Tampered

by Ross Pennie

  Dr. Zol explained that Max was at home with Ermalinda, competing with his nanny to see who could make the awesomest thin-crust pizza from whatever they could find in the refrigerator. Coming face to face with real gangsters had dampened — for the time being, at least — the boy’s enthusiasm for his vast library of shoot-’em-up video games.

  For Natasha, the end of a case induced an almost physical craving. While it was great to solve a complex puzzle, she missed the high stakes, the lurking unknowns, the heart-racing adrenaline.

  And today held another kind of longing. It was wonderful to be treated with respect and kindness by a boss like Dr. Zol, but watching the two couples at the table made her yearn for more than a respectful workplace.

  She couldn’t help thinking about Kostos, the surgery resident who’d taken her phone number at that Hess Village dance club on the weekend. She hoped he’d call again, as he promised. He had a nice ass, gorgeous dark curls, a great sense of humour, and a sensitive manner that seemed sincere. Perhaps her mother might not swoon if she brought him home. A Greek guy holding a plateful of chicken korma and a stack of chapattis could almost pass for Punjabi.

  About the Author

  Dr. Ross Pennie’s career as a specialist in infectious diseases has spanned the globe. He is a professor at McMaster University in Hamilton, Ontario, and practises at Brantford General Hospital where he takes care of hockey stars and doughnut lovers alike. He first cut his teeth as a doctor volunteering in the jungles of Papua New Guinea, an experience he chronicled in his award-winning memoir, The Unforgiving Tides. His first Dr. Zol Szabo mystery, Tainted (2009), won the Arts Hamilton Literary Prize for Fiction. Pennie lives in Ancaster, Ontario. Visit his website at rosspennie.ca.

  (Author photo: Sherry Smith, Keepsake Photography)