Chapter 14: The Voice Behind the Prescription
Dr. Voss was found in his car outside a motel twenty miles from the estate.
He was frightened, exhausted, and carrying a briefcase filled with medical records.
Detective Hayes arranged for him to be taken to a secure interview room.
I insisted on being present.
Hayes objected.
“Arthur, you're a witness in this investigation.””
“I'm also the husband of the woman he helped drug.””
After a moment, he agreed to let me listen from the adjoining room.
Voss sat across from Hayes, his hands folded tightly on the table.
“I didn't understand what Daniel intended at first,” he began.
Hayes opened his notebook.
“Start with the medication order.””
Voss swallowed.
“Lorraine was being treated at the hospital. She had refused a sedative because she wanted to remain alert.””
“Who changed the order?””
“I received a call from someone claiming to be acting on behalf of the family.””
“Who?””
Voss hesitated.
“Mrs. Carter's financial adviser.””
I leaned forward.
Renee.
No.
That couldn't be right.
Hayes kept his voice neutral.
“Name?””
“Peter Lang.””
Lorraine's longtime financial adviser.
One of the three independent trustees.
The man who had helped her build the family trust.
I felt my hands tighten.
“Why did you accept the instruction?”” Hayes asked.
“Because he said Lorraine's condition was deteriorating and that the family wanted her comfortable.””
“Did you verify it with her physician?””
“No.””
“Did you verify it with Lorraine?””
“No.””
“Then why did you sign the order?””
Voss looked down.
“Because I was paid.””
Hayes waited.
“By whom?””
“Meridian Capital. Through a consulting company.””
“How much?””
“Eighty-five thousand dollars.””
The same amount he had previously admitted receiving.
I stared at him through the glass.
Hayes leaned forward.
“Did you know the medication might put Lorraine at risk?””
“I knew it could cause complications.””
“Did you tell anyone?””
“No.””
“Did you know Daniel had forged Arthur Carter's signature?””
Voss nodded.
“When I saw the consent form, I knew something was wrong. But Daniel told me Arthur had approved everything.””
“And you believed him?””
“No.””
The answer came quietly.
Hayes closed his notebook.
“Why are you telling us now?””
Voss looked toward the glass.
“Because Peter Lang called me last night.””
My heart sank.
“What did he say?”” Hayes asked.
“He told me the original records had been destroyed. He said if I continued talking, I would lose everything.””
“Did he threaten you?””
“Yes.””
“Do you have proof?””
Voss opened his briefcase.
He removed a printed email.
Hayes examined it.
The sender was Peter Lang.
The message was short.
The Carter situation must be resolved before the trustees meet. Do not discuss the medication order, the revised beneficiary documents, or the Blackwood Lane valuation.
At the bottom was another line.
Remember what happened to Lorraine when she stopped cooperating.
I felt sick.
Hayes read it twice.
“Who else received this?””
“Daniel. Marcus. And Brielle.””
“Do you have the original email?””
“Yes. On a separate device.””
Hayes instructed an officer to secure it.
Then Voss said something that made the room go silent.
“Peter was the person who recommended the hospital transfer.””
I stood.
“What?””
Hayes turned toward the glass.
I walked into the interview room.
Voss looked terrified.
“You're telling me Lorraine's financial adviser arranged her hospital treatment?””
“He said he was helping her.””
“She was already in the hospital.””
“He arranged for her to be transferred to a private recovery facility after the medication incident.””
“Why?””
Voss lowered his voice.
“Because the facility was controlled by a company connected to Meridian.””
I stared at him.
“Was Lorraine ever actually transferred?””
“Yes.””
I looked at Hayes.
“Where?””
Voss gave him the name.
A private medical center on the outskirts of the city.
Hayes immediately contacted the hospital records unit.
Within minutes, the first report came back.
Lorraine had been transferred there for forty-eight hours before being returned to the original hospital.
Her chart showed a second medication review.
The physician responsible was Peter Lang's brother-in-law.
A man who had no authority to prescribe medication for Lorraine.
Hayes looked at Voss.
“Was the second medication necessary?””
“No.””
“What was it?””
“A combination of drugs that could suppress consciousness and complicate her existing condition.””
My knees weakened.
I held the edge of the table.
“Did it kill her?””
Voss looked at me.
“I can't say that. Lorraine was seriously ill. But the treatment was not medically justified, and it could have accelerated her decline.””
I closed my eyes.
For eleven months, I had mourned my wife.
Now I was hearing that people around her had used her illness as an opportunity.
Hayes asked one final question.
“Who instructed you to conceal the second medication review?””
Voss looked at the floor.
“Peter Lang.””
Renee arrived at the station less than an hour later.
She had already heard about the email.
“Arthur, I know what you're thinking,” she said.
“Do you?””
“You're wondering whether Peter betrayed Lorraine.””
“Did he?””
She sat down.
“I don't know.””
“He was one of her trustees.””
“I know.””
“He signed the agreement that was supposed to protect her.””
Renee nodded.
“Then we need to establish whether he was compromised before or after he signed.””
I looked at her.
“Why are you defending him?””
“I'm not. I'm trying to separate what we know from what we suspect.””
Hayes entered.
“We've obtained a warrant for Peter Lang's office and residence.””
“Where is he?”” I asked.
“His office is empty. His phone is off.””
Renee stood.
“Then he knows.””
Hayes nodded.
“We also found something else. Peter transferred a substantial amount of money into a foreign account two days after Lorraine died.””
“How much?””
“Four million dollars.””
I felt my stomach turn.
Four million.
Another piece of my wife's life had been sold.
“Where did the money come from?””
“An account connected to the Carter Family Legacy Foundation.””
I looked at Renee.
“Can he access the trust?””
“Not alone. But as a trustee, he could authorize certain administrative transfers.””
“Then freeze everything.””
“We're already working on it.””
My phone vibrated.
A message from an unknown number.
It contained a photograph of Peter Lang standing outside my old garage.
The same garage where we had found Lorraine's documents.
Beneath it were six words.
He knows where the final copy is.
I showed Hayes.
He immediately called his officers.
Then my phone rang again.
This time, it was Daniel.
I answered.
“Dad.””
His voice sounded strangely calm.
“I'm glad you found the recorder.””
I said nothing.
“Mom always did love leaving behind little surprises.””
“What do you want?””
“To make a deal.””
“I'm listening.””
“Give me the trust agreement. The original mineral rights documents. And the recording.””
“And in return?””
“I'll tell you who really ordered the medication.””
I looked at Hayes.
He signaled for me to keep him talking.
“You already know who did it,” I said.
“No, Dad. You know who signed the paperwork.””
A pause.
Then Daniel said:
“Peter didn't make that decision alone.””
My chest tightened.
“Who else?””
Daniel lowered his voice.
“You're going to hate the answer.””
The call ended.
A second later, another message appeared.
Ask Renee what she did the night Mom died.
I slowly turned toward my attorney.
May you like
She had gone completely still.
And for the first time since this nightmare began, Renee Walsh looked afraid.
