CHAPTER 84: POSSIBILITY OF FALLACY

Today is the last day of Sir Alexander’s week-long wake. The mansion’s outdoors was filled with several attendees, employees and Board of Directors from Hunt Global Corporation, the surviving relatives of his and even close friends, were all gathered in one place to mourn for his untimely departure and commemorate his glorious life.


It had been a week full of sorrows and grieves, especially to Penelope, who never left her father’s side even at her weakest and over-fatigued condition. There was never an hour that I didn’t see her eyes leaking, which deeply affects me to the extreme. There were incidents where I had to sedate her for her to somehow rest herself from the turmoil around her.


Losing someone, most especially an immediate family member, was definitely a time of emotional upheaval and physical obstruction. It results in mental disruption at the same time, which I am fully aware that Penelope was experiencing now. I knew the feeling, because I had experienced them before when my foster parents died.


That was why as much as I could, even when my body protested to rest, I didn’t leave her side. Wherever she goes, I was with her. I see to it that her health was stable and that she wouldn’t go through fainting once again just like what occurred to her the day she discovered her father’s death.


As much as I tried not to put the blame on myself for what had happened to Sir Alexander, there was a huge part inside of me that was caked and wrapped with guilt. Although what happened was destined to take place, I hate to admit that Penelope was right.


If only someone was with him that night, if only I was there and was looking after him, which was my duty and responsibility as his personal physician, none of these could have occurred. My patient could have been alive and wasn’t lying in that coldness he was now at. If only I didn’t let the burning desire and carnal cravings for my girlfriend to encompass me, Alexander Gerard Hunt could still be living at this point in time.


If there was to be blamed for this tragic incident, that should be me. I am at fault. It was my fault, because I slacked down on my duty. It was my fault for neglecting my patient, my shortcoming. I blamed myself that Penelope was now at her grimmest moment. I was the one who caused her to suffer too much, which gravely ate me with extensive guilt.


Although I didn’t voice it out to Penelope, as I didn’t wish to add fuel to her already misfortuned situation, I knew in myself that everything could have been prevented if only I was with him that night. I would forever hold it against me every time I remember this day, every time I remember his name. This moment will forever haunt my conscience for as long as I live.


I was now talking to the deceased closest board member, explaining to him the cause of our boss’ sudden departure, when he asked me the reason for his death. It wasn’t a mystery to everyone about Mr. Hunt’s illness and condition, which all weren’t surprised of what caused his sudden death. But I didn’t expect his uncanny insight after I revealed the details to him.


“Have any of you thought of doing an autopsy on Alexander's body, Doctor White? Although his illness was somewhat treacherous, just like a heart attack, according to what you’ve mentioned earlier, his condition prior to what happened was progressing” His inquiry made me look at him with a huge question mark on my face.


Autopsies were only administered and done if someone dies in a suspicious, unusual or unnatural way. This was mostly done if the death was conspired or associated with crime, which I believed doesn’t categorized Mr. Hunt’s state.


“No one thought about it, Sir, especially I myself. Why would we have him autopsied when Mr. Hunt wasn’t associated with any crimes as he died inside his bedroom due to failure of adequate air in his lungs?”


“What I said was merely for reconfirmation and validity purposes, Doctor. Given the fact that yes, Alexander had been struggling with his illness for decades now and there were times where he had some lapses in breathing, we still shouldn’t be complacent that he died due to it. Let me tell you a real life story, Doctor White. A relative of mine has a heart problem, which he had been suffering for decades, just like Alexander’s. One day, he died. Everyone concluded that it was due to a heart attack, because it was his illness after all. Everyone accepted my cousin’s tragic fate, except one, his eldest daughter. She insisted on having his father autopsied even if the rest of the family members didn’t agree with her, stating that they should respect the dead and his body in peace. You know what happened next?”


“What?”


“My niece overruled her step-mother and step-siblings, taking her right as the legal member of the family. Autopsy was administered on my cousin’s lifeless body and the result disclosed the truth.”


“What’s the result?”


“He was food poisoned inside his household, which caused his heart to cease from beating” I was literally shocked at what I heard, which made me think of the real cause of Sir Alexander’s death. “So you see, Doctor, we are not saying that something like that has occurred to my dear friend Alexander, but we can never tell unless autopsy was done.”


“Are you saying that someone might have plotted this? That someone planned his death? An inside job?”


“Mine was showing you people the different angles of reality, Doctor White. Alexander Hunt wasn’t a normal person, as we all knew about that. He was a very powerful man with lots of accumulated wealth and enormous assets. He could, and most probably had, enemies lurking around and wishing him gone. There’s no harm if you, especially his daughter, think about my suggestion. He may or may not have died due to his illness, but no one could confirm it unless you people take the necessary actions. It gravely grieves me that he died too soon after finally being with his beloved daughter and meeting his granddaughter, but it will devastate me more if he died due to unnatural ways, which I hope and pray he didn’t.”


It had been hours after my conversation with Sir Alexander’s dear friend and member of the board, yet my mind was stuck with what we discussed about. This definitely opened up my mind to the possibility of fallacy and oversighting, although in little percentage, of the true cause of death of Alexander Gerard Hunt.