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couldn't melt an ice cube on her ass."
    "Cool."
    "We're talking frostbite. But she's a surgeon. She's supposed to be cool under pressure, isn't she?"
    "I guess."
    Oren restarted the tape and they heard his voice identifying everyone present, including Detective Plum, the second plainclothesman in the room. He provided the date and the case number, and then, for the benefit of the tape, asked Dr. Newton if she had agreed to the interview.
    "Yes."
    Oren plunged right in. "I'd like to ask you a few questions about the murder of your colleague Dr.
    Lee Howell."
    "I've already told you everything I know, Detective Wesley."
    "Well, it never hurts to go over it again, does it?"
    "I suppose not. If you've got a lot of spare time on your hands."
    Oren stopped the tape. "See? There. That's what I'm talking about. Polite, but with a definite attitude."
    "I'd say so, yeah. But that's in character too.
    She's a doctor. A surgeon. The god complex and all that. She speaks and folks sit up and take notice. She isn't accustomed to being questioned or second-guessed."
    "She had better get accustomed to it," Oren mumbled. "I think there's something going on with this lady."
    He rewound the tape to listen again to her saying,
    "If you've got a lot of spare time on your hands."
    On the tape, Oren gave Plum a significant glance. Plum raised his eyebrows. Oren continued. "On the night Dr.
    Howell was murdered, you were at his house, correct?"
    "Along with two dozen other people," the attorney chimed in. "Have you questioned them to this extent?"
    Ignoring him, Oren asked, "Did you know everyone at the party that night, Dr. Newton?"
    "Yes. I've known Lee's wife for almost as long as I've known him. The guests were other doctors with whom I'm acquainted. I'd met their spouses at previous social gatherings."
    "You attended the party alone?"
    "That's right."
    "You were the only single there."
    The lawyer leaned forward. "Is that relevant, Detective?"
    "Maybe."
    "I don't see how. Dr. Newton went to the party alone. Can we move on? She has a busy schedule."
    "I'm sure." With a noticeable lack of haste, Oren shuffled through his notes and took his time before asking the next question. "I understand it was a cookout."
    "On the Howells' terrace."
    "And Dr. Howell manned the grill."
    "Do you want the menu, too?" the attorney asked sarcastically.
    Oren continued looking hard at Rennie Newton. She said, "Lee fancied himself a gourmet on the charcoal grill. Actually he was a dreadful cook, but nobody had the heart to tell him." She looked down into her lap, smiling sadly. "It was a standing joke among his friends."
    "What was the reason for the party?"
    "Reason?"
    "Was it an ordinary Friday night cookout or a special occasion?"
    She shifted slightly in her chair, recrossed her legs. "We were celebrating Lee's promotion to chief of surgery."
    "Right, his promotion to head of the department. What did you think of that?"
    "I was pleased for him, of course."
    Oren tapped a pencil on the tabletop for a full fifteen seconds. Her gaze remained locked with his, never wavering.
    "You were also under consideration for that position, weren't you, Dr. Newton?"
    "Yes. And I deserved to get it."
    Her attorney held up a cautionary hand.
    "More than Dr. Howell did?" Oren asked.
    "In my opinion, yes," she replied calmly.
    "Dr. Newton, I--"
    She forestalled her lawyer. "I'm only telling the truth. Besides, Detective Wesley has already guessed how I felt about losing the position to Lee. I'm sure he regards that as a motive for murder." Turning back to Oren, she said, "But I didn't kill him."
    "Detectives, may I have a private word with my client?" the lawyer asked stiffly.
    Unmindful of the request, Oren said,
    "I don't believe you killed anyone, Dr.Newton."
    "Then what am I doing here wasting my time and yours? Why did you request this"--she gave the walls of the small room a scornful glance--"this interview?"
    Oren stopped the tape there and consulted