Chapter 6 - The Price of Admiration
Inside the envelope were photocopies of hospital governance pages and a handwritten list of influential donors.
Several names were circled.
One was associated with the heart institute's future expansion campaign.
At the bottom, Caroline had written that public pressure could force leadership to support a preferred cardiac-services contract.
Matthew's name appeared beside the phrase family credibility.
Erin stared at the page.
"Was my husband part of this?"
"A name on a note isn't proof of participation," I said.
"We have to ask him rather than decide for him."
Matthew agreed to meet after his shift in the presence of an independent compliance representative.
He walked in looking sleepless and alarmed.
He studied the papers twice.
"I've never seen these," he said.
He explained that a vendor representative had approached him months earlier about supporting a new cardiac diagnostics platform.
He had declined to endorse it without clinical evaluation.
"Who approached you?" Daniel asked.
"Victor Hale."
Teresa, who had joined to address clinical safeguards, looked at me.
Victor's company supplied part of the cardiac-services network whose credentials had appeared in the initial incident review.
We did not assume a connection.
We recorded the information and sent it to the cyber investigators.
Matthew sat back.
"My mother-in-law told me Victor was an old family friend."
Erin closed her eyes.
"He came to our housewarming."
"Did he ask you about our procurement process?" I asked.
Matthew hesitated.
"He asked whether executive leadership understood what physicians needed."
"What did you say?"
"I said they should talk to the board and the clinical review committee."
Erin reached for her husband's hand.
He let her take it, but did not smile.
"Your mother also told me Natalie was jealous of my job," he said.
"I believed her."
I appreciated the admission more than a polished apology.
Then Daniel's phone buzzed.
His face tightened as he read a message.
"A local station has a copy of the forged letter," he said.
"They want a comment by six."
Mom had turned Christmas dinner into a public accusation.
May you like
And someone outside our family seemed ready to profit from the confusion.
