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emergencies must arise every now and then. A serious career evaluation might be in order here. “What time did you come in this morning?”
    â€œNine o’clock. I’m always careful about that, so I’m sure to be here five minutes before. Unless there’s a blizzard or something. Dr. Dorothy gets—upset if anybody’s late.”
    â€œDid anything happen this morning that was different from any other Saturday?”
    â€œWell, there was Dr. Sheffield.” Debra stared at her hands clasped in her lap.
    â€œAdam Sheffield?” The doctor who was slicing up Jen? “What about him?”
    â€œHe came to see her.”
    â€œThat was unusual?”
    â€œHe didn’t have an appointment or anything. He just came.”
    â€œAnd Dorothy saw him?”
    â€œI don’t think she was real pleased. Her mouth got all tight, like it does.”
    â€œHow long did he stay?”
    â€œMaybe ten minutes or like that. She had a patient, and she doesn’t like to keep them waiting.”
    â€œWhy did he come to see her?”
    â€œI don’t know.”
    â€œIs there anything else you can tell me?”
    â€œShe was late.” Debra’s eyes widened with the enormity of it. “Coming back from lunch. She’s never late. I was starting to get worried. And then, when she got here, she was mad about something.”
    â€œAbout what?”
    â€œI don’t know. She just was. Her face was all pinched, and she had a newspaper she kept tapping against her palm. She was snippy. And then she said she had to make some phone calls before she could see the patient. She kept a patient waiting. I wanted to tell her about the unscheduled patient she didn’t know about. That would have been Jenifer Bryant.” Tears spilled again. “How is Jenifer? Is she going to be all right?”
    â€œThat’s not certain. Who did Dorothy call?”
    Debra rubbed at her face with the shredded tissue. Susan reached for a box on the desk and placed it on the arm of the chair.
    Debra ripped out a fresh one. “I don’t know who she called. Except Dr. Willis. I heard her talking to him when I brought in Jenifer’s chart.”
    â€œWhat did she say?”
    â€œSomething about being at the house this evening. I really was only there a minute. Just to bring in the chart and put it on her desk, you know.”
    â€œWillis is her brother.” Susan turned a page in her notebook. “Marlitta and Carl are also siblings?”
    â€œThey’re all doctors.”
    â€œAnd Ellen? A sibling and a physician?”
    â€œJust a sister. I mean, she’s not a doctor.”
    â€œWhere did Dorothy have lunch?”
    Debra sniffled into the tissue. A bright ray of sunshine suddenly teased hints of gold from her brown hair, then disappeared as a cloud passed over. “I don’t know.”
    â€œWhere did she usually eat lunch?”
    â€œSometimes here. I mean, she’d just eat it at her desk. Something she brought or went out to buy and bring back. Some days she liked to go to the park.” Debra blew her nose. “Who would kill Dr. Dorothy?”
    â€œYou have no idea?”
    â€œPeople don’t kill doctors. Doctors make them well.”
    â€œDissatisfied patients?”
    â€œThe patients are all going to be really upset.” Debra gulped and held the tissue against her mouth. “I can’t seem to think. I don’t know anything.”
    â€œI know this has been very upsetting,” Susan said. “Thank you for your help. I’ll have somebody see that you get home.”
    Susan told Officer Demarco to take care of Mrs. Cole and watched as he guided her toward the door.
    Debra had been evasive when asked why she thought she was at fault, and Susan wondered why. Stumbling on a homicide victim was traumatic for the ordinary citizen; it made thought processes disorganized and unreliable. Lies were just as likely the