Murder in the Maternity Ward Read online

  “Oh no, that ain’t gonna happen,” Ashanti told him. “I’m going for a walk and my friend here is going with me. I’m about to pop and I need to get my walk on.” She placed both hands on her hips and glared at him. “Don’t you know walking’s good for pregnant ladies? Should I call my doctor and report you or you gonna let us two ladies take our walk?”

  The nurse backed up as the woman advanced on him, her eyes blazing fire, and Maggie was pretty sure he’d need a clean pair of shorts. His whole body was shaking, and it looked like his knees were about to buckle.

  “I’m sorry, I’m just doing what I’m told,” he whined. “They said to keep everyone in their rooms until I get the all clear. I’m just trying to keep my job.”

  Ashanti stopped, but kept him pinned with her eyes. “I get it, man. But how’s about we make a deal. We’ll go back to our rooms and we won’t tell nobody that you whine like a little child.” She paused while he nodded his head frantically.

  “But you gotta do somethin’ for us.”

  “Anything,” he said, unwisely.

  She leaned towards him and his eyes got wider the closer her face got to his. “You’re going to find out what’s going on and then come and tell me and Miss Maggie, here.”

  A frown creased his brow and he shook his head. “I don’t think I can do that. I’d get in trouble. I’m already in enough trouble.”

  Ashanti stood back and sighed dramatically. “Fine then. I guess I’ll have a talk with the head nurse. I’ll let her know that you stopped me from walkin’ and following my doctor’s orders. And that you whine like a baby. I sure hope you have a backup plan ‘cause you ain’t gonna have this here job much longer.” She pursed her lips, shook her head and leaned forward to read his name badge. “Roland Denton, LPN. I’ll remember that.” She turned towards Maggie.

  “Come on Miss Maggie, let’s go call the head nurse. And then we’ll call my doctor. And then we’ll call your doctor, too.” She paused and held up her hand where Roland couldn’t see it, lifting first one finger, then two, counting out how long it took him to respond to her threat.

  “No, don’t do that. You got a deal. Just go back to your rooms before I get in trouble. I’ll find out what’s going on and let you know. Geez.”

  Ashanti’s eyes sparkled as she grinned at Maggie. She swung back around towards the nurse. “Now see, Roland Denton, LPN, I knew you could be reasonable. Don’t that feel better?”

  He didn’t look like he felt better, he looked like he was going to be sick, but the two women took their win and headed back to their rooms, promising to meet up later.

  Maggie was exhausted. She climbed into the hospital bed, sent up a prayer to keep her baby and her family safe, and fell fast asleep.

  Chapter Three

  Maggie was dreaming she’d taken her baby to the park and was pushing him or her on the swings when she heard a strange noise that pulled her from her slumber.

  “Psst. Psst. Hey, wake up.” Ashanti’s voice finally roused her, and she opened her groggy eyes.

  “Hey, Ashanti, what’s going on?”

  “Girl, you a sound sleeper, that’s for sure. I’ve been trying to wake you for a while now.”

  “I’m sorry, I guess I was really tired.” Maggie sat up and yawned as the other woman plopped heavily into the chair next to the bed.

  “I got some hot news for you.” Ashanti’s eyes gleamed and she looked like the cat that ate the canary. “That sound you heard? It was someone getting stabbed. And not just any someone, it was the head of the OB/Gyn department, Doctor Slade.”

  “Doctor Slade? I met him a couple of times when my doctor was on vacation. He seemed like a nice man. Do they know who did it?”

  “Well, that’s the thing. Nobody’s talkin’. That’s why I’m here. Since you’re a U.S. Marshal and all, and I got an uncle who’s a policeman, I reckon you and me should go ‘vestigate.”

  “Well, I am a marshal, but I’m supposed to be resting and I’m pretty sure you are, too.” Maggie frowned at Ashanti. “I never asked, why are you here?”

  “I been havin’ Braxton Hicks contractions, which you know ain’t nothin’ to worry about, but since I’m so close to my due date they want me to stay here for just in case.” Ashanti looked away and her voice took on a mournful tone. “I live by myself and I don’t have a car, so it’s safer for me to be here, where they can keep an eye on me.”

  Maggie’s heart constricted and she instinctively reached for her hand. “I’m glad you’re here,” she told her. “Give me a minute to use the restroom then we can go check things out.”

  “Now that you mention it, I could use a go, too. I’ll meet you in the hallway.”

  The women had walked two laps around the hospital floor, trying to get more intel, but they hadn’t learned much of anything. Just as they started the third lap, they overheard two nurses talking.

  “I heard the police finally left.”

  “Yeah, they put crime scene tape across the door and told us nobody can go in. It’s all really creepy,” the other nurse replied. “Hey, do you mind helping me with Mrs. Ensino?”

  “Of course not.” The two nurses disappeared into a patient’s room and closed the door.

  Maggie nudged Ashanti with her elbow and whispered, “Let’s take the elevator upstairs and check out the room.”

  “Should I steal a pair of scissors to cut the tape?” Ashanti’s attempt to whisper echoed down the empty hallway and Maggie stifled a giggle. The woman couldn’t be discreet if her life depended on it.

  “No, I’m an expert at removing crime scene tape and putting it back exactly as it was,” she bragged. “They won’t even know we were there.” She looked at the other woman who was grinning at her. “What?”

  “You seem like such a soft lady, but you got some grit to you!”

  “I am a U.S. Marshal, you know.” Maggie shrugged and grinned at Ashanti, who grinned back.

  “Okay, let’s do this.”

  The two women rode the elevator up one floor and when the doors opened, they walked out, trying to act casual as they searched for the door with crime scene tape.

  “I’m all turned around, are we going the right way?” Ashanti’s sounded excited, but also nervous, and Maggie was feeling the same way.

  “I think so. It should be about three doors down on the right, so we should see the tape right about . . . now.”

  “Oh, my, this is excitin’. And scary. I think I need to pee.” Ashanti’s nerves were kicking in and Maggie couldn’t help but laugh.

  “If you want, we can forget it and head back to our rooms,” she teased.

  “Shut your mouth, Miss Maggie. We’re here now, let’s see what we got.”

  Maggie looked at the crime scene tape, then up and down the hallway. There was no one in sight, so she peeled a corner of the tape and lifted it up so they could slide under it. Once inside, she stuck it back onto the door frame and shut the door behind them.

  “We did it!”

  “Of course, we did. Now we investigate,” Maggie said.

  She walked over and looked in the bathroom. Sure enough, there were still traces of blood on the floor where it had puddled in the middle, right over the light fixture in her bathroom. She could see where the body had been before they’d removed it and she tried to recreate the event in her mind.

  “Looks like it wasn’t a fair fight,” Ashanti declared from behind Maggie.

  “I agree. From the way his body fell, he must’ve been struck from behind.” She squatted down as much as she could with her baby belly. She looked around, considering the possibilities.

  “What you lookin’ at, Miss Maggie?” Ashanti was watching her closely, following her every move.

  “See the way the blood spattered, here and here, but there’s this blank space right here. That means the killer was standing here during the attack. I reckon the murderer had to be someone shorter than Dr. Slade.”

  “Oh yeah! I do see that. And what about this he
re smudge on the wall?”

  Maggie looked closer. It seemed like the killer had grabbed the wall, smearing some of the spatter. “Wow, Ashanti, good eye. I didn’t see that. Have you ever considered a career in law enforcement?”

  “Naw. My nana always told me I’d better find a man to take care of me. She said I ain’t got the brains for a real job.”

  Maggie was stunned. Who would say something like that to their grandchild? She didn’t want to say anything negative about the woman’s relative, but she had to be honest. “Well, your nana’s wrong on this one. You’ve got good people skills and good investigative skills. I think you’d make a great cop or marshal.”

  Ashanti’s eyes teared up and her chest heaved. “That’s the nicest thing anybody’s ever said to me.”

  She reached out to help Maggie stand up, then enveloped her in her arms, hugging her tightly until she squeaked. “Ashanti, I can’t breathe.”

  The woman released her and stepped back. “Sorry, I’m just so moved, you know.”

  “Well, it’s true. Don’t sell yourself short.”

  The sound of voices from the hallway intruded and they fell silent.

  “He was a jerk, but he didn’t deserve to die like that.”

  “What was he doing in that room, anyway?”

  “Probably something he shouldn’t have been doing.”

  “That wouldn’t surprise me, from all the rumors.”

  The voices trailed off as they moved away from the door and Maggie sighed. “That was close. We should take a quick look around, then get the heck out of here.”

  “I agree. And I really do need to tinkle now.”

  Maggie wanted to tease her, but her own bladder felt uncomfortably full, so she just nodded.

  As they got off the elevator on their own floor, Maggie saw Nurse Jackson walking towards her, a look of concern on her face.

  “Maggie! I’ve been looking all over for you.”

  “I’m sorry. We wanted a change of scenery, so we went for a walk.”

  The nurse looked skeptical but didn’t ask any questions. “We need to get you settled in for the night. Ashanti, I’ll send your nurse in to help you get ready for bed.”

  Ashanti winked at Maggie, then headed for her room, mumbling as she walked. “I guess so. It ain’t like I haven’t been getting myself ready for bed my whole life, or nothin’.”

  Maggie stifled a giggle as Nurse Jackson looked after her, hands on her hips and a frown on her face. But her priority was her patient, so she led Maggie into her room and helped her into bed, wrapping the blood pressure cuff around her upper arm and setting a fetal monitor across her belly.

  “Did you find out what happened upstairs?” Maggie didn’t really expect her to answer, but it was worth a shot.

  The nurse hesitated, then looked her in the eye. “Normally I wouldn’t discuss this with a patient, but since you’re a marshal, I think it’s okay. It appears that one of our doctors was attacked and killed in the room above you. It’s quite disturbing, but we’ve been assured there’ll be a full investigation.” She paused, and Maggie watched as various emotions passed across her face. “I guess you just never know when your time will come. It’s sad, but in the hospital, you see it all. I try to live my life as if each moment will be my last, and I thank the Lord for every moment he gives me.”

  Maggie wasn’t sure what to say, so she reached over and patted her hand. “I’m sorry for your loss. Did you know him well?”

  Nurse Jackson turned to stare at her, and she immediately realized her mistake. The nurse hadn’t identified the victim as male or female. The sound of her phone ringing broke the tension and she shrugged her shoulders. “Sorry, but I gotta take this.” The nurse looked uncertain but nodded and walked out of the room. Talk about being saved by the bell. Or would it be ringtone? she wondered.

  Maggie answered the call and her heart jumped in her chest when she heard Garrett’s voice. She’d never get tired of his deep, sexy voice or the thrill that ran through her every time she heard it.

  “Hi Garrett. You’ll never believe what’s happened.”

  Chapter Four

  “No, absolutely not. I forbid it.”

  “Excuse me? You forbid it?” Maggie was shaking with anger. As she clenched the phone in her hand, one of the monitors went off and a loud beeping noise filled the room.

  “What’s that noise, what’s happening? Mags?” Garrett’s terror was palpable, and Maggie realized that things had gone too far.

  “It’s one of my monitors, Garrett. I’m okay, though. Really.” She heard him draw a ragged breath and suddenly felt guilty for her part in the argument.

  “This is why I said you shouldn’t investigate. You’re supposed to be resting and taking it easy. Not taking on a murderer.”

  Her anger rose again, and even though she knew he was just worried about her, she lashed out. “Funny thing, honey. I felt great when I was investigating. I didn’t get stressed out until I spoke with you.”

  The silence at the other end of the line made her cringe. She hadn’t intended to say that; it had just popped out. She could hear him breathing, so she knew he hadn’t hung up on her, but as each second ticked by, her fear grew. Finally, she couldn’t take it anymore.

  “Garrett!”

  She heard him draw a breath, then let it out. “I’m here, Mags.” He took another breath. “Do you remember that talk we had when you agreed to become my wife?”

  “The one where I explained that I’m a U.S. Marshal and you’d have to learn to deal with it?”

  He chuckled. “That’s the one. I think we need to have that talk again.” He paused and Maggie waited. “I know you are who you are, and I wouldn’t want to change a thing about you, but I’d be lying if I said you didn’t scare the heck out of me from time to time.”

  “I know, hon. I can’t imagine what it’s like to put up with me and my job.”

  “Even though I’m scared, I never should have said I forbid you. That was plum stupid of me, and I apologize.”

  The night shift nurse walked in and pressed a button on the machine that was beeping. “Looks like we need to plug in your monitor, its battery is dying.” She plugged the cord into the wall socket and left the room.

  Maggie’s eyes teared up and she gripped the phone tightly. “Did you hear that?”

  “I heard a woman’s voice, but I couldn’t make out what she said. Is everything all right?”

  “It’s fine, Garrett. It was just a low battery on the monitor. It wasn’t anything bad.” She paused and let that sink in for both of them.

  “I love you more than anything, Maggie Donahue.” Garrett’s voice was gruff, and she was sure he was holding back tears.

  “I love you, too, Garrett Donahue. I love our baby, too, so you get it through that thick head of yours that I’m not going to do anything that could harm it. You know that, right?”

  “I know you wouldn’t intentionally do anything, but I also know that when you get into marshal mode, you get obsessed. I don’t want anything to happen to either of you.”

  “I don’t either and I promise I’ll be more careful.”

  “I’ll stop by in the morning, love. Get some sleep and we’ll talk tomorrow.”

  “Okay, I love you.”

  “I love you, too.”

  As she set her phone down on the tray table, the nurse came back with some fresh ice water, and Maggie had an idea. “Can I get up for a moment? I want to say goodnight to my friend across the hall.”

  “You mean Ashanti? I heard you two had become friends and I’m really glad. She gets really lonely and I don’t always have time to talk with her. I’ll remove those monitors and walk you over if you’d like.”

  “Yes, please.” Even though they’d argued, she knew how lucky she was to have Garrett in her life. She felt sad for Ashanti. She made a vow to include her in her prayers each night. She knew there was someone out there who’d be perfect for her new friend.

  The next m
orning when Garrett walked into the room, Maggie felt her heart leap in her chest. He had the hangdog look on his face he wore when he knew he’d been a jerk. Their eyes met and his sideways grin had her heart pitter-pattering all over the place.

  “Hi,” she said.

  “Hi yourself.” His voice was husky, and he looked at her, uncertain of his welcome.

  “I love you and you love me.” Maggie’s voice was soft as silk. “That’s all that matters.”

  Garrett sighed and leaned forward to kiss her cheek. “That’s all that should matter, but other things get in the way. I’m a proud man, Mags. It’s hard for me to let you take risks when I can’t be there to protect you.” Before she could object, he continued. “I know, I know. I knew what I was getting when we got married. But dang it all, you make me so crazy, sometimes!”

  Maggie laughed, delighted that he felt that way. Before she found him, she’d dated men who wanted to control her or were so wrapped up in themselves they didn’t even notice her. Garrett had been a breath of fresh air.

  “Don’t laugh at me, Mags. I’m serious.”

  She held out her hand and he took it in his. “I’m not laughing at you, love. I’m just so glad that you’re my husband.”

  Garrett’s cheeks turned pink and he started to reply but was interrupted by the doctor’s arrival.

  “Good morning Mrs. Donahue. How are you feeling today?” Doctor Gonzales was a short, brunette woman with black, horn-rimmed glasses. Her hair was cut in a short bob and she always wore a silver Saint Luke medal on a box chain around her neck. She’d told Maggie that her mother had given it to her when she became a doctor and she swore she’d never take it off.

  “I’m feeling like I’m ready to go home.” Maggie looked at her expectantly and was surprised when her brows drew together in a frown.

  “I don’t know,” the doctor said, slowly. “The tension in this room was pretty high when I walked in. If I let you go home are you going to be able to behave yourselves?’ She glanced over at Garrett whose cheeks immediately turned beet red.