As in Walter William.'
She frowned. 'It's his nickname-his friends call him that.'
'He didn't tell me. Guess I'm not his friend.'
She looked out the windshield and took hold of the wheel.
'Look, I know I misled you a bit, but it's personal. What I do with my private life is really none of your concern, okay?'
'Misled me a bit? Mr. Spooky's your main squeeze. What else haven't you told me about?'
'Nothing-nothing to do with the case.'
'That so? He says he can help Cassie. So why didn't you get him to pitch in sooner?'
She put her hands on the steering wheel. 'Shit.'
A moment later: 'It's complicated.'
'I'll bet it is.'
'Look,' she said, nearly shouting, 'I told you he was spooky because that's the image he wants to project, okay? It's important that he be seen as a bad guy to get the job done. What he's doing is important, Alex. As important as medicine. He's been working on it for a long TIME '
'Four and a half years,' I said. 'I've heard all about the noble quest. Is getting you in as division head part of the master plan?'
She turned and faced me. 'I don't have to answer that. I deseri'e that promotion. Rita's a dinosaur, for God's sake. She's been coasting on her reputation for years. let me tell you a story: A couple of months ago we were doing rounds up on Five East. Someone had eaten a McDonald's hamburger at the nursing station and left the box up on the counter-one of those Styrofoam boxes for takeout? With the arches embossed right on it? Rita picks it up and asks what it is.
Everyone thought she was kidding. Then we realized she wasn't.
McDonalds, Alex. That's how out of touch she is. How can she relate to our patient mix?'
'What does that have to do with Cassie?'
Stephanie held her book next to her, like body armor. My nightaccustomed eyes made out the title. Pediatric Emergencies.
'Light reading?' I said. 'Or career advancement?'
'Damn you!' She grabbed the door handle. let go. Sank back.
'Sure it'd be good for him ill was head-the more friends he can get close to them, the better chance he has of picking up more information to nail them with. So what's wrong with that? If he doesn't get them, there'll be no hospital at all, soon.'
'Friends?' I said. 'You sure he knows what that means? Laurence Ashmore worked for him, too, and he doesn't speak very fondly of him.'
Ashmore was a jerk-an obnoxious little schmuck.'
'Thought you didn't know him very well.' ko 'I didn't-didn't have to.
I told you how he treated me-how blase he was when I needed help.'
'Whose idea was it to have him review Chad's chart in the first place?
Yours? Or Bills? Trying to dish up some additional dirt on the Joneses?'
'What's the difference?'
'Be nice to know if we're doing medicine or politics here.'
