Tony ...
Let me finish. You did mean something to me. I've always liked you, even when we were kids. But it was more like a big-brother-little-sister thing then. When I saw you at the Y it was confusing. You weren't a kid anymore. You were a woman. I didn't know how to treat you. After we spent those two evenings together I couldn't stop thinking about you, and I wanted to see you again.
So what stopped you?
I was accepted into one of the best residency programs in the country, and it was in New York. A long- distance romance didn't make any sense. And I had no idea how you felt about me. We' d only dated a few times. You were starting a career. Tony shrugged. Then you saw me with Justine. The only thing I want to know is how badly I hurt you, because I always hoped that you didn't care enough for me for my leaving to matter.
A welter of emotions confused Amanda. She was thrilled that Tony felt strongly enough about her to bare his soul, but his frontal assault was coming so fast that it didn't give her time to think.
I don't know how I felt when you left, Tony. It's been years, and a lot has happened in between.
Maybe that's best, he said. Maybe we should just start over and see what happens. Would that be okay? Could you do that?
Amanda smiled. I' m here, aren't I?
I guess that's right. You didn't shoot me down.
And I didn't shoot you, either. She smiled. Not yet, anyway.
The waiter arrived, and Tony seemed grateful for the interruption. Amanda opted for a safe topic of conversation as soon as the waiter left with their orders.
What are you doing at St. Francis?
I've finished my residency and I' m an attending plastic surgeon. I just gave a paper in New Orleans, last Friday, at the annual meeting of the American Society of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgeons, Tony said proudly.
What was it about?
The long-term aesthetic effects of immediate versus delayed breast reconstruction using the pedicled TRAM flap.
In English, please, for the scientifically impaired.
Tony laughed. Sorry. It's not that complicated, really. You can do breast reconstruction after a mastectomy in a number of ways. The pedicled TRAM flap involves taking abdominal tissue to use in the reconstruction. You don't have to do the reconstruction at the same time as the mastectomy. You could do it a year later, if you wanted to. But I've concluded that immediate reconstruction looks better, and I talked about the basis for my conclusion. Impressed? Tony asked, sipping his margarita.
Not bad for a college dropout, Amanda answered with a smile.
Now that you know all about pedicled TRAM flaps, fill me in on what you've been up to. It said in the paper that you just won a death penalty case. Are you specializing in criminal law like your father?
Yup. I think I' m genetically programmed for it.
Do you like representing criminals?
I don't know if like is the right word. Criminal law is exciting, and I think the work is important. With a case like Justine's I feel I can do some real good.
How is she holding up?
She's a strong woman. But no one really does that well under these circumstances. She's worried about her career and her future. Jail is a lousy place to be even if you're guilty. It's hell if you're innocent.
So you don't think she's guilty?
No, I don' t.
Why?
Amanda was not certain how much she should reveal about the case to someone who was not involved in Justine's representation. But Tony was very bright, and it would be interesting to see how a nonlawyer saw the case after hearing the facts.
You have to promise to keep what I tell you to yourself.
Of course. Doctors have confidentiality restrictions, too.
Amanda laid out what she knew. Tony tensed when she described the similarities between the Milton County and Multnomah County crime scenes, and his brow furrowed when she explained that an anonymous caller had summoned the police to the farmhouse.
It looks like a setup, Tony concluded when Amanda was done. I can't believe that the cops don't see it.
A setup doesn't fit into their scenario. It complicates matters, and the cops like their cases to have simple solutions.
What about the anonymous call that sent the cops to the farmhouse? How do they explain that?
The DA says he doesn't have to explain it, that it's my job to construct a defense for Justine.
That's bullshit. It's obviously a frame. And you know what I think? It's got to be someone with access to the hospital. Think about it. The scrubs, the cap, the scalpel all that stuff came from St. Francis, and they aren't something a casual visitor could pick up. You' d have to know when Justine was going to be in surgery, you' d have to have access to the room where Justine discarded her cap and scrubs.
That means Justine has an enemy at St. Francis, Amanda said. Do you know anyone who hates her so much he would do something like this?
Tony thought for a moment, then shook his head.
The only person I can think of ... No, it's not possible.
You're thinking about Vincent Cardoni.
Yeah, but he's dead.
We don't know that for sure, Amanda said. His body was never recovered.
You think Cardoni is working at St. Francis?
I think it's possible. He' d have to have had plastic surgery and he couldn't be working as a doctor. He doesn't have a hand.
Actually ... , Tony started, then stopped, lost in thought.
What?
Tony looked up. He leaned toward Amanda.
A hand transplant, he said excitedly. It's possible to transplant a hand. They tried it for the first time in Ecuador in 1964. The operation failed because the tissue was rejected, but there are new antirejection drugs and advanced surgical techniques that have resulted in several successful hand transplants.
Of course, Amanda answered, echoing Tony's excitement. I remember reading about them. She sobered suddenly. A transplant would be so spectacular that everyone would know about it. The one I remember was front-page news. If Cardoni had a hand transplant in the past four years, we' d have heard.
Not if it was done clandestinely. Didn't Justine believe that Cardoni had money stashed away in offshore accounts?
Yes.
With enough money, Cardoni could find a doctor who would change his appearance and try a hand transplant. And he doesn't have to be working as a doctor. Maybe he has a prosthesis and is working at some other job.
Tony thought for a moment. Do you know when the farmhouse was purchased?
About two years ago, I think.
Tony leaned forward. He looked intense.
That's it, then. I'll get someone in personnel at St. Francis to give me a printout of every male employee who was hired in the past two years. Cardoni could change his appearance and his weight. He could also change his height, but I' m betting he didn' t. I'll look for white men about six-two who are roughly Cardoni's age.
Tony reached across the table and covered Amanda's hand with his.
If Cardoni is at St. Francis, I'll track him down. We'll catch him, Amanda.
The waiter arrived with their wine and the first course, and Amanda had a chance to calm down. She ate her salad in silence while she thought about getting Tony involved in Justine's case.
Maybe I should have our investigator get the personnel records.
Why?
