Page 25 of Jenna's Threatened Sanctuary

“You’ve done plenty just by letting me take some personal days.”

“What about looking into files around here? Asking human resources if there have been any grievances made toward you that either slipped your mind or you were never made aware of.”

She shoved her hand through her hair. She didn’t want to believe that she could be the reason someone killed Stella. Nausea swam in her gut, mixing with the acid reflux from the pizza she’d eaten for dinner. “Sure. You’ll have better luck getting into those files than me or Calvin. Something might jar loose an old memory.”

“I’ll be in touch. In the meantime, take care of yourself.” Dr. Church disconnected the call.

Reeling from the possibility that something she’d done or said could have caused this nightmare, Jenna gripped the edge of the counter. Her mind raced, flipping through recent arguments on or off the clock that may have seemed insignificant but had been a big deal to someone else.

She couldn’t recall any significant upsets in her life, personally or professionally, since losing Calvin and Stella running away. She may not believe Dr. Church’s claim that everyone at the hospital loved her, but she always tried to treat everyone with respect. Most of the time she was too nice, untilsomeone pushed her buttons or acted in a way that threatened the safety of her patients.

An ember of a memory sparked, catching flame. Her heart beat double time. She fumbled for her phone and called Calvin.

“Hey, Jenna. What’s up?” Fatigue lowered the cadence of his words, but his greeting didn’t have the bite she’d grown accustomed to the last two days.

“I thought of someone who might have a grudge against me.” Her hand trembled as the picture in her mind became clearer.

“Who?” Doubt coated his question, as though he didn’t really believe anyone other than him could hold a grudge against her. Even if the theory was his.

“A doctor I worked with right out of med school. He was reported for malpractice and was fired from the hospital. He left town. It was bad.”

“What does that have to do with you?”

“I reported him.” She cringed at the memory. Doctors didn’t often report each other for malpractice, but in this instance, Jenna had no choice but to make sure this guy was punished for negligence.

“Oh.”

She could picture the surprise in his eyes as his mouth formed a little O.

“What happened?”

Unease tightened her chest. “I’d only been at the hospital a couple months. A car accident brought in a young woman. I ordered an MRI to check for brain injuries. The neurologist on call canceled the order, stating the woman didn’t need the tests. He claimed she was fine. That her insurance wouldn’t cover the cost, and we weren’t going to waste our time.”

“What an ass,” Calvin said.

She snorted. “You have no idea.”

“So you canceled the order?”

The pressure in her chest increased, crushing her lungs. She hadn’t thought about that poor lady in so long. “She seemed all right. Was talking and laughing, enchanting everyone with her stories. I had no reason to not follow Dr. Kent’s order. I was young and eager to make a good impression on the rest of the staff.” She squeezed her eyes shut against the pain, but the image of the young woman’s mother as she told her she didn’t make it invaded her mind and forced open her eyes. “She died later that night. An MRI would have caught the brain bleed. We could have saved her.”

“Oh, Jenna. That’s horrible. I’m so sorry.”

“Dr. Kent’s refusal to complete the tests I’d ordered, especially for the reasons he gave, couldn’t be overlooked. I made sure to report his actions.”

“Do you know where he is now? What became of him?”

“I have no clue.” A flash of movement skittered outside the living room window seconds before the doorbell rang. “Hold on a second. Someone’s here.” She peeked through the side window to see who’d arrived then opened the door. “Can I help you?”

“I have a delivery for this address.” A fresh-faced delivery boy extended a bouquet of flowers.

Jenna accepted the bouquet. “Thanks.” Turning back inside, she picked the card from the spikey prongs and read the message. “Someone sent flowers. There’s a card.”

“What does it say?”

“Life’s Short. Cherish the ones you love before it’s too late.” Her gaze dropped to the name of the florist at the top of the card. Fear hitched her breath. “The card looks the same as the ones Stella saved. It has the same logo on the top.”

“Jenna, you need to get out of your house. If the same person who sent Stella flowers sent those then a killer might know where you live.”

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