“So you’re convinced about this idea yourself.” Bingham asked.
“I don’t know if I’m convinced,” Jack admitted. “But it is hard to ascribe them all to coincidence. On top of that is the way people at the General have been acting, from the administrator on down.” Jack thought about telling Bingham about his being beaten up and threatened, but he decided against it. He feared it might get him grounded altogether.
“After Commissioner Markham called me,” Bingham said, “I asked her to have the chief epidemiologist, Dr. Abelard, get in touch with me. When he did, I asked him what he thought of this intentional spread idea. You want to know what he said?”
“I can’t wait,” Jack said.
“He said except for the plague case, which he still cannot explain but is working on with the CDC, he feels the others all have very reasonable explanations. The Hard woman had been in contact with wild rabbits, and Mr. Lagenthorpe had been out in the desert in Texas. And as far as meningococcus is concerned, it’s the season for that.”
“I don’t think the time sequences are correct,” Jack said. “Nor are the clinical courses consistent with—“
“Hold on,” Bingham interrupted. “Let me remind you that Dr. Abelard is an epidemiologist. He’s got a Ph.D. as well as an M.D. His whole job is to figure out the where and the why of disease.”
“I don’t doubt his credentials,” Jack said. “Just his conclusions. He didn’t impress me from the start.”
“You certainly are opinionated,” Bingham said.
“I might have ruffled feathers on past visits to the General,” Jack admitted, “but this time all I did was talk to the supervisor of central supply and one of the microbiology techs.”
“From the calls I got you were deliberately hampering their efforts to deal with the meningococcal outbreak,” Bingham said.
“God is my witness,” Jack said, holding up his hand. “All I did was talk to Ms. Zarelli and Ms. Holderness, who happen to be two pleasant, cooperative people.”
“You do have a way of rubbing people the wrong way,” Bingham said. “I suppose you know that”.
“Usually, I only have that effect on those I intend to provoke,” Jack said.
“I get the feeling I’m one of those people,” Bingham snapped.
“Quite the contrary,” Jack said. “Irritating you is entirely unintentional.”
“I wouldn’t have known,” Bingham said.
“In speaking with Ms. Holderness, the lab tech, I did uncover an interesting fact,” Jack said. “I learned that just about anyone with reasonable credit can call up and order pathological bacteria. The company doesn’t do any background check.”
“You don’t need a license or a permit?” Bingham asked.
“Apparently not,” Jack said.
“I suppose I’d never thought about it,” Bingham said.
“Nor had I,” Jack said. “Needless to say, thought-provoking.”
“Indeed,” Bingham said. He appeared to ponder this for a moment as his rheumy eyes glazed over. But then they quickly cleared.
“Seems to me you’ve managed to get this conversation off track,” he said, regaining his gruff posture. “The issue here is what to do with you.”
“You could always send me on vacation to the Caribbean,” Jack suggested. “It’s nice down there this time of year.”
“Enough of your impertinent humor,” Bingham snapped. “I’m trying to be serious with you.”
“I’ll try to control myself,” Jack said. “My problem is that during the last five years of my life cynicism has led to reflex sarcasm.”
“I’m not going to fire you,” Bingham announced. “But I’ve got to warn you again, you’ve come very close. In fact when I hung up the phone from the mayor’s office, I was going to let you go. I’ve changed my mind for now. But there is one thing that we have to be clear on: You are to stay away from the General. Do we have an understanding?”
“I think it’s finally getting through,” Jack said.
“If you need more information, send the PAs,” Bingham said. “For chrissake that’s what they’re here for.”
“I’ll try to remember that,” Jack said.
“All right, get out of here,” Bingham said with a sweep of his hand.
With relief Jack stood up and left Bingham’s office. He went straight up to his own. When he arrived he found Chet talking with George Fontworth. Jack squeezed by the two of them and draped his coat over the back of his chair.