�Mrs. Anderson, will you excuse me for a moment?� Dr. Pachla asked, looking warmly into her patient�s eyes. Mrs. Anderson nodded, and Dr. Pachla calmly walked through the door that Dr. Muzqu�z still held ajar. His face was red and his veins were fully extended on his face. Dr. Pachla had seen her fair share of men who became overly angry at a small peccadillo, so she wasn�t fazed.

As soon as he closed the door, he snapped, �When I say come immediately, I mean it.�

�Women hate to have doctors come in and talk over their heads as if they aren�t there. I saw you with a patient, and I figured we could delay our talk until we had taken care of our people.�

�I�m the director of this clinic, so you leave the figuring to me.�

�Fine. Now, that�s settled. What�s the emergency?�

�Don�t get smart with me,� Dr. Muzqu�z growled. Dr. Pachla tipped her head to the side and looked up at Dr. Muzqu�z with a mild expression on her face. Instead of meeting his eyes, she looked over his shoulder. Dr. Muzqu�z seemed to cool down right away. I could be a zoologist, she thought. This man is an animal who takes one look at a submissive gesture, and he calms right down. She was careful not to smile.

�We�ve landed in some trouble with NYPD over one of your cases. When�s your last patient?� Dr. Muzqu�z grumbled at her.

�I�ll be finished by twelve-thirty.�

�Meet me in my office. Tell me by noon if you�ll be late.�

Fighting every impulse to click her heels and salute, she dipped her head and said, �Yes, sir.� Dr. Muzqu�z spun around and returned to his patient. Dr. Pachla shook her head and returned to Exam 4. She was grateful he had a gentle bedside manner with his patients. He�d be a terrible doctor if he treated everyone the way he spoke to his staff.

�May I help you,� Angie asked the detectives at her desk.

�Yes,� Diane said, �I need to see Dr. Pachla right away.�

�I�m sorry, ma�am, but your appointment isn�t until next week, and she�s booked solid until twelve-thirty.�

�It�s about police business,� Andy chimed in.

�I�m sorry, I can�t disturb her now. Can you come back at one-thirty?�