The Body Thief (14 page)

“No, of course not. I’m pleased you did.
Doctor Wolfe is perhaps in a better position to answer our
questions.”

The doctor stood and the men greeted each
other with handshakes. Rohan took the time to study him. He was one
of those good-looking, athletic types and appeared to be in his
mid-forties. Silver wings at his temples were in stark contrast to
his otherwise dark hair, but they only enhanced his air of keen
intelligence and authority.

Small crows’ feet jostled for space around
his eyes and faint smudges of fatigue left shadows beneath them,
but his direct gaze was friendly and open. Something about the man
seemed familiar and a memory niggled at the back of Rohan’s mind,
but it disappeared before he could cement it into a coherent
thought.

Deborah took a seat behind her cluttered
desk and drew her chair in close. Sitting tall, she folded her
hands together in front of her and addressed them.

“So, Detectives, how can we help you?”

Rohan pulled his notebook out of his pocket.
“Ms Healy, it’s come to our attention that someone in this hospital
might be carrying out the removal of some human organs and body
tissue on deceased patients without consent.”

To the credit of both hospital employees,
they maintained their composures. The only evidence that they were
affected by Rohan’s announcement appeared in the form of a
tightening of Doctor Wolfe’s lips and a flush that spread slowly
across the general manager’s cheeks. She motioned for Rohan to
continue.

“There are a number of factors that have led
us to this conclusion. We’ve spent some time interviewing staff
from various funeral homes in the vicinity of the hospital. As you
can imagine, there are a lot. We chose to attend the businesses
that were closest to you and we’ve uncovered some rather disturbing
results.”

As Rohan spoke, Deborah’s expression grew
more and more grave. When he finished, her gaze held the smallest
hint of fear. Rohan understood her sense of foreboding. It had been
less than three years since the fiasco with the murderous Doctor
Baker. It had taken the hospital some time to recover from that bad
press. He could sympathize with her dread of hearing yet another
rogue doctor was on the loose in the Sydney Harbour Hospital.
Clearing his throat, he spoke again.

“We also talked to staff at the Glebe
Morgue. All of the people we spoke to agreed that they had noticed
an increase in the number of bodies coming through their
establishments who presented as organ donors.”

The general manager held Rohan’s gaze and
appeared to regain a little of her equilibrium. “That’s not
entirely surprising, Detective. The hospital has spent considerable
funds over the past few months on extensive organ donor advertising
campaigns in both the print and electronic media. We’ve seen some
very positive results. I’m sure Doctor Wolfe can provide you with
the statistics we’ve been able to collect so far.”

Alistair turned in his chair until he faced
Rohan and Bryce. “We’re very pleased with how it’s all going. Organ
donations are up by thirty percent and the campaign only kicked off
at the beginning of June. Of course, we always see an increase in
deaths over winter, particularly in the elderly and those who run
out of skill on the icy roads. It’s a tough time of the year for a
lot of people. Even with the marvels of modern medicine, we can’t
always save them.”

Rohan thought of his mother and her
persistent cough and resolved to call her again and insist she
attend upon another doctor. Her regular physician kept claiming it
was no more than a bout of the flu, but Rohan and his father
weren’t entirely convinced by that reassurance.

“What’s your role as the head of the Organ
Donation for Transplantation Unit, Doctor Wolfe?” Bryce asked.

“The position is relatively new and one
that’s not without its challenges. I’m a surgeon first and foremost
and I assist with many of the organ retrievals. This is done in
conjunction with retrieval teams from the various other Sydney
hospitals.”

“How do you decide which retrieval team to
call?” Bryce asked. “Is there a roster?”

Alistair shook his head. “It doesn’t work
like that. The hospitals involved in the organ transplantation
program usually specialize in the transplantation of specific
organs. For example, the Royal Prince Alfred Hospital specializes
in kidney and liver transplants. Heart and lung transplants tend to
be carried out across town at St Vincent’s Hospital. Westmead does
kidneys and pancreas. So if we get a donation of a kidney, the
retrieval teams from RPA and Westmead are notified. If a heart is
donated, the St Vincent’s team will be called, and so on. Of
course, if more than one organ is donated from the same individual,
several teams might receive the call.”

“It must involve quite a crowd in the
operating room,” Rohan commented.

The doctor smiled. “You have no idea.”

“Whose job is it to approach the relatives
of the dying patient and obtain the necessary consents?” Rohan
asked.

“I’m head of the Unit,” Alistair replied.
“If I’m working when such an occasion arises, a staff member will
page me and I meet with the relatives, explain the circumstances
and the condition of their loved one, talk about the organ donation
process and how much it can mean to someone on a transplant
list—and then hopefully, obtain their consent.”

“You’re obviously a good communicator if the
recent stats are anything to go by, Doctor Wolfe,” Rohan said.

The doctor eyed Rohan somberly. “It’s a
difficult job and one I never look forward to, but I know how
important it is to at least try and convince people to donate.”

He leaned forward, as if to emphasize his
point. “More than sixteen hundred Australians are on a transplant
waiting list at any given time, Detective. You might not know it,
but less than one percent of patients die in hospital in the
specific circumstances where organ donation is even possible.”

He drew in a quick breath. Determination and
a steely resolve deepened the color of his brown eyes. “The numbers
are against us. Demand far outstrips supply. It’s the reason I work
so hard to raise awareness and to increase the donor rate.”

The general manager sat straighter and
clasped her hands together in front of her. “Doctor Wolfe does his
job with an admirable level of skill, sensitivity and compassion.
The hospital receives countless letters thanking us and Doctor
Wolfe for the manner in which he has dealt with them and the
assistance he gives in helping grieving relatives make an extremely
difficult decision. There’s no doubt about it, the recipients of
those organs owe him a great debt of gratitude.”

Alistair looked both humbled and grateful at
the general manager’s words. Rohan was moved by his modesty and his
dedication.

“I can’t imagine how hard it is for you to
do that kind of thing,” he said. “It must take its toll.”

The doctor grimaced. “Of course, both
physically and mentally. I leave here most nights feeling drained,
but I believe wholeheartedly in what I do. I took an oath to do all
I could to ease the suffering of people and help sustain life. If
that means approaching grieving relatives during their darkest hour
in order to persuade them to give the gift of life to others, I’ll
do it over and over again. No question.”

Rohan glanced at Bryce and he could tell his
partner was just as moved by the doctor’s passionate belief as he
was. Rohan hadn’t lied when he’d told Samantha he’d never given
much thought to organ donation, but after the research he’d
undertaken, and listening to Alistair Wolfe, he was struck with an
urgent need to do whatever was necessary to register himself as a
donor.

All of a sudden, the niggling feeling of
familiarity he’d had upon first meeting Alistair came back to him
in a rush and he realized its cause: The good doctor closely
resembled Samantha. Rohan blinked, surprised it had taken him so
long to make the connection. Surely, the two of them must be
related? He turned to the doctor, wanting to have it confirmed.

“Are you any relation to Doctor Samantha
Wolfe?”

The tension in the doctor’s face eased and
he smiled with genuine warmth. His voice conveyed his affection.
“Yes, of course. She’s my baby sister.”

Rohan acknowledged the man’s words with a
slight smile. “When we were introduced, there was something about
you that appeared familiar. Now I know why.”

“You know Sam?”

“Yes.”

“You’ve spoken to her in the course of your
investigation,” Alistair guessed.

“Yes, but I’ve known her for much longer
than that. We met when she was in college.”

Alistair’s eyebrows rose high in surprise.
“Wow, that long ago. She’s never mentioned you.”

“That doesn’t surprise me. I was dating her
roommate at the time. Things didn’t end well.”

Alistair nodded in understanding and Bryce
cleared his throat. “Let’s get back to the investigation.”

“Of course,” Rohan replied.

“What’s the procedure when a patient whose
relatives consent to donate their organs requires an autopsy?”
Bryce asked. “I had it in my head that a coroner’s case would have
to arrive at the morgue intact, but I understand that’s not
necessarily the case?”

Alistair nodded. “That’s correct, Detective
Sutcliffe. It depends upon the circumstances of the individual
case. Once we know a critically ill patient’s relatives desire to
donate the patient’s organs, usually a senior ICU doctor will
contact the coroner or one of his deputies to obtain his
authorization. The matter will be discussed and things such as the
likely cause of death, whether there are any suspicious
circumstances and that kind of thing, will be taken into account
prior to the coroner making his decision.

“If the coroner gives the go ahead to comply
with all or part of the donor’s request, then the doctors go to
work and the retrieval process begins. If something is suspicious
or unclear about cause of death and the coroner declines to
authorize the donation, the deceased will be sent to the morgue
with their organs intact.”

Rohan listened. It was much as Samantha had
described when she’d attended the police station. “How many donor
requests end up going ahead with the authorization of the coroner?”
he asked.

Alistair thought for a moment. “On average,
perhaps one or two a week. The odds increase with a rise in the
number of deaths, such as during a harsh winter. Sydney might not
see snow, but that doesn’t mean people here don’t feel the cold and
we know that even temperatures that don’t fall below zero can have
a fatal effect.”

Rohan nodded. This information also fit with
what Samantha had told him. “How often do you get patients who
donate a substantial number of organs and tissues? Does it ever
happen?”

“Yes, occasionally,” Alistair replied. “When
I approach a patient’s relatives to discuss the possibility of
organ donation, my aim is to have them consent to us taking
anything we can use, but more often than not, they limit consent to
the major organs: heart, lungs, liver and kidneys.”

“What about skin and eye tissue? Or
ligaments and tendons?” Bryce asked.

“If I’ve managed to convince a relative to
give consent for everything, then that means everything.
Unfortunately, like I said, it doesn’t happen very often.”

“How often is not very often?” Rohan
asked.

Alistair shrugged and looked across at the
general manager. “I don’t know. Maybe once every three or four
months.”

Deborah Healy nodded. “That sounds about
right.”

“During our investigations, we’ve discovered
that recently there has been substantial removal of organs and
tissue from at least two bodies and the two we know of were
patients of this hospital. Does this surprise you?”

Alistair nodded. “Yes, it does. Are you sure
about your information?”

“Absolutely certain,” Rohan replied.

“Well, I guess it’s not impossible. It’s
certainly not the norm.”

“If you’re not around at the time a patient
dies, who obtains the consent and who does the surgery?” Rohan
asked.

“There’s a roster. I have a whole team of
very capable doctors who work with me.”

“I see,” Rohan said. “So a single doctor
couldn’t be in the situation where he could act upon something like
this on his own?”

“We have certain protocols in place,”
Deborah interjected smoothly, her expression firm. “There is a
strict procedure that is adhered to in every circumstance and we
always treat our donor bodies with the utmost care and
respect.”

Rohan looked at Alistair. “Do you always
follow protocol, Doctor Wolfe?”

The deliberate gibe didn’t seem to ruffle
the doctor’s composure. “Of course, Detective. That’s why we have
them.”

Rohan stared at him a moment longer.
Satisfied with the doctor’s response, he returned his attention to
the general manager.

“Thank you for your time, Ms Healy and for
arranging for Doctor Wolfe to be in attendance. It’s been most
enlightening and has saved us a good deal of time.” Rohan reached
across the desk and shook her hand before pushing away from his
chair. Bryce followed suit.

Rohan turned to Alistair and again held out
his hand. “Thank you for your cooperation, Doctor Wolfe.”

“My pleasure. I hope I’ve been able to help.
The very thought that someone might be interfering with patients
without consent is abhorrent. If it’s true and news of it gets out,
it would set the entire organ donation movement back decades.”

“Don’t worry, at this point our work is
confidential. I agree wholeheartedly with your concerns and it’s
why I’m determined to get to the bottom of it as soon as possible,”
Rohan replied and then turned back to the general manager. “I’ll
need a copy of the records of any patient who went through an organ
donation retrieval process in the past three months, including
details of treating doctors, retrieval teams, patient consents and
so on. I appreciate it’s a lot to ask, but we need to find out
what, if anything’s been happening.”