Chapter 18 - The Emergency Boardroom
At eight in the morning, the executive boardroom on the thirty-second floor was locked from the inside.
The thirteen members of the hospital board were gathered around the polished teak table, sipping espresso and reviewing the quarterly earnings report.
Dr. Finch sat at the right hand of Dr. Arthur Whitaker, looking relaxed, triumphant, and completely in control.
The heavy double doors burst open with a crash that rattled the crystal water carafes.
Every head snapped toward the entrance.
I stood in the doorway, my scrubs stained with the antiseptic fluid from Room 412.
Behind me, two uniformed officers from the Cook County Sheriff’s Department stood with their hands resting on their utility belts.
"Emma, what is the meaning of this interruption?" Finch barked, rising to his feet with practiced indignation.
"This is an executive session."
"The session is over, Marcus," I said, stepping forward and tossing a thick stack of medical charts onto the center of the table.
"Ten minutes ago, I brought an emergency patient into Operating Room 3."
"She is currently undergoing an emergency valve explant."
"The valve inside her chest carries the serial registration of Vancorp Bio-Therapeutics."
Arthur Whitaker went completely white, his coffee cup clattering onto the saucer.
"Emma... what are you saying?" Arthur stammered.
"I’m saying that Daniel Pierce never stopped performing unauthorized human trials," I said, my gaze locking onto Finch’s smirking face.
"He was using an unlicensed surgical suite across the state line in Gary, Indiana."
"And the bills were being routed directly through the Chicago Memorial Foundation’s clinical trial escrow account."
"Signed by Chief Medical Officer Marcus Finch."
A murmur of horror swept through the board members.
Finch’s smirk vanished, his aristocratic jaw tightening into a snarl.
"This is an unhinged accusation from an emotional employee facing a multi-million-dollar lawsuit!" Finch shouted.
"Is it?" I pulled my phone from my pocket and pressed play on the speaker.
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Sloane Whitaker’s voice boomed through the high-ceilinged room:
*"This is Dr. Sloane Whitaker. I am submitting an official affidavit to the Department of Justice regarding the offshore accounts shared by Dr. Marcus Finch and Daniel Pierce."*
