“Look, Dr. Blackstone,” Arthur Chesterton spoke up for the first time. “We could have conducted this interview at FBI headquarters in an uncomfortable windowless room with manacles on the wall, a cheap table, and plastic chairs. But I wanted to give you a chance to tell us the truth in a more relaxed setting where you wouldn’t feel cornered.” Chesterton paused. “But there’s a problem. We don’t believe you, doctor. You’re holding out on us. I can assure you this will not go well for you if you continue to bluster and think you’re smarter than we are.” He paused again. “You do want to go home, don’t you?”
Blackstone’s voice grew strained. “I’m telling you the truth. I needed a smoke. I’m not proud of it. I usually went outside for a couple of minutes after the break was over. When I heard people screaming and yelling for help, I ran back inside, and I saw the woman had collapsed. I performed CPR on her myself. When she didn’t respond, I told the med students to call 911. Two days later, virtually the same thing happened again with the two men. Since I was in charge of vaccine admin at Mercy. I knew I’d be blamed. I got scared, so I ran.”
Blackstone looked around the table as if he was lobbying for support. He got nothing back. LeJeune and Chesterton tag-teamed each other well. Georgia was impressed. They let Blackstone’s words trail off into silence. Georgia worried about her mother and what had happened to her. She had to force herself back to the conversation. LeJeune crammed in two more bites of pancakes, then took over again.
“All right. Now. Tell us about the young man who came into the church while you were administering the shots. Apparently he was wearing scrubs, and most of the witnesses thought he worked at the hospital.”
Georgia jerked her head up. A fifth person from the hospital? “You said there were only four medical students,” she said.
“That’s correct.” Blackstone’s voice was tight. Was it because he was scared or because Georgia was a woman?
“Well then, perhaps we need to read the transcript out loud.” LeJeune motioned to one of the agents, who was thumbing through a thick manilla file. “Tim, why don’t you read what witness seven reported.” He glanced at Blackstone. “This will be verbatim, by the way.”
Georgia noted LeJeune’s precise recall.
“Oh—oh,” Blackstone said in a tone that indicated he just remembered something. “You must mean the orderly. He works in the pharmacy. He delivered the vaccines to the church. Helped dilute them with water in the morning, and sometimes for the afternoon.”
“What?” Georgia cut in. An orderly in the pharmacy would know exactly where the supply of succinylcholine was stored. “An orderly in the pharmacy? And he helped prepare vaccines? Who? What’s his name?”
Did LeJeune know about that? He must. If so, why hadn’t he ordered a platoon of
field agents to overrun the hospital pharmacy and grab the guy before now?
Blackstone pointedly turned back to LeJeune without answering Georgia.
“Answer her,” LeJeune said.
He slowly shifted his gaze back to Georgia. “To be honest, I’m not sure who he is. When everyone is in scrubs and wearing a mask, it’s hard to tell what someone really looks like. All I know is that he works in the pharmacy. He made sure the vaccines were delivered in the morning. Then he came back to check if we needed any more for the afternoon shift. And helped out if we needed it.”
“What was his name?” Georgia repeated.
“I told you I don’t know.”
LeJeune took over. “Maybe this will refresh your memory. We have a list from the hospital of who was at the church. “You. Four medical students. But that’s it. No orderly or medic. At what point did this guy show up? Why? Weren’t you surprised?”
Blackstone flipped up his hands. “I don’t know why he showed up. And I really don’t know who he is. But I might be able to point him out for you back at Mercy.”
“Doctor.” Chesterton cleared his throat again. “How are you going to point him out when you just said you couldn’t recognize anyone wearing scrubs and a mask?”
Blackstone didn’t reply. His face flushed.
Chesterton went on. “Doctor, to be really clear, the witnesses at the church who stayed during your break said you and the orderly from the pharmacy appeared to know each other. They said that after you got back from your lunch break, you and he went outside. You lit a cigarette, then some kind of exchange from your pockets took place. A few people thought it was money. Then he came inside to attend to the vaccines. You care to tell us what that was about?”
For the first time, panic washed across Blackstone’s face. “I have no idea.”
“We think you do,” LeJeune said.
Blackstone gazed at Georgia, then at Chesterton, then back at LeJeune. He kept his mouth shut.
“You sure it wasn’t a few prescriptions for opioids you were selling?” LeJeune asked.
“What?” Blackstone looked horrified.
Chesterton spoke up. “Lying to a federal officer is a crime, doctor. Depending on the circumstances, it can be a felony punishable by up to five years in prison and a $250,000 fine. And that doesn’t include obstruction of justice if you are concealing knowledge of another person’s crime.”
Blackstone swallowed. His cheeks turned scarlet. He stared at his plate, hands in his lap, perhaps too terrified to play with his silverware. “Okay,” he finally said in a quiet voice.
“Okay what?” LeJeune barked.
“Okay.” Blackstone looked up. “I was selling him scrips. He said his mother was in constant pain. I felt sorry for the guy. For them.”
“Because you’re so compassionate,” LeJeune said. “Not at all because you were running a drug ring for medical students.”
Blackstone kept his mouth shut.
“Dr. Blackstone?”
“I want to call my lawyer now.”
“Of course,” Chesterton said. “As soon as we’re finished breakfast.”
Georgia stifled a smile.
“And you tell me the name of the orderly you sold opioids to,” LeJeune finished.
Blackstone shook his head. “I’m done.” As if to prove his point, he laid his knife and fork across his plate and folded his arms.
“What about the name on the scrip? If it actually was for his mother, it might give us a big clue.” LeJeune and his sarcasm.
Blackstone kept his mouth shut.
“Well then,” LeJeune said. “I guess we’ll all head to the hospital. You’ll come with me, Doctor. You can call your lawyer on the way. Davis, you follow us.” He looked over at Chesterton. “See you back at the office.”
On the drive out to Mercy Hospital, Georgia called Jimmy. He picked up right away.
“Well?”
“Lots of things are happening. Tell you when I get home. What about you? Have you found JoBeth? What about the results from the scene?”
“No. They’re still testing DNA. They did get a good set of prints, but when they ran them through NCIC, they came up with zero. No match.”
“So she was kidnapped by someone who’s never been in trouble with the law?”
“At least not recently.”
“Any ransom call?”
“Nothing. Where are you now?”
“Driving to Mercy Hospital with the FBI. We’re close. Man, you should have seen LeJeune and his boss interrogate Blackstone. They were smooth.”
“Yeah? You can tell me about it tonight.”
“You can bet on it.”
“Georgia?”
“Yeah?”
“I know you’re with the Feds, but be careful, okay?”
“I love you, Jimmy.” She smiled. “Later.”
“You can bet on it,” he said.