Blood Pact

myself.”

    Vicki recognized the tone; she'd used it herself once or twice. "I imagine you'd rather be, oh, fiddling about with test tubes or something?”

    "Not at all." Dr. Burke smiled, and there was no mistaking the sincerity behind her words. "I very much enjoy running other people's lives, seeing that each cog in a very complicated machine continues to run in its appointed place." It might have been more accurate to say, in the place I appoint, but Dr. Burke had no intention of allowing that much insight into her character. Now that we have established I enjoy my job, shall we get on with the investigation, Ms. Nelson? "Mrs. Shaw tells me you want to ask about the tests I ran on your mother.”

    "That's right." An early call to Dr. Friedman had determined that her mother's doctor had known about the tests, so they probably had nothing to do with . . . with the end result. But they were a place to start. Vicki pulled a pad of paper and a pen from the depths of her shoulder bag. "I assume they had to do with her heart condition?”

    "Yes. Although I haven't practiced medicine for some time, I am a medical doctor and your mother, understandably upset, wanted a second opinion.”

    "And you told her?”

    "That she had perhaps six months to live without corrective surgery. Pretty much exactly what her own doctor told her.”

    "Why didn't she go in for the surgery?”

    "It's not that easy," Dr. Burke said, leaning back in her chair and lacing her fingers across her stomach. "There are always waiting lists for major surgery, especially transplants, which is what your mother would have needed, and with budget cuts . . .”

    Vicki's pen gouged through the paper and her voice emerged through clenched teeth. "So Dr. Friedman said." My mother could've died from god-damned fucking budget cuts. "I'd like to see copies.”

    "Of the tests? I didn't keep any. I gave copies to your mother, who, I assume, gave them to her doctor, but I saw no point in keeping a set myself.” Dr. Burke frowned. "I did what I could for her. Do you doubt my diagnosis, Ms. Nelson?”

    "No. Of course not." So you were there for her and I wasn't. That's not the issue now. "Who else knew about the tests?”

    "Why?”

    The question came as no surprise, and Vicki realized it came primarily in response to her aggressive tone. She'd have asked it herself if someone slammed a question at her with that amount of force. Brilliant interrogation technique, Nelson. Forgotten everything you ever learned? Maybe she should've brought Celluci. Maybe she wasn't thinking clearly. No. I don't need him holding my hand. I've worked through anger before. She'd been one of the best; top of her class; the fair-haired girl of the Metro Police. She took a deep breath and fought for some semblance of professionalism. "My mother's body is missing, Dr. Burke. I intend to find it and any information you might be able to give me can only help.”

    Dr. Burke leaned forward, both hands flat on the desk. "You think that the body was taken by someone who knew she was going to die?”

    Celluci'd always said she was a lousy liar. Vicki looked Dr. Burke in the eye and decided not to even make the attempt. "Yes.
    That's exactly what I think.”

    Dr. Burke held her gaze for a moment, then sat back again. "Besides myself and Dr. Friedman, I can only be certain of Mrs.
    Shaw, although it's likely Dr. Friedman's nurse knew. I didn't tell anyone, Mrs. Shaw might have, and your mother could have mentioned it to friends, of course.”

    "She never mentioned it to me," Vicki snarled and then pressed her lips tightly shut, afraid of what else might slip out. She hadn't intended to say that.

    "Given that we were using university equipment," Dr. Burke continued, graciously ignoring the outburst, "I can't guarantee that no one else knew about the testing, you understand.”

    "Yes." A single word seemed safe enough. Pity she had to use more; every syllable carried more heat than the last and there didn't seem to be anything she could do about it. "I need to speak with those members of your department my mother came into frequent contact with.”

    "That would be all of them," Dr. Burke told her dryly. "But surely you don't believe that someone in my department is responsible?”

    "They do seem to be the first people I should check, don't they?”

    Answering a question with a question. Nice try, Ms. Nelson, but I have no intention of surrendering control. "I'd certainly be interested