Nothing Lasts Forever

“Objection.”

“Overruled.”

“Yes, there was.”

“Please explain what it was.”

“We had a patient who Dr. Taylor decided needed a blood transfusion. His family refused to grant permission.”

“And what happened?”

“Dr. Taylor went ahead and gave the patient the transfusion anyway.”

“Is that legal?”

“Absolutely not. Not without a court order.”

“And then what did Dr. Taylor do?”

“She obtained the court order afterward, and changed the date on it.”

“So she performed an illegal act, and falsified the hospital records to cover it up?”

“That is correct.”

Alan Penn glanced over at Paige, furious. What the hell else has she kept from me? he wondered.

If the spectators were searching for any telltale sign of emotion on Paige Taylor’s face, they were disappointed.

Cold as ice, the foreman of the jury was thinking.

Gus Venable turned to the bench. “Your honor, as you know, one of the witnesses I had hoped to call is Dr. Lawrence Barker. Unfortunately, he is still suffering from the effects of a stroke and is unable to be in this courtroom to testify. Instead I will now question some of the hospital staff who have worked with Dr. Barker.”

Penn stood up. “I object. I don’t see the relevance. Dr. Barker is not here, nor is Dr. Barker on trial here. If …”

Venable interrupted. “Your honor, I assure you that my line of questioning is very relevant to the testimony we have just heard. It also has to do with the defendant’s competency as a doctor.”

Judge Young said skeptically, “We’ll see. This is a courtroom, not a river. I won’t stand for any fishing expeditions. You may call your witnesses.”

“Thank you.”

Gus Venable turned to the bailiff. “I would like to call Dr. Mathew Peterson.”

An elegant-looking man in his sixties approached the witness box. He was sworn in, and when he took his seat, Gus Venable said, “Dr. Peterson, how long have you worked at Embarcadero County Hospital?”

“Eight years.”

“And what is your specialty?”

“I’m a cardiac surgeon.”

“And during the years you’ve been at Embarcadero County Hospital, did you ever have occasion to work with Dr. Lawrence Barker?”

“Oh, yes. Many times.”

“What was your opinion of him?”

“The same as everyone else’s. Aside, possibly, from DeBakey and Cooley, Dr. Barker is the best heart surgeon in the world.”

“Were you present in the operating room on the morning that Dr. Taylor operated on a patient named …” He pretended to consult a slip of paper. “… Lance Kelly?”

The witness’s tone changed. “Yes, I was there.”

“Would you describe what happened that morning?”

Dr. Peterson said reluctantly, “Well, things started to go wrong. We began losing the patient.”

“When you say ‘losing the patient …’ ”

“His heart stopped. We were trying to bring him back, and …”

“Had Dr. Barker been sent for?”

“Yes.”

“And did he come into the operating room while the operation was going on?”

“Toward the end. Yes. But it was too late to do anything. We were unable to revive the patient.”

“And did Dr. Barker say anything to Dr. Taylor at that time?”

“Well, we were all pretty upset, and …”

“I asked you if Dr. Barker said anything to Dr. Taylor.”

“Yes.”

“And what did Dr. Barker say?”

There was a pause, and in the middle of the pause, there was a crack of thunder outside, like the voice of God. A moment later, the storm broke, nailing raindrops to the roof of the courthouse.

“Dr. Barker said, ‘You killed him.’ ”

The spectators were in an uproar. Judge Young slammed her gavel down. “That’s enough! Do you people live in caves? One more outburst like that and you’ll all be standing outside in the rain.”

Gus Venable waited for the noise to die down. In the hushed silence he said, “Are you sure that’s what Dr. Barker said to Dr. Taylor? ‘You killed him’?”

“Yes.”