Chapter Nineteen

“Talk to me, Pasco,” Tully said as she propped her feet on the coffee table in her office and leaned back with the file he’d put together so far. Three months of digging and he still hadn’t finished.

“You have everything we’ve got so far,” he said. “There are still some holes, which we’re working on. You know me well enough to know we won’t give up until we get you the timeline you’re after.”

Her office door opened and she laughed as Libby walked in carrying a mug. In fact, she chuckled every time Libby came in with coffee, because it reminded her of the day she’d showed Libby the break room. Tully really hadn’t been kidding about the espresso machine.

“Thanks,” she told Libby for the latte she’d handed her.

“So the hole comes in college?” she asked Pasco.

“Beginning of her senior year, to be exact. It’s weird that she went from superstar student to thin air.” He flipped to the section of the report that documented Kara’s college days in Texas. “She skipped two semesters, then went back and finished. Her grades and her entrance exam got her into medical school right after that.” He flipped to the back and ran his finger down the page. “Like you already know, she came to New Orleans last year. According to hospital gossip, she started her affair with Jessica not long after she arrived.”

“Any other suspicious cases?” Tully asked, ignoring the comment about Jessica. She realized Pasco hadn’t meant to embarrass her, just to complete the picture she was asking him to paint.

“We’re digging, but the staff is tight-lipped. You should know that from your hospital days. These guys are worse than cops when it comes to not flipping on each other.”

“Attorneys aren’t much different. No one wants to be the one to turn on their own. You do, and the gloves come off when it’s your ass in the vise.” She sipped her coffee and slowly took in the information. Something was off, but it wasn’t jumping out at her yet. “We’ll assume that there’ve been some close calls, but Evangeline has been the only patient she’s lost to suspicious circumstances.”

“Why are we assuming that?” Libby asked. She was sitting at Tully’s desk updating some information on the computer.

“Because a surgeon that something like this happens to is either unskilled or has some other factor impeding her skills. You don’t get to Children’s Hospital or any other hospital with questionable skills. Medical school has the best possible vetting system. Those who don’t belong with a scalpel in their hand are weeded out there.”

Libby stopped what she was doing and put her elbows on the desk so she could look at Tully. “Then how do you explain Dr. Nicolas?”

“I can’t…not yet, anyway.”

The answer to that question resembled wisps of fog as the sun started to burn through. Tully was positive those missing months would eventually snap into place. That time was the key to the present, and that truth would give the Heberts peace.

“All these new privacy rules slow us down, but I’ll keep in touch and let you know how it’s going,” Pasco said as he got up and gathered his papers. “Nice seeing you again, Libby.”

“You too, and take care.”

After he left, Libby stepped behind the sofa, put her hands on Tully’s shoulders, and kissed the top of her head. “Are you just having coffee for lunch?”

“It’s nutritious, and from what I hear, the milk does a body good.”

“What’ll do this body good is to join Bailey, Ralph, and me for lunch.”

Tully tilted her head back and laughed. “And if I say no?”

“Then this body will be busy tonight when you want to watch television on the couch after the kids go to bed,” Libby teased. “Come with us, because I know you’re planning to work late this afternoon, and I worry about you skipping meals.”

“I have some other cases to get up to speed on, but I’ll try not to be too late. And since I’m dying to watch TV tonight, let’s get going.”

Libby kissed her forehead this time. “Is something good on?”

“The best show in town,” Tully said. “A little romance, a little kissing, and a lot of holding the girl.”

“Sounds like must-see TV, honey.” Libby moved away reluctantly. “Let’s go so we can get you back early. Tonight I’ll cook and stay until you get home. I e-mailed the list of realtors you asked me to compile, and the kids and I started looking at properties on their Web sites.”

“I should’ve offered you a job the day I met you.”

“That was two years ago, and you wouldn’t have given me the time of day. That’s why I love you.”

“The same applies now,” Tully said. “I’m with you now, and no one’s going to come between us. You know that, right?”

“I know that. Jessica was a fool, but I’m not going to be.”

Tully laughed. “You’re so much more diplomatic than me. A lot of words pop into my head when I think of Jessica, but ‘fool’ never makes my list.”

“I’m hungry, guys,” Ralph said, walking in without knocking.

“What’s on the menu today?” Tully asked.

“Debris po-boys at Mother’s, but Libby said you guys are having a salad.”

He turned around to get Bailey, leaving a smiling Libby behind.

“A salad?”

“Honey, we want to keep those pinstripes looking good,” Libby said, pinching her on the butt. “Have the salad and I’ll make it worth your while.”

“I’m counting on it.”

At lunch as Tully methodically worked through her salad, she thought about Kara Nicolas. Their two very brief meetings had left an impression, but nothing she could use to build her case.

“Either that salad is that good or you need a bite of my sandwich to bring you back from the coma you’re about to go into,” Bailey said. She waved her roast beef po-boy under Tully’s nose.

“I’m thinking about something that’s bugging me, sorry.”

“Why don’t you tell us, and we can help you with whatever it is,” Ralph said.

“That’s the problem, buddy. I’m not sure what it is, and that’s what’s bugging me.”

“It has to do with the Hebert case, huh?” Bailey asked. “Did Mama’s girlfriend really kill that kid?”

Tully put her fork down and wiped her mouth as a delay tactic. “Where did you hear that?”

“We overheard Frank and Jo talking about it, but we got most of the details from Mama.”

“Guys, I trust you, so I’m not saying this because I don’t, okay? You can’t discuss this case or anything else you see or hear at the office with anyone, especially your mother.” She took a deep breath, trying to squash her dread that she had inadvertently opened an information leak. “This is important to our clients.”

“She asked us, Mom, but we didn’t tell her anything,” Ralph said. “Roxanne told us about confidentiality when we started.”

“I think Mama was trying to find out if we knew anything,” Bailey said, “and I meant to tell you that, but then she didn’t come get us, and I got mad and forgot all about it.” She put her po-boy down and shook her head. “That woman killed some kid, and Mama’s protecting her? She keeps preaching to me about my behavior, so how screwed up is that?” She looked Tully in the eye. “It’s true, isn’t it?”

“The truth is what I’m looking for, Bailey Bean, so I can’t answer that for you.”

“What do you think happened?” Ralph asked.

“Just go with your gut, Mom,” Bailey said.

“When I finished medical school, do you know what I liked best about being a doctor?” All three of them shook their heads.

“The exactness of the discipline. A patient comes in with certain symptoms, you use your skills to find what’s wrong with them, and you treat whatever it is. It’s like putting together a jigsaw puzzle. It might look impossible when you start, but if you put the pieces together right, you end up with a clear picture.”

“Then why’d you quit?” Ralph asked.

“Because the law offered me the same opportunity, and it’s where I thought I could make the biggest impact for good. You can’t make up the law as you go along, and you always have to find all the facts before you can do something about the problem.”

“I get you, but why are you telling us this stuff?” Bailey asked.

“Because right now, I know only the basic facts. A sick little girl had surgery and died. Kara Nicolas did the surgery, and Evangeline’s parents blame her for their daughter’s death. It’s not enough for me to answer your question and tell you what I think happened. A good attorney understands there are three cardinal rules of success, and the first is to know the answer to every question before you start asking them.” She picked up her fork and speared a piece of chicken from her salad. “When I start asking questions, it’s because I can answer them all as well.”

“What if we ask Mama if we can meet Kara? We might be able to find out something to help you,” Ralph said.

“If you want to meet her because you think your mother has a future with her, then sure. But don’t ask because of my work.” She pointed her fork at Bailey, then Ralph. “Promise you won’t.”

“Scouts’,” Bailey said.

“Honor,” Ralph finished.

“Keep an eye on the Eagle Scouts,” Tully told Libby when they got back to the office. “We already have an investigator on this case.”

“They just want to help.”

“Libby, you haven’t had the pleasure of meeting Kara. For a surgeon she’s a little unhinged, and I don’t want my kids on the receiving end of her temper.”

“I’ll keep my eye on them, don’t worry. I’m not going to let anything happen to them.”

“We’re all lucky you found us, especially me,” Tully said with a warm look.