He finished peeling the orange, put it down, washed his hands, and began pulling apart the sections. 'This one may be a heartbreaker-please don't tell me how cute the kid is.'
'The kid's adorable.'
'Thank you very much.'
I said, 'There were a couple of cases in England, reported in one of the pediatrics journals. They videotaped mothers smothering babies, and all they had were suspicions.'
'They taped at home?'
'In the hospital.'
'Big difference. And for all I know, the law's different in England.
. Let me think on it, Alex. See if there's anything creative we can do. In the meantime I'll start playing with local records, NCIC, on the off chance that any of them has been naughty to crack. Charlie has managed to hack into some of the military files, but nothing fancy, just VA. benefits, cross-referencing, that kind of stuff.'
'What do you guys do, play around with confidential data banks?'
'More like he plays, I watch. Where does the father teach?'
'West Valley Community College. Sociology.'
'What about mom? Any job?'
'No, she's a full-time mom.'
'Takes her job seriously, huh. Okay, give me a name to work with.'
'Jones.'
He looked at me.
I nodded.
His laughter was deep and loud, almost drunken.
The next morning, I arrived at the hospital at 9:45. The doctors' lot was nearly full and I had to drive up to the top level to find a space.
A uniformed guard was leaning against a concrete abutment, halfconcealed by shadows, smoking a cigarette. He kept his eyes on me as I got out of the Seville and didn't stop looking until I'd snapped my new badge to my lapel.
The private ward was as quiet as it had been yesterday. A single nurse sat at the desk and the unit clerk read McCalis'.
I read Cassie's chart. Stephanie had been by for morning rounds, reported Cassie symptom-free but decided to keep her in for at least another day. I went to sosW knocked, and entered.
Cindy Jones and Vicki Bottomley were sitting on the sleeper couch. A deck of cards rested in Vicki's lap. The two of them looked up.
Cindy smiled. 'Good morning.
'Good morning.'
Vicki said, 'Okay,' and stood.
Cassie's bed had been cranked to an upright position. She sat playing with a Fisher-Price house. Other amusements, including a quorum of LuvBunnies, were scattered on the bedcover. A breakfast tray held a bowl of partially eaten oatmeal and a plastic cup of something red.
Cartoon action flashed on the TV but the sound was off. Cassie was preoccupied with the house, arranging furniture and plastic figures.
An I.V pole was pushed into a corner.
