Danny paid. “While I’m here, I wanted to ask you a couple of questions about Nathan Hall.”

Doc’s face tightened from friendly into suspicious. “You know I can’t talk about a patient.”

“Of course not,” Danny said. “But you can give me some general information about Campbell’s Insomnia.”

Scowling, the doctor crossed his arms over his chest and leaned back in the chair. “Lesions form in the thalamus of the brain. That’s the area that regulates sleep. Afflicted people develop severe insomnia, gradually losing the ability to sleep at all. Coma and death follow within a year or two.”

All textbook information Danny already knew. “How quickly is the person completely incapacitated?”

“Depends on the individual,” the doctor said.

“But case studies show that the person’s mental state is affected long before the body shuts down. Dementia hits hard during that period. So, an afflicted person could be mobile and potentially dangerous for a long time.”

The doctor’s lips pursed with annoyance. “The disease is very rare. There aren’t enough cases to make generalizations.”

“But people with Campbell’s can have violent hallucinations that drive them to bizarre behavior.”

“It’s not my specialty. I really wouldn’t know.”

“So you have no idea how long Nathan could be dangerous?” Danny pressed.

“No. I really can’t say.”

“Can’t or won’t?”

“In this case, it doesn’t really matter, does it? I’ll see you in five days, Mr. Sullivan, if you’re still in town. Don’t feel the need to stay, though. Any doctor can remove those stitches.” The doctor put his hands flat on the desk and pushed to his feet. The conversation was over.

Danny walked toward the door. He glanced over his shoulder. “I’m not going anywhere.”

Anger, cold as his stainless steel instruments, flickered in the doctor’s eyes. “Some people in this town have been through hell. There’s no need to drag them down to the next level.”

“I’m just trying to find a killer.”

“Don’t forget that those with good and bad intentions often end up in the same place.”

With that send-off, Danny made his exit. His injured hand twitched as he started the engine. A compact SUV was parked at the curb behind the Challenger. A woman dressed in scrubs got out and walked into the clinic. Dr. Chandler’s nurse?