Laurie and Jack liked to hang out in one of their offices after the rush of the day and go over their cases and maybe make plans for the evening. The rush-hour traffic, particularly bad on Fridays, would subside a little if they waited to leave until six, and with the live-in nanny at home tending to JJ’s needs, there was no rush. This was their quiet time, and they relished it because it was in short supply considering how busy they both were.

“Jack. Thank God. Oh, hi, Laurie, how are you? Jack, listen.” Chet was talking excitedly and loudly at first but got mock-conspiratorial. He looked behind him and pushed Laurie’s office door almost closed so no one else could hear.

“Jack, I have got the best-looking fourth-year medical student in my office that I’ve ever seen. I mean ever. I need you to keep her interested until I can get her info. I had nothing to do tonight, but then she showed up. It’s like a sign. You gotta help me, man.”

As usual, Jack was amused by Chet, his former office mate and longtime friend. Jack had heard innumerable episodes of McGovern’s social antics. Laurie, on the other hand, had wearied of Chet’s incessant womanizing. She couldn’t resist baiting him a little.

“Chet, how old are you?” she said.

“I know,” he said, pretending to be sheepish.

“No, seriously, how old are you?”

Jack thought he should step in at this point, between his wife and his friend.

“How can I help you, Chet?”

McGovern stuck his head around the door and looked down the corridor to make sure Pia hadn’t left.

“Listen! This Columbia med student just came in asking about those two typhoid cases you worked on yesterday. Actually, she came in supposedly interested in an elective, but I guess that was a cover story. For some reason she wants to check the corpses for evidence of alpha radiation because they’d been using some alpha emitter radioisotopes in the lab where your two patients worked. She even brought in her own Geiger counter. When I told her the bodies had already gone she was disappointed. Thanks for being so over-the-top efficient with the death certificates and signing out the cases, Jack!”

“You’re welcome, buddy.”

Jack and Laurie smiled knowingly at each other. This was typical McGovern behavior. Each week there was a new hot prospect. It used to be Laurie felt badly for the man because she thought he was lonely. But that had changed. She was now convinced Chet did not want to find a mate. It was the chase he wanted, and he never tired.

“When I told her the bodies were gone, she wanted to ask you whether your findings were typical for typhoid.”

“Tell her the findings were indeed typical for typhoid, but a very serious case of typhoid from a remarkably virulent strain.”