Chapter 3 - The Doctor’s Second Lie

Gabriel read the letter.

Only one page.

Gabe,

I am alive.

That was the first line.

His hands shook.

Maria watched him.

The letter continued.

I left because I believed Dominic would kill you if I stayed.

I have been told the danger is ending.

If that is true, I want to come home.

Gabriel stopped.

The date.

Thirteen years earlier.

He looked at Maria.

“You were ready.”

“Yes.”

“And Victor stopped you.”

“Yes.”

“Why?”

Maria took a breath.

“Because he had changed more prescriptions than Arthur knew.”

Elena looked at her.

“My father?”

“Yes.”

“How many?”

Maria looked at Gabriel.

“Your father was not the only patient.”

Silence.

Arthur frowned.

“What are you saying?”

Maria walked to a locked metal box.

Opened it.

Inside were copied pharmacy sheets.

Names.

Dosages.

Doctors.

Executives.

Board members.

Gabriel recognized several.

All deceased.

Elena went pale.

Maria said:

“Dominic used medication to discredit people.”

Gabriel stared.

“Not kill them.”

“Not always.”

Arthur took the pages.

His face changed.

“These are my old records.”

Maria nodded.

“You were not the only pharmacist.”

Arthur looked sick.

Gabriel pointed to one name.

“Robert Hale.”

Maria nodded.

“Former CFO.”

“He died from a stroke.”

“After months of confusion.”

Another name.

“Samuel Marino.”

Gabriel’s cousin.

“Suicide.”

Maria looked down.

“He had been prescribed three medications that should never have been combined.”

Elena whispered:

“Dad signed these.”

Maria nodded.

“Some.”

Elena’s face collapsed.

Gabriel looked at her.

She shook her head.

“I did not know.”

He believed her.

That almost made it worse.

Maria continued.

“Victor realized too late what Dominic was doing.”

Gabriel looked at her.

“Too late?”

“He stopped signing.”

“When?”

“After your father confronted him.”

Gabriel frowned.

“Dad knew Victor helped.”

“Yes.”

“And still trusted him?”

“No.”

Maria smiled sadly.

“He threatened him.”

Gabriel almost laughed.

“That sounds more like Dad.”

Maria nodded.

“Your father said he would expose Victor unless he testified against Dominic.”

“And did he?”

“Victor agreed.”

Elena looked up.

“What?”

Maria turned toward her.

“Your father was supposed to meet federal investigators the morning after Gabriel’s father died.”

Elena stared.

“He never told me.”

“No.”

Gabriel asked:

“Did he go?”

Maria shook her head.

“Dominic got to him first.”

Silence.

Arthur whispered:

“What did Dominic do?”

Maria looked at Gabriel.

“He showed Victor the sedative order with your name.”

Gabriel frowned.

“So?”

Maria continued.

“Then he told Victor he could make it look like Victor had drugged you as part of the murder.”

Elena covered her mouth.

Gabriel stared.

“And Victor backed out.”

“Yes.”

“He let Dominic keep control.”

“Yes.”

“He let you disappear.”

“Yes.”

“And thirteen years ago, when you wanted to come back, he still kept you hidden because he was afraid the old records would expose him.”

“Yes.”

Gabriel looked away.

No one spoke.

Then Arthur said:

“There is something wrong.”

Everyone turned.

He held one copied prescription.

“Victor did not write this.”

Elena stepped closer.

“How do you know?”

Arthur pointed at the dosage notation.

“Victor always wrote milligrams with a decimal.”

Maria frowned.

Arthur continued.

“This is written differently.”

Gabriel looked at him.

“A forged signature.”

“Yes.”

Arthur pulled another.

“And this.”

Another.

“And this.”

Elena stared.

“So how many did my father actually sign?”

Arthur looked at Maria.

She shook her head.

“I do not know.”

Gabriel’s expression changed.

“Victor may be guilty of less.”

Elena looked at him.

He continued.

“Or more.”

Maria nodded.

“We need the originals.”

Arthur looked toward the pharmacy below.

“I have some.”

Gabriel frowned.

“You kept them?”

“I kept everything before retirement.”

Arthur looked ashamed.

“Pharmacists are boring.”

Gabriel almost smiled.

“Today I am grateful.”

They went downstairs.

Arthur opened an old storage cabinet.

Boxes.

Ledgers.

Carbon copies.

He found the year.

Then another.

Then one envelope.

Marked:

V. VOSS — PRIVATE.

Elena froze.

Arthur opened it.

Inside was a handwritten note.

Not Victor’s handwriting.

Gabriel read:

CONTINUE DOSAGE CHANGE UNTIL M.M. SIGNS CONTROL TRANSFER.

He stared.

“M.M.”

Maria whispered:

“Marco Marino.”

Gabriel’s father.

At the bottom:

D.M.

Gabriel looked at Maria.

“Dominic Marino.”

“Yes.”

Arthur found another sheet.

A payment.

To a clinic.

Signed by Victor.

Gabriel’s face hardened.

Elena whispered:

“What is that?”

Arthur read the date.

The day after Marco died.

Maria stopped breathing.

Gabriel stared at Victor’s signature.

Elena whispered:

“Dad.”

Arthur looked at the amount.

Then at the clinic name.

“Saint Vincent Behavioral Center.”

Gabriel frowned.

“What does a behavioral center have to do with my father’s death?”

Maria went pale.

Gabriel noticed.

“Mom.”

She did not answer.

“Mom.”

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Her voice broke.

“That is where they took me.”