Department.
“I’m sorry, Officer. I didn’t mean you.”
“If I catch you again trying to impede someone from entering this building, I’ll have you thrown in jail. Do you understand?”
“Yes, Ma’am. I’m just trying to do God’s work.”
“Get back to your picket line.”
“Have a blessed day,” he said in a practiced way as she pushed past him.
How long before the other side, the woman’s right’s people, showed up? Darla wondered. And how long before the ugly scene turned violent? And how long before somebody took a shot at Dr. Nicoletti or one of his nurses?
Darla called headquarters and let the desk sergeant know the officer hadn’t arrived yet, letting him hear how peeved she was.
The clinic hadn’t closed for the day. There were even patients in the waiting room, three of them: a black, very pregnant teenager; a white lady of maybe forty, in a long dress and sandals, no make-up, hair down to her waist; and her daughter, a preschool girl dressed similar to the mother. They looked anxious. Who wouldn’t?
Darla showed her identification to the receptionist and was told to take seat.
“Is Dr. Nicoletti your regular doctor?” the lady in the long dress asked.
“No,” said Darla, and didn’t explain.
“Don’t pay them outside no attention. He’s not…what I mean is, he’s real nice, Doctor Nicoletti. He’s a very good doctor, very conscientious.”
The black girl overheard the remark and nodded agreement.
A nurse appeared at the doorway that separated the waiting room from the rear offices. “Detective Cavannah?” she said and escorted Darla to the doctor’s office, offering her a seat on a small couch.
The nurse paused as she was about to leave the room. “I got something I need to say, so I’m just going to say it.”
“Of course,” said Darla. Whoever it was, you let them talk. A cop was always interested in what someone had to say.
“Whatever you’re thinking, it wasn’t Dr. Nicoletti.”
“You sound pretty sure of that, Ms. Edwards?” Darla said reading the nurse’s name off her tag. “Were you with Dr. Nicoletti at the time of the murder?”
“Of course not,” she said, taken aback and then seemed to realize how defensive she’d sounded. “I was home getting my son ready for school, but I know he didn’t do it, just the same. That kind of thing isn’t in him.”
Darla nodded. You’d be surprised who it’s in and who it isn’t , she thought.
“Have you worked here long?”
“Not that long. A year. But a nurse can tell a lot about a doctor. The kind of person they are.”
“Is that the extent of your relationship with Dr. Nicoletti? Being his nurse?”
“Of course.” She flushed a little. “What are you trying to imply?”
Darla made a mental note. Nurse Edwards has a crush on the good doctor .
“Anything else you’d like to add?”
She looked at Darla kind of huffy. She hadn’t expected to be questioned. “Well, I can tell you who I think did it, not that I expect you to put any stock in my opinion.”
“Please. Say what’s on your mind.”
“It was one those right wing nut cases. They did it to rile up the legislature, so they’d pass that bill and shut this place down. They’ve been trying to close the clinic for a long time now. If you want my opinion, they killed one of their own to try and stir up sympathy for their cause. I wouldn’t put it past them. They’re the most hateful un-Christian-like group of people I’ve ever seen.”
Darla gave the woman a blank stare, refusing to acknowledge which political side she was on.
“They call him ‘the abortionist doctor,’” the nurse said. “That’s fine. He does abortions, but how many babies do you think he delivered last year? They don’t talk about that, do they, the right-to-life people? All the life he’s helped bring into the world? I’m not supposed to say how many D&Cs he did last year, but I can promise you he did more deliveries. “
“Thanks for
“I’m sorry, Officer. I didn’t mean you.”
“If I catch you again trying to impede someone from entering this building, I’ll have you thrown in jail. Do you understand?”
“Yes, Ma’am. I’m just trying to do God’s work.”
“Get back to your picket line.”
“Have a blessed day,” he said in a practiced way as she pushed past him.
How long before the other side, the woman’s right’s people, showed up? Darla wondered. And how long before the ugly scene turned violent? And how long before somebody took a shot at Dr. Nicoletti or one of his nurses?
Darla called headquarters and let the desk sergeant know the officer hadn’t arrived yet, letting him hear how peeved she was.
The clinic hadn’t closed for the day. There were even patients in the waiting room, three of them: a black, very pregnant teenager; a white lady of maybe forty, in a long dress and sandals, no make-up, hair down to her waist; and her daughter, a preschool girl dressed similar to the mother. They looked anxious. Who wouldn’t?
Darla showed her identification to the receptionist and was told to take seat.
“Is Dr. Nicoletti your regular doctor?” the lady in the long dress asked.
“No,” said Darla, and didn’t explain.
“Don’t pay them outside no attention. He’s not…what I mean is, he’s real nice, Doctor Nicoletti. He’s a very good doctor, very conscientious.”
The black girl overheard the remark and nodded agreement.
A nurse appeared at the doorway that separated the waiting room from the rear offices. “Detective Cavannah?” she said and escorted Darla to the doctor’s office, offering her a seat on a small couch.
The nurse paused as she was about to leave the room. “I got something I need to say, so I’m just going to say it.”
“Of course,” said Darla. Whoever it was, you let them talk. A cop was always interested in what someone had to say.
“Whatever you’re thinking, it wasn’t Dr. Nicoletti.”
“You sound pretty sure of that, Ms. Edwards?” Darla said reading the nurse’s name off her tag. “Were you with Dr. Nicoletti at the time of the murder?”
“Of course not,” she said, taken aback and then seemed to realize how defensive she’d sounded. “I was home getting my son ready for school, but I know he didn’t do it, just the same. That kind of thing isn’t in him.”
Darla nodded. You’d be surprised who it’s in and who it isn’t , she thought.
“Have you worked here long?”
“Not that long. A year. But a nurse can tell a lot about a doctor. The kind of person they are.”
“Is that the extent of your relationship with Dr. Nicoletti? Being his nurse?”
“Of course.” She flushed a little. “What are you trying to imply?”
Darla made a mental note. Nurse Edwards has a crush on the good doctor .
“Anything else you’d like to add?”
She looked at Darla kind of huffy. She hadn’t expected to be questioned. “Well, I can tell you who I think did it, not that I expect you to put any stock in my opinion.”
“Please. Say what’s on your mind.”
“It was one those right wing nut cases. They did it to rile up the legislature, so they’d pass that bill and shut this place down. They’ve been trying to close the clinic for a long time now. If you want my opinion, they killed one of their own to try and stir up sympathy for their cause. I wouldn’t put it past them. They’re the most hateful un-Christian-like group of people I’ve ever seen.”
Darla gave the woman a blank stare, refusing to acknowledge which political side she was on.
“They call him ‘the abortionist doctor,’” the nurse said. “That’s fine. He does abortions, but how many babies do you think he delivered last year? They don’t talk about that, do they, the right-to-life people? All the life he’s helped bring into the world? I’m not supposed to say how many D&Cs he did last year, but I can promise you he did more deliveries. “
“Thanks for
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