ago.”
“Isn’t that … unusual?” Bishop asked.
“Very. I’m writing a paper for the medical journals. It’s also unusual that she awakened with minimal aftereffects. No brain damage, good response to physical therapy—she was on her feet and walking within days, and in better emotional shape than most. Even if she did lose her memory—”
“Her memory?” Kane felt a crushing disappointment. “She can’t remember anything?”
“No, poor thing. Her life before the accident might as well have been wiped clean. All her language skills are intact, she reads and writes, recalls historical events and even current events right up to the time of the accident—but she has no personal memories. She didn’t know her name, didn’t even know what she looked like.”
“Will her memory come back?” Bishop asked.
“Probably. Though it could take years. She suffered a blow to the head, but we’re not sure if the amnesia was caused by the physical trauma or something psychological.”
“Meaning the loss of memory could be a defensemechanism, a way of protecting herself from memories too distressing to recall?”
The doctor frowned at Bishop. “Perhaps.”
After exchanging a quick look with his friend, Kane said to the doctor, “I talked to you when I was here before, about Dinah Leighton. Do you remember?”
“Certainly. A very nice lady, Miss Leighton. As I told you before, she and I talked several times—but only about Miss Parker’s condition and prognosis. Miss Leighton was most concerned about her.” His face changed, and his brilliant eyes narrowed as they fixed on Kane. “I assume there’s been no word?”
Kane shook his head. “Agent Bishop and I are gathering information on our own, trying to piece together what Dinah was doing in the weeks before her disappearance.” By now, the spiel was automatic.
Burnett frowned. “I wasn’t aware the FBI had been called in.”
Smoothly, Bishop said, “We don’t always alert the media, Doctor. Working quietly behind the scenes often garners faster results.”
“I see. Well then, I assume you’ll want to talk to the nursing staff again about Miss Leighton’s visits?”
“If you could arrange that, we would be most grateful,” Bishop said, all but bowing.
“Of course. If you’ll wait here, I’ll go speak to the floor supervisor and get things started.”
“Thank you, Doctor.”
Kane watched him stride down the hallway, then looked at Bishop. “You were very polite. Do you dislike him as much as I do?”
“Yes, I believe I do. And I wonder why.”
“You shook hands with him—pick up any bad vibes?”
Bishop gave him a look. “None to speak of.”
“Then,” Kane offered, “it’s probably just our natural dislike of human godhood.”
“That’s an oxymoron.”
“No, that’s a doctor. I don’t like hospitals or doctors as a rule,” Kane said, “so maybe that explains my reaction. I couldn’t find even a whisper of a reason he might have been involved in Dinah’s disappearance. And he appears to have witnesses to his movements that entire last day.”
“I didn’t seriously suspect him,” Bishop said.
Kane sighed and decided not to tell his friend that he had, over these last weeks, suspected virtually everyone he met.
It took them a couple of hours to talk to the staff members who had seen or talked to Dinah. They heard about her friendliness, her quiet charm, her concern for her friend. What they did not hear was any awareness that Dinah had been pursuing a story or any explanation for her excessive guilt over Faith Parker’s accident. No one remembered the name of the lawyer who had come to see Faith, and by then Burnett had finished his shift, so they hadn’t been able to ask him.
It was late afternoon when they headed to Kane’s apartment. “Since we didn’t get any information,” Bishop said reflectively, “we have good reason to go talk to Faith. Amnesia or no amnesia, she can tell us who the
“Isn’t that … unusual?” Bishop asked.
“Very. I’m writing a paper for the medical journals. It’s also unusual that she awakened with minimal aftereffects. No brain damage, good response to physical therapy—she was on her feet and walking within days, and in better emotional shape than most. Even if she did lose her memory—”
“Her memory?” Kane felt a crushing disappointment. “She can’t remember anything?”
“No, poor thing. Her life before the accident might as well have been wiped clean. All her language skills are intact, she reads and writes, recalls historical events and even current events right up to the time of the accident—but she has no personal memories. She didn’t know her name, didn’t even know what she looked like.”
“Will her memory come back?” Bishop asked.
“Probably. Though it could take years. She suffered a blow to the head, but we’re not sure if the amnesia was caused by the physical trauma or something psychological.”
“Meaning the loss of memory could be a defensemechanism, a way of protecting herself from memories too distressing to recall?”
The doctor frowned at Bishop. “Perhaps.”
After exchanging a quick look with his friend, Kane said to the doctor, “I talked to you when I was here before, about Dinah Leighton. Do you remember?”
“Certainly. A very nice lady, Miss Leighton. As I told you before, she and I talked several times—but only about Miss Parker’s condition and prognosis. Miss Leighton was most concerned about her.” His face changed, and his brilliant eyes narrowed as they fixed on Kane. “I assume there’s been no word?”
Kane shook his head. “Agent Bishop and I are gathering information on our own, trying to piece together what Dinah was doing in the weeks before her disappearance.” By now, the spiel was automatic.
Burnett frowned. “I wasn’t aware the FBI had been called in.”
Smoothly, Bishop said, “We don’t always alert the media, Doctor. Working quietly behind the scenes often garners faster results.”
“I see. Well then, I assume you’ll want to talk to the nursing staff again about Miss Leighton’s visits?”
“If you could arrange that, we would be most grateful,” Bishop said, all but bowing.
“Of course. If you’ll wait here, I’ll go speak to the floor supervisor and get things started.”
“Thank you, Doctor.”
Kane watched him stride down the hallway, then looked at Bishop. “You were very polite. Do you dislike him as much as I do?”
“Yes, I believe I do. And I wonder why.”
“You shook hands with him—pick up any bad vibes?”
Bishop gave him a look. “None to speak of.”
“Then,” Kane offered, “it’s probably just our natural dislike of human godhood.”
“That’s an oxymoron.”
“No, that’s a doctor. I don’t like hospitals or doctors as a rule,” Kane said, “so maybe that explains my reaction. I couldn’t find even a whisper of a reason he might have been involved in Dinah’s disappearance. And he appears to have witnesses to his movements that entire last day.”
“I didn’t seriously suspect him,” Bishop said.
Kane sighed and decided not to tell his friend that he had, over these last weeks, suspected virtually everyone he met.
It took them a couple of hours to talk to the staff members who had seen or talked to Dinah. They heard about her friendliness, her quiet charm, her concern for her friend. What they did not hear was any awareness that Dinah had been pursuing a story or any explanation for her excessive guilt over Faith Parker’s accident. No one remembered the name of the lawyer who had come to see Faith, and by then Burnett had finished his shift, so they hadn’t been able to ask him.
It was late afternoon when they headed to Kane’s apartment. “Since we didn’t get any information,” Bishop said reflectively, “we have good reason to go talk to Faith. Amnesia or no amnesia, she can tell us who the
Similar Books
