The Silence That Speaks (Forensic Instincts 4)

“Thank you.”

“Who’s Ed and what’s going on?” Marc demanded once Madeline had hung up.

“He’s our attorney. This is bad, Marc.” She told Marc exactly what Conrad had told her.

“It’s bad, but it can be dealt with.” Marc squeezed her hand. “You call your attorney. I’m calling the office.”

Ryan beat him to the punch.

Marc’s phone began vibrating just as he reached for it.

* * *

The meeting didn’t end until after midnight.

The end result was ugly but expected. The board instructed Jacob and Manhattan Memorial’s team of lawyers to settle the lawsuit. They authorized up to five million dollars to make this go away. Their reasoning was sound. With a major lawsuit pending and the plaintiff’s attorney having a reputation as a media hound, it was going to be a PR nightmare that everyone wanted to avoid—especially with the hospital merger under way.

The Board of New York Medical Center would have to be notified of this material event immediately. Jacob had cringed at that thought. His only hope was that he could communicate the lawsuit and an agreement to settle in principle at the same time.

He didn’t want to go home after that meeting. He went straight to the nearest bar to drink himself into oblivion.

* * *

The entire FI team met in the living room at Madeline’s apartment. It was easier that way since Madeline was an integral part of the conversation and Marc was already there. In addition, Patrick was on his way to do his overnight security shift, and Casey and Ryan were already together. So Casey just called Claire and had her meet them at Madeline?

?s ASAP. Only Hero stayed home, stretched out on Casey’s bed, happy to be relaxing.

“So now we know why Nancy was consulting with her lawyer,” Casey said. “No need to dig. But why the lawsuit? Why now?”

“Because she’s a nutcase? Because she tried breaking and entering and attempted murder, and neither of them has worked,” Ryan suggested. “So she’s going after Madeline and Conrad in another life-destroying way.”

Casey looked dubious. “I don’t doubt that this reaction of hers is a vindictive woman’s attempt at revenge, but there’s a piece still missing. Either Conrad or Madeline—or both—have something the killer wants.”

“Maybe Nancy figures it’ll come out in discovery,” Patrick said. “The Lexingtons’ attorney will demand every record, abstract, file folder and medical document in Madeline’s and Conrad’s possession.”

Marc frowned. “The profile is off, though. Attempted murder doesn’t get tossed in helter-skelter. It’s either the first and only thing attempted, or it’s the culmination of rage and frustration when other methods don’t work. Why would Nancy’s fury escalate to the point of trying to kill Madeline and Conrad, and then suddenly become subdued enough for her to just sue them?”

“A guns-blazing lawsuit isn’t exactly rational,” Ryan said.

“Compared to murder, it is.”

“This is unbearable.” Madeline rubbed her head. “I feel like I’m living in someone else’s nightmare. It just keeps getting worse and worse.”

“Emma needs to keep candy striping at the hospital for longer than she’s planned,” Claire interrupted. “I know she’ll probably kill me, but I feel it’s necessary. Partly because she’ll be on the inside when word of this lawsuit starts spreading and people start reacting. And partly because my instincts are telling me so. I’m not sure why.”

“Done,” Casey replied. “How long?”

“Just an extra week or two. At least, I think so.” Claire’s tone was rueful. “I really feel bad about this. Emma is counting the days to get out of Manhattan Memorial and return to FI.”

“She’ll live,” Ryan replied. “This is important. Meanwhile, I have to keep a close monitoring ear on every conversation the Lexingtons have and every place they go. I don’t know how deep Ron and Felicia’s involvement in this is, and I don’t know how far Nancy’s already gone. But I will.”

* * *

Abby was finally asleep, and Aidan used that time to sit down at his decryption computer and check on the files he had been given by Forensic Instincts.

With what Marc had relayed to him a little while ago about the hospital lawsuit, it was more important than ever that he crack the key.

Aidan had repeated Ryan’s efforts first, this time using special decryption algorithms. He started his efforts with seed words based on Ronald’s life, hoping for an early win. Family members. Pets’ names. Favorite sports teams. Hobbies. Alma maters. All the personal information that he and Ryan had dug up and that formed many people’s core passwords and even encryption keys.