InSight

prove the pills you took from the cabin were Stewart’s. You said there were no identifying marks.”
    “Right.”
    “Which translates to zero proof they were manufactured by Synthetec or any other pharmaceutical company. Could be a private concoction. Even if Collyer drives a Lincoln Navigator, that doesn’t prove he drove Matt off the road or terrorized your girlfriend and her mother. You know how many people drive those behemoths? In short, everything is circumstantial. The captain would throw me the hell out of his office, and who knows if he’s in Carlotta Gentry’s employ.”
    “I know I’m right.” But Luke also knew everything Norm said was true.
    Norm brushed crumbs into the palm of his other hand and flicked them into his empty plate. “I think you are too. But I got nothing.”
    “Did Matt’s autopsy show anything that would cause him to lose control, like drugs?”
    “No. The M.E. listed the COD as suffocation due to compression.”
    “So where does that leave us?”
    “Nowhere. Not unless we can get someone to talk.”
    “Well, it won’t be Collyer. I know men like him. He’d go to his death before ratting out his boss.”
    “I’d concentrate on Scanlon,” Norm said. “He’s a slimy little creature. Ever see him?”
    “No.”
    “You’re in for a treat.”
    “Maybe I’ll get a closer inspection,” Luke said. “Think I’ll ruffle some feathers while I’m here.”
    “I’d go with you, but I’m afraid that would border on official.”
    “ Naw , thanks anyway. I don’t want anyone to know we’ve connected yet. My digging around is off the record. Let’s keep it that way.”
    “Be careful. You’re a good lip reader, but you still can’t hear.”
    “ Ya think?”
    * * * * *
    T he next morning, Luke entered the Scanlon Psychiatric Clinic and asked to speak to Dr. Herbert Scanlon. The flustered secretary retreated inside a glass-enclosed office and picked up the phone. He strained to see her lips, but she saw him watching and turned around. After a few minutes, she returned and mouthed that Dr. Scanlon would be with him shortly, then ushered him inside a well-appointed office and told him to make himself comfortable.
    Luke glanced around. Leather and mahogany, Persian rugs, gilt-edged books. Expensive. Lots of money in psychiatry. Or was it pharmaceuticals? Probably both. Scanlon was obviously a multitasker .
    Luke did a double take when Herbert Scanlon entered the room. He looked as close to an albino as Luke had ever seen. His skin and hair were matching pale; colorless eyes like watery opals stared without expression. He stood about half a foot shorter than Luke and carried half the volume. Scanlon met Luke’s proffered hand with a limp return, his skin dry and soft, as if it had been dusted with talc. Luke couldn’t hear his voice, but he could tell by watching Scanlon’s mouth that he overemphasized his pronunciation. The psychiatrist knew Luke was deaf. So did his secretary. Which meant this visit wasn’t a surprise. How in hell…
    “My secretary said you wanted to speak to me about Stewart Gentry.”
    Luke noticed the little man flapped his eyelids like a lizard, exaggerating his bizarre appearance. “Yes, I appreciate your seeing me without notice. I’m sure you have a very busy schedule, so I won’t take up much of your time.”
    “I don’t discuss my patients, Detective McCallister. That information is confidential. What is your connection to Stewart Gentry anyway?”
    As if you didn’t know. “He’s been harassing his ex-wife. She’s a friend.”
    “What makes you think I can do anything about that? Stewart walked out of the residential wing of this facility where he’s been for the last eight years. The authorities have been searching for him, without success.”
    “ Are they, Doctor? If so, this is the quietest manhunt for a murderer I’ve been party to.”
    “The Gentry family has suffered enough bad publicity, Detective. They prefer the search be kept from the media. They’d succeeded, until your city’s department made it public. Stewart isn’t dangerous. He’s come a long way in eight years. True, he’ll never be what we term ‘normal,’ and he’ll always have minor psychotic episodes, but as long as he’s on medication he’s no danger to himself or anyone else.”
    “Oh, right. Receptormine , isn’t it?”
    “A miracle drug,” Scanlon said proudly. “It’s done wonders for Stewart.”
    “So much so that he felt well