Mistakes in dosage that aren't accidental, heroes rushing in and saving the day-like pyromaniac firemen.'
'Chip talked about that,' I said. 'Medical errors, dosage miscalculations. Maybe he senses something about Stephanie without realizing It.... So why's she calling me in? To play with me? We never worked that closely together. I can't mean that much to her, psychologically.'
'Calling you in proves she's doing a thorough job. And you've got a rep as a smart guy-real challenge for her if she's a Munchie.
Plus, all the other shrinks are gone.'
'True, but I don't know... Stephanie?'
'There's no reason to get an ulcer over it it's all theory. I can peel em off, right and left.'
'It makes my stomach turn, but I'll start looking at her more closely.
Guess I'd better watch what I say to her, stop thinking in terms of teamwork.'
Ain't it always that way? One guy, walking the road alone.'
'Yeah... Meantime, as long as we're peeling off theories, how about this one? We're not making headway because we're concentrating on one bad guy. What if there's some kind of collusion going on?'
'Who?'
'Cindy and Chip are the obvious choice. The typical Munchausen husband is described as passive and weak- willed.
Which doesn't fit Chip at all. He's a savvy guy, smart, opinionated.
So if his wife's abusing Cassie, why isn't he aware of it? But it could also be Cindy and Vicki-' 'What? Some romantic thing?'
'Or just some twisted motheraaughter thing. Cindy rediscovering her dead aunt in Vicki-another tough R.N. And Vicki, with her own child rearing a failure, ripe for a surrogate daughter. It's possible their pathology's meshed in some bizarre way. Hell, maybe Cindy and Stephanie have a thing going. And maybe it is romantic. I don't know anything about Stephanie's private life. Back in the old days she hardly seemed to have one.'
'Long as you're piling it on, what about dad and Stephanie?'
'Sure,' I said. 'Dad and doc, dad and nurse-Vicki sure kisses up plenty to Chip. Nurse and doc, et cetera. Ad nauseum. E pluribus unum. Maybe it's all of them, Milo. Munchausen team-the Orient Express gone pediatric. Maybe half the damn world's psychopathic.'
'Too conservative an estimate,' he said.
'Probably.'
'You need a vacation, Doc.'
'Impossible,' I said. 'So much psychopathology, so little time.
Thanks for reminding me.'
He laughed. 'Glad to brighten your day. You want me to run Steph through the files?'
'Sure. And as long as you're punching keys, why not Ashmore?
Dead men can't sue.'
'Done. Anyone else? Take advantage of my good mood and the LAPD's hardware.'
'How about me?'
Already did that,' he said. 'Years ago, when I thought we might become friends.'
I took a ride to Culver City, hoping Dawn Herbert stayed home on Saturday morning. The drive took me past the site of the cheesy apartment structure on Overland where I'd spent my student/intern days.
