“I don’t have that information. All I can confirm is that she’s a patient here.”
Third floor. Regan let the girls go in the elevator; she took the stairs. As soon as she exited on the third floor, she heard an argument at the end of the hall. Rachel was there talking to a uniformed deputy about being allowed into Nicole’s room.
The four sorority girls were at the nurses’ station, watching Rachel cause a scene.
Two hospital security came out of the staff elevator and walked down the hall. Regan still didn’t know where her dad was, and Vicky was nowhere to be seen, either.
Rachel glanced at the two security officers, but she locked eyes with Regan.
“You need to leave, or we will place you under arrest,” one of the guards said.
Rachel turned on her heel and walked straight down the hall toward Regan. She almost welcomed a confrontation: she’d found that criminals were more likely to talk when they were angry or felt trapped.
But Rachel just glared at her, then turned to the group of girls only a few feet away. “No one is allowed to see Nicole. I’m responsible for her until her parents arrive, and no one will help me.”
Regan didn’t know if that was true. She supposed that there could be a medical release form that Nicole, as an adult, might have signed when she joined the sorority. Regan hoped if that was the case, her dad had found a way around it.
“I’m heartbroken. They won’t tell me anything about her, and I haven’t been able to find Vicky. I’m worried about her.”
“She’s with Nicole now,” one of the girls said. “I texted her, and she said she’s not leaving until Nicole wakes up.”
The nurse said, “Girls, there are too many of you on the floor. You can leave your gifts here, I’ll make sure that Ms. Bergamo receives them.”
Rachel turned to Regan and said, “What are you doing here? You and Lucas Vega did this. You know you’re responsible.”
Regan didn’t say anything. There was nothing for her to say. She was happy to let Rachel dig her own grave.
Her silence angered Rachel, but the advisor had enough self-control not to lash out. She turned to the girls and said, “Let’s go. I’ll take you all to lunch.”
The girls left their gifts with the nurse. Rachel let them enter the elevator first, then as she passed Regan, the former marshal said quietly, “I will prove you killed Candace.”
One of the girls heard what Regan said and did a double take.
Regan watched the five of them leave together. If looks could kill, Regan would be dead. Rachel was losing control. That could be good, because she might make a serious mistake—or it could be trouble, if she thought she could get rid of potential witnesses. Regan texted Lucas and Lizzy both and reminded them to be careful, stick together, and let her know if they left the apartment.
Then she went down the hall to where the deputy stood. Nicole was in a room with windows, but blinds offered complete privacy. She said, “I’m looking for my dad, John Merritt.”
“He’s in with the patient. I’ll get him for you.”
The deputy opened the door. Regan peered inside. Nicole was in the bed, hooked to monitors. Vicky was sitting next to her, her head on the bed, her pale hand holding Nicole’s darker hand. John was keeping watch. When he saw her at the door, he came out.
“You didn’t answer my text,” she said.
“I missed it, sorry. I was talking to Nicole’s parents on the phone. They are boarding a plane right now, and I explained to them who I was, what my interest in their daughter is, and about my concern for her safety. They asked the doctor to include me in discussions, which helped me get some information. She was poisoned with haloperidol or a similar depressant. The doctors claim they don’t know if it was intentional, but according to Vicky, Nicole isn’t suicidal, and she doesn’t know where she’d have gotten any antipsychotic drug. But now that they know, they have a process to reverse the effects, then they’ll be able to treat any potential issues as they come up. Vicky saved her life. Nicole would have died without CPR.”
“Does Vicky know about Rachel?”
“I told her. I figured it was safer for her to know what’s going on.”
“Did she say anything?”
“She was—still is, I think—in shock. She said she trusted Rachel. But then started talking, and I figured out that Rachel was the one who didn’t want the podcast to air. She tried to stop it every way she could—going to the administration, to Henry, even her boyfriend, Detective Young. When nothing worked, she convinced Vicky the podcast would be bad for the sorority. Vicky would do anything to protect the institution, because she felt it was her duty. Rachel pushed duty and honor, loyalty and sisterhood. Now, Vicky thinks that Rachel manipulated her.”