doctors could wean her off ventilation in a few hours, but she’s not coming off dialysis anytime soon.”

* * *

THIRTY MINUTES later, Lee and Karen were seated in a waiting room on the ICU floor with faded fabric armchairs and a coffee table papered with dog-eared magazines. Josh would be arriving soon. Lee had spoken with several nurses, and according to them there had been no luck locating Susie’s next of kin. Ellen was right. The poor girl was truly alone.

“I’d sure like to get my hands on any TPI nootropics Susie may have been taking,” Lee said.

“Maybe she can help us once she comes off the ventilator, but Lee, we’ve got to think about how we’re going to keep her safe.”

“You’re the law enforcement expert. What do you think?”

“I think we should start by telling the police about the furnace, get them to investigate it for signs of tampering, but my guess is it’s going to be hard to prove.”

“A repairman who can fix things can also break them,” Lee concurred. “Any chance of catching this guy?”

“While you were trying to find Susie’s next of kin, I spoke with hospital security. Whoever attacked her knew how to avoid the cameras. I don’t think they’re going to be able to ID him.”

“What about social services?” asked Lee. “Can they help with Susie?”

“Even though she’s only nineteen, in the eyes of the law, Susie is an adult, so no. And the police can’t take her into protective custody either. That’s for federal trials.”

“So the only thing we can do is deal with the next threat or incident when it occurs?” Lee sounded incredulous.

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