New York Dead (Stone Barrington 1)

“What do you want to know?”

“Were you in charge when Van Fleet was interning here?”

“I was.”

“Why was he terminated from his internship?”

Garfield stared at him for a moment. “Am I going to end up testifying in a court of law about this?”

“That’s unlikely,” Stone said. “This is purely for background.”

“It’s about the Nijinsky woman, isn’t it?”

“I can’t say, sir.”

“Well, Mr. Barrington, you’d better say, if you want to get anything out of me. I read the tabloids, from time to time, and I’m aware that you are retired from the police department.”

Stone tried to keep from showing embarrassment. “That’s true, sir.”

“Then why are you flashing a badge around here?”

“Retired officers are allowed to keep their badges.”

“I don’t have to talk to a retired detective, you know.”

“I know that, sir, but I think the information I’m asking for could be important.”

“You don’t have the slightest notion of whether it’s important, do you? You’re just curious.”

“To tell you the truth, sir, I am. I couldn’t break this one when I was on the force, and it bothers me that it’s no longer being investigated.”

“The Morgan woman didn’t do it, then?”

“No, sir, she didn’t.”

Garfield sat down behind his desk and waved Stone to a chair. “Let me explain something to you, Mr. Barrington. This is a very highly regarded institution of healing, and we get some very well-known people in here as patients.”

“I’m aware of that, Doctor.”

“It’s conceivable that if the information you’re asking for got into the papers, there could be… repercussions for this hospital.”

“I assure you, Doctor, nothing you tell me will become a part of any public record, and I certainly won’t pass it on to the press.”

The doctor looked at Stone thoughtfully. “I’d like to know what happened to Sasha Nijinsky myself,” he said.

“So would I, Doctor; that’s why I’m here.”

“All right, but if it ever comes up, I will deny I ever told you any of this.”

Stone nodded. “I understand.”

Garfield took a deep breath and began. “This happened, what – twelve, thirteen years ago?”

“That sounds about right.”

“You have to understand that interns, like everybody else, have their own little… eccentricities. I have seen yearend pranks pulled that would stand your hair on end – cadavers in the cafeteria, you know? We try to be a little tolerant of these things – after all, these young people are under a lot of pressure, and they don’t get much time off – but we keep a close eye on them, all the same. I’ve had alcoholics, drug addicts, nymphomaniacs – all sorts of problems exhibit themselves, and, usually, with a little counseling, we can keep the offender in the program, maybe make a fine physician out of him later on. We’re not out to wreck careers, here; these kids come to us with eight years of higher education, and they’ve worked hard. But we have to draw the line somewhere.”

“Where did you draw it with Herbert Van Fleet?”