Foreign Body

Chapter 29

October 18, 2007

Thursday, 10:32 p.m.

New Delhi, India

Juggling all her injection paraphernalia, Laurie made her way to one of the plane’s lavatories. After locking the door, she spread out her gonadotropin pharmacopeia on the tiny shelf. She deftly filled the syringe with the prescribed amount of follicular-stimulating hormone and then equally deftly gave herself the subcutaneous injection on the anterior aspect of her thigh. Ten-thirty p.m. Indian time was only an hour later than noon in New York City, which was when she gave herself her shot each and every day. At that moment they were flying over northwestern India, soon to begin their approach into New Delhi.

Finishing with the injection, Laurie regarded herself in the mirror. She looked terrible. Her hair was an absolute mess, and the dark circles beneath her eyes were drooping down in the direction of the corners of her mouth. Worst of all, she felt just generally dirty. But no wonder. First there’d been the overnight flight to Paris, during which she’d managed to sleep only a couple of hours. Then there’d been the three-hour layover, which was mostly needed to get to the next departure gate. And then there had been this current eight-hour marathon. What had her irritated was Jack, who had no trouble sleeping. It just didn’t seem fair.

Laurie picked up the debris from her shot and poked it into the trash. The used needle went back into her purse, where she carried the medications and the fresh syringes. She didn’t want to be irresponsible. She washed her hands and again looked at herself in the mirror. It was hard not to, since most of the wall behind the sink in the Lilliputian bathroom was a mirror. She couldn’t help but wonder what effect this sudden trip was going to have on her infertility saga. She had absolutely no idea why she’d not gotten pregnant so far, and hoped the travel wouldn’t add to whatever her problem was.

She opened the door and stepped out. Sensing that between her reaction to Jack’s sleeping and her pondering her inability to get pregnant, she was getting herself worked up, she made a conscious effort to calm down. She hoped that over the course of the visit she would be capable of keeping her fragile emotions in check so she’d be able to provide the support Jennifer needed, which was the major stimulus for making the trip. At the same time, Laurie admitted to herself that she was also there to appease her own conscience. Maria’s passing had definitely provoked a certain amount of guilt.

Back in her seat, Laurie looked at Jack. He was still sound asleep and in the exact same position as he was when she left him five minutes earlier. He was the picture of relaxation, with a slight insouciant smile on his handsome face. His hair was certainly messed up, but since he wore it short in a kind of Julius Caesar style, it didn’t look nearly as bad as her tangled mop.

As swiftly as the irritation about Jack’s sleeping ability had come over her a few minutes earlier, now the opposite feeling surged through, bringing a smile of appreciation to her own face. Laurie loved Jack more than she had thought she was capable, and felt blessed.

At that moment the plane’s intercom crackled to life. The captain welcomed everyone to India and announced that they had begun their descent into the Indira Gandhi International Airport and would be arriving in twenty minutes.

With a surge of love, Laurie reached down and cradled Jack’s head in both hands and gave him a sustained kiss on the lips. His eyes popped open and blinked, then he returned the gesture. Laurie gave him a broad smile. “We’re here,” she said.

Jack sat up, stretched, and tried to look out the window. “I don’t see a damn thing.”

“You won’t. Remember, it’s ten-forty at night. We’re landing around eleven.”

The landing was unremarkable. Both Laurie and Jack felt a definite excitement as they exited the plane and walked through the terminal. There was no problem at passport control, nor did they have to wait for luggage since they hadn’t checked any. They were waved through customs without hesitation.

As Laurie and Jack came up the ramp outside the customs area, Jennifer began waving wildly and shouting their names. Her impatience was such that she ran down a few steps to meet them, enveloping Laurie in a hug. “Welcome to India,” Jennifer said gleefully. “Thank you, thank you for coming. You have no idea how much it means to me.”

“You’re welcome,” Laurie said, laughing, somewhat taken aback by Jennifer’s exuberance. Until Jennifer let go, she was unable to walk.

Jennifer then hugged Jack with equal enthusiasm. “You, too,” she said.

“Thank you,” Jack managed, trying to keep the Boston Red Sox baseball hat his sister had given him from falling off his head.

Jennifer transferred one arm back to Laurie’s shoulder so that she had one on Jack and one on Laurie. In that awkward configuration, they walked the rest of the way up the ramp to where Neil was standing. He had not run down when Jennifer had. Jennifer introduced them, and they all shook hands.

Laurie was instantly confused as to who Neil was, and said as much. She thought Jennifer was in India alone.

“Neil is a friend from L.A.,” Jennifer explained, still overexcited with Laurie and Jack’s arrival. “I met him my first year. He was the chief resident in the ER. Now he’s already one of the head guys. Kind of a meteoric rise, if I say so myself.”

Neil blushed.

Laurie smiled and nodded but was still in the dark.

“Listen, guys,” Jennifer said with great animation. “I’ve got to run and use the facilities. It takes maybe an hour to get to the hotel. Anybody else need to use the bathroom?”

“We used them on the plane,” Laurie said.

“Terrific. I’ll be right back,” Jennifer said. “Don’t go away! Stay right here! Otherwise, we might lose each other.”

Jennifer dashed off. The other three watched her go. “She’s really wound up,” Laurie said.

“You have no idea,” Neil said. “She’s been so excited you were coming. I’ve never seen her like that. Well, that’s not true. The last time her grandmother came to L.A. she was like that. I was with her at the airport then, too.”

“The people-watching is fantastic,” Jack said. “I’m just going to walk around this general area. Okay?”

“Okay, but don’t get yourself lost. We’ll stand here. But I don’t think Jennifer will be long.”

“Neither will I. Can I leave my carry-on with you?”

“Sure,” Laurie said. She took the bag from Jack and stood it next to hers. Both she and Neil watched Jack wander into the crowd.

“It’s a pleasure to meet you,” Neil said. “Other than her late grandmother, you are the only one she talks about from her childhood. You must know her really well.”

“I suppose.”

“As I said,” Neil added, “I’m glad to meet you.”

“Jennifer didn’t tell me you were here,” Laurie said. She wasn’t sure how she felt about Jennifer having company.

“I know she didn’t,” Neil said, “because she didn’t know I was coming. I got here last night and didn’t meet up with her until today.”

“I also didn’t know she was seeing anyone seriously.”

“Well, don’t jump to any conclusions. I don’t even know how serious it is. I guess it’s one reason why I’m here, so as not to burn any bridges. I really do care for her. I mean, I came all this way for a grandmother. But I’m sure you know Jennifer and how difficult she can be, given her relationship with her father.”

“I’m not sure I follow.”

“You know: self-esteem issues.”

“I’ve never thought of Jennifer as having self-esteem issues. She’s bright, attractive — just a great girl.”

“Oh, yeah. She’s got them, and it can make relationships kind of bumpy. And she definitely doesn’t think of herself as beautiful as other people think she is, no way. I mean, she’s textbook with the entire recognized complex, but not without hope.”

“What exactly are you talking about?” Laurie demanded, squaring off in front of this stranger who was openly criticizing someone she cared deeply about.

“She’s confided in me, so you don’t have to pretend. I’m talking about the abuse she suffered at the hands of her delinquent father after her mother died. I mean, she’s done amazingly well, thanks to her intelligence and general strength of character. She’s very tough, and her father is lucky she didn’t kill him, as headstrong as she is.”

Laurie was stunned. She’d had no inkling that Jennifer had been abused. For a second she wondered if she should be honest with this man or play along. She decided to be honest. “I was not aware of any of this,” Laurie said.

“Oh my gosh!” Neil blanched. “Obviously I shouldn’t have said anything. But the way Jennifer has always spoken of you as her only and closest mentor, I assumed you would have been the only one to know besides myself.”

“Jennifer never told me. Never even hinted at it.”

“Gosh, I shouldn’t have assumed. I’m sorry.”

“Don’t apologize to me. You’ll have to apologize to Jennifer.”

“Not unless you mention it. Can I ask you not to?”

Laurie thought about the request, trying to decide what was best for Jennifer. “At some point I reserve the right to tell her, if I thought it were in her best interest.”

“Fair enough,” Neil said. “But I’m here because she came to me and asked me to come with her. My first response was to say no. I had too much on my plate to drop everything and go to India. Then she walked out on me. I thought we were done. I mulled over it for a few hours, couldn’t get in touch with her, then decided to come after all.”

“Was she pleased?”

Neil shrugged. “Well, she didn’t tell me to leave.”

“That’s all you got for coming halfway around the world?”

“She’s prickly. But it’s a good thing that I did come. Today, in the Old Delhi bazaar, trying to catch up to her to let her know I was here, I came upon a man trying to accost her in the worst possible manner. He seemed too well dressed to be your stereotypical thief.”

“What do you mean he tried to accost her in the worst possible manner?”

“I mean with a silenced handgun, like he was an assassin.”

Laurie’s jaw dropped open. “What happened?” she demanded.

“We have no idea what this guy’s intentions were, because out of the blue, almost right in front of me, another guy who we later realized was some kind of plainclothes policeman blew the first guy away at point-blank range.”

“What happened next?” Laurie asked. She was horrified. She’d warned Jennifer about too much amateur sleuthing, and it seemed that she’d been right.

Neil told her, how Jennifer had been thrown from the cycle rickshaw, how she’d bolted with the masses, and how he’d managed to find her hiding in a butcher shop.

“Good Lord,” Laurie murmured. She brought a hand up to her face to cover her mouth.

“It was quite a day,” Neil said. “The rest of the day we hid in the hotel. I didn’t even want her coming out here tonight, but she was adamant.”

“Jack!” Laurie called out suddenly, shocking Neil. She’d seen him emerge from the crowd and look in their direction. Laurie waved. “Come back, Jack.”

“This changes everything,” Laurie said to Neil, as Jack made his way over.

“The concern is,” Neil added, “that this possible attempt on her life is because of her activities in relation to her grandmother’s death.”

“Exactly,” Laurie said, waving for Jack to hurry.

“Neil has just told me a very scary episode that happened today,” Laurie said to Jack as he joined them. “Something that I believe is going to change our visit.”

“What?” Jack asked.

Before Laurie could begin, Jennifer appeared out of the crowd and hurried over. “So sorry, everyone. The first ladies’ room was just too crowded, so I had to find another. Anyway, I’m back.” She paused, looking from Laurie to Jack to Neil. “What’s going on? Why the long faces?”

“Neil just told me about your experience today in the Old Delhi bazaar.”

“Oh, that,” Jennifer said with a wave. “I’ve got a lot to tell you. That’s just the most dramatic.”

“I think it’s very serious and has serious implications,” Laurie said soberly.

“Wonderful,” Jennifer said, waving over her head. “I was hoping you’d feel that way. Sorry, but here come the Benfattis, who I told you about.”

“Good evening, folks,” Jennifer said, as Lucinda directed her two sons over to Jennifer and her group.

All of them introduced themselves, and hands were shaken all around.

Jennifer eyed the two boys. Louis was the older and the oceanographer. Tony was the herpetologist and the younger, and he looked more like his mother.

“Jennifer told me about you,” Lucinda said to Laurie and Jack. “She suggested that you might be willing to have a look at my husband, Herbert, before we tell them to go ahead and cremate him.”

“My understanding, at this point, is that your husband’s and Jennifer’s grandmother’s cases are strikingly similar,” Laurie said. “If that’s the case, we would like very much to check it out. Whether an autopsy might be in the offing, I cannot say. Hold off on giving them the green light with the cremation until you hear from us. We’ll be at the hospital tomorrow morning.”

“We’ll be happy to do that,” Lucinda said. “Thank you very much.”

“There’s not going to be an autopsy,” Jennifer said. “Mrs. Varini reminded me of that again today under no uncertain terms. Not unless something very unusual happens. Here in India the doctors cannot make that decision. It’s up to either the police or the magistrates. Did you hear from her today, Lucinda?”

“I did. She made the offer to take Herbert to Varanasi if I’d give the green light. Between you and me, I don’t give a hoot about Varanasi. Anyway, I reminded her my boys were coming tonight, and I told her she would hear from them tomorrow.”

“Did she threaten you at all about tomorrow?” Jennifer asked.

“Yes, something about getting a court order but not until the afternoon. I merely repeated about my boys calling her before noon and hung up. She’s very tiresome.”

Jennifer laughed. “That’s an understatement.”

After agreeing to chat in the morning, the two groups walked over to the Amal Palace Hotel area and found their respective greeters. The greeters in turn called the respective drivers, and the group went outside to wait for their respective rides.

Inside their SUV, Jennifer had taken the front seat, Laurie and Jack the middle, and Neil had climbed into the back row. Although she responsibly had her seat belt on, Jennifer had twisted herself around, facing the rear, essentially sitting on her right leg.

“Okay, you guys,” Jack said, once they got under way. “You’ve kept me in suspense long enough about whatever happened today that was scary and is going to change our visit.”

Jennifer rolled her eyes in the direction of the driver, suggesting it might be best if they held off on discussing sensitive issues until they were back at the hotel. Laurie caught on immediately and whispered as much to Jack. Instead, what they ended up carrying on was an animated discussion about India, and New Delhi in particular. They also talked about Jennifer’s imminent graduation from medical school and how she’d been considering surgery, possibly eyeing New York-Presbyterian for a residency. Jack found the view of the traffic outside the window fascinating for the entire fifty minutes.

When they pulled up to the front of the hotel, Neil called out, “Let’s all group around Jennifer as a safety precaution.”

“What for?” Jack questioned.

“It’s part of what we have to tell you,” Laurie said. “It’s not a bad idea. One can never be too careful.”

Laurie, Jack, and Neil got out of the car before Jennifer, who was cooperating under protest. When she self-consciously followed, the others were grouped around her door as she emerged. In a tight group, they made their way inside.

“Why don’t you guys check in, and then we’ll all have a cold beer?” Jennifer said, recovering her dignity. “Neil and I will wait for you.”

As it was well past midnight, the bar crowd had thinned. There was some kind of live music, but the group was on a break. Jennifer and Neil found a table as far from the music as possible, around a bend and away from the main seating area. A waitress appeared as soon as they sat down. They ordered a round of King-fishers for everyone and settled back into overstuffed chairs.

“This is the first time I’ve felt relaxed all day,” Jennifer said. “I even may be a little hungry.”

“I like your friends,” Neil said. He thought briefly about confessing how he had mistakenly shared Jennifer’s secret with Laurie, but then chickened out. After the stress of the day, he was afraid of what it might do to her mental state. The problem was, he didn’t want it coming from anyone other than him if she were to be told, but he felt he could trust Laurie. Neil was confident he’d never do anything to make Laurie feel she had to tell.

“I don’t know Jack very well, but since Laurie thinks he’s terrific, he must be.”

The waitress brought the beers.

“Do you have any prepared finger food?” Jennifer asked.

“We do, and I can bring you a nice selection.”

Fifteen minutes later, Jennifer had a large platter of exotic appetizers, and a few minutes after that Laurie and Jack joined them. Jack took a few sips and sat back. “Okay,” he said. “You’ve all teased me enough about the scary episode. Let’s hear it.”

“Let me tell it,” Laurie said. “Then, if I have something wrong or a misconception, you can correct me. I want to be sure I understand exactly what happened.”

Jennifer and Neil both motioned for her to go ahead.

Laurie then told the Old Delhi bazaar episode, requiring only a few explanations and corrections from Jennifer and Neil. When Laurie finished, she looked at the young couple for any final additions.

“That’s it,” Jennifer said, nodding. “Well done.”

“And you didn’t go to the police?” Jack asked.

Jennifer nodded. “Neil, who’s been here before, to a medical meeting, pretty much talked me out of it.”

“The local police are often corrupt,” Neil explained. “And besides, something I did not mention to you today, Jennifer, and another reason I didn’t want you going back to talk to the police, is that I think they are somehow actively involved.”

“How so?” Jennifer asked. She was taken aback by the idea.

“I can’t imagine it was by chance the plainclothes policeman was behind you. It’s too much of a coincidence. My sense is that he was either following you or following the victim. If I had to guess, I’d put my money on you.”

“Really?” Jennifer intoned. “If that were the case, then I’d be willing to bet the policeman was following us when we were leaving.”

“Who knows. The point is that the police might not be innocent bystanders in all this, which isn’t reassuring, since, as I said, corruption is not unknown.”

“Well,” Jack said. “A threat to Jennifer’s life certainly does change the complexion of her granny’s case and what we are going to have to do.”

“You think the threat is related?” Laurie asked.

“You have to assume so,” Jack said, “and, as Neil says, a threat that involves possibly corrupt police is very disturbing.”

“Let me tell you the main thing that has made me suspicious about this whole situation,” Jennifer said. “This threat, or whatever it was today, is just the icing on the cake. What really caught my attention, not only with Granny but with the other two deaths as well, is the disconnect between the time of the victims’ deaths as reported on their death certificates and the time that the death was a centerpiece of a CNN segment about medical tourism. Take Granny! I saw the piece on television at approximately seven-forty-five in the morning in L.A., which is about eight-fifteen the same night here in India. When I got to see the death certificate, I found out it said she died at ten-thirty-five, two hours and twenty minutes later.”

“The death certificate is just the time a doctor declares the person dead,” Laurie said. “It doesn’t aspire to be the actual time the person died.”

“I understand that,” Jennifer said. “But think about it. It’s a two-hour, twenty-minute separation, but you have to add to that the time for someone to put the story together, call CNN, and report it. Also, you have to add the time it takes CNN to do whatever authentication they are going to do, write the story, and then schedule it. We’re talking about a lot of time. In fact, I’d probably guess more like two hours.”

“I see her point,” Jack said. “Did this happen with the other two deaths as well?”

“Exactly the same with the second one, Benfatti. The earliest I had it being on TV in New York was eleven a.m., which is eight-thirty p.m. in India. The time on the death certificate is ten-thirty-one p.m. Again, that’s two hours’ difference. It almost seems like someone is reporting these deaths to CNN before they even happened. On top of that, consider the similar time frames. Could that be a coincidence, or something else?”

“What about the third death?” Laurie asked.

“The third death was somewhat different than the other two, and the reason why was, the victim wasn’t discovered essentially cold and blue like the first two. But in other ways the same, including the time frame. The third patient was discovered still alive by his surgeon, and a full resuscitation was attempted that unfortunately was not successful. I happened to catch the CNN segment a little after nine p.m., and the anchors reported that the death had been sometime earlier. This afternoon I talked to the wife. The death certificate has nine-thirty-one p.m.”

“It does seem as if someone has been tipping off CNN way before anyone else seems to even know about the deaths, especially on the first two cases,” Jack said. “Now, that’s odd.”

“All three of us — myself, Lucinda Benfatti, and Rita Lucas — learned of our loved ones’ death from CNN after the network had known about it long enough to make it into a story and schedule it to be on the air and seemingly before the hospital knew about it. If it hadn’t been for this very strange timeline situation, I might have already had my granny’s body treated. But as it is, I cannot help but think these deaths are not natural. They’re purposeful. Someone is doing this and then is very eager to proclaim it around the world.”

When Jennifer stopped speaking, no one spoke for several minutes.

“I’m afraid to have to agree with Jennifer,” Laurie said, breaking the silence. “It’s starting to sound to me like an Indian version of an angel of death. We’ve had a few of those in the U.S.: healthcare workers who go on a murdering spree. This has to be an inside job. But usually the victims have some consistent association with one another. From what you’ve said, that doesn’t appear to be the case here.”

“That’s right,” Jennifer said. “They range in age from Granny at sixty-four down to David Lucas, who was in his forties. Although two were at the same hospital, the third was at another institution. Two were orthopedic procedures, the third was obesity surgery. The only constant is that they are all Americans.”

“It does seem that the time of death is approximately the same,” Laurie added. “And presumably the mechanism, with slight individual variations.”

“Is there any relationship between the two hospitals?” Jack asked.

“They are both the same kind of hospital,” Jennifer said. “There are essentially two types of hospitals in India: the run-down public hospitals and these new, impressively equipped private hospitals that are being built for the medical tourism industry and secondarily for the newly emergent Indian middle class.”

“How big is the Indian medical tourism movement?” Jack asked.

“It’s going to be very big,” Jennifer said. “The little I’ve been able to look into it has suggested some people think it might eventually challenge information technology for foreign exchange. By 2010 it’s supposed to produce two-point-two billion. It was growing somewhere around thirty percent per year last time accurate figures had been obtained. It’s interesting to speculate if these recent deaths will impact such an impressive growth. There have been a number of cancellations reported.”

“Maybe that’s why there’s such eagerness on the part of the powers that be to sweep these cases under the proverbial rug,” Jack suggested.

“Jack asked if there was any relationship between the two hospitals,” Laurie said. “You didn’t quite answer the question.”

“Sorry,” Jennifer said. “I got sidetracked. Yes. I found out on the Internet that they both belong to the same sizable holding company. There are big profits to be made in Indian healthcare, especially with the government providing strong incentives, like various kinds of tax breaks. Big business is becoming more and more involved as a consequence of the high profits yet high start-up costs.”

“Jennifer,” Jack said, “when you started to tell us about the timeline discrepancy, you said that it was the main source of your suspicion the deaths weren’t natural. That suggests there were other sources. What were they?”

“Well, first it was that they were pushing me too hard to make a decision about cremation or embalming right from the word go. Since I’m aware that autopsies either can’t be done or are significantly less useful after either procedure, their dogged persistence eventually raised a red flag. Next was the pat and all-too-convenient diagnosis of heart attack after I’d just had Granny evaluated by the UCLA Medical Center, and she’d been given a blue-ribbon report, especially in relation to her heart.”

“They didn’t do any angiography or anything like that, did they?” Jack asked.

“No angiography, but they gave her a stress test.”

“Anything else that has made you suspicious?” Jack asked.

“The cyanosis that was reported on both Granny and Benfatti when they were found.”

“This is interesting,” Laurie said, nodding her head.

“Not the third patient?” Jack asked.

“Him, too,” Jennifer said. “I asked Rita Lucas, the wife, to ask. There was cyanosis, but it was only when they first found him, and he was still alive but in extremis. When they started resuscitation, the cyanosis cleared rapidly, giving them a false impression that the resuscitation was going to be more effective than it was.”

“How long did the resuscitation go on?”

“I don’t know exactly, but my impression was not that long. The patient started getting rigor mortis while they were still trying to revive him.”

“Rigor mortis?” Laurie questioned. She looked at Jack. Both were surprised. Normally rigor mortis didn’t set in for hours.

“The wife said that the surgeon told her that so she wouldn’t think they’d stopped too soon. She said he attributed it to the hyperthermia.”

“What hyperthermia?” Jack asked.

“It was a very difficult resuscitation attempt. The patient’s temperature shot up sky-high, and so did his potassium. They tried to treat both without much result.”

“Good grief,” Jack said. “What a nightmare.”

“So it turns out that all three had generalized cyanosis, which didn’t make a lot a sense to me with the diagnosis of a generic heart attack.”

“That doesn’t make any sense to me, either,” Neil said, speaking up for the first time. “That’s got to be a respiratory problem more than a cardiac problem.”

“Or a right-to-left shunt,” Laurie said.

“Or a poisoning,” Jack said. “It’s not going to be a right-to-left shunt: not with three patients. One, maybe. But not three. I think we’re looking at a toxicology problem here.”

“I agree,” Laurie said. “And I thought I was coming merely to be supportive.”

“You are being supportive,” Jennifer added.

Jack looked at Laurie. “You know what this means, don’t you?”

“Of course,” Laurie responded. “It means there definitely needs to be an autopsy.”

“They are not going to do one,” Jennifer interjected. “I’m telling you. And let me tell you something else, which is what I was talking to Mrs. Benfatti about. This afternoon I got a call from my favorite case manager, Kashmira Varini, and she had a new offer that she and the hospital administration thought would entice me to give cremation a green light. She said that the hospital CEO pulled some strings and had gotten permission for Granny, along with Benfatti and Lucas, to be taken to Varanasi to be cremated and her ashes placed in the Ganges.”

“Why Varanasi?” Jack asked.

“I looked it up in my guidebook,” Jennifer said. “It is interesting. It’s the holiest Hindu city; it’s also the oldest. It’s been occupied for over three thousand years. If you are cremated there, you get extra karma for your next life. When I didn’t jump up and down and agree instantly to the Varanasi offer, she then threatened me just like she threatened Mrs. Benfatti. She said the hospital intends to seek a magistrate’s writ to deal with Granny’s body as they see fit and have the writ in hand by noon tomorrow.”

“That means somehow we have to manage to do an autopsy in the morning,” Laurie said. She looked at Jack.

“I agree,” Jack said. “Looks as if tomorrow might be a full day.”

“I’m telling you they won’t authorize one,” Jennifer insisted. “I told this to Laurie on the phone. The Indian autopsy situation is horrid. It’s a kind of bad legacy system with no independence for the forensic pathologists. The police and the magistrates are in control of deciding if and when an autopsy is to be done, not the doctors.”

“It’s an extension of the British inquest system,” Laurie said. “It’s very much behind the times. It’s hard for medical examiners to provide the necessary oversight they are supposed to provide without freedom from law enforcement and the judiciary, especially if the police and the magistrates are in cahoots.”

“We’ll have to do the best we can,” Jack said. “You mentioned a death certificate. Is there a signed death certificate for your grandmother?”

“Yes, there is,” Jennifer said. “The surgeon was apparently only too happy to sign it out as a heart attack.”

“It probably was, ultimately,” Jack said. “What about the other two cases?”

“As I said, there are death certificates on all three,” Jennifer added. “It’s part of the reason I feel the ministry of health just wants these cases to disappear.”

“That’s confusing if it is true,” Laurie said to Jack. “What we are thinking about here is an Indian healthcare angel of death. Why would the hospitals, and even the ministry of health, want to help cover it up, which it is doing by avoiding an autopsy. It doesn’t make much sense.”

“I don’t think we’re going to be able to answer too many questions until we are reasonably sure our hypothesis about these deaths being murders is confirmed,” Jack said. “So let’s talk about tomorrow.”

They all glanced at their watches.

“Oh my goodness,” Jennifer said. “It’s already tomorrow. It’s after one. You guys better get some sleep.”

“I have an infertility appointment at eight a.m.,” Laurie said, agreeing.

“That’s at the Queen Victoria Hospital,” Jack said. “That’s going to get us there early.”

“I made it there so we’d have an in of sorts.”

“That was a great idea,” Jennifer said.

“I understand your grandmother’s body is in a basement cooler,” Jack said to Jennifer.

“That’s correct. Very close to the staff cafeteria.”

Jack nodded, deep in thought.

“What time should we meet up in the morning before heading out?” Jennifer asked. “And where? Should we breakfast together?”

“You, young lady,” Jack said with authority, “are going to stay here at the hotel. After what you experienced today, it is too dangerous for you to be running around outside. You really shouldn’t have come to meet us at the airport.”

“What!” Jennifer demanded. She leaped to her feet, arms akimbo, challenging Jack.

“I have to give you credit,” Jack said calmly. “It seems that your suspicions and persistence have opened a can of worms here in New Delhi, but in so doing you have put yourself in jeopardy. I think Laurie will agree with me.”

“I do, Jennifer.”

“You have to let us try to prove what you’ve managed to uncover,” Jack continued. “I can’t participate unless you are willing to step back. I refuse to have your life on my conscience for this possible conspiracy.”

“But I’ve put—” Jennifer tried to complain, but she knew Jack was right.

“No buts!” Jack said. “We can’t even be sure we’ll be able to do much. Is that worth risking your life?”

Jennifer shook her head, then slowly sat back down. She glanced at Neil, but Neil nodded that he agreed with Jack.

“Okay,” Jennifer said with resignation.

“That’s it, then,” Jack said while slapping his thighs. “We’ll keep you guys informed. I’d prefer you stay in your room, but I know that’s asking a bit much, and it’s probably not necessary. Just stay within the hotel.”

“Can I help?” Neil asked.

“We’ll let you know,” Jack said. “Let me have your mobile number! Meanwhile, you can keep Jennifer entertained so she won’t be tempted to leave the premises.”

“Don’t be patronizing,” Jennifer complained.

“You’re right. I’m sorry,” Jack said. “That did sound condescending. I truly didn’t mean it that way. Sarcasm is my reflex style of humor. As I already said, I do give you a lot of credit for getting this investigation to this point, in spite of your grief. I doubt I could have done it.”

After saying good night to one another, Jack and Laurie got up and left the other two to finish their beers. As they walked out into the lobby, Jack said he wanted to stop at the concierge desk to reserve a van for the morning if it was possible.

“What do you want with a van?” Laurie asked.

“If we want to take a body from point A to point B, I want us to be prepared.”

“Good thinking,” Laurie said with a smile, guessing what Jack had in mind.

A few minutes later, as they were rising up to the seventh floor in the elevator, Laurie said, “I learned something tonight I didn’t know before. Jennifer’s father apparently abused her as a child.”

“That’s a tragedy,” Jack said, “but she’s certainly high-functioning.”

“At least ostensibly.”

“Did she tell you?”

“No, he did. It was by accident. At least I think it was by accident. He had convinced himself that from my mentoring position, I would have known, but I didn’t. So don’t say anything to anyone.”

Jack made an exaggerated questioning expression. “Who would I tell?”

“Are you done?” Neil asked, after Jennifer had taken the last pull on her beer. She nodded as she placed the empty bottle back on the table. She stood up and offered him a hand. They started for the elevators.

“I don’t like the idea of being confined to the hotel.”

“But it is the smartest thing to do. Why take a chance at this point. I thought about it but hesitated to suggest it.”

Jennifer gave Neil a quick testy glance.

They boarded the elevator. “Floor, please,” the operator intoned.

Jennifer and Neil exchanged a glance, unsure who was going to speak.

“Nine,” Jennifer said, when Neil failed to respond.

They didn’t talk as they rode up, nor when they walked down to Jennifer’s room. At her door, they stopped.

“I hope you are not expecting to come in,” Jennifer said. “Not at one-thirty in the morning.”

“When it comes to you, Jen, I don’t allow myself to expect anything. There are always surprises.”

“Good. I got pretty angry at you back in L.A. I had expected a different response.”

“I realized that after the fact. At the same time, there could have been a bit more discussion.”

“To what end? I could tell you weren’t going to come, even after I expressed how much I thought I needed you.”

“But you did fine without me. Doesn’t that change to some degree how you feel about the original event?”

“No,” Jennifer said, without hesitation.

“How do you feel that I came to India even though I said I wasn’t? You haven’t told me.”

“I appreciate it, but I’m also confused. I guess the jury is still out whether I can really trust you, Neil. I have to be able to trust you. For me, that’s a big, big requirement.”

Neil inwardly cringed when he thought about how he revealed her secret to Laurie just that evening. He was absolutely certain had he confessed it to Jennifer she’d decide he couldn’t be trusted. With the thought came a certain exhaustion. Was it all worth it? At the moment he didn’t even know, as there was no guarantee she would ever be capable of a normal give-and-take relationship. He worried that in her mind he was always going to be either totally good or totally bad, whereas in reality he was somewhere in between, like everyone else.

“Who should call whom in the morning?” Neil asked, trying to lighten the atmosphere. Any vague thoughts of possible intimacy had vaporized the moment she said she hoped he was not expecting to come into her room.

“Why don’t we set a time?” Jennifer said. “How about we meet down in the breakfast room at nine?”

“Sounds good,” Neil said. He was about to leave when Jennifer launched herself at him, enveloping him in a sustained hug.

“Actually,” Jennifer said, with her head buried against his chest, “I really do appreciate that you’re here. I’m just afraid to show it for fear of being disappointed. I’m sorry I’m so skeptical.” With that she pulled away, gave him a quick kiss on the lips, and then disappeared into her room.

For a second Neil stood there, caught off guard by her actions. As he had said, there were always surprises.