"Ms. Ramsey, you may call your first witness."
"The defense calls Dr. Edward Wilton to the stand." Once Edward was sworn in, she asked, "Dr. Wilton, could you tell the court what your occupation is?"
"I am a practicing physician at Bay Pointe Hospital."
"How long have you had your job?"
"About 20 years."
"You were the physician treating Clifford Stuart while he was in the hospital and you were on duty when he died, is that correct?"
"Yes, that is correct."
"Could you tell us about your patient's condition while he was in the hospital?"
"He was brought in after suffering a heart attack. Fortunately it was only a mild attack and we expected him to fully recover and be able to go home in a few days."
"Can you describe for us what you recall happening just before Mr. Stuart's death?"
"I was treating another patient, a routine physical, when one of the nurses on duty called me into Mr. Stuart's room. Mr. Stuart had stopped breathing and he had no pulse. We performed CPR and attempted to revive him, but he was unresponsive."
"What was his cause of death?"
"Restriction of the airway. He couldn't breathe."
"In layman's terms could you explain the results of the toxicology reports done after Mr. Stuart's death to the court?"
"The tests found an elevated level of the drug Lisinopril in his blood. He was given that drug as part of his recovery, but it was found in higher levels that it should have been given the dosage that he was prescribed."
"What is Lisinopril? What does it do?"
"Lisinopril is an ACE inhibitor that is commonly given after heart attacks. It lowers blood pressure, making easier for a heart that has been weakened, as Mr. Stuart's was, to pump blood."
"How much of the drug was found in Mr. Stuart's system?"
"About three times the amount we would have expected from what he was prescribed."
"Is that consistent with the broken tablets found in Mr. Stuart's hospital room?"
"Yes, the contents of those capsules would have accounted for the excess found in his blood stream."
"How would that extra dosage affected Mr. Stuart? Would it have been fatal?"
"It definitely was not enough to be fatal. It would have been high for Mr. Stuart's condition, but it's not uncommon to prescribe that amount for other patients, say those with high blood pressure. For Mr. Stuart, it would have likely caused him to be light headed or dizzy and weak."
"Had anyone from the hospital been in Mr. Stuart's room between the time you estimate he took the drug and the time he was suffocated?"
"Yes, the nurse on duty checked on him."
"And Mr. Stuart was alone then?"
"Yes, no one had seen anyone but the staff on duty enter or leave his room that morning. He did not mention having any visitors to the nurse on duty."
"Do you believe it's possible that someone could have been trying to help Mr. Stuart by giving him the Lisinopril?"
"I think it's possible. Not being there I couldn't say whether it was given with the intention of trying to harm Mr. Stuart or help him."
"Is it unusual for the pill capsules to be crushed, as they were, instead of given whole?"
"It's not uncommon to crush the pills and administer them in water or soft foods, especially if a patient is having trouble swallowing whole capsules."
"And you said the dosage was not enough to be fatal or even seriously detrimental?"
"It is important to keep a regular schedule for dosage and not to double dose, but it was definitely not enough to be fatal or necessarily cause serious harm."
"Thank you, Dr. Wilton. I have no further questions."
"Dr. Wilton," Mr. Sharp, said stepping forward. "You are obviously a well learned, experienced, medical professional. Would you consider the information you shared with the court about the drug Mr. Stuart was given, it's dosage, side effects, and intended use, to be common knowledge for someone outside of the medical profession?"
"No. I wouldn't expect anyone to know about a certain drug unless they have been instructed on its use."
"So, Mr. Burgess, who has no known medical background, wouldn't have known, necessarily, what he was giving Mr. Stuart, if he gave Mr. Stuart the drugs found in his room?"
"I'm not familiar with Mr. Burgess' background, but I wouldn't just expect him to know anything about Mr. Stuart's medication."
"You said that it's not uncommon for that particular type of drug to be mixed with water if a patient has trouble swallowing. Had Mr. Stuart had any problems swallowing the whole capsules?"
"No, he had no such problems that I was aware of. He had been taking the pills whole."
"You said that the excess amount of drug in his system could have made him weaker, correct?"
"Yes, that is correct."
"Do you think his weakened condition might have made him more susceptible to the later attack?"
"It might have, but he was already weak after recovering from the heart attack. I really couldn't say how vulnerable the excess drug made him."
"Thank you, Dr. Wilton."
"You may call your next witness, Ms. Ramsey."
"Thank you, your honor," Samantha said, standing as she consulted her notes and called the first of Hector's character witnesses.
Logan sat in his office, pouring over photographs and files of evidence. He knew the connection he was searching for was there, he just didn't know how to prove it and he was running out of time.
He stood up when Lieutenant Kauker walked into the room.
"How is the trial going, sir?"
"It's nearing the end. Last I heard, the defense attorney was questioning almost everyone in the defendant's past, trying to convince the jury that her client isn't such a bad guy. I really don't know which way the jury is going to go on this one when it's all said and done."
"No?" Logan said, feigning interest. He couldn't care less about Burgess' fate. It was the actual murderer, the person who came back afterward and strangled Clifford Stuart, that concerned him.
"Still at it, I see," the Lieutenant said, looking at the photographs on Logan's desk.
"Yes, sir. I just can't put it aside," he said, picking up one of the photographs. "This has to be the work of the same person. It's too similar to be a coincidence. I know there's an organized crime group behind this."
"I believe you, but are you any closer to finding the proof?"
"No," Logan sadly admitted.
"Then you've got to let it go. We'll get them eventually, but in the meantime there are more pressing matters to see to. Don't let this one mission consume you."
"Yes, sir," Logan said. He began gathering up his files, slowly, as the Lieutenant walked away.
"Excuse me, detective?"
Logan turned around to see Vanessa standing in the doorway. "Do you have a moment?"
"Of course, what can I do for you?" he asked, putting his files aside and offering Vanessa a seat.
"I want you to take a look at these," she said, handing him a stack of letters.
Logan took them from her and began skimming over the contents.
"At first I thought they were just fan letters. I'm an actress. But now I'm not so sure. There's something creepy about them, I think. I've been receiving them almost daily."
"I'm not seeing anything alarming here. Were any specific threats made in the letters?"
"No, there isn't anything specific that I'm alarmed about. It's just the letters in general. I don't have a good feeling about them."
"Do you have any idea who might be sending you these letters?"
"No. Something about them seems slightly familiar, but I can't place what exactly. Do you think they could be related to whoever broke into my apartment? The letters started coming shortly after that."
"They could be. Did any of the letters mention your apartment or the break in?"
"No," Vanessa said with a frustrated sigh. "By the way are you getting any closer to finding out who did break into my apartment?"
"I'm afraid not. I'll hold on to these letters and take a closer look at them and see if we can find any clues. In the meantime, just be alert and if you notice anything suspicious let us know."
"Why? So you can just dismiss me again?" Vanessa said, refusing to be ushered out of the station so easily. "Are you really going to do something about this or not?"
"We'll do everything we can, ma'am."
"I hope you do. You're the police. I'm counting on you to protect me." Vanessa turned quickly and left the station before Logan could say something else patronizing and dismissive that would just make her more frustrated and angry.
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