CHAPTER TWENTY THREE
May and Owen rushed through the bustling hospital, which was now becoming a hive of activity as the day progressed. May hoped the hospital administrator would already be at work, or that somebody would be around who could help them access these records.
Not only would this allow her to warn future victims, but it might also point the way to who was being targeted next. They could put police officers in place to guard areas that were at risk and talk to the women themselves to see if they had noticed any small and perhaps subtle signs that they might be watched or followed.
Heading down a corridor, they walked toward the office they had visited the day before.
They'd gotten the answer they needed then. May hoped they could get the same again.
She was sure that at least one of the victims might have spotted something, a subtle sign, a glimpse of someone following them. And that one piece of information might be all that they needed to solve the case and prevent any more deaths.
"He might not be in yet," Owen said.
"If he's not in, we'll have to call him. At this point, we need to take whatever we can get," May replied.
But as they approached the administrator’s office, May saw that they were getting lucky — so far, anyway.
He was inside, in fact, he seemed to have just arrived.
Mr. Smith glanced up and seemed surprised to see May and Owen at his door again.
"Morning, deputies. Did you come right yesterday with what I gave you?" he asked.
"We haven't come right yet. We are still hunting down the killer," May said.
"What can I help you with?" he asked cautiously.
"I want to talk to you about a new angle." She took a deep breath. "We wondered if we could find out who else has been in the ICU recently, and who has recovered. Particularly women who live locally, as they seem to be at the highest risk of being targeted. This killer is seeking out people who have been close to death and recovered. We think he might see himself as needing to complete the job, for some reason,"
"Are you asking for specific patient records?" the administrator asked.
"We are, yes," May confirmed."I need to warn the women who have survived serious illness or a bad accident. And question them, to see if they might have noticed anyone following them. I know it's not a typical request, but this could save lives."
She stared at him pleadingly, seeing that he did not look very cooperative, and in fact was shaking his head.
"I'm sorry. I understand how serious this is, I really do. But we cannot release names of patients. It would be a breach of confidentiality and we would be open to lawsuits as a result."
May stared at him in consternation. "But lives are at stake! Can we not make an exception here?"
"No. It's not possible," he said, shaking his head.
"If this man is targeting certain women, they need to be warned. And they need to know what to do to prevent themselves from becoming a victim," May pleaded.
"I'm sorry," he said. "I really am. I know it's important, but we cannot do this. We cannot make exceptions. It's not just a matter of confidentiality. The law specifically states that we cannot reveal the names of patients."
May opened her mouth to argue, then realized that this was a waste of time. The administrator was not being hardass. He was genuinely sympathetic. But he also had a duty to follow the regulations that were normally in place for very good reasons.
"I'll tell you what I can do," he said.
"What's that?" May asked.
"I can contact the former patients who fit your description and warn them about this killer. I’ll explain that someone in the community seems to be targeting people who've escaped death or disaster, and that we need them to be careful, keep a lookout, and stay inside and call the police if they notice anything. That, I can do for you and will do."
"Thank you," May said. "I'd appreciate that a lot."
This was better than nothing. She felt grateful that Mr. Smith was clearly doing the best he could to help.
"I'll get onto that this morning," he promised her.