Twisted Reason Read Online Free

excuse me, I have patients waiting in my office.”
    “Do you normally make house calls, Doctor?”
    “No. This was an extraordinary circumstance, don’t you agree?”
    “Certainly, Doctor. But why did you give him a sedative?”
    Dr. Nelson pulled back his chin and looked at her as if she was a specimen. “He’s been through a rather traumatic experience, in case you hadn’t noticed.”
    “But why a sedative strong enough to knock him out, Doctor?”
    “Because, in my medical opinion, that is what was called for. Are you questioning my professional judgment?”
    “Just wondering if there was a reason why you didn’t want him to answer my questions.”
    “You have a suspicious mind, Lieutenant.”
    “And you have a diagnostic one. You still haven’t answered my question, Doctor.”
    “I really need to go,” he said brushing past her.
    She grabbed his arm. “Not yet. Were you Edgar Humphries’ primary physician?”
    “Of course. I cared for the whole family.”
    “What medications did you prescribe for him?”
    “I’d have to check his file to know the specific names and doses.”
    “Marguerite?” Lucinda asked.
    The forensic supervisor stepped forward with the Baggie of pill bottles. “Doctor, are these the prescriptions you wrote for Edgar Humphries?”
    “Yes, yes. You can see my name on them.”
    “Is anything missing?” Lucinda asked.
    “I don’t believe so.”
    “Tell me, Doctor; are there any medicines in here that could be responsible for your patient’s death if he stopped taking them?”
    “Well, stopping the Prozac abruptly could have made him suicidal. Did you see any water bottle near his body?”
    “No.”
    “He was on two blood pressure medications. That could have taken his life but, in all likelihood, it would take more than five months to do that. I say the mostly likely problem would be the Plavix. It’s a blood thinner and he had stents in his heart. Without that drug, the blockage in his stents could have induced a heart attack.”
    “Thank you, Doctor. I’m sure I’ll be back in touch.”
    “You want records, Lieutenant; make sure you bring a subpoena.”
    It was one of those times when Lucinda wished she were still a child – she wanted to stick her tongue out at his retreating back.
    When he closed the door behind him, Marguerite asked, “You think he might have had a reason to shut up his patient?”
    “It was a stray thought, but who knows? And who knows why? Just the fact that he made a house call raises a red flag for me. But I don’t know. I don’t even know if it’s a homicide yet.”

 
     
    Five
     
    Lucinda stepped into the living room where elegance struck a perfect balance with comfort. Broad, white crown molding ran around the space with an oak leaf and acorn motif carved into the center board at regularly spaced intervals. A marble fireplace with matching hearth and mantle stood at the end of the room flanked by a pair of built-in bookcases – the edge of each shelf adorned with the same design as the crown molding. The treatment applied to the walls looked more like watercolor than house paint – an abstract rendition of the shallow shoreline along the Caribbean Sea.
    Gathered around the hearth, a love seat, sofa and a pair of chairs in a plump, rounded style threw splashes of ocean blue both in a solid color on some pieces and in a delicate floral pattern against an off-white background on others – inviting furniture that promised hours of cozy conversation and relaxation. In a corner of the room next to the hallway, an armless, slip-covered chair stood beside a walnut drop-leaf table with barley-twist legs.
    Lucinda selected to settle in that spot because of its good view of the front door and hallway. She sat to an angle in the chair, plopped the file folder on the table and began to read. She’d finished with the statements of the three caregivers when she heard footsteps on the stairway once again. She rose, stepped into the hallway