Page 26 of Sachie's Hero

“I’m sorry it happened to my patient,” Sachie said, her eyes filling with tears. “The messages I’ve received only reinforce how I feel about that situation.” She drew in a breath and let it out. “I failed him.”

“Your patient died that day,” Hank stated. “Did he have any relatives who might blame you?”

Sachie shook her head. “He entered the foster care system when his father murdered his mother in a fit of rage. For seven years, he was passed around from home to home and ended up getting in with the wrong crowd at school and caught with illegal drugs. That’s when I started seeing him. Based on everything he told us, the psychiatrist I worked with diagnosed him as bipolar. He was on medication to help him control it. He seemed to be doing better for a while; he had a girlfriend, was working after school at the Boys’ Club and his grades had improved. Then he became more sullen at our weekly meetings. I thought he might be back into drugs. When he came in that last day, he was distraught, claiming he’d put his girlfriend in the hospital. He didn’t want to be like his father. Didn’t want to kill the person he was supposed to love.”

“Did she die?” Hank asked. “The girlfriend?”

Sachie shook her head. “No. She recovered from a concussion.”

“Did you talk with her?” Swede asked.

“No,” Sachie said. “Her parents were keeping her on suicide watch and didn’t want anyone to remind her Luke had killed himself.”

“Are there any other patients or parents of patients who might feel you failed them?” Swede asked.

Sachie’s eyes narrowed. “I worked with the Honolulu PD on cases where children needed to be removed from abusive homes. The parents were never happy about it.”

“Do any of them stand out more in your mind than others?” Teller asked.

“I was in court the week before Luke...” She stopped, drew in a breath and continued. “I had to testify against a woman who let her boyfriend use her little girl as a punching bag. She yelled obscenities in the courtroom.”

“Did she threaten you specifically?” Swede asked.

Sachie nodded. “She blamed me for her boyfriend being taken to jail and her daughter being removed from her custody. She said I’d regret the day I ruined her life.”

“Do you have the name of that woman?” Swede persisted.

Sachie shook her head. “My memory since Luke’s death hasn’t been the best. I need to access the files back at my old office in Honolulu.” She pushed a hand through her hair. “I’m sorry, I’m not much help.”

“Is it possible to access the data from your patient files online?” Swede asked.

“Maybe…?” she answered. “I’d have to get permission from the owner of the practice, since I’m not an employee anymore.”

“We could start there,” Teller said softly. “Maybe going through the files will trigger a memory of another patient who might have shown violent tendencies recently.”

“I’ll call the office and see what I can do to get access,” Sachie said. “Although I really feel like I’d be closer to answers if I returned to Honolulu.”

Kalea laid a hand on Sachie’s arm. “Oh, Sachie, you can’t go back there. We need you on the Big Island.”

“Not if I don’t have an office.” Sachie patted Kalea’s hand on her arm. “I can’t stay here. No matter how robust your security system might be, I couldn’t live with myself if whoever is after me hurts you while trying to get to me.”

“At least stay a few days,” Kalea begged. “I could use some female companionship while I wait out the last month of this pregnancy.”

“As much as I’d love to spend time with you, I can’trisk it,” Sachie said. “I’ve told you all I know for now. I’ll make the call to my former boss and ask for access to the online files. We can take it from there. Though I must warn you that patient records are confidential. I couldn’t share much.”

“We’ll work with you on that.” Hank gave her a gentle smile. “I know it’s a lot to take in after all you’ve been through, but we need to know enough about the people you came into contact with who might blame you for whatever happened to them or their kid.”

Teller cleared his throat. “Someone might want revenge against the well-meaning counselor who put her boyfriend in jail, or a patient you might’ve blown the whistle on for getting back into drugs.”

“If you get that permission to access your patient files online or think of anything else that might give us a starting point, let us know immediately,” Swede said. “I’ll answer day or night.”

Sachie gave the computer guru a tired smile. “I will—and thank you for helping me.”

“That’s what we do,” Hank said softly. “In the meantime, Osgood will be with you until the situation is resolved. Hawk...Osgood, do you have anything to add?”

The two men shook their heads.

“Then we’re out here,” Hank said.

---