Chapter 11: The Doctor Who Changed My Father's Medication
Daniel immediately contacted the police.
Nobody was allowed to remove anything else from the storage unit until the evidence had been documented.
I stood beside the open door, staring at the security photograph.
Sofia had been here.
With the doctor who had treated my father.
I called her.
She answered after the fourth ring.
“Mateo?””
“Where are you?””
“At home.””
“Did you go to Unit 417 yesterday?””
Silence.
Then she whispered, “I can explain.””
My hands tightened around the phone.
“Were you with Dr. Miller?””
“Mateo, please.””
“Answer me.””
“Yes.””
I closed my eyes.
“Why?””
“He wanted something from the storage unit.””
“What?””
“The medical documents.””
I felt my heart pound.
“Why would a doctor want my father's medical records?””
Sofia started crying.
“Because he was afraid you'd find the medication report.””
I looked at Daniel.
He was listening carefully.
“What did Dr. Miller do to my father?””
Sofia didn't answer.
I lowered my voice.
“Did he change my father's medication?””
“I don't know everything.””
“Did he?””
She whispered, “Yes.””
I felt as though the ground had disappeared beneath me.
“Why?””
“Thomas paid him.””
“How much?””
“I don't know.””
“Did you know Dad was going to die?””
“No!””
Her answer came so quickly that I almost believed her.
Then she said something else.
“Thomas told me your father was already very sick. He said the doctor was only helping him avoid unnecessary treatment.””
I gripped the phone.
“Dad was stable.””
“I know that now.””
“Did you know the medication was being changed?””
She began sobbing.
“Yes.””
I turned away.
My father had been lying in a hospital bed, trusting the people responsible for keeping him alive.
And my wife had known something was wrong.
“Why didn't you tell me?””
“Because Thomas threatened me.””
“With what?””
“He said if I told anyone, he would destroy my life.””
I laughed bitterly.
“You helped him destroy mine.””
She was silent.
I ended the call.
Daniel approached.
“Mateo, we need to be careful about what we conclude. We have evidence of suspicious payments and medication changes. We need independent medical experts to examine the records.””
“I understand.””
“But if your wife knew about an unauthorized medication change, that is extremely serious.””
I nodded.
Richard stood near the shelves, staring at the old photograph of my father.
“He knew,” he whispered.
I turned toward him.
“What?””
“He knew someone was going to interfere with his treatment.””
Richard picked up the note.
“That's why he wrote that he never refused treatment.””
Daniel examined the medical records again.
“There may be a discrepancy between the prescribed medication and the medication actually administered.””
He photographed the relevant pages.
Then he asked me to call my mother.
I put the phone on speaker.
“Mom?””
“Mateo? Are you okay?””
“I'm okay. I need to ask you something about Dad's last hospital stay.””
There was a pause.
“What is it?””
“Did Dad ever tell you that he was being given different medication than his doctor had prescribed?””
My mother went quiet.
Then she said, “Yes.””
I froze.
“What?””
“He complained about it the night before he died.””
“Why didn't you tell me?””
“I thought it was confusion. He was tired and frightened.””
“What exactly did he say?””
Mom took a shaky breath.
“He told me the nurse had brought him a different pill. He said it wasn't the one he normally took.””
I looked at Daniel.
“Did you tell anyone?””
“I asked the nurse. She said the doctor had changed the prescription.””
“Which doctor?””
“I don't remember.””
I closed my eyes.
“Mom, was Sofia there?””
“Yes.””
My blood ran cold.
“What did she do?””
“She told me not to worry. She said the hospital knew what it was doing.””
I looked at the security photograph again.
My wife had been connected to the doctor.
She had known about the medication.
And she had stood beside my mother while my father questioned his treatment.
“Mom, I need you to tell the police everything you remember.””
“I will.””
After the call, Daniel arranged for an independent medical review.
He also asked the authorities to contact St. Mary's Medical Center and preserve all original records.
Richard and I returned home later that afternoon.
Sofia was waiting in the living room.
She looked as though she hadn't slept.
“Mateo, we need to talk.””
I stood by the doorway.
“Talk.””
She looked at Daniel.
“Can we speak privately?””
“No,” I replied.
Her face tightened.
“I'm still your wife.””
“And my father is still dead.””
She flinched.
“I never wanted him to die.””
“Then why did you help Thomas?””
She pressed both hands against her face.
“Because I was scared.””
“Of what?””
“He told me your father was going to expose me.””
I stared at her.
“Expose you for what?””
She looked toward Richard.
Then she spoke.
“Thomas said your father had discovered I was taking money from the company.””
Richard shook his head.
“You were?””
Sofia nodded.
“At first, it was small amounts. I was paying off personal debts. Then Thomas told me he could make everything disappear if I helped him access the property documents.””
I stared at her.
“How much did you take?””
“About forty thousand dollars.””
Richard looked disgusted.
“That money belonged to the company.””
“I know.””
“And when your father discovered it?””
“He confronted me.””
I remembered my father's strange silence during those final weeks.
I remembered him asking me whether Sofia had ever requested access to his financial accounts.
I had told him not to worry.
He had looked at me for a long time.
Then he had simply nodded.
“What did Dad say to you?”” I asked.
Sofia began crying.
“He told me to return the money and stay away from Thomas.””
“And?””
“I refused.””
I looked at her.
“You refused?””
“He said he would tell you everything.””
“And you were afraid I'd leave you.””
She nodded.
“So you helped Thomas interfere with his treatment?””
“No! I didn't give him the medication!””
“But you knew.””
She lowered her head.
I stepped closer.
“Did you know Thomas planned to kill my father?””
She shook her head.
“I swear I didn't.””
Daniel spoke.
“Mrs. Reyes, did you communicate directly with Dr. Miller?””
Sofia nodded.
“Several times.””
“What did you discuss?””
“The medical records. The medication. Whether your father was improving.””
“Did Dr. Miller ever tell you that Thomas wanted your father dead?””
She hesitated.
Then she reached into her handbag and removed her phone.
“There is something I never told anyone.””
She opened a message thread.
The conversation was with Dr. Miller.
Most of it involved appointment schedules and medical updates.
But one message stood out.
The patient is becoming suspicious. We need to change the plan.
Sofia had replied:
Thomas said not to delay.
Dr. Miller answered:
Then make sure the family doesn't request an independent review.
I felt sick.
Daniel photographed the message.
“Do you have the full conversation?””
“Yes.””
“Don't delete anything.””
Sofia handed him the phone.
Then she looked at me.
“I know you hate me.””
I said nothing.
“But I need you to understand that Thomas was controlling everything. He threatened me. He said he would expose the money I had taken and send me to prison.””
I looked at her.
“You could have told me.””
“I thought you would never forgive me.””
“You decided my father wasn't worth the risk.””
She began sobbing.
Before I could respond, Daniel's phone rang.
He answered.
“Daniel Brooks.””
A few seconds passed.
Then his expression changed.
“Yes. I understand.””
He listened again.
“Are you certain?””
He ended the call and looked at me.
“The hospital has located an additional medical record.””
“What does it say?””
Daniel took a breath.
“Your father's medication was changed without the authorization of his primary cardiologist.””
My chest tightened.
“Who authorized it?””
“Dr. Miller.””
“Then we have our answer.””
Daniel shook his head.
“Not yet. There's something else.””
He looked at Sofia.
“The hospital also found a visitor log showing that Thomas Bennett entered your father's room shortly before the medication was administered.””
I stared at her.
She covered her mouth.
Then Daniel continued.
“But Thomas wasn't alone.””
He turned his phone toward me.
The visitor log listed two names.
Thomas Bennett.
And Sofia Reyes.
I looked at my wife.
She began shaking.
“I only went in to speak to him.””
“What did you say?””
She stared at the floor.
Then she whispered:
“Your father asked me to tell you something.””
“What?””
“He said Thomas was going to kill him.””
I couldn't move.
“And what did you do?””
She closed her eyes.
“I told him he was imagining things.””
My mother appeared at the doorway.
She had heard everything.
Her face crumpled.
“My husband knew,” she whispered.
Sofia began crying uncontrollably.
Then my phone rang.
This time, it was the police investigator handling the case.
“Mr. Reyes, we've obtained a warrant for Dr. Miller's office.””
“What did you find?””
“A series of documents and a handwritten note.””
“What note?””
The investigator paused.
“It's addressed to your wife.””
I looked at Sofia.
The investigator continued.
“It appears Dr. Miller was instructed to destroy the original medication records after your father's death.””
My blood ran cold.
“Who instructed him?””
“The note contains a signature.””
“Whose?””
May you like
The investigator answered.
*“Your wife's.””*
