Next came a deep-blue master bedroom and a closed door that I assumed led to the connecting bathroom Cindy had told me about.
Cassie's room was at the end of the hall, a generous corner space done up in rainbow paper and white cotton curtains with pink trim. Cassie was sitting up in a canopied crib, wearing a pink nightshirt, hands fisted, crying halfheartedly. The room smelled baby-sweet.
Cindy picked her up and held her close. Cassie's head was propped on her shoulder. Cassie looked at me, closed her eyes, flopped her face down.
Cindy cooed something. Cassie's face relaxed and her mouth opened.
Her breathing became rhythmic. Cindy rocked her.
I looked around the room. Two doors on the southern wall. Two windows. Bunny and duck decals appliqued to furniture. A wickerback rocker next to the crib. Boxed games, toys, and enough books for a year's worth of bedtime reading.
In the center three tiny chairs surrounded a circular play table.
On the table were a stack of paper, a new box of crayons, three sharpened pencils, a gum eraser, and a piece of shirt cardboard handlettered WELCOME DR. DELAWARE. LuvBunnies more than a dozen of them-sat on the floor, propped against the wall, spaced as precisely as cadets at inspection.
Cindy settled in the rocker with Cassie in her arms. Cassie molded to her like butter on bread. Not a trace of tension in the little body.
Cindy closed her eyes and rocked, stroking Cassie's back, smoothing sleep-moistened strands of hair. Cassie took a deep breath let it out, nestled her head under Cindy's chin, and made highpitched contented sounds.
I lowered myself to the floor and sat cross-legged-shrink's analytical lotus-watching, thinking, suspecting, imagining worstcases and beyond.
After a few minutes my joints began to ache and I got up and stretched.
Cindy's eyes followed me. We traded smiles. She pressed her cheek to Cassie's head and shrugged.
I whispered, 'Take your time,' and began walking around the room.
Running my hands along the dustless surfaces of furniture, inspecting the contents of the toy case while trying not to look too inquisitive.
Good staff. The right staff. Each game and plaything safe, and age-appropriate, and educational.
Something white caught the corner of my eye. The buckteeth of one of the LuvBunnies. In the dim light of the nursery the critter's grin and those of its mates seemed malevolent-mocking.
I remembered those grins from Cassie's hospital room and a crazy thought hit me.
Toxic toys. Acridenial poisoning.
I'd read about a case in a child health journal-stuffed animals from Korea that turned out to be filled with waste fibers from a chemical plant.
Delaware solves the mystery and everyone goes home happy.
Picking up the nearest bunny-a yellow one-I squeezed its belly, felt the give-and-rebound of firm foam. Raising the toy to my nose, I smelled nothing. The label said MADE IN TAIWAN OF LUVPURE AND FIREPROOF MATERIALS. Below that was an approval seal from one of the family magazines.
Something along the seam two snaps. A trapdoor flap that could be undone. I pulled it open. The sound made Cindy turn. Her eyebrows were up.
I poked around, found nothing, fastened the snap, and put the toy back.
Allergies, right?' she said, talking just above a whisper. 'To the stuffing-I thought of that too. But Dr. Eves had her tested and she's not allergic to anything. For a while, though, I washed the bunnies every day. Washed all her cloth toys and her bedding with Ivory Liquid. It's the gentlest.'
I nodded.
'We pulled up the carpeting, too, to see if there was mold in the padding or something in the glue. Chip had heard of people getting sick in office buildings-'sick buildings,' they call them.
