“If there was a breakthrough.”
“I’m sure there was,” Jason said. “And it adds to my suspicions about Hayes’s death. It was too convenient.”
“You’re jumping to conclusions.”
“Hayes said someone was trying to kill him,” Jason said. “I think he made a major scientific discovery and was murdered because of it.”
“Hold on!” Curran shouted, banging his fist on his desk. “The medical examiner determined that Dr. Alvin Hayes died of natural causes.”
“An aneurysm, to be exact. But he was still being followed.”
“He thought he was,” Curran corrected, his voice rising in anger.
“I think he was too,” Jason said with equal vehemence. “That would explain why someone ransacked his apartment and his—”
“We know why his apartment was tossed,” Curran interrupted. “Only we found the drugs and the money first!”
“Hayes may have used cocaine.” Jason was shouting now. “But he wasn’t a dealer! And I think those drugs were planted, and—” He started to mention his conversation with Carol, then stopped. He wasn’t ready to tell Curran that he had persisted in seeing the dancer, “In any case,” he said more quietly, “I think the reason the lab was torn apart was that someone was searching for his lab books.”
“What was that about a lab?” Curran’s heavy-lidded eyes opened wide and his face turned a mottled red.
Jason swallowed.
“Dammit!” Curran yelled. “You mean to tell me Hayes’s lab was tossed and it wasn’t reported? What do you people think you’re doing?”
“The clinic was concerned about negative press,” Jason said, forced to defend the decision he did not condone.
“When did this happen?”
“Friday night.”
“What was taken?”
“Several data books and some bacterial cultures. But none of the valuable equipment. And it wasn’t a robbery.” Jason watched Curran’s hound-dog face for some sign his concern for Helene was vindicated.
“Any damage, vandalism?” was all he said.
“Well, they turned the place upside down and dumped everything on the floor. So the lab was a mess. But the only deliberate destruction involved those, uh, animals.”
“Good,” Curran said. “Those monsters should have been destroyed. They made me sick. How were they killed?”
“Probably poisoned. Our pathology department is checking that out.”
Detective Curran ran his thick fingers through his once-red hair. “You know something?” he asked rhetorically. “With the amount of cooperation I’ve gotten from you eggheads, I’m goddamned glad I turned this case over to Vice. They can have it. Maybe you’d like to go down the hall and rant and rage at them. Maybe they’ll get a charge out of the fact that your mad scientist was humping his lab assistant as well as the exotic dancer—”
“Hayes and the dancer were no longer lovers.”
“Oh, really?” Curran asked with a short, hollow laugh that ended in a belch. “Why don’t you go over to the Vice department and leave me alone, doctor. I have a lot of genuine homicides to ponder.”
Curran picked up his pencil and went back to his forms. Enraged, Jason returned to the ground floor and surrendered his visitor’s pass. Then he went out to his car. Driving along Storrow Drive, with the Charles River lazily spread out on the right, Jason finally began to calm down. He was still convinced something had happened to Helene, but he decided that if the police weren’t concerned, there was little he could do.
He pulled into the GHP parking lot and went back to his office. Claudia and Sally hadn’t returned from their lunch break yet. A few patients were already waiting. Jason changed back to his white coat and called to check on Madaline Krammer’s cardiac consult. Harry Sarnoff had agreed with Jason’s appraisal, and Madaline was having an angiogram.
As soon as Sally returned, Jason went to work seeing his scheduled patients. He was on his third afternoon patient when Claudia ducked into the exam room.
“You have a visitor,” she announced.
“Who?” Jason asked, tearing off a prescription.
“Our fearless leader. And she’s foaming at the mouth. I thought I should warn you.”
Jason handed the prescription to the patient, tossed his stethoscope around his neck, and walked down the corridor to his office. Shirley was standing by the window. The moment she heard Jason she turned to face him. She was without question furious.
“I certainly hope you have a good explanation, Dr. Howard,” she said. “I just got a call from the police. They’re on their way here to get a formal statement on why I didn’t report the break-in of Hayes’s lab. They said they heard about it from you — and they’re threatening obstruction of justice.”
“I’m sorry,” said Jason. “It was an accident. I was at the police station. I didn’t mean to mention it…”
“And just what the hell were you doing down at the station?”
“I wanted to see Curran,” Jason said guiltily.
“Why?”
“There was some information I thought he should have.”
“About the break-in?”
“No,” Jason said, letting his hands fall to his sides. “Helene Brennquivist hasn’t shown up today. I found out that she and Hayes were having an affair, and I guess I jumped to conclusions. The break-in just slipped out.”
“I think it would be best if you stayed with doctoring,” Shirley said, her voice softening a degree.
“That’s what Curran said,” sighed Jason.
“Well,” Shirley said, reaching out and touching Jason’s arm, “at least you didn’t do it on purpose. For a while there I was wondering whose side you were on. I tell you, this Hayes affair has a life of its own. Every time I think the problem is contained, something else breaks.”
“I’m sorry,” Jason said sincerely. “I didn’t mean to make things worse.”
“It’s okay. But remember — Hayes’s death is already hurting this institution. Let’s not compound our difficulties,” She gave Jason’s hand a squeeze, then walked to the door.
Jason went back to his patients, determined to leave the investigation to the police. It was nearly four when Claudia interrupted again.
“You have a call,” she whispered.
“Who is it?” Jason asked nervously. The usual modus operandi was for Claudia to take messages and for Jason to return the calls at the end of the day. Unless, of course, it was an emergency. But Claudia didn’t whisper when it was an emergency.
“Carol Donner,” she said.
Jason hesitated, then said he’d take it in his office. Claudia followed, still whispering.
“Is that the Carol Donner?”
“Who is the Carol Donner?”
“The dancer in the Combat Zone,” Claudia said.
“I wouldn’t know,” Jason said, entering his office. He closed the door on Claudia and picked up the phone. “Dr. Howard,” he said.
“Jason, this is Carol Donner. I’m sorry to bother you.”
“No bother.” Her voice brought back the pleasant image of her sitting across from him at the Hampshire House. He heard a click. “Just a moment, Carol.” He put the phone down, opened the door, and looked across the room at Claudia. With an irritated expression, he motioned for her to hang up.
“Sorry,” Jason said, returning to the phone.
“I wouldn’t call you unless I.thought it might be important,” Carol said. “But I came across a package in my locker at work. I’m a dancer at the Club Cabaret, by the way….”
“Oh,” Jason said vaguely.
“Anyway,” Carol said, “I had to go in to the club today and I found it. Alvin had asked me to put it in my locker several weeks ago and I’d forgotten all about it.”