you. Now let’s walk Dr. Delaware bye-bye.”
When we got to the entrance I stopped to look at the photos, realizing
there were none of Chip’s parents. My eyes settled back on the shot of
Cindy and her aunt.
“We were walking that day,” she said softly. Along the dock.
She used to take lots of walks. Long ones, for her diabetes-the
exercise helped her control it.”
“Did she have it pretty much under control?”
“Oh, yes-that wasn’t what… what took her. That was an S-T-R-O-K-E.
She had really great control-careful about everything that went into
her mouth. When I lived with her, I wasn’t allowed any sweets or
junk.
So I never developed a taste for it, and we don’t keep much around the
house.”
She kissed Cassie’s cheek. “I figure if she doesn’t get a taste of it
now, maybe she won’t want it later.”
I turned away from the photo.
“We do everything,” she said, “to keep her healthy. Without health,
there’s. . . nothing. Right? That’s the kind of thing you hear when
you’re young but it’s only later that you start to believe it ” øl’
Anguish filled her eyes.
Cassie wiggled and made wordless sounds.
“True,” I said. “How about you and me getting together tomorrow, right
here.”
“Sure.”
“When would be a good time?”
“With or without… HER?”
“Without, if possible.”
“Then it would have to be when she’s asleep. She generally naps from
one to two or two-thirty, then goes down for the night at seven or
eight. How about eight, in order to play it safe? If that’s not too
late for you.”
“Eight’s fine.”
“Chip will probably be able to be here, too-that should be good, don’t
you think?”
Absolutely,” I said. “See you then.”
She touched my arm. “Thanks for everything, and I’m really sorry. I
know you’ll help us get through this.”
The
General Peds receptionist said, “Dr. Eves stepped out. let me page
her.”
I waited, looking out through the clouded walls of the phone booth at
traffic and dust. The equestrians came into view again, cantering up a
side street, heading back from what must have been a circuit. Slim
jodhpured legs clamped around glistening torsos. Lots of smiles.
Probably heading back to the club for cold drinks and conversation. I
thought of all the ways Cindy Jones could have chosen to fill her TIME
Just as the horses vanished, the receptionist came back on the line.
“She’s not answering, Doctor. Would you like to leave a message?”
Any idea when she’ll be back?”
“I know she’s coming back for a five o’clock meeting-you might try her
just before then.”
Five P.M. was almost two hours away. I drove down Topanga
Back on Topanga, I pulled into the first gas station I saw and used the
pay phone to call Milo at work.
“Perfect timing,” he said. just got off the phone with Fort Jackson.
Seems little Cindy was sick all right. And back in 83. But not
pneumonia or meningitis. Gonorrhea. They drummed her out because of
it, on an ELS-entry-level status. That means she served less than a
hundred and eighty days and they wanted to get rid of her before they
had to pay benefits.” just because of a dose?”
A dose plus what led up to it. Seems during the four months she was
there, she set some kind of record for sexual promiscuity. So if she’s
fooling around on hubby, that just means she’s being consistent.”
“Promiscuity,” I said. “I just finished my home visit and this was the
first time I got a sense of her sexuality. I arrived early, on
purpose-curious about why she didn’t want me out there until
two-thirty.
She’d let her hair down. Literally. Was wearing short shorts and a
T-shirt with no bra.”
“Coming on to you?”
“No. In fact she seemed really uncomfortable. A few minutes later she
spilled some dirt on her clothes, hurried off to change and came back
dowdied up.”
“Maybe you just missed her boyfriend.”
“Could be. She told me one-to-two was Cassie’s nap time and Chip
teaches a class that day from twelve to two, so what better time for an