Six deaths in two months on one ward in a London hospital. Is this a case of physician malpractice? Is the staff compliant or just inattentive? Detective Ashley Longfellow of Scotland Yard interviews the ward’s personnel and concludes the spat of deaths are linked to the patient data system. Do the uncovered clues point to a compromised doctor? Is SoftWaters manager of the patient system, Eloy Prado, now a suspect?
Longfellow learns of the anonymous calls to the ward from a red phone box; the caller takes delight in singing of deaths-to-come. The ensuing fear frustrates the detective, adding to her boss’ impossible demands. Is this unhinged voice a doctor or the SoftWaters manager? Nothing is ever simple in murder.
Uncovered in her interviews with the suspect physicians, Longfellow learns of childhood misogynist experiences that may have misshapen their oath of “do no harm,” now canted toward death as a preferred outcome. Confronting their ethos, Longfellow may be risking her own life as she pursues the cause of solving needless deaths.
But what of the SoftWaters manager having access to the patient data system? Is he an outsider copycatting the deaths? Because of her investigation, has Longfellow become a target of the murderer? The case weighs heavily on our heroine.