Final Notice, page 10
Vince was struck by the age of one of the deceased, 71-years old. Could this in some way be related to the other recent deaths in Arizona and Missouri? Would he ever know?
***
Quincy, Massachusetts. The industrial park containing VitalTech was unimpressive, and the building, very low key. It stood in marked contrast to the dossier on Vijay Patel, whom Zoe would be meeting with soon: PhD from MIT, Harvard Med School graduate, accomplished athlete, and founder of VitalTech. She hoped that this meeting would reveal more clues as to why the three people, bound together through their common membership in the VT2 alpha test, were involved in at least 12 deaths.
Agent Brouet was met in the lobby by Maureen Singer, Vijay Patel’s secretary, whom she had watched descend the single- story staircase.
“Good morning Ms. Brouet, or is it, Special Agent Brouet? I’m Maureen Singer, Vijay Patel’s secretary.”
“Good morning, Ms. Singer,” Zoe smiled. “You can call me Zoe or Agent Brouet.” As Zoe handed Maureen her card, she thought they were about the same age, but Maureen was taller and had beautiful red hair.
Maureen smiled back, “It’s Maureen. Did you find us OK?”
“Yes, thanks to the miracle of GPS. How long have you been here?”
“About a year. Let me take you up to see Vijay.”
“Does he prefer ‘Vijay’ or ‘Dr. Patel’?” They both smiled at the ‘what’s your name?’ theme of their conversation.
“Everyone calls him Vijay. He’s a great guy,” she added, as they climbed the stairs.
“Vijay, this is Zoe Brouet with the FBI.” Maureen handed Vijay Zoe’s card.
“Special Agent Brouet,” he said aloud, reading Zoe’s card. “It’s nice to meet you.”
“You can call me Zoe. And the pleasure is mine,” she replied. She was surprised at how tall he was, but that experience was not uncommon for her.
“How can we help you today?”
“I’m charged with investigating the mysterious, and frankly, motiveless shootings that have involved three of your alpha test participants.”
“That was fast. We just put two and two together ourselves and realized that two of our users had been involved in shootings and one committed suicide.” Vijay replied, with high regard that they had figured it out.
Zoe was confused. “One of your users committed suicide? Who was that?”
Vijay looked at his computer screen and tapped a few keys. “Earl Hoover in Boynton Beach, Florida. You said three shootings. The others were” … again looking at his screen ... “John Mason in Arizona and Quentin Moore in Missouri. Right?”
Zoe scribbled the information about Earl Hoover, “We didn’t know about the suicide and perhaps you haven’t heard about the latest incident. It happened over the past weekend, although the bodies weren’t discovered until Monday.”
“Bodies?”
“Yes, it’s complicated. Two people were shot and the third, one of your alpha testers, died of natural causes. It appeared to be a heart attack.”
“And the alpha tester shot the other two?”
“Good question. It was his gun, but the prints were wiped, so we don’t know for sure. The police are carrying out tests and looking for additional evidence.”
“Wow! Zoe, I want to do all I can to help you with your investigation. Four out of 100 test users seems more than a coincidence. How can I help?”
Zoe scribbled a note. “Well, you’ve just started. I now know that you had 100 people enrolled in your test and one committed suicide. And yes, that would be more than coincidental, given that shootings were involved with all the deaths. How were the test participants selected?”
“This was an initial test so we chose older participants, 65 -90 years old, as they might have more medical issues, therefore putting the VT2 through its paces. None, to the best of our knowledge, had life-threatening illnesses or were clinically depressed. We believe they were in generally good health, given their age. And, to test user friendliness, their age would make them less tech savvy.”
Zoe jotted some notes and thought to herself that Quentin Moore was a poor choice in that regard and said, “I spoke with Quentin Moore’s physician. Quentin was the one that shot a cashier and then died shortly thereafter at home of natural causes. And he mentioned congestive heart failure as the possible cause of death.”
“I can check on that but if neither we nor the physician dropped the ball, it’s possible that he had early stage congestive heart failure and that his condition didn’t automatically put him at risk of death within the next year or two.”
“So, something happened to accelerate his condition?”
“Yes, if the original diagnosis was correct. But you need to understand that the human body is often a mystery, and while there are many people who live much longer than we, as doctors, believe they should, given their condition, there are others who don’t last as long as we expect.”
“Fair enough. Tell me about the notice feature, ‘Final Notice,’ I believe you call it.”
“Appropriate question, given my comment about predicting accurately,” Vijay replied, smiling outwardly, but now beset with inner turmoil. “The VitalTech team has developed a unique, powerful and very accurate set of analytical functions that are administered through the VT2. I’m a medical doctor and I can say with full confidence that our technology is superior to going into a laboratory for ongoing testing, as every minute, all day, every day, the VT2 is carrying out those tests. The unique suite of data and analytics behind it has consistently and accurately predicted death during all our tests for the past three months. For simplicity of analysis, we decided to set the Final Notice to one week.”
Zoe jotted down a note. “What are the possible time frame ranges?”
“We’re very confident up to 30 days.”
Zoe wrote again and asked, “Have there been any adverse effects during your tests, other than the shootings?”
Vijay squirmed uncomfortably in his chair. “None. However, our earlier tests and these ‘alpha’ field tests are very different. For example, we carried out the initial tests in hospital environments where there was care and support when people learned they would die within a week. Most of the alpha field test people live much more independent lives.
“Importantly, too, in the context of your visit, none of our initial test subjects in hospitals had access to guns. And possibly, the tests in the hospitals were with people who were perhaps more prepared or conditioned to the fact that they would be dying soon. That is not the case with our field test participants.”
“Why is the Notice feature important to include?”
“Well, the answer that our Focus Groups gave us centered on the ability and time to get their affairs in order – including reaching out to loved ones and friends and clearing their consciences of loose ends. Many people are unprepared with respect to wills, etc. and even those who are prepared can benefit from the little details and updates that are missed. But mostly – as scary as it might be – the Notice gives people the opportunity to say goodbye.
Emotion crashed over Zoe like an ocean breaker that she never saw coming and her eyes welled up. She took a deep breath and as calmly as she could, replied, “My father died, and we had a lot of unfinished business and reconciliation left. His death was unexpected, and I was at a critical point in my FBI training and couldn’t even attend his funeral. I wish he’d had a VT2.”
Now it was Vijay’s turn for emotion. He had been leaning in favor of changing the Notice but after hearing Zoe’s comment, he was unsure. Didn’t he give a VT2 to his father for that very reason? “But if the Final Notice is causing senseless deaths, is it worth it?”
“I’m not a psychologist but I’ve studied the subject and seen a lot of ‘human nature’ and as distressing as these deaths are, they are the result of actions from a small percentage of people – with or without guns – who have chosen to take advantage of the system. What you don’t know or hear about are the other stories, and I’d be willing to bet that the percentage of these is far higher, where the Notice has enabled far more noble outcomes.
Vijay was moved by the sincerity of this young woman and it helped to keep the dark cloud at bay.
Zoe had recovered from her emotional tumble. She took a deep breath and continued, “Dr. Patel … Vijay ... given what you know about the deaths and gun incidents of the four test subjects, what is your educated explanation, from a doctor’s perspective, for what may have happened?”
“Knowing – for sure – that you will die within a known period of time will affect different people in different ways, as we’ve seen. Some might be relieved, like perhaps the suicide victim, by the ability to avoid more pain or helplessness during their final days. This already happens much more than is documented. Others are angry, and that anger may be aimed at individuals or groups. The man in the retirement home seemed to be angry with his fellow residents for some reason.
Perhaps the man who shot the cashier was angry at him or even at the store itself.”
Zoe interrupted, “He did have an angry altercation with the cashier earlier, in fact.”
“Aha. So, yes, there are a number of reasons, but in all these cases it was access to guns that created an outcome different than our experiences so far. I don’t know enough about the last victim, but I can find out. What was his name?”
“Billy Roy Hunter in Midland, Texas.”
Vijay picked up the phone and pressed a few keys. “Patsy, Hi. Can you pull the alpha test logs for Billy Roy Hunter in Midland and bring them here? I need them, asap. … Thanks.”
“Patsy Carter, our Clinical Head, will be here shortly. Tell me about the Midland shooting.”
“I don’t know much more than what I told you. We know that Billy Roy was wearing a VT2 watch and that the coroner’s estimate of death was Friday or Saturday. Will your logs pinpoint the exact time of death?”
“Yes, they should. Oh, here’s Patsy, now. Zoe, this is Dr. Patsy Carter, our Clinical Head. Zoe is a Special Agent from the FBI and has been investigating the links between the VT2 and shootings we discussed last week. Apparently there has been another gun incident involving one of our test participants.”
“Good to meet you, Zoe. I just looked at these and Mr. Billy Roy Hunter died on Friday at 4:36 PM, CST. The data indicates heart failure as the cause of death. And the supporting analytics confirm that was the case, as opposed to a gunshot wound.”
“Thanks, Dr. Carter. He wasn’t shot, so that’s a plus for your
analytics. What else can the data tell us?”
Looking at the print-out and graphs, “It seems like from about 4:00 PM until death, there were significant negative changes: increased stress level, increased blood pressure, reduced blood flow, reduced oxygen intake, and increased blood sugar.”
“As doctors, in your opinion, what might have caused those changes?”
“Patsy?” Vijay deferred.
“Severe stress could be the catalyst for all of this. That could have come about through sudden exertion, but judging from the length of time and Mr. Hunter’s physical condition, 35 minutes of physical exertion is unlikely. Given the rapid and significant change, I would say an argument, or arguments, could have been the trigger.”
“Why did you say ‘or arguments?’ ”
“If you look closely at this graph – we can enlarge it to see more detail – there was a steady build up from about 4:00 PM until about 4:30 PM when the trend stabilized and even began to normalize. Then it suddenly spiked up again until death. So somehow, the first argument abated, followed by round two.”
They sat in silence for a moment, each lost in their own disparate thoughts.
Zoe broke the silence, “Thank you, Dr. Carter. See if this scenario would fit your data. Hunter and his wife argue from 4:00 PM until about 4:30 PM. She leaves and he pours himself a drink. Would that support the normalizing trend?”
“In my opinion, yes. Alcohol and even cigarettes could have a short-term positive influence.”
Zoe looked at her file and said, “In addition to a half empty glass of bourbon, there were cigarettes. One stubbed out and the other one halfway burned down.”
“And the second spike?” asked Vijay.
“The third victim was Mrs. Hunter’s son from a previous marriage. He didn’t live there. So, what if Hunter is calming down after a big argument with his wife, his wife’s son comes in, and argument two starts? We know that a gun with the son’s prints had fired one shot which exited a window.”
“That would definitely support the readings.”
“Hunter reacts to the missed shot, his stress levels spike and he receives his Final Notice; shoots the son and his wife before dying of a heart attack.”
Both Patsy and Vijay are chilled by the plausible depiction of the murders. Patsy replies, “Very possible, yet almost unbelievable coincidences.”
Seeing an opportunity to get a second objective opinion, Zoe asks, “Dr. Carter, Dr. Patel has given me his opinion about why someone receiving their Final Notice might be motivated to kill someone. As you know, prior to the Hunter shooting, two other test participants have shot and killed others. Could I ask your opinion?”
Patsy thought momentarily. “Revenge, settling old scores before it’s too late. If you know, for sure, that you’re going to die in a day, two days, a week, there’ll be no repercussions and it could even make you feel better. Hell, although I don’t have a gun, nor am I sure I could use one if I did, I could think of a few people I would like to take out if I knew I was dying in a couple days. Take them out and make the world a better place.”
Vijay intercedes, “Patsy, let’s not get into politics.” All three crack up laughing.
Zoe brings the conversation back. “Dr. Patel, you indicated that this current alpha test is an initial field test. Do you plan additional tests and, if so, how and when will you launch them?”
“Another good question, and yes, we are planning a beta test and are working through the details now. Drew Pierson, our head of Research & Development, looked into how many of our alpha test users have guns or access to them and he came up with 60. We can’t be 100% certain of that number, as the question of gun ownership can’t be asked in all states, but let’s assume it’s correct. 60% is higher than the national average so we will set the beta test at 50%, which is closer to reality. By the way, Drew also confirmed that two recent deaths following Final Notices were uneventful. And one of those users had a gun.”
Zoe replies, “Yes, I’ve spoken with Drew on the phone and that’s good news that everyone with a gun doesn’t use it after receiving their Notice. How large will the beta test be?”
“We haven’t agreed on that number yet, but certainly between 200 and 500, maybe more if production can support it. But Agent Brouet,” (consciously reverting to a more formal tone), “in your opinion, do we have a legal or even moral responsibility to do anything about a VT2 user’s actions after receiving their Final Notice?”
Zoe was still running the probabilities of more shootings through her head, given the beta test size. “I have a law degree, but I couldn’t say for sure about your legal responsibility. The Final Notice function is really no different than a doctor telling someone that they have x number of days or weeks to live, and that’s not illegal. As for a moral responsibility, I may be an exception in the law enforcement community, but I’m not a big fan of armed citizens. If there’s a moral responsibility somewhere, I’d start with the NRA. I got involved in this investigation because the NRA is giving senior citizens discounts on guns. And states are making it easier and easier to buy guns. There are only 14 states that require a permit to purchase one, and unless you check the box that says you are mentally unstable and/or a convicted felon, it’s ‘thank you for your business and good luck!’ ”
“OK,” said Vijay. “I’ll need to check with our legal department, but here is what I’d like to do. For our next test group, we’ll ask each participant if they have a gun. I understand that in some states, doctors can’t ask about guns. But we will go with a 50/50 gun/no gun test population as best as we can determine. And if I don’t get push back from legal, we’ll give you a user list, showing the gun status. I don’t want to emulate Big Brother, but I don’t want more innocent people killed, either.”
“That’s a good idea, and I’ll be honest with you. After my bosses receive my report, they may issue a demand to have that list anyway. In fact, can you give me a list of your alpha users with the information Drew found, as having gun access?”
Vijay ponders and replies, “I think we can, but let me check with legal. If they are OK with it, I’ll send it today or at least let you know if there’s an issue.”
