“I think we should speak to the head of nursing. Nurses take care of patients in the night and that’s when the girl died,” Debra said, as they walked through the front doors of Cuttleson General Hospital.

They found the supervisor just unlocking her office, after doing morning rounds. Nurse Jongman looked like the definition of a nursing supervisor: her uniform was brilliant white, without a smudge on it, her face stern, her manner forthright. Her no-nonsense attitude was appreciated by Jade, if not as much by Debra.

“So, Nurse Jongman, we’re here to look into the death of Anne Mulwa,” Debra said.

“Police? Waste of time,” she said, shifting papers on the tidy desk, pulling out a file. She opened it, quickly scanned to get the facts right. “It was determined to be cardiac arrest.”

“The father was told that maybe there were some unanswered questions,” Jade said.

“Don’t know who’s filling his head with nonsense. That girl was severely burned. Burn cases are complicated, anyone will confirm that. Cardiac arrest because of shock can happen, especially in children. It’s unfortunate, but it happened. No mystery to solve here.”

Debra didn’t like the closed manner the nurse was taking. “There could be no other explanation?”

“Of course there could be. We’re talking about the human body here. It’s not a perfect machine. But no wrong doing. I don’t run a ship like that and whoever is insinuating I do should step forward out of the shadows and speak in the light. Stop being a coward. My thirty-five years of exemplary service at this institution alone ought to stand up for me before I even open my mouth.”

Jade liked her. She was right. If the allegations had any substance behind them, why hide?

Nurse Jongman stood up. “I think we’re done.” She looked at her watch. “I have a supervisors’ meeting and it started two minutes ago. I’m not a fan of keeping people waiting.”

She ushered them out of her office, locked it, and was down the passage before they could thank her for her time.

“Well, she’s rude,” Debra said.

“Rude or busy?” Jade said.

Debra said nothing else. Jade was still annoyed over the discussion about Owen earlier and nothing Debra could say would be right today. They headed toward the exit. Just before they turned past the reception desk, a tall, gawky young man walked up to Debra and gave her a hug.

“What are you doing here, Debra?” the man asked.

“My job. Mike, this is my partner Jade. Jade, this is Kate’s brother Mike. He’s a nurse here,” Debra said.

Mike held out his hand to Jade. “Lovely to meet the famous Jade Khan. Debra talks about you constantly. You’re a bit of a legend in her eyes.” Jade was surprised to hear that. “Any chance you two have a few minutes for a cup of coffee? I was just heading to the cafeteria.”

Debra looked at Jade, who nodded. “Sure, that sounds great,” Jade said.

They got their coffees, a sandwich for Mike, and doughnuts for Jade and Debra. Mike looked at their plates. “So, is it mandatory for cops to eat doughnuts then?” They all laughed. “And, what cop business is going on at my hospital then?”

“It looks like nothing actually. We were just asking a few questions about that burned girl that died,” Debra said.

“Good. I just get an odd feeling about that case. That night I was supposed to be working peds myself, but I swopped with Sam Bogale; it was my girlfriend’s birthday. I asked Sam about what happened that night and he, like, acted funny … like he didn’t want to talk about it.”

“So let’s say she didn’t die the way they said. Why would someone want to kill her?” Jade asked.

“Maybe not kill. Maybe it was an accident,” Mike said. “The person wants to hide what happened.” He took a bite of his sandwich and checked his watch. “And too, there are these nurses … dark angels … that kill their patients.”

“Mike, are you serious? Here? That’s something that happens overseas, not here in South Africa,” Debra said.

“Maybe. But just between you and me, in the last seven or so months, there have been a few deaths that just didn’t seem right,” Mike said, speaking in nearly a whisper. Jade could see that Mike was a fan of gossip.

“This is a hospital; people die here,” Debra said.

Jade wondered how a few minutes ago Debra was thinking Nurse Jongman was being too closed-minded to consider that Anne Mulwa’s death might not be natural, and now when Mike was agreeing with her, she’s knocking him down.

“Yes, people die here,” Mike said. “But usually you know the people who are most likely not going to make it. Sometimes there’s a miracle, and they live; other times they die. And sometimes it can be the other way. You think for sure someone is going to live and they don’t. But lately, the odds are out of whack. All of a sudden.”

“So did you speak to Anne Mulwa’s parents about your suspicions?” Debra asked.

“No. I haven’t seen them at all. I thought I might go to the funeral though. She was a sweet girl,” Mike said.

“Anyway, just keep quiet about what we’ve told you. It’s nothing really. Just a parent upset about the loss of their daughter,” Debra said.

“Sure. I won’t mention it,” Mike said.

***

Tell us what you think: Is there any reason why a nurse might be right to help a patient die?