Chapter 3 - The Reading of the Real Will
Vanessa laughed, a high-pitched, nervous sound that echoed uncomfortably off the bare white walls. She took a step backward toward the doorway, but two uniformed patrol officers were already standing shoulder-to-shoulder in the hall, blocking her exit.
“Homicide?” Vanessa scoffed, crossing her arms defensively over her chest. “Are you insane? My husband had a chronic cardiovascular condition! He’s been in congestive heart failure for six months! What kind of sick sick joke is this? Thomas, tell this police officer who I am! Tell him I am Arthur Vance’s legal wife and the sole healthcare proxy for this entire facility!”
Thomas Sterling opened his briefcase on the bare mattress, his expression showing no emotion at all. “You were the healthcare proxy, Vanessa. Until approximately 10:45 this morning, when Arthur executed a full revocation of all marital authorities in the presence of two independent hospital administrators, a licensed notary public, and Detective Rodriguez.”
Julian’s face turned an ashen shade of gray. “That’s impossible. Arthur was legally incapacitated! He was delirious on sedatives! Any document signed under those conditions is completely void under Illinois probate law! I am the Chief Financial Officer of Vance Logistics, and I demand to see the medical competency evaluation!”
“Here it is,” Detective Rodriguez said, tossing a signed evaluation across the bed. “Administered by Dr. Robert Chen, Chief of Neurology at St. Jude. He confirmed Arthur Vance was alert, oriented to time, place, and person, and possessed full testamentary capacity when he signed his final directives. And do you know what else Dr. Chen found in Arthur’s bloodstream, Mrs. Vance?”
Vanessa’s lips twitched. “He was on medications prescribed by his doctors.”
“No,” Rodriguez said, stepping into her personal space until Vanessa had to tilt her head back. “His prescribed maintenance dose of digoxin was zero point one two five milligrams every other day. When we pulled his blood three hours ago, his serum concentration was four point eight nanograms per milliliter. That isn't a therapeutic dose, Vanessa. That is a lethal overdose designed to induce fatal ventricular tachycardia without showing blunt trauma.”
“I didn't give him his pills!” Vanessa shrieked, her aristocratic facade cracking completely down the middle. “The nurses gave him his pills! If there was an overdose, it was medical malpractice by this filthy, incompetent hospital!”
“Then how do you explain the search warrant we executed on your master bedroom suite in Naperville ninety minutes ago?” Rodriguez countered smoothly.
He pulled an evidence bag from his trench coat pocket. Inside was a large amber bottle labeled Organic Multivitamin Blend, alongside a mortar and pestle coated with fine white residue.
“We found four crushed bottles of pharmaceutical-grade digoxin in the false bottom of your jewelry armoire,” Rodriguez continued, each word landing like a hammer blow. “We also recovered the audio feed from the nursery camera Arthur installed in the hallway ceiling three years ago when he remodeled the master wing. You know, the one you forgot was wired into the cloud backup server? The recording from last night, where you leaned over his bed and told him you’d been poisoning him for months while you planned your move to Malibu.”
Julian stepped violently away from Vanessa, holding both hands out toward the detectives as if she were carrying the plague. “Wait! Wait a second! I had nothing to do with any poisoning! Detective, listen to me! I only helped her with the corporate restructuring! She told me Arthur was dying naturally! I never touched any medication! I swear to God, I had nothing to do with this!”
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“Julian, you cowardly piece of trash!” Vanessa screamed, lunging toward him with her acrylic nails bared.
One of the patrol officers grabbed her wrists, spinning her around and slamming her chest against the cold metal bed frame. The loud, metallic click of steel handcuffs echoed through Room 412.
