By the time she reached age twelve, Pia had simply stopped questioning the way of the world as it concerned her. This was just how it was and how it was going to be. Over the years she’d come to know how the individuals of influence in her life operated. Dr. Springer was a familiar type. He was fiercely protective of his own reputation and would adopt any position that protected him, even at the expense of reason and fact. Quick to take offense, Springer had no backbone. When Pia pushed back and kept pushing, Springer literally ran away. He went and found someone who did have some fortitude—Dr. Bourse—and he hid behind her. Bourse was a different proposition. She wasn’t afraid, Pia could see that, and she wasn’t willing to take the easy way out and simply dispense with the problem—Pia—which she could have done.

Pia had spent the afternoon anxiously mulling over Springer’s behavior. She’d learned nothing. There was also the fact that no one seemed concerned about the medical issues she was raising, which couldn’t help but fan Pia’s semi-paranoid belief that the medical center, and the Infectious Diseases Department in particular, hadn’t looked after Rothman and Yamamoto properly. And how could anyone prove that some medical center personnel had nothing to do with their getting sick in the first place? Pia was starting to consider the idea that some kind of cover-up might be under way, orchestrated by Dr. Springer.

And Rothman was still emotionally in her head. If she hadn’t let him take such an influential role in her life, she wouldn’t have found herself in her current predicament. If you let people into your life, she thought, you were bound to hurt sooner or later.

A knock on her door jolted Pia out of her agitated state. It was George. Who else?

“What happened with Springer? I was so worried I couldn’t concentrate all day.”

“It was a disaster.”

“I’m sorry. I’m also sorry I didn’t offer to go with you, really I am. You shouldn’t have to do this all by yourself.”

“George, stop saying you’re sorry, please! Besides, I never expected you to come with me. In fact, I never gave it a thought. And after what happened, I’m glad you didn’t come. Springer was a lot angrier at me than he was the first time. He went and fetched the dean to tell me to stop interfering. And he threatened to go to Groekest if I didn’t.”

“So, are you going to?”

“Going to what?”

“Stop interfering.”

“How can I? They’re the ones interfering, covering things up, not me. They’re sitting on something, I’m sure of it.”

“If you don’t mind me saying so, that sounds rather paranoid.”

“So be it. And remember, even paranoid people have real enemies.”