Chapter 59.

I wondered whether Chase was on to us. If anyone could read between the lines and realize what Jess and I were up to, he'd be the one. But I decided that we shouldn't do anything about it for fear of drawing too much attention. If Chase was busy enough with the current case, the study and Ellie and her baby, perhaps he wouldn't have time to think about Jess and me.

I was curious about how Jess would handle the conversation with the Clearys at lunch. Based on her behavior that morning, I knew I could trust her to play things close to that lovely chest of hers. It would have been nice to eavesdrop.

But there was something else that had been running through the back of my mind since I'd spoken to Thirteen about the patient earlier, so I headed back to the room. I was just in time for the entertainment I was seeking.

"Why do you think it's haemolytic uraemic syndrome?" Foreman was shouting at Thirteen. "There's no evidence of kidney damage."

"You were the one who didn't even question why the test results we got were so radically different from the ones her doctor reported. If you concentrate on Estelle's test results and forget about Natalie's, it would be obvious that it's HUS."

"It could also be TTP," Foreman insisted. "The presentation is similar. Both result in low platelet counts."

I held my hands like the two sides of a scale. "HUS – TTP, HUS – TTP." I pretended to juggle the two and frown. "And did you say LOW platelet count? I thought she had a high count, so I don't see either of them as our culprit. And Foreman's right about the lack of kidney damage, but we haven't seen any other signs of thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura either. Keep looking."

I left them both glowering at me. I wasn't going to take sides, especially when I disagreed with them both. Meanwhile, I didn't think Estelle was getting any worse. If she did, I might have to step in, but for the time being, I'd leave her to my team, let their hostility towards each other help the patient's diagnosis.

That left me at loose ends, so I headed back to my office for prelunch siesta, and arrived just as my phone began to ring. Surprisingly, it was Bonnie. "What now?" I growled as I picked up the phone.

"You said I should call if another property showed up that might interest you," she said defensively.

That was something I hadn't expected, at least not this quickly. "You found something?"

"Yes. In the same neighborhood as the one that Ms. Giordano is buying."

How could I refuse to see it without giving anything away? "Can I take a look at it today around noonish?"

"Could you make it a little later, say twelve-thirty?"

I didn't want to be too cooperative, but I grudgingly agreed. "Give me the address." I jotted it down as she read it off. It was on the same street as the one Jess and I would be buying, maybe a block away. I expected it would be similar to that one. How was I going to turn it down? I'd just have to think of something. Why did there always have to be unexpected complications just when I thought my plans were going perfectly?

I wouldn't be able to eavesdrop on Jess' conversation at lunch after all, but I knew I'd hear all about it later. I smiled, thinking about how good she was at evading questions and prevaricating. She'd do just fine.

I stretched out in my Eames chair and closed my eyes, my thoughts going to the evening before. Sex with Jess was better than any fantasy I'd ever had. Being able to stroke her soft and silky skin, run my fingers through her dark hair, and kiss those sweet, full lips, just thinking about her was getting me hard. I suppose you'd call what we'd done lovemaking, but the mixture of both physical and emotional stimulation was unique in my experience. Why did I find the sparkle in her eyes so erotic? How could touching her most sensitive spots warm my heart as well as other parts of my anatomy? And added to all that, she was just such damn fun to be with, to talk to, to scheme with.

If Wilson knew how I felt, he'd tell me she was perfect for me, just what I needed, someone to finally make me happy, or at least less miserable. Well, Wilson didn't know, and wouldn't for a while if we could help it. I could just imagine the look on his face when realization finally hit. It'll be sweet, but not as sweet as the details he'll never know.

I was suddenly jolted out of my most pleasurable thoughts by a loud knock at my door. "House, we've been paging you. Come quick. Estelle's going into cardiac arrest."

As I followed Thirteen back to the room, I said, "At least we have another symptom."

They were already using the defibrillator on the patient. My brain tried to make sense of this turn of events. There'd been no sign that this was imminent in all the time we'd been treating her. Why now? She'd been stable not that long ago. What would cause her heart to suddenly fail that we hadn't already ruled out? We'd been so sure her problem was some kind of infection. Infection, especially bacterial, has been known to cause fever and increased activity in the body, which could have a harmful effect on heart muscle function, but she didn't have a high enough fever, just a high platelet count. The most common infection in people with heart failure occurs in the lungs but she didn't have pneumonia or even shortness of breath. Sure, heart failure can also be caused by viruses that attack the heart muscle. Could that be the case here?

There had been no swelling of Estelle's feet or ankles to indicate pericarditis. Inflammation of the pericardial sac surrounding the hearthas been known to result from echovirus or coxsackie virus, and less frequently, it's caused by influenza or HIV infection, but without symptoms, none of that seemed likely.

I didn't have to tell Thirteen or Foreman any of this. They were both well-aware of the possibilities. At least they were no longer arguing over the diagnosis. Pity in a way. It had been entertaining.

"We'll do an EKG, see what that shows," Foreman said.

"After the fact, you know what it'll show," I reasoned. "But do it anyway. Who knows what else you'll find."

"We'll need to monitor her more closely," Thirteen added. "Can't let this happen again."

The patient seemed to be resting comfortably now. Her vitals were returning to normal. There was something nagging at the back of my brain from her history, but I couldn't put my finger on it. "Where's her file?" I asked.

Foreman handed it to me, but going over it twice, I didn't see what might have been bothering me. Of course, a high platelet count by itself could trigger a heart attack, but somehow that didn't seem likely here. What were we missing? As I thought about it, I suddenly saw the wall clock. If I didn't move soon, I'd be late meeting Bonnie. I considered calling her, using the patient as an excuse to delay seeing the condo, but decided it would be better to get it over with.

"I'll be back," I said and left before either of them could ask where I was going.

It was easy to find the row of townhouses and one-story condos where I was meeting Bonnie. She stood outside a unit that looked superficially similar to the one Jess and I were buying. "I'm sure you'll like this one," she said, opening the lockbox, taking out the key and unlocking the door.

The layout was similar to the other one, too, everything on one floor, living room, dining room, kitchen with a couple of bedrooms and baths. It even had a jacuzzi tub, although not as nice a one as at the other place.

I tried to look noncommittal. "How much do they want for it?"

"One eighty, but I think you can get them down to one sixty. There are a few minor problems."

"Like what?" I'd have to have some kind of reason to turn this place down.

"The hot water heater is fifteen years old and should be replaced, and the backyard is all weeds."

Neither of those items was really major, but I had a feeling there was something about this place that Bonnie wasn't telling me. "What else?"

She sighed and bit her lip. "The reason they moved out was that there was a murder committed here about two months ago. The killer hasn't been caught."