security. Not that anyone fought for Hardesty. Everyone thought he
and his guys were deadwood.”
“No more Psych department,” I said. “No more free coffee.
What else?”
“Oh, plenty. Does it affect you, there being no Psych department-in
terms of your staff privileges, I mean?”
“No, my appointment’s in pediatrics. Oncology, actually, though it’s
been years since I’ve seen any cancer patients.”
“Good,” she said. “Then there won’t be any procedural hassles.
Any more questions before we go up?”
“Just a couple of observations. If it is Munchausen by proxy, there’s
some time pressure-the usual picture is an escalating pattern.
Sometimes kids die, Steph.”
“I know,” she said miserably, pressing her fingertips to her temples.
“I know I may need to confront the mother. That’s why I have to be
sure.”
“The other thing is the first child the boy. I assume you’re
considering him a possible homicide.”
“Oh, God, yes. That’s really been eating at me. When my suspicions
about the mother started to gel, I pulled his chart and went over it
with a fine-tooth comb. But there was nothing ifly. Rita’s ongoing
notes were good-he was perfectly healthy before he died and the autopsy
was inconclusive, as so many of them are. Now here I am with a living,
breathing child and I can’t do a thing to help her.”
“Sounds like you’re doing everything you can.”
“Trying, but it’s so damned frustrating.”
I said, “What about the father? We haven’t talked about him.”
“I don’t really have a good feel for him. Mother’s clearly the primary
caretaker and it’s her I’ve been dealing with most of the time.
Once I started to think of it as a possible Munchausen by proxy, she
seemed especially important to focus on, because aren’t mothers always
the ones?”
“Yes,” I said, “but in some cases the father turns out to be a passive
accomplice. Any sign he suspects something?”
“If he has, he hasn’t told me. He doesn’t seem especially passive-nice
enough. So is she, for that matter. They’re both nice, Alex. That’s
one of the things that makes it so difficult.”
“Typical Munchausen scenario. The nurses probably love them.”
She nodded.
“What’s the other?” I said.
“The other what?”
“Thing that makes it so difficult.”
She closed her eyes and rubbed them and took a long time to answer.
“The other thing,” she said, “and this may sound horribly coldhearted
and political, is who they are. Socially. Politically. The child’s
full name is Cassie Brooks Jones-set off any buzzers?”
“No,” I said. iones isn’t exactly memorable.”
“Jones, as in Charles L. Junior. Hotshot financier? The hospital’s
primary money manager?”
“Don’t know him.”
“That’s right-you don’t read your newsletters. Well, as of eight
months ago he’s also chairman of the board. There was a big
shake-up.”
“The budget?”
“What else. Anyway, here’s the genealogy: Charles Junior’s only son is
Charles the Third-like royalty. He goes by Clip-Cassie’s daddy. The
mom is Cindy. The dead son was Chad Charles the Fourth.”
All Cs,” I said. “Sounds like they like order.”
“Whatever. The main thing is, Cassie is Charles Junior’s only
gr”‘ndhild. Isn’t that wonderful, Alex? Here I am with a potential
Munchausen by proxy that could explode in everyone’s face, and the
patient’s the only grandchild of the guy who took away the free
coffee.”
We got up from the table and she said, “If you don’t mind, we can take
the stairs up.”
“Morning aerobics? Sure.”
“You hit thirty-five,” she said, smoothing her dress and buttoning her
white coat, “and the old basal metabolism goes to hell. Got to work
hard not to be lumpy. Plus, the elevators still move on Valium
Standard Time.”
We walked toward the cafeteria’s main exit. The tables were completely
empty now. A brown-uniformed maintenance worker was wet-mopping the
floor, and we had to step gingerly to maintain traction.
I said, “The elevator I took to your office was converted to key
lock.
Why the need for all the security?”
“The official line is crime prevention,” she said. “Keeping all the
street craziness out of here. Which to some extent is valid-there have
been increased problems, mostly during the night shift. But can you
remember a time when East Hollywood didn’t get bad after dark?”