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“Of course.” Jillian glanced at Susan. “Why don't you give him two percocets first? I'll get them ordered in his chart.” She turned to the computer and quickly entered the order to cover the nurse pulling the narcotic out of the machine. Then she looked at her patient. “Mr. Perry, I can't let you drive. You'll need to call someone to come and get you.”
“I know.” He sighed and pulled out his cell phone. Jillian quickly wrote her medical assessment note in his chart listening while he explained to his ex-wife why he needed a ride. “She's not thrilled, but she's coming to get me.” He lowered his phone and tucked it back into his pocket.
“Good.” Jillian finished her note and logged off the computer. Glancing at the clock, she wrinkled her forehead. Everything seemed to be moving slow today. “I'll see what's taking Susan so long to get your medication.”
“I'm not going anywhere,” Mr. Perry grumbled.
Jillian stepped out of his room, pulling the curtain closed behind her. She frowned when she noticed there were a group of people crowded around the medication dispensing machine.
“Susan? Did you get Mr. Perry’s percocets?”
Susan disengaged herself from the gathering of nurses and shook her head. “I'm waiting for the pharmacy to send more.”
Jillian bit back a flash of irritation. “Why? I thought the machine sent a message to pharmacy requesting a restock once the last dose was taken?”
“Yeah, that's the problem.” Susan’s face was as red as her hair. “According to the inventory there is supposed to be sixteen percocets left. But I didn't find any. They’re all missing.”
* * *
Alecand his partner Rafe Hernandez were called out to the hospital moments after their evening shift started. He knew, even before Rose Jenkins had told him, that there must have been another diversion of narcotics from the medication dispensing machine.
After he and Rafe walked into the emergency department, they were met by the charge nurse, Lacy, who escorted them to a conference room, her expression grave. “They’re waiting inside.”
Walking into the room, he scanned the people gathered there and found Jillian. Her face was pale and her forehead was creased in a deep frown. He wanted to offer a reassuring smile, but didn't.
He and Rafe took their seats at one end of the table. Introductions were quickly made—Rose Jenkins, the nursing manager, Jillian Davis, the medical director of the emergency department, Margaret Strauss, Trinity Medical Center’s Risk Manager, and Dr. Chris Donnell, chief of staff. All of Trinity's leadership was present and accounted for.
Rose gave a brief summary of the newest discrepancy. Sixteen didn’t sound like a lot, but Alec knew that in the wrong hands, it could still be deadly.
“I need a list of all the staff members who are working during both narcotic thefts,” Alec said.
Rose nodded and handed him a sheet of paper. “We've gathered the names, twenty-two in all, of those who are working during the time frames in question. The first two nurses on the list have disciplinary action in their personnel files—you may want to start with them. The five nurses with stars by their names were the ones who accessed the machine close to the time frame of the diversion. Upon questioning them, several claimed they hadn't been to the machine, despite the computerized record, making us wonder if the thief is stealing and using staff passwords.”
“The thefts also occurred during change of shift, a chaotic time when people are too busy to notice details,” Jillian added, her face still pale.
“You don’t have security cameras over the narcotic dispensing machine?” Rafe asked.
“No. But in light of recent events, perhaps that's a step we will now be forced to take.” Rose Jenkins glanced at the other administrators in the room. “I'm being told by human resources though, that the nurses must be told that there is a camera there. We cannot video record them without their knowledge.”
Hmm. Alec glanced at Rafe. He would have preferred a hidden camera but understood he had little say in the matter.
Jillian shifted in her seat, looking as if she wanted to say something, but didn't.
Alec understood why she was upset. “I know it isn't easy, suspecting one of your own to be stealing narcotics. I would still ask that you think about the people on this list and let me know if anyone has been acting differently lately. Sometimes a change in behavior is a clue that there is something more going on.”
Jillian's troubled gaze slid from his and he knew her name, along with twenty-one others, was on the list. He didn't believe she was guilty—what could possibly be her motive? Yet he couldn't afford to ignore her as a suspect either.
“Is there anything else we can do to catch this person?” Rose asked.
He didn't have a good answer for her. “Is there a way to take all the narcotics out of the machine? Maybe force the staff to get them personally from a person?”
Rose and Jillian looked horrified.
“No!” Rose shook her head vehemently. “Our patients often need pain medication—we can't go without any narcotics. And forcing one person to get them from another is just not feasible. We see too many patients every day for that.”
“Besides,” Jillian added, “using the machine gives us a record, even if it's not entirely accurate.”
He hated to admit she had a point. But that led him right back to the need to have a secret hidden camera.
