Ashes to Dust (Las Vegas Mystery)

for an exam, she was rougher than ever. She looked terrible, with bags under her eyes, and she told me I was lucky she was in a good mood.
    “After the examination, she told me my teeth were okay, but six of my fillings were old and would need to be replaced. She said two of the fillings were so large they would require crowns.”
    “Uh-oh.”
    “I asked her if the fillings were still functional—if we could possibly put it off for a while longer. Because fillings are like tires, I’ve been told. They don’t last forever, so I didn’t want to replace them until I had gotten full use out of them. Otherwise, they would have to be replaced again at an earlier date than necessary.”
    “That’s true,” she said.
    “Well,” Snow said, “she told me the fillings were still sealed, and they hadn’t broken down at all. But still, they were old, and it was her recommendation that they be replaced immediately.
    “It was then that it dawned on me that she must have developed a gambling problem recently and needed the money.”
    “Oh…”
    “So I told her I’d keep that in mind for the next visit. But that was over a year ago, and I haven’t been back. Now I’m pretty sure it’s best to let another dentist have a whack at me.”
    “You haven’t been to a dentist in over a year?” she said. “That’s not good. It’s best to come in every six months for an examination and cleaning.”
    “That’s what I’ve been told,” Snow said.
    “Then would you like to go ahead and set up an appointment?”
    “Let me explain the problem to you,” Snow said.
    “Okay.”
    “I told this friend of mine that I was looking for a new dentist, and he recommended Dr. Tully.”
    “He is very good,” she said. “Dr. Tully works on my teeth, and he’s very gentle and only does the work that’s necessary. He doesn’t do any gouging.”
    “That’s exactly what my friend told me,” Snow said. “So I had decided to go ahead and begin to prepare myself mentally for an office visit. I’m kind of a coward when it comes to trips to the dentist—so that can take several weeks.
    “Well, I was almost to the point of picking up the phone and making an appointment, and then my friend called me out of the blue and told me to forget it. He told me to find another dentist.”
    “Oh, you’re kidding! What happened?”
    “He told me he’d made an appointment well in advance and went to a lot of trouble making arrangements with his boss for the time off. And that’s always a hassle for him because his boss is overbearing and doesn’t like anyone taking time off from work for personal reasons. My friend explained that dentists are usually only open during working hours. He goes through that every time with the guy.”
    “That’s terrible,” she agreed.
    “Anyway, he was getting ready to leave work to go to his appointment when somebody called him from your office and told him his visit would have to be postponed for another day.”
    “Oh, that’s right,” she said. “Yes, that was me who called. That was last Tuesday, right?”
    “I believe it was.”
    “Yes,” she said. “Dr. Tully had an emergency and had to leave around noon that day. I had to call everyone and try to reschedule. I was sure everyone rescheduled while I had them on the phone, if I remember correctly. It seemed to me like everyone was pleased about it. I don’t remember anyone being ticked off. What is your friend’s name?”
    “Actually, I think it would be best not to give it,” Snow said. “It’s a sticky situation. I think he might be upset to know that I called and talked to you about all of this. I wouldn’t want you to call him and try to win him back and have him find out that I called. Then he’d be angry with me.”
    “Oh, I wouldn’t do that,” she said. “I’m just wondering now because I thought I rescheduled all of those appointments over the phone that day…”
    “Anyway,” Snow said. “I was wondering what sort of emergency it was that caused all this rescheduling. As a prospective new patient, I wouldn’t want to rush into anything if I have doubts. You know, I would hate to go to the trouble of filling out all the forms and everything, only to up and change dentists again because of future cancellations.”
    “Oh, it doesn’t happen often,” she insisted. “Hardly ever.”
    “Really?”
    “Only twice in the last year, and both of those times were within the last three weeks. Before that—I don’t