THE PATIENT IN ROOM 13
THE THREATS
Wednesday, October 25th – 8:00 AM
The first threat came in the mail.
Sloane found it in her office mailbox, tucked between a memo about the hospital’s closure and a flyer for a used office furniture sale. The envelope was plain white, her name typed on the front. No return address.
She opened it.
Inside, a single sheet of paper.
“You should have kept your mouth shut.”
The letters were cut from magazines and newspapers, pasted onto the page in uneven rows. Old-fashioned. Deliberate. Meant to be untraceable.
Sloane stared at the words.
The voices in her head stirred.
“Someone is afraid of you,” Marian said. “Someone who doesn’t want the truth to come out.”
“Someone who has a lot to lose.”
“The administrators are in jail. The hospital is closing. Who else could it be?”
“Someone who was never caught. Someone who is still out there.”
Sloane folded the paper.
She put it in her desk drawer.
She went back to work.
The second threat came by phone.
She was in her office, reviewing patient files, when her desk phone rang. She picked it up.
“Dr. Vance.”
A voice, distorted, mechanical. A voice changer.
“Stop what you’re doing. Stop talking to the press. Stop helping the families. Or you will regret it.”
“Who is this?”
“Someone who knows what you did. Someone who knows what you are. Someone who knows about the room.”
“What do you want?”
“I want you to forget. I want you to pretend none of this ever happened. I want you to go back to your life and leave the past where it belongs.”
“I can’t do that.”
“Then you will suffer the consequences.”
The line went dead.
Sloane set down the phone.
Her hands were shaking.
“They are trying to frighten you,” Marian said. “Do not let them.”
“They are trying to silence me.”
“They will not succeed.”
Sloane took a breath.
She picked up the phone again.
She dialed the Attorney General’s office.
Victoria Chen returned her call within the hour.
“Dr. Vance. I heard you received a threat.”
“Two threats. One by mail. One by phone.”
“Have you contacted the police?”
“Not yet. I wanted to talk to you first.”
“I’ll have an investigator contact you. In the meantime, take precautions. Don’t go anywhere alone. Vary your routine. Keep your doors locked.”
“Do you think they’re serious?”
“I think people who send anonymous threats are not playing games. I think you should take them seriously.”
“I will.”
“Good. And Dr. Vance?”
“Yes?”
“Be careful.”
The line went dead.
The investigator arrived at noon.
He was a young man, early thirties, with sharp eyes and a notebook. His name was Detective Mark Reyes.
“Dr. Vance. I’m with the state police. Attorney General Chen asked me to look into the threats.”
Sloane handed him the envelope.
“Anonymous. Cut-and-paste letters. No return address. Postmarked locally.”
Reyes examined the envelope.
“When did you receive it?”
“Yesterday. The phone call came this morning.”
“Can you describe the caller’s voice?”
“Distorted. Mechanical. Like a voice changer.”
“Male or female?”
“Couldn’t tell.”
“Did the caller say anything else?”
“They said I should stop helping the families. Stop talking to the press. Forget what happened.”
Reyes made notes.
“Do you have any enemies, Dr. Vance?”
“I have people who don’t want the truth to come out. People who have a lot to lose.”
“Anyone specific?”
“The hospital administrators are in jail. The doctors who covered up the deaths are under investigation. But there may be others. People who were never caught.”
“Any names?”
Sloane thought about the list of names in her desk drawer. The ones who had kept the secret for forty years. The ones who had not yet been held accountable.
“I’ll get you a list.”
“That would be helpful.”
Reyes closed his notebook.
“Dr. Vance, I’m going to assign an officer to watch your home. I’m also going to suggest that you carry a personal safety alarm. Do you have one?”
“No.”
“I’ll have one brought to you. In the meantime, be aware of your surroundings. Don’t take unnecessary risks.”
“I understand.”
Reyes left.
Sloane sat in her office, the list of names in her hand.
She had work to do.