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“More than fifteen years. Since he opened his first office.”
“How would you describe your relationship with him?”
“He and Lili were family to me. I’ve never married, and my extended family lives in Pittsburgh, so I spent a lot of holidays with them as well as kids’ birthdays, school events, gymnastics meets. They treated me like a beloved aunt, and I adored them all.” She took a tissue from a box on the conference room table and wiped her eyes. “I’m sorry. I’m still in shock.”
“We’re sorry for your losses,” Freddie said.
“Thank you.”
“What can you tell us about Dr. Blanchet’s relationships with his patients?”
“They loved him. Well, most of them did.”
“You’re aware of the lawsuit?”
“Yes,” she said through gritted teeth as her eyes flashed with indignation. “I’ll never believe he did what they say he did. In all the years I knew him, I never saw him be inappropriate with anyone, let alone a patient. He was a consummate gentleman and professional. He helped so many couples achieve their goal of parenthood. I could give you hundreds of names of patients who’d sing his praises. We’ve been overrun with calls from former patients, bereft over this senseless crime.” She put her hand on her heart. “As a woman, I know I’m supposed to believe the women making these charges, and I fully support their right to speak their truth. But I knew him. I knew his heart. And I just can’t believe he did what they say he did.”
“When four women have the same exact story,” Freddie said gently, “we believe them.”
“That’s the thing that’s always bothered me about it, though,” Nancy said. “They have the sameexactstory. It’s always felt manufactured to me. And I want to add… I volunteer at a rape crisis center. I’m an advocate for believing and supporting victims of sexual violence. But this…” She shook her head. “I’ll never believe it.”
“What would be their motive in banding together to make up such a thing?” Gonzo asked.
“I’ve thought long and hard about that, as I know Marcel did, too. The only thing we could think of was if they didn’t get the child they hoped to have when they came to him, they wanted financial restitution.”
“I assume they sign paperwork as patients absolving the doctors and practice of any liability if they should fail to conceive and carry a child to term,” Gonzo said.
“Absolutely. We have ironclad forms to that effect. We aren’t miracle workers. There’s always a chance of failure. But that kind of failure… It does something to people. We’ve seen it many times over the years.”
“How so?” Freddie asked.
“The disappointment is crushing,” she said. “Dr. Blanchet, in particular, was known for being able to get results in even the most difficult situations. When the treatments failed, as they did for all four of the women attached to the lawsuit, the patients experience more than just failed fertility treatments. It’s like the end of their dream to carry their own child. Some of them become bitter. We’ve seen that happen a few times. They want someone to blame, and their doctor is a handy target. It’s a rare reaction, but it does happen.”
While Freddie heard what she was saying, everything in him rejected the notion that failed fertility treatments would lead women to accuse Dr. Blanchet of the things they’d said he’d done to them. “I’m sorry,” he said. “All due respect for the losses of people you cared about, but I can’t, for the life of me, imagine anyone making up a story like those in the lawsuit because a doctor failed to do something that they knew he couldn’t guarantee from the beginning.”
“I was about to say the same thing,” Gonzo said.
“There’s no way he ever would’ve done the things they said he did,” Nancy said more forcefully. “I knew him for fifteen years. Worked closely with him for all that time. Was close to his family. I never once saw or heard him do anything inappropriate with women. Based on my experience with the rape crisis center, I know how to identify a predator. He was not a predator.”
“Did other patients ever complain about him?” Freddie asked.
“Never.”
“So these were the only four patients who ever complained about him in all his years of practice?”
“The only ones I ever knew of. Did you ever meet Marcel Blanchet?” she asked in a testy tone.
“No,” Freddie said for both of them.
“I saw him just about every day for the last fifteen years. If that man was a predator, I know nothing about anything. Even your own SVU detective determined there was insufficient evidence to charge him.”
If anyone other than Ramsey had investigated, Freddie would’ve felt better about that outcome.
“We hear what you’re saying and appreciate your input,” Freddie said. “Can you think of anyone else who might’ve had a beef with Marcel or Liliana that could’ve led to the murders of their entire family?”
“I’ve done nothing but think about that since the second I heard the dreadful news.” She reached for another tissue. “I can’t think of anyone who would’ve been capable of harming those sweet kids.”
He gave her his card with the usual instructions.
