Just then Lou’s beeper sounded. Lou checked the number. “Speaking of manpower,” he said, “that’s one of my boys. May I use your phone?”
Laurie nodded.
“What is it, Norman?” Lou asked once he got through. Laurie was flattered that Lou put the call on speakerphone so she could hear.
“Probably nothing,” Norman said. “But I thought I’d tell you anyway. I’ve found one note of commonality in these three cases: a doctor.”
“Really?” Lou said. He rolled his eyes at Laurie. This wasn’t exactly the break he had been looking for. “That’s not the sort of association that’s going to be much help in this kind of murder case, Norman.”
“I know,” Norman said. “But it’s the only thing that’s turned up. Remember you told me that Steven Vivonetto and Janice Singleton were both terminal?”
“Yeah,” Lou said. “Was one of the Kaufmans terminally ill too?”
“No, but Henriette Kaufman had a medical condition she was being treated for. And she was seeing the same doctor that Steven Vivonetto and Janice Singleton were seeing.
Of course, Steven and Janice were seeing about a dozen doctors. But there was one doctor who was seeing all three.”
“What kind of a doctor?” Lou asked.
“An eye doctor,” Norman said. “His name is Jordan Scheffield.”
Lou blinked. He couldn’t believe what he’d heard. He glanced at Laurie. Her eyes registered equal surprise.
“How did you find this out?” Lou asked.
“Just by accident,” Norman replied. “After you told me about Steven and Janice being terminal, I looked into everybody’s health. I didn’t even realize the connection until I got back to my office and started going over all the material that had been coming in. Do you think it’s important?”
“I don’t know,” Lou said. “It’s certainly weird.”
“You want me to follow up on it in any way?”
“I wouldn’t even know how to follow up. Let me think about it and I’ll get back to you. Meanwhile keep the investigation going.”
Lou hung up the phone. “Well, it’s a real small world. Either that or that boyfriend of yours really gets around.”
“He’s not my boyfriend,” Laurie said irritably.
“I’m sorry,” Lou said. “I forgot. Your male acquaintance who happens to be a friend.”
“You know, the night that Marsha Schulman disappeared, Jordan told me that his office had been broken into. Someone had gone through his records.”
“Some had been stolen?” Lou asked.
“No,” Laurie said. “Apparently some had been copied. I had him check Cerino’s record; it was one of the ones that had been disturbed.”
“No kidding!” Lou said. He sat in bemused silence for a few minutes.
Laurie was quiet, too.
“It doesn’t make a lot of sense,” Lou said at last. “Could the Lucia family have gotten involved because Cerino is seeing Scheffield? I’m trying to fit Cerino’s rival, Vinnie Dominick, into the picture, but I can’t make any sense of it.”
“One thing we could do is check the gangland-style homicides that came in today. See if any of them are Jordan’s patients.”
Lou’s face brightened. “You know, that’s a good idea. Glad I thought of it.” His smile told Laurie he was kidding.
In mock anger Laurie threw a paper clip at him.
Five minutes later, dressed in scrubs, Laurie and Lou entered the autopsy room. Luckily Calvin was nowhere in sight.
Both Southgate and Besserman were on their second cases. Southgate was almost finished; the Kaufmans were fairly straightforward cases, given their simple head wounds. Besserman’s cases were more difficult. First he had Dwight Sorenson, who had three bullet paths to trace. The work had been laborious and time-consuming, so Besserman was just starting on Amy Sorenson when Lou and Laurie got there.
With the permission of the respective doctors, Laurie and Lou glanced through the folders on each case. Unfortunately, the medical histories were meager.
“I’ve got a better idea,” Laurie said. She went to the phone and called Cheryl Myers.
“Cheryl, I’ve got a favor to ask,” Laurie said.
“What is it?” Cheryl asked cheerfully.
“You know the four Manhattan homicides we got today?” Laurie said. “The ones that everybody’s up in arms about? I want to know if any of them have ever seen an ophthalmologist by the name of Jordan Scheffield.”