Midnight Voices

“But you’re not an M.D.”

Humphries’ smile faded, and his voice turned cold. “Is that what this is about? My credentials?”

“Rebecca Mayhew is my responsibility,” Andrea replied, not quite answering his question.

“As she is mine.” Humphries stood up. “Is there anything else I can do for you?”

Suddenly Andrea felt a surge of anger. Who did Humphries think he was? Just because he obviously had a lot of money certainly didn’t give him the right to interfere with her doing her job. “If I have to, I can subpoena her medical records,” she said, not getting up. “Don’t you think it would be easier just to tell me what’s wrong with her?”

Humphries was looming over her now, his eyes glittering darkly as he gazed down at her. “Of course it would be ‘easier.’ But because it would be easy does not mean that I am going to do it, Miss Costanza. And I seriously doubt that you will be able to subpoena anything on the basis that you think Rebecca looks ‘sickly.’ Now, if there is nothing else, I have other patients to see.”

“Really?” Andrea said, finally rising to her feet. “Who? Who else ever comes to this office?” She glanced around at the office that looked more like a study. “How do I know this is really a doctor’s office? How do I even know you’re a doctor?”

“You don’t,” Humphries said, his voice ice cold now. He moved to the door and held it open for her. “Though I’m sure you’ll do your best to find out. But if I were you, I would leave it alone. Rebecca will be fine.”

Andrea’s eyes narrowed. “Are you threatening me?”

Humphries’s eyes bored into her. “Don’t be ridiculous. I have no need to threaten you or anyone else. I’m simply telling you what I would do if I were you.” Suddenly they were at the front door, and it was open, and Andrea was back out in the hall. “Good afternoon, Miss Costanza,” Humphries said. “I wish I could say I look forward to seeing you again, but I don’t.”

The door closed.

Too angry even to stop and see if Caroline was home, Andrea Costanza stormed past the open elevator door, down the five flights to the lobby, and out onto the street.

Monday morning, first thing, she would start working on a subpoena for Rebecca Mayhew’s medical records.

CHAPTER 16

“Your mother’s getting old,” Caroline sighed as she handed Ryan one of the shopping bags filled with fabric and wallpaper samples, paint chips, and catalogs that were heaped around her feet, immobilizing her to the point where she couldn’t even get out of the taxi. “Take some of these, okay? I’m stuck.” Ryan pulled two of the bags out of the cab, and Laurie got three more, and finally Caroline had enough room to escape the confines of the car’s tight backseat. As she paid the driver, she decided that maybe next time she’d take Tony’s advice and simply call his car service.

Their car service, she reminded herself. This morning, when she and the kids had set off on their shopping expedition, the idea of hiring a car for the day had seemed like a ludicrous expense. And through the morning, when the weather had been perfect, she’d thought she’d been right. But after lunch the day had heated up and the air had turned humid, and the shopping bags they were all carrying had gotten heavier and heavier. Finally, when they all knew they couldn’t carry the bags even one more block, she’d given up and hailed a cab, and spent the long crawl through rush-hour traffic wishing she’d taken Tony’s advice. Compared to the cramped Chevy, a Lincoln Towncar would have seemed like heaven. But they were home now, and Rodney was helping Ryan and Laurie get the overflowing bags into the building, and even though she was almost exhausted from the shopping expedition, the worst of it was over. All they had to do now was decide what they liked best.

Maybe the worst wasn’t over after all, she reflected, remembering the number of times either she or Laurie had declared something “perfect” only to find something better in the next shop. Even Ryan had changed his mind three times, shifting from western decor (morning) to Star Wars (afternoon) to “wouldn’t it look neat to have stars on the ceiling that glowed at night?” (the cab ride home).

“Can I take my bags up and show them to Rebecca?” Laurie asked as the elevator jerked to a stop at the fifth floor.

“Just make sure you’re back in an hour. Dinner’s already going to be late.” A moment later — with all the bags except Laurie’s strewn around the elevator, she was fumbling for her key when the door to the apartment opened and Tony appeared, surrounded by the smell of food cooking.

“You look like you could use some help.” A few minutes later the shopping bags were inside, Ryan was upstairs in his room, and she and Tony were in the kitchen, where she sat at the kitchen table with a glass of Fume Blanc while Tony tended the various pots that were on the stove, and the two ovens, both of which were being used.

“I must have died and gone to heaven,” she said, gazing at the kitchen that, except for the pots that were actually being used, was spotless. When Brad cooked — and spaghetti had tested the outer limits of his culinary skills — the kitchen was always a disaster, which he’d invariably left for her to clean up. “What on earth have you been cooking? And how are we supposed to eat all of it?”

“Escargot followed by poached salmon for us. With a Caesar salad, summer squash, and couscous in a light curry.”

“For us? Don’t the kids get to eat?”

“Macaroni and cheese for Ryan. I’ve never met a kid yet who was crazy about poached salmon. I figure Laurie can have her choice.”

“And no mess.”

Tony shrugged. “It’s just as easy to clean it up as you go along. So how did it go? Everybody happy?”

“Do you hear anyone complaining?” She started to get up. “The least I can do is set the table.”

“Done,” Tony told her. “We’re eating in the dining room — no point in having all this space if we don’t use it. Sit, relax, and be waited on. We’ve got about half an hour.”

“I’d better call the Albions. I told Laurie to be back in an hour.”

Tony shrugged unconcernedly and refilled her wineglass. “Let her have a good time. Everything will hold. We should still have plenty of time.”

Caroline cocked her head, frowning uncertainly. “Time? For what? For dinner?”

Now it was Tony who looked puzzled. “My board meeting?” When Caroline still appeared mystified, he tilted his head toward the calendar that was held to the refrigerator door with a magnet. “The co-op board?” he asked. “On the calendar? Nine o’clock? Tonight?” He chuckled softly. “And here I thought I was being so helpful, putting the calendar out where you couldn’t miss it.” He pulled the sheet of paper out from under the magnet and handed it to her. “Maybe we’d better find a better place for it.”

“Or I’ll just remember to look at it from now on,” she said, staring at the entry for nine o’clock that night.

Tony’s eyes clouded. “You didn’t make any other plans, did you? I can probably get out of the meeting —”

Caroline shook her head. “It’s fine.” Getting up, she put the calendar back on the refrigerator, then went and slipped her arms around Tony’s neck. “Just a matter of getting used to living with someone else,” she murmured, nuzzling his neck. “Except for the kids, I’m a little out of practice.”

Tony’s arms wrapped around her, pulling her closer. “Maybe I should dump the meeting anyway,” he whispered. “Right now, I’m not even sure I want dinner.”

Caroline pulled away. “Now, now. You said everything would hold, but I’m not sure it would hold that long. And there’ll be plenty of time after your meeting. And after the kids have gone to bed. So let’s see if you hold as well as dinner.”