But Dad was hesitant to hope, Tommy said. He was very much ingrained in the worst-case scenario of things. He was fully expecting not to be around much longer.

So in his current state, before receiving a transplant, was he considered terminal? Rachel asked.

Yes, Mrs. Webber said. It was the first time she seemed to be on the verge of weeping since theyd arrived.

Had he experienced any problems with this specialist? Jack asked.

Not at all. Bruce had been seeing him for a little over a year and always spoke highly of him.

Forgive the crude question, Rachel said, but can you think of anyone that may have had something against Mr. Webber? Anyone that might have wanted to see him hurt?

The cops asked the same thing, Tommy said.

And we couldnt come up with anyone, Mrs. Webber said. Even now, two days later, I can think of absolutely no one.

What about the few days leading up to his death? Jack said. Did you notice him behaving strangely? Anything that may have raised some red flags?

Jade and Mrs. Webber both shared a look and shook their heads. If he was acting out of character, I never noticed a thing, Mrs. Webber said.

By any chance does the name Maria Ramirez mean anything to you? Rachel asked.

All three of the Webbers thought about this for a moment. One by one, they shook their heads. I cant say that it does, Mrs. Webber said. I suppose it could have been someone Bruce worked with, but he didnt talk about work that often.

And he hadnt worked in about five months anyway, Jade added. He was having too many issues with his health, his liver; it just got to the point where it made no sense for him to keep going in.

Rachel considered this, her eyes locking on the cutting board, the carrots, the knife. She thought about a man that had been considered terminal, pretty much expecting the worst to happen to him, even when he was placed on a transplant list. And though she hated herself for thinking such a thing, she could not help but wonder what her current situation might be like if a transplant could save her.

She did her best to remain a part of the conversation as it went on for another five minutes, but her mind seemed hung up on that. And God help her, she could not escape from the feeling that it simply did not seem fair. It was a dark and brooding sort of selfishness and while it made her feel almost less than human, she had to accept that, along with her diagnosis, it was now a part of her.