035 Bad Medicine (9 page)

“You have?”

“Yes.” Suzanne slowed down, her fingers lightly touching the gold necklace encircling her neck.

“That’s beautiful,” Nancy remarked, eyeing the necklace.

“Trevor gave it to me,” she answered proudly, as if she’d been waiting for Nancy to bring up the subject. “Nancy, I’ve been thinking about what you said the other day. About someone setting up Trevor. That’s why Dr. Shaw’s body is missing, isn’t it? Whoever stole it must know an autopsy would show that Trevor is innocent.”

Nancy regarded her silently, waiting for her to get to the point.

Suzanne hesitated. “I have an idea who the body snatcher might be.”

“You do?”

She nodded. “April Shaw.”

“April!” Nancy was taken aback.

“I know on the surface it doesn’t seem possible, but think about it,” Suzanne went on hurriedly,
before Nancy could respond. “She could have killed her father. She hated watching him suffer. She as much as said she couldn’t wait until his suffering was over. And now I’m convinced that she only pretended to love Trevor!”

“Suzanne,” Nancy protested.

“She used him,” Suzanne went on, her jaw tightening angrily. “She needed someone to throw the blame on, and she used Trevor. Have you seen April cry any real tears over her father’s death? No! Nancy Drew, if you’re looking for a murderer, look no further than April Shaw!”

O
H, COME ON
, S
UZANNE
,” Nancy said. “April loves Trevor. They’ve been engaged for months, since long before Dr. Shaw came to visit her.”

Suzanne lifted her chin. “I notice you don’t deny that she could have been involved in a mercy killing.”

“I only agree that she wanted her father’s suffering to end. That’s a long way from murder.”

“Not that long.”

They were at a stalemate. Nancy looked into Suzanne’s dark eyes, wondering if her accusations had any basis in truth. A tiny seed of doubt
grew inside her. April was an emotional wreck—of that much Nancy was certain. April had been very composed after her father’s death—unnaturally so, Nancy had thought at the time. Could her emotional state now be caused by guilt?

Nancy left Suzanne and went into the hospital. It was almost two. Shaking her head clear of Suzanne’s allegations, Nancy used the lobby pay phone to call April. “Hi, April. It’s Nancy. I’ve been thinking about a few things and wondered if you could help me again. I’d like to know more about what happened to Anna Treadway in Saint Louis. Is there any way I could get my hands on some old records? I have a hunch that what’s happening now must relate somehow to that tragedy.”

“I could call Dr. Grafton again,” April said doubtfully. “He might be willing to let you see the files.”

“Tell him about what happened to David. We don’t want any more ‘accidents.’ ”

“Okay, Nancy.”

Nancy hung up, lost in thought. She gasped when a hand suddenly grabbed her arm. “Trevor!” she exclaimed, whipping around.

“Sorry to frighten you. I couldn’t help overhearing. You were talking to April, weren’t you?”

His handsome face was set and serious. Nancy could no more read his mind than she could Suzanne’s. “Yes, I was.”

A muscle in his jaw flexed. “How is she?”

“Okay, I guess. She’s trying to put the last few days in perspective. They’ve really taken an emotional toll.” When Trevor didn’t respond, Nancy added lightly, “I saw the necklace you gave Suzanne. It’s beautiful.”

“The gold necklace?” Trevor asked blankly. “Suzanne showed it to you?”

Nancy nodded. “And she showed it to April, too.”

“What!
But I gave that necklace to Suzanne years ago. It was a birthday gift.” He looked stunned. “You don’t think April believes I gave it to Suzanne recently!”

“As a matter of fact, that’s exactly what she thinks,” Nancy replied, deciding to use the opportunity to clear up some facts. “Trevor, what’s going on between you and Suzanne? Could you be using her to get back at April?”

Trevor opened his mouth, then clamped it shut. He strode away without answering. Nancy realized she didn’t have time to follow him. It was time to show up at the emergency room.

The afternoon passed quickly; as the head nurse had said, Fridays were really busy. Ned
appeared at five o’clock, ready to leave. “The week’s seminar is over,” he said, smiling. “Now I’ve got to decide if this is the kind of work I want to do. You know, I really should take you on a tour of some of the labs and classrooms before we leave. All you’ve seen is the hospital. This place is huge. I even got to see one of the refrigerators where they keep organs for transplants.”

Nancy made a face. “I think I’ll pass on that. Besides, I have seen more than the hospital. I’ve been to the administration building.”

“I wish you were off duty,” Ned said wistfully. “You could make good on our dinner date.”

“Too bad I’m stuck here until eleven,” Nancy said, disappointed.

A voice laughed behind her and Nancy turned to see Emily Richards. “You can go if you want,” she said, smiling. “It was really unfair of me to ask you to change your schedule. You’re not even employed here.”

“But I thought you were shorthanded.”

“We are, but it’s really nurses we need. I’ve managed to find some who want to earn overtime pay. Don’t worry, Nancy. I’ve got enough candy stripers. Go enjoy yourself.”

“So where do you want to eat?” Ned asked, once he and Nancy were in the corridor outside the emergency room.

Nancy untied her candy striper apron and pulled it over her head. “Ned, I know you’ve heard this before, but I’d like to stay at the hospital a little longer. I want to try to see David. He’s our strongest link in this case.”

Ned considered. “Well, okay. As long as you make it up to me later.”

She smiled. “Maybe over dinner we can brainstorm about where Dr. Shaw’s body could be.”

Nancy and Ned headed for the third floor. It wasn’t hard to find David’s room. A gray-suited security guard stood outside the door, his beefy arms folded across his chest. Just looking at him made Nancy’s hopes sink. He didn’t seem the type to bend the rules even a little.

Nancy hovered at the corridor juncture, turning her back on the guard so he wouldn’t get a good look at her.

“What do you want to do?” Ned whispered in her ear.

“I don’t know, but I’ve got to get in there somehow. If only I were a doctor, or something,” Nancy murmured, thinking aloud.

“Well . . .” A gleam of mischief entered Ned’s eyes. “You
can
be a doctor for a while. At least you can fool people into thinking you are.”

“How?”

Ned led her toward the elevator. “Follow me.”

He guided her to a locker room next to the operating rooms. “Check out the lockers,” he told her. “Some aren’t locked. On our tour I noticed some of the doctors left their lab coats hanging up.”

“Ned, you’re wonderful!” Nancy cried, pushing open the door.

The fourth locker produced results. Inside was a white lab coat with a lapel pin attached. Nancy slipped it on and met Ned in the outer hall.

“Dr. Marcia Smythe,” Ned read, when she rejoined him in the hall.

A pair of glasses were nestled in the coat pocket, and Nancy stuck them on her nose after she pulled her hair back. “Do I look old enough?” she asked anxiously.

“Not really. But the hair and the glasses help.” They headed back to floor three. “I’ll keep a lookout at the corner of the corridor in case you get in,” said Ned. “If anyone comes, I’ll create some kind of distraction to give you time to get out.”

“Wish me luck,” Nancy murmured, straightening her shoulders.

“Luck,” Ned said softly. “And be careful.”

Nancy strode purposefully down the hall, glancing around. Two doors down from David’s room, a gurney covered with a sheet was waiting
outside an open door. The rest of the doors were closed. Only she and the security guard were in the corridor.

Nancy’s heart was pounding in double time, but she hid her nervousness behind a tight smile. “If you’ll excuse me,” she said, pulling open the door to David’s room with authority. She looked carefully at the guard. Would her disguise work?

The security man simply nodded and let her pass. With a silent sigh of relief, Nancy let herself into the room. She slipped the glasses back into the coat pocket.

The room was dimly lit. Light from the outside parking lamps filtered in through the blinds. David lay on the far bed, a bandage around his head, one side of his face bruised and scraped. He was tossing restlessly under the covers.

“David,” Nancy whispered, glancing nervously over her shoulder to the door. “Can you hear me?”

“Doctor . . . Rayburn . . .” he muttered.

“No, it’s Nancy Drew,” she said swiftly, touching his arm. “You were talking to me outside the emergency room last night. Do you remember?”

His eyelids fluttered open. He seemed to focus on her. “The ambulance,” he mumbled.

Nancy nodded encouragingly.

David licked his lips. “It was in Saint Louis. . . She was dead. . . .”

“Anna Treadway?” Nancy asked quickly.

A small sound escaped David’s throat. “Not my fault. Not my fault—it was an accident—Dr. Shaw . . .”

“How did it happen?” Nancy asked. “How did the accident happen?”

David sighed deeply and seemed to sink into a deeper sleep. His breathing became slow and regular. His eyelids closed.

“David?” Nancy whispered. “David?” Outside the door she heard cushioned footsteps coming down the hall. Anxiously she searched for a place to hide. But the guard already knew she was in the room!

Nancy heard Ned’s voice outside, speaking loudly. “Hey, I’m lost. Can you tell me where ICU is?”

Nancy’s heart nearly stopped. He was warning her!

Gathering all her courage, Nancy swung open the door and strode into the hall as if she owned the place. A nurse was standing next to Ned, holding a tray of small white paper cups. The patients’ evening medicine. She glanced up at Nancy, her brows raised as she brushed past and entered Baines’s room.

The gurney Nancy had spied in the hallway was now standing just inside a room with an open door. Nancy glanced back at Ned. To her dismay she saw Dr. Clemmons just rounding the corner! She had to get out of sight before her cover was blown!

Nancy’s eyes darted wildly in all directions. Nowhere to hide. Turning into the open room, Nancy stopped short. An orderly was making up one of the beds. A patient lay on the other bed, asleep. Nancy pressed herself against the wall, heart thudding. Where could she hide?

The gurney.

Without another thought, she lay on the gurney and pulled the sheet over her head.

“You’re Nancy Drew’s friend, aren’t you?” she heard Dr. Clemmons demand loudly.

“That’s right,” Ned answered.

“Well, where is she? You were with her a little while ago.”

“She’s not here.”

“Who do you mean?” the security guard asked.

Nancy’s heart sank. Here it comes.

“I mean a red-haired girl who doesn’t know how to obey hospital rules,” Dr. Clemmons said angrily. “We’re talking about a patient’s life! If I find she’s inside this room, I’ll make certain she’s removed from this hospital!”

Nancy drew a quiet, shallow breath. Seconds later, she nearly jumped when Ned whispered near her ear, “Nancy?”

“Can I help you?” The orderly who had been tidying up the room asked.

Nancy froze.

“I, uh, was just looking for a friend,” said Ned.

“No one here.” The gurney suddenly lurched away from the wall. Nancy had to fight back a gasp. To her horror, she realized the orderly was pushing her out of the room! “Excuse me, I have to take this body down to the morgue.”

The morgue?

“Er,
this
body?” Nancy heard Ned ask.

“Yeah, buddy. You got a problem with that?”

Nancy nearly choked as the gurney was pushed from the semidark room to the brightly lit hallway. The wheels clattered and squeaked as she felt herself being pushed in the direction of David’s room!

“A red-haired girl?” the guard was repeating thoughtfully. “Reddish blond hair?”

“Is she in there?” Clemmons demanded. Nancy heard a flurry of footsteps. Grimacing, she realized Clemmons wasn’t going to wait for an answer. He was heading straight into David’s room.

There were more footsteps. The gurney stopped short. Nancy realized the jig was up.

“All right, Ms. Drew.” Dr. Clemmons’s voice boomed with suppressed anger. “You’re coming with me! The chief of staff won’t appreciate your having gone against direct orders!”