“We have decisions to make,” Blanche declared.
“With Jan not feeling well, you’re going to have to
help with this crisis. After all, you
“Crisis?” The nun quickly crossed herself. “Of
course.” She nodded vaguely at the cousins. “Good
night, God bless.”
“Wait!” Judith cried. “Does this have anything to do
with my husband, Joe Flynn?”
Blanche scowled at Judith. “Not unless he’s the
CEO of Restoration Heartware,” she snapped.
As the two women left the room, Judith sighed with
relief. “That scared me. I thought something had happened to Joe.”
“If it had,” Renie said dryly, “they wouldn’t have
called in Blanche and the hospital administrator. There
must be some new word out of Cleveland about a possible takeover.”
“At this time of night?” Judith asked. “It must be
going on eleven o’clock back there.”
“Big business never stops working,” Renie said. “In
fact, I think the late-night sessions are strategic. They
wait to make decisions until everybody’s so exhausted
that they give in just so they can go home.”
Judith didn’t comment immediately, and when she
finally spoke, it was of a different, if related, matter.
232
Mary Daheim
“Who benefits from unexpected deaths in a hospital? I
mean, in a business sense? I assume that the mortality
rate is important when it comes to rating a hospital.”
“Of course,” Renie replied. “Reputation is vital.
Admit it, weren’t we nervous about coming here after
Joaquin Somosa and Joan Fremont died?”
“Yes,” Judith said. “I certainly was. If Bob Randall
had died before I was admitted, I might have changed
my mind. Or at least postponed the surgery. But what
would be the point of indiscriminately killing off patients?”
Renie thought for a moment. “I understand they all
had different doctors, so it can’t be that somebody’s
out to get just one surgeon. Still, the ultimate responsibility rests with Dr. Garnett as head of surgery, and of
course with Dr. Van Boeck as chief of staff. So I suppose it’s possible that someone may be after one of
them. But I can’t imagine who’d benefit.”
“Garnett, wanting Van Boeck’s job?” Judith suggested.
“That’s a possibility,” Renie allowed. “Or Van
Boeck trying to ruin Garnett to eliminate a potential
rival.”
“That doesn’t wash,” Judith countered, “not as long
as Blanche Van Boeck wields so much clout. Anyway,
what’s the point of any of it if the hospital’s about to be
absorbed by some big company from the East? Aren’t
they likely to put in their own people?”
