Page 10 of Hidden Hero

Christopher’s face contorted as he squeezed his eyes tight. “Did he… was he… did he suffer?”

“No, I don’t think so. Due to the severe injuries, it’s my professional opinion that death would have quickly followed.”

They were silent for another moment, and she moved the tissue box closer so he’d have fresh ones to use. He pulled several out without speaking, wiped his face, and blew his nose.

She spoke softly. “I have an autopsy report that I need to go over with you.”

“An autopsy? No one asked about an autopsy.”

“Yes. Law enforcement is investigating because there were suspicious findings at the accident scene. Witnesses described your father’s driving as erratic before the accident.”

“So he may have been having a stroke or heart attack or something?”

“That is what I wanted to find out. There is no evidence of a stroke, a seizure, but it appears he suffered a heart attack. I have his medical records, so I know what drugs he was taking for his thyroid and blood pressure. His labs indicated that he had not been taking his medication. There was a plastic bag on the floorboard of the passenger side of his truck that contained numerous pills, and only some of them were his.”

Christopher blinked several times. “So my father was carrying his pills around in a bag instead of taking them? Why would he do that?”

“I cannot attest to what his mental state was, including why he had the pills in a bag. But his lab reports revealed that he did not have traces of his prescribed drugs in his system.”

A heavy sigh left Christopher’s lungs. “I haven’t been back to see my dad for about four months. I was scheduled to take a long weekend next month and planned to come down to see if he needed help. I talk to him on the phone weekly, and he’s never let on that he was having any trouble remembering to take pills or eat or anything.” He scrubbed his hand over his face. “Jesus, he probably never should’ve been driving, should he?”

“I know this has been a shock to you. A detective here would like to speak to you with some questions. I don’t know if this is the right time.”

He pressed his lips together. “When will I be able to have a funeral home come for his body?”

“While the initial autopsy is complete, I won’t be able to release him until I’m permitted since there is an ongoing investigation. It should take about three days for the results to come in, and I’ll sign the death certificate.”

Christopher winced, then sighed heavily again.

“If you are not in the right frame of mind to speak to the detective, I’ll let him know that he can contact you to schedule an interview. We will also have a hospital social worker to talk with you to assist in the preparations for when your father’s body will be released.”

Christopher leaned forward and remained silent as his gaze moved over the pictures again. “Oh, Dad.” He sucked in a breath that hitched as a tear slipped down his cheek. He slowly nodded as he wiped his tears and said, “I’ll talk to the detective now. I’d rather get this over with. The sooner I can plan the funeral, the better.”

Cora stood, offering a gentle pat on his shoulder. “I’ll step out to find the detective.” Turning toward the door, she spied Jeremy standing with another social worker. His gaze captured hers, and he offered a slight, almost sad smile. If she didn’t know better, he was offering sympathy. Not knowing how to respond to this side of him, she nodded and started to walk past him.

“Would you stay?” Jeremy asked. “Please.”

Their gazes held again, and for the first time since meeting him, she stared deeply into his eyes instead of avoiding looking at him. His eyes were as blue as she’d noted, but the blue darkened toward the outer rim of his iris. His lips weren’t quirked upward on one side, nor was he smiling. Instead, there was a vulnerability exposed. She swallowed deeply, then nodded. Turning back into the room, she sat at the end of the table as Jeremy walked around and sat opposite Christopher.

“Mr. Rudolph, my name is Detective Pickett from the Eastern Shore Drug Task Force.”

“Drug task force?” Christopher’s gaze darted between Jeremy’s and Cora’s. “What’s going on?”

“Mr. Rudolph. First, let me express sympathy for the death of your father. I know this is a difficult time for you, but we have some questions. We want you to plan for your father’s remains as soon as possible, so if we can move forward with the investigation, that will be best.”

Cora hid her fascination at how gently Jeremy spoke, still guiding the conversation in the direction he needed.

Christopher’s eyes narrowed, but he nodded slowly. “As I was just telling the doctor, I checked with my dad weekly by phone but haven’t been back to visit him in months. I had hoped to do so next month. I’m not sure I’m the right person to answer any questions about why he wasn’t taking his medication.” His brow furrowed as he added, “And I’m unclear why the drug task force is investigating an elderly man not taking his medication.”

“Your father is the fifth elderly person to die in the past three months who had prescriptions they regularly picked up from their pharmacy but weren’t taking.”

Christopher blinked slowly, another tear falling down his cheek. “I still don’t understand. Elderly people forget things. Hell, I forget things.”

Cora noticed that Jeremy spoke slowly as he handled a grieving son. “We are also finding an uptick in black-market drugs, particularly pain medications, blood pressure medications, and other specialty pharmaceuticals.”

Christopher reared back in his chair, his eyes wide. “You think my father was selling his drugs?”

“Mr. Rudolph, we are simply investigating. No one is accusing your father of anything. He had not been taking his medication, and his accident caused the death of someone else.”

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