turned to Tomasini, offering his hand as he said, “I’ll send a report to your office as soon as possible, Detective. Other than that, I suppose we’re finished here. I’m sorry your partner couldn’t be here today. I know you both must be anxious to begin your investigation. I wish you luck.”
Appearing unaffected by the hostility he had created, Tomasini shook the hands offered him and replied, “It’s not goodbye, doc. I have a feeling you’ll all be seeing a lot more of me around here before we’re finished with this case.”
Dr. Ruberg watched as the detective left, closing the door behind him. She slipped her arm through Natalie’s and turned her toward the office door as the other doctors took up behind them. She leaned toward Natalie to comment softly, “That detective looks like a sharp individual to me, even if he is a little hostile. Damned sexy, too. I have to admit, if I were a few years younger, I might do my best to make him feel welcome when he returned.”
Momentarily speechless, Natalie stared at Dr. Ruberg. Stunned at the unexpected twinkle in the woman’s eye, she gasped, “You can’t mean that. The man’s a Neanderthal!”
Dr. Ruberg’s only reply was an amused twist of her lips as she drew Natalie toward the door.
“WHAT DO YOU MEAN, you want me to stay in NYC for a while, George?”
The pride in her supervisor’s familiar voice rang brightly over the telephone line, twisting Natalie’s stomach into knots as he continued, “I don’t know what you said or how you conducted yourself during the testing, dear, but it appears everyone you dealt with was very impressed with you. Dr. Gregory informs me that he’s expecting some pressure from the media as the result of your findings, and he freely admits that neither he nor his colleagues are familiar enough with Candoxine to competently handle questions. He’s asked if I could lend you to them for an indefinite period to function as the U.S. expert on the drug.”
Natalie silently groaned. It was just past 6:00 p.m. A few minutes earlier, she had been sitting slumped on the edge of the bed in her hotel room, consoling herself that within two days she had accomplished everything she had come to the city for and that the worst was over. She was acutely aware that the worst included her introduction to the exasperating Detective Tomasini. She was somehow embarrassed to admit even to herself that the obnoxious detective had played a large part in her having been anxious when she had entered the lab for the final test results that morning, and that his infuriating attitude had almost forced her to lose control. She had been relieved to be going home, but it now appeared that wasn’t going to happen.
Natalie protested, “My being the U.S. expert on Candoxine is a misconception, George, and you know it. I discovered its presence in those liver samples simply by chance.”
“You’re too modest, Natalie.”
Ignoring George’s response, Natalie continued, “I’ll concede that I’ve been in contact with the British lab that developed Candoxine, and have since done some research on its properties, but—”
“Which means you know more about the drug than anybody else in the States does.”
“Yes, but—”
“It’s only a temporary assignment, dear, and it’s a feather in our cap to have your assistance requested.”
“George…”
“Dr. Gregory is expecting that they’ll be asked to cooperate with the investigation when needed and he’d like you to be the liaison with the police department.”
Natalie went still. “You mean I’d be involved in the investigation?”
“As an observer…on an as-needed basis…yes. It’s an excellent opportunity for you.”
“I’d be working with the detectives assigned to the case?”
“You’d be working primarily with the detective who is the principal on the case.”
Oh, no! With her luck, it would be the Neanderthal.
“As I said, it’s only temporary, until the lab is comfortable with the situation.”
“What if I’m not comfortable with the situation, George?”
Natalie could almost see George smile as he said, “I’ve already granted Dr. Gregory your assistance, dear.”
Silence.
“You know we’ll all miss you here, but I’m extremely proud of everything you’ve accomplished, and it gives me great pleasure to see the caliber of CDC personnel recognized.”
Natalie silently groaned. George was proud of her. There was nothing more to say.
“WHAT’S THIS all about?”
Leaving his morning cup of coffee steaming on his desk, Brady strode into Captain Wilthauer’s office and slapped the newspaper down in front of him. The headline glared up at them:
Mysterious Winslow Deaths Suspected Homicides
Captain Wilthauer’s bloodshot eyes rose slowly toward Brady as he replied, “So?”
“Who leaked this to the press? You know damned well we’re not sure about any aspect of this case yet. The poisoning might’ve been accidental.”
“You know what the chances of that are.”
Brady did not respond.
“Look, we’ve sent the food specimens from the Winslow picnic to the lab for testing. As soon as we find out how the Candoxine was ingested by the victims, you and Stansky are on your own. But until then, the public is demanding an answer here, and the Commissioner is determined to give them one.”
“The Commissioner, huh? This is a mistake, and you know it. If there is a killer out there, he’s just been put on guard.”
“We’re going to have to take that chance, Tomasini. The Commissioner has the last word.”
“That’s where you’re wrong. The lab has the last word, and you can bet your tail that I’m hoping the lab turns up accidental poisoning.”
“We’ll see, won’t we?” Wilthauer smiled. “Whatever happens, we’re going to eliminate a lot of speculation because the CDC has agreed to allow its expert to remain in the city to do all the testing for as long as we need her.”
“Her?” Brady felt the knot that tightened in his gut. He repeated, “Her?”
“Meaning Natalie Patterson, of course.” Wilthauer stared at him confusedly. “You ought to be glad. She’ll get the media off your back by answering most of their questions. Hell, there’s nobody who can contradict her here, either, considering the situation.”
“Right.” Brady gave a harsh laugh. “Have you seen this expert?”
“No.” Wilthauer shrugged. “So what?”
“She’s a babe, Captain, even if she tries damn hard to disguise it, and she’s young. She’s got a hell of a lot less experience on the job than those doctors at the Health Department who couldn’t figure
