Page 59 of Her Last Whisper

“Did you notice any changes with Amanda?”

“I’m not sure what you mean.”

“Did she seem edgy? Angry? Withdrawn? Anything like that before she left?” McGaven watched the nurse closely as she averted her eyes.

“Well…”

“Ms. Sorensen, whatever you tell me is kept confidential—for now. This is just a casual interview. We really don’t want to bring everyone down to the police department for questioning,” he explained, trying to sound firm but still friendly.

“Something happened to her before: she just didn’t show up one day. According to the supervisor, she just quit. No notice. Nothing. And that wasn’t like her. If you knew her and how hard she worked, everything was done by the book. And if she noticed something that you missed—she let you know about it in a nice way.”

Two people dressed in green hospital scrubs and carrying food entered the room and sat in the corner.

“Do you know what happened?” he asked.

“She didn’t tell me in so many words, but I guessed that she was attacked, or worse.”

“Would you say that Amanda was well known and well liked around the hospital?”

The nurse thought about his question. “I’m not sure if she was well known, but she did have some secrets and wasn’t likely to tell anyone about who she might have dated.”

“Was she dating anyone?”

“I’m not totally sure, but there was someone from the morgue; I think his name is Marco. She seemed smitten.”

McGaven waited a few moments before he continued, “If there is anything that you think is important for us to know about Amanda, will you please not hesitate to tell us. It could mean the difference in finding her killer and having her case go cold.” McGaven hoped that he didn’t sound too dramatic.

The nurse sat silent.

“Thank you, Ms. Sorensen, for your time.” He dropped his card on the table and stood up.

“Wait,” she said.

McGaven sat back down—curious.

“The only time she acted different, even a bit weird, was when she talked about some guy that she was involved with from time to time.”

“Someone here?”

“No, I got the feeling it was someone she had met somewhere else or even in a bar. But she said to me on one especially rough shift: ‘Any more days like today, I’m going to have him take me away from it all,’ and then she clammed up and wouldn’t say anymore.”

“Did she say a name? Or a reference of any kind?”

“No, I asked her, but she refused to say anymore.”

McGaven waited for her to drop more information, and he made sure he remembered what she quoted from Amanda exactly.

Again, the deputy rose from his chair, glancing at the three other people in the break room who appeared to not pay any attention to the conversation. “Thank you, Ms. Sorensen, please give me a call if you remember anything else.”

She forced a smile and gave a weak nod.

McGaven managedto find his way to the security area, which wasn’t easy without a map and a personal direction from a managing nurse. The deputy saw a lot of things walking through the wards he wished he could un-see; all types of procedures, gravely ill patients, and verbal confrontations, in the various rooms and emergency areas to make him never want to visit the hospital again. He wasn’t so sure how clean everything was either—it made him shiver thinking about all the diseases and germs whirling about.

He finally reached the area where the patrolling guards would change, receive their equipment, and monitor the security cameras. The hospital security guard was the equivalent, at least in duties, to a police officer roaming the halls. They kept a watchful eye on everything that went on and helped to protect patients as well as the staff.

As McGaven approached, he heard loud voices, not heated, but an entertaining conversation underway. Two security guards were laughing about something that happened the evening before about a patient that wandered out of their room and was found hiding in the nurses’ break room.

He saw a medium height, slightly overweight man with receding, close-cropped hair. He looked to be in his mid to late thirties. He stood like a cop, wider stance, hands every so often on his belt, and his eyes seemed to shift back and forth while being watchful. McGaven knew it was the guy he spied on social media that bragged about fishing and hot girls he met with his new boat.