Face burning, Kilburn looked her in the eyes. “The big deal is that Kyra and I went back to Dale’s place the next day, and the day after, and so on. By the end of that month, my naive little sister had turned into a lush who dabbled in coke and was heading for an abortion thanks to Dale.” He shook his head. “Kyra was never the same after visiting her big brother.”

Louise’s mouth fell half open. “Oh, the poor kid,” she said hoarsely.

“I could argue—and I used to—that Kyra insisted on going back to Dale’s place. That she would have gone with or without me.” He stopped to swallow away the lump in his throat. “But that’s a pile of crap. Truth is, despite what was happening to my little sister, I wanted to go back to party at the mansion. And by the time I opened my eyes to it all, I think it was too late for Kyra. When she got back home, the eleventh-grade honors student barely scraped through the twelfth grade. The partying, the boozing, the drugs—sometimes I wonder if her whole future wasn’t spent that summer in Toronto.”

Louise stared at Kilburn wordlessly for several moments. Then she ran a hand through her thick puff of gray hair. “You honestly believe things would’ve all worked out for Kyra if only she never visited you?”

“I don’t know,” Kilburn sighed. “But I’ve never been able to shake the doubt.”

“Addiction is a disease.” Louise sighed. “You don’t end up an alcoholic by going to the wrong party.”

“But just maybe you get started down the wrong path at the wrong time in your life,” Kilburn said.

“I don’t buy it.” Louise frowned. “But whatever happened back then, I’m pretty sure you’ve made it up to her—and then some—since.”

Too little, too late, he thought without verbalizing it. He was anxious to change the subject. “Louise, I need you to clear today’s and tomorrow’s schedule. Maybe the whole week.”

She looked at him skeptically. “This isn’t because of your hospital suspension, is it?”

“No,” he said. “I have to go to Seattle.”

Louise’s round face broke into a Cheshire cat—like grin. “Ah, to meet up with Dr. Lopez?”

“That’s right,” he said slowly.

“Dr. K, this might be inappropriate of me to say—”

He cut her off with a laugh. “When has that ever stopped you?”

“Never,” she said matter-of-factly. “I like how Dr. Lopez sounded. Real spunky. I think she’s a sparkplug.” She raised an eyebrow suggestively. “And she sounded awful cute too.”

“You can tell that from a phone call?”

“Yup.” She flashed another mischievous smile. “And I happen to know that she’s single.”

“Louise, you’re unbelievable.” He laughed again and turned to go to his inner office.