Robin Cook - Death Benefit

“I don’t want to think Rothman had anything to do with his own illness. But I’d like to be sure. If he did, it will mean that he let me down. In a real way, he betrayed me. Rothman was very important to me, and it’s hard for me to admit that anyone has such an influence on my life. Now he’s gone, I feel like I’m starting at square one. And I don’t want it to be his fault.”

George nodded, but he was having a very hard time understanding Pia’s reasoning. Even if Rothman accidentally infected himself, why would that mean she should think less of him, that he “betrayed” her?

“It was Rothman’s idea to start the research track of my training, and it was going to be under his direction. Who’s going to do that for me now? I was going to be working in his lab for my Ph.D. Where am I going to go now? Once again I’ve been abandoned.”

George was a little taken aback at what sounded like self-centeredness in the face of Rothman’s and Yamamoto’s deaths. “I’m sure the university will find you another lab,” he said. “They found you another rotation. Will and Lesley are already doing theirs.”

“Maybe they’ll find me one, maybe they won’t.”

George hesitated for a moment. He knew there was a risk Pia would take what he was about to say the wrong way. But he decided to say it anyway. “Pia, I’m sorry, but I don’t understand how Rothman could have ‘betrayed’ you, as you put it. He got sick and died. It’s tough for me to understand you sometimes. I don’t think you should insert yourself into this where you don’t have to. If you’re now thinking Rothman’s death wasn’t an accident and that there’s a cover-up going on, I don’t see any other way for this to end but badly.”

“Unless it’s true.”

“You’re talking about murder. Who would want to murder one of the best research teams in the country?”

Turning it over in his mind, George could think of only one reason why someone would be so willing to risk their career without blinking an eye. He knew for sure this line of reasoning was going to get him into trouble. “Look, it’s none of my business, and I’ve never said anything to you that would make you think I was jealous of any other guy, er, getting close to you, but your relationship with Rothman, well . . .”

George was cut off by Pia’s loud laugh.

“Oh, God! Is that why you think I’m caught up in all this? You think I was sleeping with Rothman?”

“No. Well. Yes. Maybe. I don’t know. It might explain why you’re so worked up about it. It’s what some people are saying on campus.”

“So I have to be sleeping with a guy to care about how he died? Thanks a lot, George. I did let him get close to me but not like that. Typical male. I’ll say it if it helps: No, there was nothing physical between me and Dr. Rothman. Zip. Believe me, I can tell when a man is interested in me like that, and he wasn’t. He was actually happily married and devoted to his family, despite how asocial he seemed.”

Pia was steamed and George didn’t know what to say. The thought he’d expressed had taken on a life of its own in his mind. But as soon as he had voiced it, he knew it was very unlikely. Now he was just embarrassed he’d even mentioned it.

“All right, that does it, I’m going to the lab,” Pia said. “I really do have stuff there that I need to get. I worked there for more than three and a half years. And don’t worry, if it’s off-limits, I’ll come right back like a good girl.”

“And if it isn’t?”

“Then I’ll check out the storage freezer and get my stuff.”

“I’ll walk over to the med center and wait for you in the library.”

“You don’t have to do that.”

“After Springer, it’s the least I can do. Really.”

“I guess I can’t stop you.”

George knew that was as close to an invite as he was going to get.

COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY MEDICAL CENTER NEW YORK CITY MARCH 24, 2011, 5:07 P.M.

Pia and George walked over to the Black research building and passed through security with their medical student IDs. They were bucking the tide, as it was past five o’clock and most of the staff was streaming out, having finished work for the day. Pia and George parted at the elevators, with Pia telling George she would come find him in the library when she’d finished her visit.

In the elevator, Pia was glad George wasn’t with her. She’d be able to do what she wanted more quickly without him. She was pleased but not surprised that the caution tape was gone from the lab entrance. More good news: The door was unlocked, meaning the lab was officially back to normal. But the positive feelings were short-lived when she saw that a few of the familiar denizens of the lab had taken the same opportunity to show up and get on with whatever business was pressing. Marsha Langman was tidying up her desk, its previous pristine neatness a victim of CDC investigators who had gone through most of the lab’s records. Unfortunately the head technician, Arthur Spaulding, was also there, for similar reasons, trying to get everything back to normal.

Seeing Spaulding was a disappointment. His presence precluded her plan to visit the biosafety lab. If he saw her, particularly if he saw her in the refrigerator storage facility, he would undoubtedly make a scene. Pia cursed under her breath that she hadn’t gotten into the lab before any of the others. Neither Marsha nor Spaulding, nor any of the other technicians who were there, greeted her, or obviously snubbed her-it was like she wasn’t there at all. It surprised her, because they were all going through the same trauma involving their bosses’ deaths. It was like they were a group of automatons.

Pia headed toward the open door leading into her small office, thinking she might have to get her stuff, leave, and then return later that night to check out the biosafety microbiological storage freezer. In the process she practically collided with the maintenance man from the day before, O’Meary.

Obviously he knew Pia’s name. “Miss Grazdani! Nice to see you again. We just heard ten minutes ago that we can get back in here tomorrow morning to finish up. I’m just checking the site, making sure all the tools are here.” He then leaned toward Pia and whispered, “I’m not a hundred percent happy about being in here after what happened yesterday. But the job’s gotta get done. You think it’s safe in here now? Our boss says so.”

“I think it’s safe,” Pia said. “I don’t think it was ever unsafe.”

“Good to hear.” O’Meary straightened up to his full height. He jerked his thumb toward Pia’s ceiling. “I think we’ve isolated the problems with the short. It’s up there, so we should be outa your hair by lunch tomorrow.”

Pia didn’t respond. She doubted the problem would ever get solved. Besides, she wouldn’t be there at noon tomorrow or any other day.

“I hope we won’t be bothering you too much tomorrow,” O’Meary said, trying to be considerate. He tried to go around her. Pia stopped him.

“I know you’ve only been here a couple of days, but did you see anything unusual yesterday morning? Before all the excitement started. Anything that struck you as odd?”

“That Springer guy asked me already, and the Disease Control people. They took a long time about it.”

“I’m sure they were very thorough, but I’m wondering, because you were in here all morning and in different parts of the lab with your wires, if you saw anyone early on who you didn’t see in the lab later. Anyone who looked like he didn’t belong.”

O’Meary narrowed his eyes, but playfully.

“What are you, a cop now?”

“No, I’m not a cop.”

“I wasn’t working in that bio unit where they got sick, so I wouldn’t know about anyone in there. Are you sure this place is safe? The disease people were asking about contamination, like ‘Before the contamination . . .’ and so on. Is it really safe in here?”