“If things are so tightly controlled and monitored, why weren’t the missing vials or coding errors found earlier?”
Meghan’s eyes narrowed slightly. Being questioned about Dr. Stein was one thing, being questioned about the clinic was entirely different. When she spoke, her tone had a decidedly chilling edge to it. “The technician was fairly new to the clinic and as such, was not aware of inconsistencies in our processes.”
“And after all of the inconsistencies were discovered, that’s when Dr. Stein was forced to retire?” Rebecca asked.
“The board wanted him gone. The chance for a lawsuit against the clinic outweighed any tenure that Dr. Stein might have had, not to mention the moral issues his actions brought up. Once he was gone, they named me the interim director and I have been here ever since.”
Jordan rubbed her chin. “What was Dr. Stein’s personality like?”
Meghan smiled. “He was God, or so he thought. His position here went to his head. It was almost as if he believed he was the one that was getting each woman pregnant. His last few months here, his behavior was very erratic. He never got over his wife leaving and, eventually, he took it personally when a woman wouldn’t conceive.”
Rebecca scribbled on her notepad. “Did he ever act out physically that you know of?”
Meghan shook her head. “Never physically. But there were times I would see him, and he looked like he wasn’t here.”
“What do you mean?”
“Like he was somewhere else. I could tell by his eyes, and he would mutter under his breath all the time. Always about his wife leaving him. He looked crazy and then something would happen and just as quickly, the old Dr. Stein was back.”
Jordan leaned forward. “Sounds like the guy was delusional, maybe even suffering from some dissociative identity disorder.”
“Multiple personalities?” Meghan asked. “It’s plausible. Like I said, there were times when it was clearly not Dr. Stein in the room, but some out-to-dinner version of him. Look, all I know is someone who misuses his power the way he did is dangerous.”
“Dangerous enough to kill?” Rebecca sat up quickly. They had interviewed him before and had not found a reason to suspect him, but the new information was painting him in a completely different light.
“Perhaps. He was volatile, but the day the board let him go, he was furious.”
“Did he threaten the board? What about you? As the interim Director and the person responsible for getting him fired, he had to be particularly resentful towards you.”
Meghan chuckled. “I won’t say he didn’t threaten me once or twice, but I dismissed it as idle threats made by a desperate man.”
“And you’ve had no trouble since then?”
Meghan shook her head. “None. I haven’t heard from him since.”
“So you wouldn’t know where we can find Dr. Stein, do you?”
“I’m sorry. That I don’t know. You might try calling our attorney. As part of the deal we made with him, he was required to provide us with a forwarding address, in case we were sued by any of the clients that were treated by him.”
“And have you been contacted by any?”
“Thankfully, no. I can’t imagine the backlash a scandal like that would have on this business.”
“If you hear from him, I’d appreciate it if you let us know immediately.”
“Of course.” Meghan stood up, a clear signal that she was putting an end to this interview.
Jordan’s mind was working overtime. Suddenly, it seemed as though they had hit on something. “Was Dr. Stein married?”
“No, divorced actually.” Meghan leaned back again. “Dr. Stein’s wife left him for another man. He confided in me that it was their inability to conceive that had driven them apart. He never remarried. Instead, he buried himself in his work here, and in the end, I think it drove him mad.”
A knowing look passed between Rebecca and Jordan. Was it that simple? Had the murderer been under their noses the whole time? Was it as easy as tracking him down?
Rebecca stood up, thanked Meghan for her time and shut off the recorder. She picked up a frame off the desk and smiled at the young faces in it. “Yours?”
“No.” Meghan’s face clouded over then she smiled just as quickly. “My nieces. This means I get to spoil them rotten.”
“They are adorable.” Rebecca put the frame back down and started for the door then stopped. “One more thing. Does Dr. Stein have any connection to Richard Hudson? Would he have any reason to go after him?”
Meghan walked around the desk and stopped in front of them. Her carefully schooled features showed no recognition. “Not that I know of. Mr. Hudson was a client here?”
“Yes.” Rebecca was surprised that she didn’t realize that. Given the extensive time that each client received, at least according to Richard Hudson, that alone should have at least warranted her remembering his name. “His wife was one of the women who was murdered.”
“Oh.” Meghan tried to look surprised. “I guess I didn’t make the connection.”
“Odd.” Rebecca added to herself. “Mr. Hudson led us to believe that the reason he chose Helping Hands, despite the cost, was the personal service. He actually came here with his ex-wife as well. He mentioned the in-house counseling, as well. I would have thought as exclusive as the clinic is, you would make it a priority to know your clients.”
Meghan reddened slightly. “I’m sure you can understand we maintain a large client base. I can’t possibly get to know each one on a personal level.”
“No, I suppose not.” Rebecca opened the door. “If you don’t mind, we’ll come back and interview everyone again. I’d like to see if anyone else knew of a reason that Richard Hudson might have been a target, and get more information on Dr. Stein.”
“Certainly.” Meghan shut the door behind them and hit her fist into her palm. “No, I suppose not.” Detective Foxx’s words rang in her ears. What did that uppity detective know anyway? She was suddenly furious. She couldn’t risk the negative publicity it would bring to the clinic if the word got out that its former Director was involved in the killings. “Fuck!”
She yanked open the bathroom door and rolled her old Ever flex sparring partner into her office. She pulled gloves on and cinched them tightly. When her first punch landed, she felt her anger start to subside. Twenty minutes later, she sank to the floor exhausted. “Oh, Dr. Stein, still managing to fuck this place over, aren’t you?”
Chapter 19
Rebecca unlocked the doors to her sedan and glared at Jordan over the hood.
“What?” Jordan’s irritation at the morning’s turn of events was still boiling just beneath the surface.
“Is there something you want to tell me?” There was no mistaking the warning in Rebecca’s tone. “Something that will jeopardize my investigation?”
“No.” Jordan pulled her eyes away, flinching under Rebecca’s penetrating gaze. She wasn’t sure, but she thought she might have heard Matt snort underneath his breath. She resisted the urge to tell him to fuck off. She was in no mood to put up with his shit, especially after this morning, and running into Meghan was not helping any.
Rebecca didn’t let it drop. “I saw the bullshit look that she was giving you. What I don’t want is some past indiscretion to give me any problems.”
“I told you, there is nothing to worry about.” Jordan’s tone was hard. It wouldn’t matter anyway. Meghan ran the clinic and there was no guarantee the killings were tied to that anyway.
Rick cupped her elbow in his palm and shot Jordan a smile. “Listen, Agent Gray, don’t pay her any attention. She gets this way anytime we work a big case. Day after it’s over, you’ll be best friends again.”
Jordan snorted loudly. The likelihood of that happening was about as possible as her getting eaten by a shark in the middle of Lake Michigan. She caught Rick’s wink, and knew without a doubt, he knew about their relationship outside of the case. She felt her cheeks color and dropped her eyes, unable to keep his gaze.