“Let’s see. From several sources, we learned that you don’t get along all that well with the head of the Physician Wellness Office. We also learned that the poor doctor who went crazy in Virginia was back at work because you felt he was ready.”

“That about summarizes it. Anything else?”

“From Google, I learned that you dug yourself out of a hell of a hole about nine years ago, and have helped a lot of other troubled doctors over the years since then. From Google Images, I learned that you don’t photograph well and that your eyes are your best feature.”

“My dentist, Dr. Moskowitz would say it was my teeth, except he worries that I grind when smart, terrific-looking women say nice things to me.”

“Thanks. Are you grinding now?”

“Down to the nubs.”

That smile.

“I won’t say stuff like that again, Lou,” she said. “Sorry. I can be a little flip and flirty at times, and I have a tendency I’m not proud of to fish for compliments.”

“Not to worry, I have dental insurance. So … you checked me out, you emailed me, I’m here. What can I do for you?”

“Well, first of all, I wasn’t the one who emailed you.”

“No?”

“It was a man my chief of staff, Kim Hajjar, and I call Double M. It’s short for mystery man.”

“And who is your mysterious Double M?” Lou asked. “And more importantly, what’s his connection to Kings Ridge, Virginia?”

“Believe it or not, I don’t know. Our guy is either extremely cautious or absolutely paranoid. He has made it clear to me that his life may be in danger if his identity becomes known. He contacted me because of my friendship with Russell Evans—”

“The Secretary of Agriculture?”

“Former. He and I played in the Kansas dirt together when we were children. It was through me that he became friends with Martin. I’m sure you heard about the scandal involving him and a young woman, and his subsequent resignation.”

“Of course. I’m glad to hear that he’s not guilty, but I tend not to judge people, so I hadn’t formed any opinion.”

“That doesn’t surprise me. Double M wants me to convince my husband to reinstate Russ and get him back to work. He said the secretary was framed because of certain of his policies, but he didn’t say which ones.”

“Do you have any thoughts about that? I had heard that the FDA and the Department of Agriculture were at war over lots of things.”