Chapter 66
Just then, Maxine’s phone rang. She glanced at the screen–it was Cleo.
Maxine paused, then declined the call. “Go ahead,” she told Valerie.
Valerie thought hard for a while but finally gave up. “It’s been so long. I really can’t remember.”
Maxine was about to ask something else when the phone rang again. Cleo was calling back.
“You should probably get that,” Valerie said. “I’ll keep trying to remember.”
Maxine gave her an apologetic look and stepped aside to take the call.
Cleo’s voice was serious. “Where are you? Can we meet? I’m coming to you.”
“What’s wrong?” Maxine immediately grew concerned. “Is it about Nathan’s file?”
“It’s too much to explain over the phone. I’m on my way to your place. I’ll be there in thirty minutes.” Cleo hung up.
Maxine had no choice but to turn back to Valerie. “I’m sorry. I have to head home. Let’s catch up another time.”
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Valerie, still lost in thought, waved her off. “No problem. I’ll see if I can dig up anything useful in the next few days. Maybe I’ll find something that helps.”
Maxine gave her a grateful nod. “Thanks, Valerie. I really mean it.”
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*****
After they parted, Maxine rushed home. She had just walked in the door when someone knocked.
Cleo stepped inside with a laptop in hand. As soon as she entered, she glanced toward Jessica’s room. “What’s Jessica up to?”
Maxine looked puzzled. “Probably playing by herself. Why?”
“Nothing. Come on–let’s go to the study.” Cleo led the way and locked the door behind them.
Seeing how serious Cleo looked, Maxine started to feel uneasy. “Cleo, what did you find?”
Cleo opened the laptop. “I got access to Nathan’s medical records from Blessings Hospital. My colleague hacked into their system. Do you know what actually killed him?”
Maxine’s expression tensed. “What?”
“Kidney failure,” Cleo said, pulling up the file.
Maxine scanned it, only half understanding. “So, did he have kidney disease?”
“No, not exactly.” Cleo pointed to some numbers on the report. “I blacked out Nathan’s name and info, then sent it to a doctor friend. You know what he told me?
“These numbers don’t match a case of kidney failure. They point to organ loss. Someone tampered with the diagnosis. They figured no one would bother checking the lab results, so they just made something up.”
Maxine’s eyes widened. “Organ loss? But in this day and age–and at a legit place like Blessings Hospital–how could that even happen?”
Cleo gave a bitter laugh, glanced at the door, and lowered her voice. “I know. It’s insane. But here’s the part that’s even scarier
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Chapter 66
-around the same time as Nathan’s last test, a private hospital gave a kidney transplant to a patient with uremia. Want to guess who it was?”
Maxine swallowed hard. What Valerie told her earlier suddenly clicked into place with what Cleo was saying. Her stomach turned.
After a long pause, her voice came out hoarse. “Who?”
“Gabriel’s father, Joe,” said Cleo.
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