She squinted at him. “You can call me Bev. And I’m sorry to have put your investigator off. But my work takes priority, you understand?”
“Yes, ma’am.”
She cocked her head. “You think all those billboards are worth it?”
Jason decided against bullshit and answered her straight up. “Bev, I wish I could buy a thousand more.”
At this, she smiled. “I loved Dr. Waters. Everyone here did. He was one of the good ones. Always called me ‘Dr. Bev,’ because I’ve been a nurse so long.”
“And how long is that?”
“Fifty-four years.”
“Holy moly. I would have figured that was your age.”
Her smile widened. “You’re good.”
“How long did you work for Dr. Waters?”
“I was his circulating nurse for fifteen years.”
“Did you work mostly at the hospital then, in the operating room?”
“Yes. I normally circulated on Mondays and Wednesdays for Dr. Waters and Tuesdays and Thursdays for his partner, Dr. Kruza. I spent Fridays at the practice’s office.”
“And since his death?”
“Same schedule for Dr. Kruza, and I’ve been filling in at the hospital as needed.”
Jason pondered her comments, choosing his next question carefully. “Can I ask you what everyone thought of Dr. Waters’s wife?”
“Honest?”
“Yes, of course.”
“The times I saw her, she was always dressed to the nines and very nice. A beautiful woman, mind you.”
“But . . . ,” Jason pressed.
“But if you listen to the gossip I’ve gotten here and there from other nurses and even some of the things Dr. Waters would say . . .” She trailed off.
“Go on. You’re not going to offend me.”
“She’s batshit crazy, pardon my French.” Bev shrugged. “No offense.”
“None taken,” Jason said. “Were you surprised that she was arrested for his murder?”
She let out a low whistle. “Honestly, kid, I was so shocked by Dr. Waters being killed that I didn’t have much left in the tank to be surprised by who killed him. I mean, I heard they were having problems but not to the point of murder.”
“Did you ever hear that he was having an affair with Maples?”
“Oh, yeah,” she said. “That was common knowledge among the nursing staff.”
“Did you ever see them . . . together?”
“Once.”
Jason felt a trickle of energy. “When and where?”
“In the doctors’ lounge. I went in there because I needed to ask Dr. Waters a question and walked right in on them.”
“What were they doing?”
“What do you youngsters call it these days? ‘The nasty.’”
Jason grinned. He hadn’t called having sex “the nasty” in two decades, but he decided to be agreeable. “Yes, ma’am. So you saw them . . . having sex?”
“Does a bear poop in the woods? They were under the covers of the cot, but I could tell they were in there humping. It’s been a long time for this old dog, but not that long. I still know what it looks like.”
“Yes, ma’am. Bev, if I called you as a witness at trial, would you mind testifying to what you saw Maples and Dr. Waters doing?”
She looked down at the ground and back at the hospital building. “You know what? Why not? If you subpoena me, I’ll have to tell the truth, right?”
“Yes, ma’am.”
“I think everyone around here would probably give me a parade if I embarrassed Maples. She’s bad news. A mediocre CRNA and nasty to the staff. I never understood what Dr. Waters saw in her . . . but I suspect her talents lay elsewhere . . . if you get my drift.”
Jason chuckled. “I do.”
“When is the trial?”
“October 22, so a little less than two months from now. I’ll make sure to serve you with a subpoena a week before trial.”
“It’s a date then.” She started to walk away.
“Bev,” Jason called out, “is there anything else you can tell me about Colleen Maples? Or Dr. Waters? Or my sister? Anything at all that you think might be relevant. I hate to even ask since you’ve already been so helpful, but . . .”
“But you did.” She kept a poker face for a second. “I don’t mind your questions, kid.”
“Well . . . is there anything else?”
“Yeah. They broke up on the day of Trey Cowan’s surgery.”