Returning to Bartlet, Angela ran into Paul Darnell. He’d been waiting for her.
“I got some bad news,” Darnell said. “Wadley knows you left town and he’s not happy about it.”
“How could he know?” Angela asked. Darnell was the only person she’d told.
“I think he was spying on you,” Darnell said. “That’s the only explanation I can think of. He came in to see me fifteen minutes after you left.”
“I thought he’d gone out for lunch,” Angela said.
“That’s what he told everybody,” Darnell said. “Obviously he hadn’t. He asked me directly if you had left Bartlet. I couldn’t lie. I had to tell him.”
“Did you tell him I went to see the chief medical examiner?” Angela asked.
“Yes,” Darnell said.
“Then it should be fine,” Angela said. “Thanks for letting me know.”
“Good luck,” Darnell said.
No sooner had Angela returned to her office than a secretary appeared to let her know that Dr. Wadley wanted to see her in his office. That was an ominous turn of events. Wadley had never used an intermediary before.
Angela found Wadley sitting at his desk. He stared at her with cold eyes.
“I was told you wanted to see me,” she said.
“I did indeed,” Wadley said. “I wanted to inform you that you are fired. I would appreciate it if you would pack up your belongings and leave. Your continued presence is bad for morale.”
“I find this hard to believe,” Angela said.
“Nonetheless, it is so,” Wadley said coldly.
“If you’re upset because I was gone at my lunch hour, you should know that I drove to Burlington to visit the chief medical examiner,” Angela said. “He’d called to ask me to come as soon as I could.”
“Dr. Walter Dunsmore does not run this department,” Wadley said. “I do.”
“Didn’t he call you?” Angela asked. She felt desperate. “He told me he would call you. He was excited about something he’d discovered concerning the body found in my home.” Angela quickly related the details, but Wadley was unmoved.
“I’ve only been gone for a little over an hour,” Angela said.
“I’m not interested in excuses,” Wadley said. “I warned you just yesterday about this very same thing. You chose to ignore my warnings. You’ve demonstrated yourself to be unreliable, disobedient, and ungrateful.”
“Ungrateful!” Angela exploded. “Ungrateful for what? For your sniveling advances? For not wanting to rush off to Miami for a weekend of sun and fun with you? You can fire me, Dr. Wadley, but I’ll tell you what I can do: I can sue you and the hospital for sexual harassment.”
“You just try it, young lady,” Wadley snapped. “You’ll be laughed out of the courtroom.”
Angela stormed out of Wadley’s office. She was beside herself with rage. As she passed through the outer office, the secretaries quickly scattered in her wake.
Angela went to her office and gathered up her belongings. There wasn’t much. All the equipment belonged to the hospital. Packing her things into a canvas tote bag, she walked out. She didn’t talk to anyone for fear of losing her composure. She didn’t want to give Wadley the satisfaction of making her cry.
She intended to go directly to David’s office, but then she changed her mind. After her recent argument with David, she was afraid of his reaction to her losing her job. She didn’t think she could handle a confrontation in the hospital. So instead she went directly to her car and drove aimlessly toward town.
Just as she was passing the library she put on the brakes and backed up. She’d spotted Calhoun’s inimitable truck in the parking lot.
Angela parked her car. She wondered where Calhoun might be. She decided to check the library, recalling that Calhoun had mentioned he knew the librarian.
Angela found Calhoun reading in a quiet alcove overlooking the town green.
“Mr. Calhoun?” Angela whispered.
Calhoun looked up. “How convenient,” he said with a smile. “I’ve got some news.”
“I’m afraid I’ve got some news as well,” Angela said. “How about meeting me up at the house.”
“I’ll look forward to it,” Calhoun said.
As soon as Angela got home she put some water on to boil. While she was getting out cups and saucers, Calhoun’s truck came up the drive. Angela called out that the door was unlocked when he knocked.