Beside him, Beth gazed silently out the window. He had nothing further to say to her about Paul Brogan. But he found himself wanting to prolong their contact, to delay the time when he offered to drop her off at her apartment, or wherever else she wanted to go. After the silence had built up to a pitch that was almost unbearable, Beth said, quietly: “Tell me one thing, Venn.” “What’s that?” She looked at him. “Tell me this isn’t all about me and Paul.” “What do you mean?” he said. Though he knew perfectly well what she meant. “Tell me you’re not fishing for reasons to hassle him. Because you’re... jealous.” Damn. The word was like an icepick through his gut. Beth had a knack for being direct. And Venn couldn’t always deal with it. “No,” he said deliberately. “You’ve seen the facts. Paul Brogan has a connection with the clinic. The clinic is connected with the data discrepancies you asked me to investigate. I can’t ignore it.” He hesitated, then said: “I told you.
