Missing Pieces(36)

“He was visibly upset. He had to watch his wife take her last breath. It was horrible.”

“Amy, too?”

“Yes, Amy, too. She was beside herself.” Sarah squirmed and crossed her legs, thinking back to when Amy had scratched the nurse. Was it out of anger? Sadness? A feeble attempt to get the nurse to turn the machines back on? She wondered if the others had mentioned Amy’s behavior in the hospital room. “Everyone was upset. It would have been strange if someone wasn’t.”

“It’s okay, Mrs. Quinlan,” Gilmore said mildly. “You don’t have to worry. I’ve already heard about Amy’s outburst at the hospital yesterday. One of the nurses told me.”

Sarah breathed a sigh of relief. She felt guilty enough as it was for calling 9-1-1 when she found Amy passed out on the couch. It was partly her fault that Amy was sitting in a jail cell, and the last thing she wanted was to make things worse by ratting on Amy for her behavior at the hospital.

Gilmore slid from the top of his desk and went to the large window, turning his back to her as he spoke. “I can understand you not wanting to get caught up in all this family drama, but it’s critical that I get all the information I can. Even the smallest detail can be very important.”

Sarah scanned Gilmore’s desktop. It was neatly arranged with a black leather desk blotter, a stapler, three-hole punch and a tape dispenser. On the corner of the desk sat two file-folder trays. One labeled In, the other Out. One stray folder sat on the edge of Gilmore’s otherwise organized desk.

“Now, what about Dean? How did he react?” Gilmore asked, turning back to face her. Sarah averted her eyes from the file baskets, hoping that Gilmore hadn’t caught her looking. She opened her mouth to insist once again that each person in the hospital room was crushed when Julia died, but paused. She sifted through the scene: Hal crying, Amy shouting, the vase crashing to the floor, Jack standing by helplessly and Dean—how did he react? She has a do not resuscitate order, he had said. What did he tell Amy when she begged for someone to try and save her? They can’t. She doesn’t want any heroic measures keeping her alive. He seemed calm, almost resigned to the fact that his mother was dying. But was that an unreasonable reaction?

Gilmore looked at Sarah, waiting for her response. “He was sad, too,” she finally said, looking down at the floor. Gilmore seemed skeptical but didn’t press her.

“Were you aware of any conflicts that anyone might have had with Julia? Did Jack mention any family disagreements?”

Dean had mentioned that Amy and Julia had an argument soon before the fall, but that was just hearsay. She didn’t know anything about it, and she certainly didn’t want to start trouble about something she knew nothing about. “No, nothing that I can speak to.”

“Tell me about yesterday. What time did you arrive at the hospital?” Gilmore returned to his spot on the edge of the desk.

“We got there pretty early. I’d say by nine o’clock. It was just a few minutes after we came in the room that Julia started having the seizure.”

“Who was in the room before you arrived?”

“When we came in?”

“Yes, was someone already in the room when you arrived yesterday?”

“Yes, Amy was in the room.”

“By herself?”

Sarah thought about this for a moment. “Yes. Amy was in the room when Celia and I walked in.”

“You don’t know if anyone but Amy had been in the room alone with Julia before then?”

Sarah shook her head. “I have no idea. But the night before, on Monday night, everyone took turns sitting with Julia. She was never alone.”

“You were in the room alone with Julia at some point?”

“No. I meant everyone in the immediate family.” Sarah felt her face grow hot. These are easy questions, she told herself. Why was she so nervous?

“Was Hal ever in the room alone with Julia?”

“Yes.” Sarah nodded. “Everyone, except me, spent some time alone with her.”

“Who was in the room first with Julia? Alone, I mean.”

Sarah tried to think back. Was it Amy? Maybe Celia? There was a small window of time when they were all out in the hallway. She was sure of that. “I can’t remember,” Sarah said, shaking her head. “Like I said, they all took turns.”

“Amy spent the night in Julia’s room. Is that correct?” Gilmore asked.

“As far as I know she did. She was there when we left and she was there when we came back the next morning. She said she was planning on spending the night.”

“Did you see Amy manipulating any of Julia’s medical equipment? Maybe doing something with her IV?” Gilmore asked.

“No, why?” Sarah asked. “Why are you so concerned about what happened in the hospital room?” Gilmore’s face gave away nothing. “Do you think Amy did something to her there?” Sarah asked. “If so, I didn’t see anything. Except for the seizure. I saw the seizure.” Sarah knew she was rambling.

Gilmore scratched his neck and stood. “I think that’ll be all. Thank you for coming in. I do appreciate your time.” Sarah stayed in her seat, taken back at how quickly the interview had ended.

Why was Gilmore so worried about who was in the hospital room alone with Julia? Did he think that whoever pushed her down the steps wanted to make sure they finished the job? Gilmore had his sights on Amy. Though she barely knew her sister-in-law, she wasn’t sure she could see her murdering Julia. She saw the way Amy was with her aunt; she heard the way Jack described their relationship. It just didn’t seem plausible. She thought about how roughly Dean had grabbed Celia’s arm. He seemed to be the more volatile one. Or maybe even Celia. The way she had reared back and struck out at Dean seemed so out of character for her.