Free Dr. Death by Jonathan Kellerman Page B

genocide," and Dr. Archie Van Sandt of the Mount Zion Baptist Church accused Zoghbie of being "an instrument of cancerous secularism." Rabbi Eugene Brandner of Temple Emanu-El said that Zoghbie's ideas were "certainly not in line with Jewish thought at any point along the spectrum."
     
    An unattributed statement by the Socrates Club issued two days later attempted to qualify Zoghbie's remarks, terming them "an impetus to discussion rather than a policy statement."
     
    Dr. J. Randolph Smith, director of the Western Medical Association's Committee on Medical Ethics, viewed the disavowal with some skepticism. "A simple reading of the transcript shows this was a perfectly clear expression of philosophy and intent. The slippery slope yawns before us, and groups such as the Socrates Club seem intent on shoving us down into the abyss of amorality. Given further acceptance of views such as Ms. Zoghbie's, it's only a matter of time before the legalization of murder of those who say they want to die gives way to the murder of those who have never asked to die, as is now the case in the Netherlands."
     
    I logged off, called Milo at the station. A young man answered his phone, asked me who I was with some suspicion and put me on hold.
     
    A few seconds later, Milo said, "Hi."
     
    "New secretary?"
     
    "Detective Stephen Korn. One of my little helpers. What's up?"
     
    "Got some stuff for you, but nothing profound." Got a resolved ethical issue, too, but I'll save that for later.
     
    "What kind of stuff?" he said.
     
    "Mostly biography and the expected controversy, but Alice Zoghbie's name came up—"
     
    "Alice Zoghbie just called me," he said. "Back in L.A. and willing to talk."
     
    "Thought she wasn't due for two days."
     
    "She cut her trip short. Distraught about Mate."
     
    "Delayed grief reaction?" I said. "Mate's been dead for a week."
     
    "She claims she didn't hear about it till yesterday. Was up in Nepal somewhere— climbing mountains, the Amsterdam thing was the tail end of her trip, big confab of death freaks from all over the world. Not the place to choke on your chicken salad, huh? Anyway, Zoghbie says she had no access to news in Nepal, got to Amsterdam three days ago, her hosts met her at the airport and gave her the news. She slept over one day, booked a return flight."
     
    "So she arrived two days ago," I said. "Still a bit of delay before she called you. Giving herself time to think?"
     
    "Composing herself. Her quote."
     
    "When are you meeting her?"
     
    "Three hours at her place." He recited the Glenmont address.
     
    "Socrates Club headquarters," I said. "Found their website. Hundred bucks to join, credit-card friendly. Wonder how many of her bills that pays."
     
    "You don't trust this lady's intentions?"
     
    "Her views don't inspire trust. She thinks senile old folks and handicapped kids should be put out of their misery, whether they want to be or not. Got the quotes for you— part of today's work product. Along with assorted other goodies, including some other death-freak stuff and more weirdness."
     
    I told him about Roger Sharveneau and the other hospital ghouls, finished with Zero Tollrance's exhibition.
     
    "Cute," he said. "The art world's always been a warm and fuzzy place."
     
    "One thing about Tollrance I found particularly interesting: he posed Mate in The Anatomy Lesson as wielding the scalpel and getting flayed."
     
    "So?"
     
    "It implies a certain ambivalence— wanting to play doctor on the doctor."
     
    "You're saying I should take this guy seriously?"
     
    "Might be interesting to talk to him."
     
    "Tollrance, like that's a real name . . . Denver . . . I'll see what I can find."
     
    "How far down the family list have your little helpers gotten?" I said.
     
    "All the way down in terms of locating phone numbers and first attempts at contact," he said. "They've talked to about half the sample. Everyone loves Mate."
     
    Not everyone. "Want me to come along to meet Alice in