Chapter 9 - THE WOMAN FROM CHEMOTHERAPY
The clinic employee was Melissa Crane.
Daniel knew her because she had once been his oncology nurse.
Years earlier, during the worst months of chemotherapy, Melissa had helped Lenora manage appointments, medications, and insurance forms. After leaving oncology, she took an administrative job at the fertility center.
Elise stared at Daniel. "Your mother had someone inside the clinic."
Melissa was interviewed that evening.
At first she denied everything.
Then Detective Salazar showed her the access logs.
She admitted Lenora had called asking for "copies Daniel had misplaced." She claimed she believed she was helping a former patient's family.
"Did you download donor information?" Salazar asked.
Melissa hesitated.
"Yes."
"Did you alter anything?"
"No."
Scott had done the altering.
The donor file Lenora showed Daniel was a fake assembled from pieces of real clinic documents. It named a man called Aaron Kane and suggested Elise had selected him without Daniel's knowledge.
The real donor record was anonymous, and Daniel had consented in writing.
So Lenora's most explosive accusation was manufactured.
But Melissa had one more thing to say.
"Mrs. Voss asked me a strange question before the baby was born."
"What question?"
"She asked whether postpartum psychosis could make a mother harm a child and remember nothing."
Elise gripped the edge of the table.
"When?"
"About six weeks before delivery."
Lenora had been researching the story before Owen was even born.
Then Melissa began to cry.
"There was something else. She wanted to know how long certain sleep medicines stay detectable in blood."
Elise's missing prescription suddenly felt heavier than a bottle.
Salazar stood.
"We need to find Scott."
His partner entered the room before he reached the door.
"We just did."
Everyone looked up.
"He's at County General."
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"Why?"
"Someone beat him badly enough that he finally wants to talk."
