“I want to be allowed to pursue these cases,” Laurie said evenly. “Now there are at least fourteen. Someone has to be looking at the whole picture. I think I’m the person to do it. I’m convinced we’re on the brink of a widespread disaster. If there is a contaminant, and I’m convinced there is, we must issue a public warning!”
Bingham was incredulous. Gazing up at the ceiling and throwing his hands up in the air, he muttered to himself: “She’s been on the staff for about five months and she’s telling me how to run the department.” He shook his head. Then he turned his attention back to Laurie. This time he sounded a lot fiercer.
“Calvin is an able administrator. In fact, he is more than able. He’s excellent. What he says goes. You hear me?! That’s it; the issue is closed.” With that, he turned his attention to the pile of letters stacked in his in-box.
Laurie headed straight for the lab. She decided it was better to keep moving. If she paused to think about these last two interviews, she might do something rash she’d later regret.
She was looking for Peter Letterman but ran into John DeVries instead. “Thanks for putting in a good word for me with the chief,” she said sarcastically. As angry as she was, she couldn’t contain herself.
“I don’t like to be pestered,” John said. “I warned you.”
“I wasn’t pestering,” Laurie snapped. “I was merely asking you to do your job. Have you found a contaminant?”
“No,” John said. He pushed past her without giving her the courtesy of a more detailed reply.
Laurie shook her head. She wondered if her days at the New York Medical Examiner’s Office were numbered.
She found Peter over in the corner of the lab, working on the largest and newest of the gas chromatographs.
“I think you should try to avoid John,” he said. “I couldn’t help overhearing.”
“Believe me, I wasn’t looking for him,” Laurie answered.
“I haven’t found any contaminant, either,” Peter said. “But I’ve been running samples on this gas chromatograph. It has what they call a “trap.’ If we’re going to pick something up, this is the apparatus that will do it.”
“Keep at it,” Laurie said. “We’re up to fourteen cases now.”
“I did learn something,” Peter said. “As you know, cocaine naturally hydrolyzes to benzoylecgonine, ecgonine methyl ester, and ecgonine.”
“Yes,” Laurie said. “Go on.”
“Each batch of cocaine that is made has a unique percentage of these hydrolysates,” Peter said. “So by analyzing the concentrations, you can make a pretty educated guess as to the origin of the samples.”
“And?” Laurie asked.
“All the samples that I’ve recovered from the syringes have the same percentages,” Peter said. “That means the cocaine has all come from the same batch.”
“Meaning the same source,” Laurie added.
“Exactly,” Peter said.
“That’s what I suspected,” Laurie said. “It’s nice to have it documented.”
“I’ll let you know if I find any contaminant with this machine.”
“Please do,” Laurie said. “If I had proof of a contaminant I think Dr. Bingham would make a statement.” But as she returned to her office, Laurie wondered if she could be sure of anything.
“Don’t hold my arm!” Cerino shouted. Angelo had been trying to guide him through the entrance to Jordan Scheffield’s office. “I can see more than you think I can.” Cerino was carrying his red-tipped cane but wasn’t using it. Tony came in last and pulled the door shut.
One of Jordan’s nurses guided the group down the corridor, making sure that Cerino was comfortably seated in one of the examination chairs.
When Cerino came to Jordan’s office, he did not use the usual entrance, and he bypassed the waiting room altogether. That was the customary modus operandi for all of Jordan’s VIP patients.
“Oh dear!” the nurse said as she eyed Tony’s face. There was a deep scratch that extended down from in front of his left ear to the corner of his mouth. “That’s a nasty cut on your cheek. How’d you get it?”
“A cat,” Tony said, self-consciously putting a hand to his face.
“I hope you got a tetanus shot,” the nurse said. “Would you like us to wash it out?”