Robin Cook - Fatal Cure

"I've heard from Burlington that Hodges' death is definitely being ruled a homicide," Cantor said.

"Of course it will be ruled a homicide," Traynor snapped. "What else could it be ruled? The man's body was entombed behind a wall of cinder blocks. The issue before us is not whether or not his death was a homicide. The issue is what can we do to lessen the impact on the hospital's reputation. I'm particularly anxious about how these events impact our relationship with CMV."

"I don't see how Hodges' death is the hospital's problem," Sherwood said. "It's not like we killed him."

"Hodges ran the hospital for twenty-plus years," Traynor said. "His name is intimately associated with Bartlet. Lots of people know he wasn't happy with the way we were running things."

"I think the less the hospital says the better," Sherwood said.

"I disagree," Beaton said. "I think that the hospital should issue a statement regretting his death and underlining the great debt owed him. The statement should include condolences to his family."

"I agree," Cantor said. "Ignoring his death would seem peculiar."

"I agree," Caldwell said.

Sherwood shrugged. "If everyone else feels that way, I'll go along."

"Has anyone spoken to Robertson?" Traynor asked.

"I have," Beaton said. "He doesn't have any suspects. Braggart that he is, he surely would have let on if he had."

"Hell, the way he felt about Hodges he could be a suspect himself," Sherwood said with a laugh.

"So could you," Cantor said to Sherwood.

"And so could you, Cantor," Sherwood said.

"This isn't a contest," Traynor said.

"If it were a contest, you'd be a leading contestant," Cantor said to Traynor. "It's common knowledge how you felt about Hodges after your sister committed suicide."

"Hold on," Caldwell said. "The point is that no one cares who did it."

"That might not be entirely true," Traynor said. "CMV might care. After all, this sordid affair still reflects poorly on both the hospital and the town."

"And that's why I think we should issue a statement," Beaton said.

"Would anyone like to make a motion for a vote?" Traynor said.

"Jesus, Harold," Cantor said. "There are only five of us here. We don't have to follow parliamentary procedure. Hell, we all agree."

"All right," Traynor said. "Does everybody concur that we should make a formal statement along the lines Beaton discussed?"

Everyone nodded.

Traynor looked at Beaton. "I think it should come from your office," he said.

"I'll be happy to do it," Beaton said.

It had been a turbulent night at the Wilson house. Just after two o'clock in the morning Nikki had begun screaming again and had to be awakened from yet another terrifying nightmare. The episode had upset everyone and had kept them all up for over an hour. David and Angela regretted having allowed Nikki to watch crime-scene technicians work, guessing they had contributed to her terror.

At least the day dawned bright and clear. After five days of continuous rain the sky was pale blue and cloudless. In place of the rain was a big chill. The temperature had plunged into the upper teens, leaving the ground blanketed with an exceptionally heavy hoarfrost.

There was little conversation as the Wilsons dressed and breakfasted. Everyone avoided making reference to the luminal test although Angela refused to sit at the kitchen table. She ate her cereal standing at the sink.

Before Angela and Nikki left, David asked Angela about lunch. Angela told him she'd meet him in the lobby at twelve-thirty.

On the way to school, Angela tried to encourage Nikki to give Mr. Han more than one day's chance. "It's difficult for a teacher to take over someone else's class. Especially someone special like Marjorie."

"Why couldn't Daddy save her?" Nikki asked.

"He tried," Angela said. "But it just wasn't to be. Doctors can only do so much."

Pulling up to the front of the school, Nikki jumped out and was about to dash up the walk when Angela called her back.

"You forgot the letter," Angela said. She handed Nikki a letter Angela had written explaining Nikki's health problems and needs. "Remember, if Mr. Hart has any questions he should give either me or Dr. Pilsner a call."

Angela was relieved to find that Wadley wasn't around when she arrived at the lab. Quickly she immersed herself in her work, but no sooner had she started when one of the secretaries let her know that the chief medical examiner was on the phone.

"I have some interesting news," Walt said. "The material that we teased from beneath Dr. Hodges' fingernails was indeed skin."

"Congratulations," Angela said.

"I've already run a DNA screen," Walt said. "It is not Hodges' skin. I'd bet a thousand dollars it belongs to his assailant. It could prove to be critical evidence if a suspect is charged."

"Have you ever found evidence like this before?" Angela asked.

"Yes, I have," Walt said. "It's not rare in mortal struggles to find remnants of the attacker's skin under the victim's nails. But I have to admit that this case represents the longest interval from the time of the crime to the discovery of the body. If we can make an I.D. with a suspect it might be worth writing it up for one of the journals."

Angela thanked him for keeping her informed.

"I almost forgot," Walt added. "I found some black carbon particles embedded in the skin samples. It looks strange. It's as if the killer had scraped up against a hearth or a wood stove during the struggle. Anyway, I thought it was curious and that it might help the crime-scene investigators."

"I'm afraid it might only confuse them," Angela said. She explained about the luminol test the night before. "The blood spatter wasn't anywhere near a fireplace or the stove. Maybe the killer picked up the carbon earlier, someplace else?"

"I doubt it," Walt said. "There was no inflammation, just a few red blood cells. The carbon had to be picked up contemporaneous to the struggle."

"Maybe Hodges had carbon under his nails," Angela suggested.

"That's a good thought," Walt said. "The only trouble is the carbon is evenly distributed in the skin samples."

"It's a mystery," Angela said. "Especially since it doesn't jibe with what the crime-scene people found."

"It's the same with any mystery," Walt said. "To solve it you have to have all the facts. We're obviously missing some crucial piece of information."

After having been denied the opportunity to ride his bike for an entire week, David thoroughly enjoyed the trip from his home to the hospital. Taking a little extra time, he followed a route that was slightly longer than usual but much more scenic.

The exhilaration of the cold, crisp air and the views of the frost-filled meadows cleared David's mind. For a few minutes he was relieved of his anguish over his recent medical failures. Entering the hospital he felt better than he had for several days. The first patient he visited was Mary Ann Schiller.

Unfortunately Mary Ann was not bright and cheerful. David had to wake her up, and while he was examining her, she fell back asleep. Beginning to feel a little concerned, David woke her up again. He asked her how it felt when he tapped over her antral sinuses. With a sleep-slurred voice she said she thought there was less discomfort, but she wasn't sure.

David then listened to her chest with his stethoscope, and while he was concentrating on her breath sounds, she fell asleep again. David allowed her to fall back onto the pillows. He looked at her peaceful face; it was in sharp contrast to his state of mind. Her drowsiness was alarming him.

David went to the nurses' station to go over Mary Ann's chart. At first he felt a little better, seeing that the low-grade fever she had developed the day before had remained unchanged. But his apprehension grew when he read the nurses' notes and learned that GI symptoms had appeared during the night. She'd suffered from nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea.