“This is all for profit, no doubt,” Kim said.
“To be sure,” Kathleen said. “The beef industry is a multibillion-dollar business. Profit maximization is its goal not the public health.”
“Wait a second,” Tracy said. “How can all this be true? In the past, the USDA has uncovered problems and has done something about them. I mean, not that long ago with Hudson Foods..”
“Excuse me,” Kathleen interrupted. “The USDA was not responsible for discovering the E. coli contamination involving Hudson Foods. It was an attentive public health official. Normally what happens is the USDA is forced to make a show after an outbreak occurs. Then they make a big deal to the media to give the impression that they are on the job of protecting the public, but unfortunately nothing substantial ever gets done. Ironically enough, the USDA doesn’t even have the power to recall meat it finds contaminated. It can only make a recommendation. Nothing it determines is binding.”
“You mean like with Hudson Foods?” Tracy asked. “At first they recommended that only twenty-five thousand pounds of meat be recalled.”
“Exactly,” Kathleen said. “It was consumer groups that forced the USDA to up the recommended recall to over a million pounds. It wasn’t the USDA who was the instigator.”
“I’d had no idea about any of this,” Tracy said. “And I like to think of myself as a reasonably informed person.”
“Perhaps the worst part,” Kathleen continued, “is that when the USDA talks about contamination with its inspectional services, they’re generally talking about gross contamination with visible feces. The industry has fought against any microscopic or bacteriologic inspection for years. Now there is supposed to be some culturing, but it is only a token.”
“It’s hard to believe,” Tracy said. “I guess I’ve always just assumed that meat was safe.”
“It’s a sorry situation,” Kathleen said. “With tragic consequences.
For a few moments, no one spoke.
“How well we know,” Tracy said, as if suddenly realizing this was no idle conversation. Her daughter was no abstraction. A fresh tear streaked down her cheek.
“Well, that settles it,” Kim said. He abruptly got to his feet.
“Settles what?” Tracy managed. “Where are you going now?”
“To Bartonville,” Kim said. “I’m going to pay a quick visit to Mercer Meats.”
“I think you should stay here,” Tracy said with exasperation. “You know better than I that Becky’s condition is grave. Dr. Stevens and Dr. Morgan have impressed upon me there might be some difficult decisions to be made.”
“Of course I know Becky’s condition is grave,” Kim snapped. “That’s why I have so much trouble sitting here doing nothing. It drives me crazy. I have trouble even looking at Becky, knowing there is nothing I can do medically to help. Besides, hearing all this about the beef industry and the USDA makes me furious. I said I was going to find out how she got sick. I’m going to follow this E. coli trail wherever it leads; at least I can do that for Becky.”
“What if we need you?” Tracy asked.
“My cellular phone is in my car,” Kim said. “You can call me. Anyway, I won’t be gone that long.”
“Yeah, just like yesterday,” Tracy said.
“I’ve learned my lesson,” Kim said. “I’m not going to lose my temper.”
Tracy didn’t look persuaded. “Go if you have to,” she said irritably.
Kim stormed out of the ICU waiting room. Not only was Becky’s relentless downward course weighing on him, but so was Tracy’s hostility. Just the day before, she’d professed to understand his frustrations. Now it was as if she’d forgotten she’d ever said anything.
Once on the freeway, Kim used his cellular phone to find Tom. He tried him several places before catching him in his lab at the hospital.
“I have to ask another favor,” Kim said.
“How’s Becky?” Tom asked.
“To be honest, she’s very bad,” Kim said. “I’ve been using a lot of denial about her condition, but I can’t do that anymore. It doesn’t look good. I had no idea this E. coli was so pathogenic and essentially untreatable once the toxin gets into the system. Anyway, I’m not optimistic.” Kim paused, fighting tears.