The Courage Tree - Diane Chamberlain [28]
“She’s supposed to have dialysis tonight,” she said, “and she needs her Herbalina IV tomorrow.”
Lucas nodded. “I know. I was thinking about that. Have you ever asked her doctor what would happen if she missed an IV?”
She shook her head. “I would never allow that to happen.”
“You should call him right now.”
“Schaefer? It’s the middle of the night.”
“Yes, but I think the police should have a very clear picture of her illness. Did you tell them?”
“Yes. But not in great detail. Not anything about what would happen if she misses that IV.”
“They should know, Jan, don’t you think?” Lucas asked. “They can get the information to the media, and the media can get it out on the airwaves. They need to know how urgent this is. If—and this is only an if—Sophie’s been kidnapped, by the Scout leader or someone else, and the kidnapper hears that Sophie needs treatment right away…well, maybe he or she has a soft spot in his heart and would drop her off at a hospital or something.”
She nodded. He was right, and making the call would give her something to do to ease the helplessness. “His number’s stored in my cell, but can I use your phone?” she asked. “I don’t want to tie mine up.”
He handed her his phone and she dialed the number. It was after one in the morning, and the woman at Schaefer’s answering service sounded annoyed at being disturbed.
“I need to speak with Dr. Schaefer,” Janine said. “It’s an emergency.”
“If this is an emergency, you should hang up and call 911,” the woman said.
“No. Not that sort of emergency. Please…just get in touch with him and ask him to call Janine Donohue right away. Only not at my usual number.” She gave the woman Lucas’s number, then hung up the phone. Her hand was shaking.
The doctor called within five minutes. He sounded wide-awake, although his usually faint New England accent was more pronounced than she’d ever heard it before.
“Is Sophie all right?” he asked, and Janine was grateful for the genuine concern in his voice.
“I don’t know,” she said. “She went to a Girl Scout camp this weekend and she hasn’t come home. She and another girl and their leader are all…missing. They were due back at three. The police are involved, but there’s no trace of them. And I’m worried she won’t be found in time to get her IV tomorrow. Will she…will she be all right without it?”
There was a long silence on Schaefer’s end of the phone line.
“Dr. Schaefer?” she prodded, wondering if he had fallen asleep.
Finally he spoke. “This sounds very serious,” he said.
“Yes, it is, but right now I’m just worried about her physical condition. What will happen if she’s not back in time for her appointment tomorrow? And she’s supposed to have dialysis tonight.”
He hesitated again. She would have chalked it up to sleepiness on his part had it not been for the fact that this slow reaction time was his usual style. “As soon as she arrives tomorrow, bring her in,” he said. “Don’t worry about the appointment time.”
“What if she doesn’t arrive, though? I mean, tomorrow. What happens if she misses tomorrow’s IV altogether? And what if she misses Thursday’s, too?” She looked at Lucas, who was leaning toward her, his arms on his knees.
“The obvious,” Schaefer said.
“What do you mean, ‘the obvious’?” she asked.
Lucas scowled, apparently annoyed with the doctor as he listened to Janine’s frustrated side of the conversation. He reached for the phone, asking her permission with his eyes. She nodded, relinquishing the phone to him gladly.
“Dr. Schaefer?” he said. “This is Lucas Trowell. I’m a friend of Janine’s. Maybe you could tell me precisely what you think will happen if Sophie misses her IV and her dialysis. And if you could also give me the details of her illness, we can give them to the police.”
He reached behind him to grab an envelope from the coffee table, then motioned to Janine for a pen. She found one in her purse and handed it to him, watching as he began to take notes, the phone nestled between his shoulder and his ear.
Apparently Schaefer had found his voice, and