Chapter 8: The Prescription That Never Existed
My father stared at his signature as though he'd never seen it before.
“I didn't write that.””
Detective Hayes kept the paper in front of her.
“Mr. Carter, are you saying the signature is forged?””
“No. That's my signature. But I don't remember signing this document.””
Nicole leaned back in her chair.
“Convenient.””
Dad didn't look at her.
“I signed dozens of hospital forms that week. I was barely sleeping. If someone placed this in front of me, I might have signed it without reading every line.””
“What is the document?”” I asked.
Detective Hayes examined the heading.
“It appears to be a medication authorization form. However, we'll need to verify it with the hospital.””
Dad shook his head.
“I never authorized anyone to change Isabelle's prescription.””
Daniel rubbed his face.
“You might have signed it before the hospital admission. Nicole told me she needed your signature for insurance paperwork.””
Dad turned toward him.
“You knew about this?””
“I knew she was collecting documents. I didn't know she was using your signature on a medication form.””
Nicole suddenly stood.
“This is enough. I'm not staying here while two men who have spent years lying to each other try to pin everything on me.””
Detective Hayes rose too.
“Mrs. Bennett, please sit down.””
“No.””
The detective's expression hardened.
“If you leave before we've completed the initial interview, we'll need to discuss that with the officers outside.””
Nicole stared at her.
For several seconds, I thought she might try to push past her.
Instead, she sat.
Detective Hayes placed the document in a protective folder.
“I'm going to arrange for the original hospital records to be preserved. We'll also need the names of everyone who had access to Isabelle's medication.””
Dad immediately began listing the doctors, nurses, and relatives who had visited her.
When he reached Daniel's name, he stopped.
Daniel noticed.
“I understand if you don't want to help me.””
Dad's voice was flat.
“I'm not helping you. I'm telling the detective the truth.””
Daniel nodded.
“Fair enough.””
The officers took statements for another hour. Ethan grew restless, so I sat with him in the hallway, letting him draw little cars in the margins of an old notebook.
“Is Daddy in trouble?”” he whispered.
I put my arm around him.
“I don't know.””
“Did Daddy hurt Grandma Isabelle?””
“No, sweetheart.””
I answered too quickly.
Ethan looked at me.
“You don't know that.””
His quiet observation made my throat tighten.
“No,” I admitted.
“I don't know everything yet. But we're going to find out.””
He leaned against my shoulder.
“I don't like secrets.””
“Neither do I.””
Across the hallway, I could hear Nicole speaking to an officer.
Her voice was calm again. She was explaining that Daniel had financial problems, that he'd been obsessed with Isabelle's estate, and that he'd recently begun making threats.
She was building a new story.
One where Daniel was the villain, my father was confused, and she was the innocent wife caught between two men.
I recognized the strategy because I'd watched her use it for years.
Whenever she did something cruel, she found someone else to blame.
And if nobody believed her, she made herself the victim.
When Detective Hayes returned, she carried a second folder.
“We've spoken with the hospital's records department,” she said.
“There are some inconsistencies in the medication log from the night Isabelle died.””
Dad stood.
“What kind of inconsistencies?””
“The hospital records show that a medication was administered shortly before her condition deteriorated. The entry was signed by a staff member who no longer works there.””
“Can you contact that person?””
“We're trying.””
She opened the folder.
“There is also a discrepancy between the medication listed on the discharge-preparation paperwork and the prescription bottle found in the safety-deposit box.””
Nicole looked up sharply.
“That's because Isabelle had several medications. You can't assume they're connected.””
Detective Hayes regarded her carefully.
“I haven't assumed anything, Mrs. Bennett.””
She turned back to Dad.
“Do you remember whether your wife complained about her medication in the days before her death?””
Dad stared at the table.
Then he slowly nodded.
“She told me something tasted strange. I thought it was because she was nauseated.””
“Did she identify the medication?””
“No. She said she wanted to stop taking one of the pills, but the doctor told her not to discontinue anything without medical advice.””
Detective Hayes wrote something down.
“Do you remember which pill?””
Dad closed his eyes.
“Not exactly. I remember the bottle was small and white. Isabelle kept it in the drawer beside her bed.””
Daniel suddenly looked up.
“That's the bottle Nicole took to the hospital.””
Nicole's face tightened.
“You don't know that.””
“I saw you put it in your handbag.””
“You were drunk that night!””
“I had one beer with dinner.””
“You were upset because Isabelle had threatened to report you for stealing.””
Daniel stared at her.
Then he turned toward the detective.
“That's true. Isabelle had discovered the trust withdrawals. But she hadn't threatened to report me. She'd given me one day to decide whether I would help her recover the money.””
Dad's face twisted.
“And you chose to protect yourself.””
“Yes.””
Daniel's answer was immediate.
“I did. But I never wanted Isabelle dead.””
Nicole laughed sharply.
“Of course you didn't. You just conveniently kept the evidence that could send you to prison.””
Detective Hayes raised her hand.
“That's enough.””
She looked at Daniel.
“Where did you obtain this medication authorization form?””
“From the storage unit. It was inside an envelope with the trust documents.””
“Why did you keep it?””
“Because Isabelle wrote a note on the back.””
Daniel turned the paper over.
The detective examined the handwriting.
“What does it say?””
Daniel read it aloud.
“'If Richard asks, tell him I refused the second dose.''”
Dad's knees seemed to weaken.
He gripped the table.
“Second dose?””
Daniel nodded.
“That's what I heard Nicole and Isabelle arguing about. Isabelle didn't want to take another pill because she said she'd already taken her medication.””
Nicole shook her head repeatedly.
“No. That's not what happened.””
Detective Hayes stepped closer.
“What happened, Mrs. Bennett?””
Nicole pressed her lips together.
For a moment, I thought she might confess.
Instead, she looked at my father.
“Richard, you need to remember something. Isabelle was frightened of dying. She was confused.
She sometimes refused medication and then forgot she'd refused it. You know that.””
Dad's expression hardened.
“I know my wife. I know when she was frightened. And I know she trusted me to protect her.””
Nicole's eyes filled.
“You weren't there all the time!””
“No,” Dad said quietly.
“I wasn't. Because I believed the people around her were helping me.””
His gaze shifted toward Daniel.
Then back to Nicole.
“I was wrong.””
Detective Hayes gathered the documents.
“We'll need to examine the medication records, the prescription bottle, and the original authorization. Until then, we're not drawing conclusions about cause of death or intent.””
She turned toward Nicole.
“I'd also advise you not to contact any potential witnesses about this investigation.””
Nicole's face went rigid.
“I haven't contacted anyone.””
Daniel let out a humorless laugh.
“You called me this morning.””
Everyone turned toward him.
Detective Hayes asked, “What did she say?””
Daniel reached for his phone.
“She told me to destroy the documents from the storage unit. She said if I didn't, she'd make sure Richard learned what really happened the night Isabelle died.””
He played a voicemail.
Nicole's voice filled the hallway.
“Daniel, I know you still have the papers. Get rid of them before Richard finds out about the second dose. If you don't, I'll tell him who brought Isabelle home from the hospital that night.””
The recording ended.
Dad stared at Nicole.
“Brought her home?””
Detective Hayes looked at Daniel.
“Was your wife ever discharged from the hospital that evening?””
Daniel shook his head.
“No. Isabelle never came home.””
Dad's face went completely white.
Nicole rose so quickly that her chair scraped across the floor.
“I made a mistake!””
Nobody moved.
She clapped a hand over her mouth.
Then she whispered, “I didn't mean to say that.””
Detective Hayes stepped toward her.
“What mistake did you make, Mrs. Bennett?””
Nicole looked at the officers.
Then at my father.
And finally at me.
Her eyes were filled with a terror I'd never seen before.
“I didn't kill Isabelle,” she whispered.
The hallway went silent.
Dad took one step toward her.
“Nicole, nobody said you did.””
She began shaking.
“But if you find the second bottle, you'll think I did.””
Detective Hayes immediately signaled to the officer beside her.
“Mrs. Bennett, I need you to explain exactly what you mean.””
Nicole sank into her chair.
May you like
And for the first time, she stopped trying to defend herself.
Instead, she began to cry.
