Читать книгу Bad Blood - James Baehler - Страница 13

Vincent Barbutti could not keep a smile of victory from his face as he explained the autopsy report to Marilyn Wallberg and Richard Spehn in his office. Spehn grasped the import of the autopsy immediately. “The hospital has to be at fault!” he exclaimed.

Barbutti nodded in agreement. “You are absolutely correct, Mr. Spehn. It doesn’t matter how the heparin got into Mr. Wallberg’s body. Whatever the cause, the hospital is at fault, either a nurse or some other hospital employee made a fatal mistake.”

He turned to Marilyn and said, “Mrs. Wallberg, I doubt if this case will even go to court. The insurance company for the hospital will make an offer of settlement once they have digested the impact of this autopsy and realize they have no defense.”

Marilyn’s response was more subdued. “That’s certainly good news, but it’s all hard to believe,” she said in a quiet voice. “I’ll be glad when this is all over and my children and I can start to build a new life.”

Still excited, Spehn turned to Barbutti, “How soon do you think an offer will be made, Mr. Barbutti?”

“That’s hard to say. Sometimes, these insurance companies take a long time to face up to unpleasant facts. One thing I do know, your sister will see a substantial amount of money in what should be months instead of years.”

Marilyn perked up at that statement and turned to her brother. “Things are working out just as you hoped, Richard. Now I won’t have to depend on you for financial support.”

“Yeah, and you won’t have to wait for the Cook County court system to work its magic either. If the insurance company really wanted to fight us on this, it would have been a long, long time before you saw any money. Am I right, Mr. Barbutti.”

“That is correct. Waits of five to ten years or even longer are not unusual here in Chicago to completely resolve a case like this.”

Spehn said, “I guess we can all be thankful that the lawyer for Dr. Harris insisted on the autopsy. I know you both were opposed to it, but it all worked out perfectly.”

Barbutti said, “Yes, it did. Harris took a chance and it worked to both his advantage and to ours.”

Spehn said, “How is it to Harris’s advantage?”

Barbutti leaned back in his leather chair. “We can hardly now hold Dr. Harris responsible for Mr. Wallberg’s death. There is no way he could have administered the heparin.”

Spehn said, “Well, who do you think did it?”

Barbuttti answered. “I don’t know and I don’t care. If it wasn’t Dr. Madhava, then it was someone else in the hospital. That’s all I or a jury would care about.”

Marilyn rose to her feet and extended her hand. “Mr. Barbutti, I want to thank you for all the help you’ve given me in this matter.”

Barbutti shook her hand with obvious pleasure. “Only too happy to have been of service, Mrs. Wallberg. I will contact you the instant I hear from the insurance company.”

Spehn said, “Call me instead, Mr. Barbutti. I’ll handle whatever negotiations are necessary and there is no reason to bother my sister until we have an agreement.”

“Very well,” Barbutti said, “I’ll call your office as soon as I hear anything.”

Richard and Marilyn exited with Spehn exultant and Marilyn subdued. Out on Wacker Drive, Marilyn said, “Richard, I want to thank you for all the help and support you’ve provided me. I don’t know what I would have done without you.”

Spehn gave his sister a quick hug, “Sis, you don’t owe me any thanks. I’m just glad things worked out the way they did.”

He looked down at her and said, “Mar, now that we know where we are in this, there’s something I need to say. You’ve lost weight since all this began and I’m worried about you. I think you need to start taking better care of yourself. Remember, you have two teenagers who have only you to rely on now.”

Marilyn smiled up at him and, in a rueful voice, said, “You don’t think I could stand to lose a few pounds, Richard?”

“No, I suppose that’s to the good but I think you need a regular exercise program to put some color in your cheeks and a more healthy diet. I know teenagers can live on pizza and coke but you need more than that.”

“You’re right, of course, and I promise to do better. I’ve just been so down since Victor died that I haven’t had the energy or the inclination to cook, so it was too easy to order out for dinner.”

“Okay, but now it’s time to grab a hold of your life. You’re still a young woman and you could be the knockout you used to be with a little work on your part.”

Marilyn laughed for the first time that day. “All right, I promise I’ll shape up and make you proud of me again.”

“Good. Now let’s see if we can find an organic restaurant to have lunch.” His smile said he was teasing.

“Yeah, I want to see you eating bean sprouts and a veggie burger.”

“Okay, okay,” he responded with a laugh. “Let’s walk over to the Palmer House and splurge on a fancy lunch with all the fancy people there.”

“Now you’re talking,” Marilyn said taking his arm and setting off for State Street.