The final sentence in the report said that they interviewed her pain management doctor and he checked out okay. His name was Dr. Jon Spineback.
Bingo! Dr. Jon Spineback’s name pops up again.
Chapter 35: Von’s Plan
Von Spineback has been looking for the big “gusher” for twenty years, as has every person who has ever been in the exploration field of the oil and gas industry. Three years ago, Wilmont Oil & Gas drilled a test well in Fairfield County, and the results made Wilmont’s 270 leases consisting of 27,543 acres in the county priceless. They drilled two more exploratory wells on the fringes of the lease block with the same impressive results. Only the geologist and the drilling supervisor know the results besides him. Von sent several landmen out into the county to acquire as many leases as possible to protect the boundaries of his find. As far as the public is concerned, the wells are marginal at best.
Von figures there are literally millions of barrels of oil and millions of cubic feet of natural gas under his block of leases. The problem is getting the oil and natural gas to market. His original thought was to build a pipeline, but that would take too long and would be very expensive as well as environmentally dangerous. He doesn’t need tree huggers slowing down his project. He looked around the county and found the perfect answer to his problem. Anchor Hocking’s Distribution Center along with 182 acres on West Fair Avenue would easily solve the problem. The plant has everything he needs: size, location, and rail availability.
He only has five years remaining on the majority of his undrilled leases so he needs to get the ball rolling. He needs to drill or renew the leases. If he begins that process, everyone in Fairfield County will figure out Von’s discovery wells are more than marginal. This will bring about a leasing frenzy in Fairfield County. The price to renew his leases will go sky high and cost his company millions.
He accidently ran into Ginny Ridlinger in Columbus, and when he discovered she was working as the director of public relations at the distribution center in Lancaster, he was elated. After resurrecting their old Air Force affair and the promise of a big payout to Ginny, he now had an inside edge with the company.
His plan, along with some inside help from Ginny, is to purchase the distribution plant through a dummy corporation, claiming they can run the distribution center more efficiently than Anchor, and then close it down. Later, the dummy corporation will transfer the property to Wilmont Oil & Gas. He will then cover the acreage with huge storage tanks for the oil. He will truck the oil from each well site to the central storage tanks on West Fair Avenue. Tanker trucks will then haul the oil to refineries or it will be loaded on to railroad cars for distribution. He plans to set up a natural gas pipeline station on the property and sell his gas to the nearest pipeline, which is only one mile away. He is already in the process of acquiring rights of way for the pipeline. He wants to get the rights of way before he shuts down the plant so that none of the landowners who may work at the plant can block his route.
If his plan goes through, more than 500 workers at the distribution plant will lose their jobs. If the distribution plant is closed, Anchor will need to find another place for their distribution or, as Sissy Adams feared, it would have to close the two manufacturing plants in town, which would put another 3,000 workers out of jobs. This could be the straw that breaks the back of the already financially troubled company and the economy of Lancaster.
Von Spineback really doesn’t care and he is not going to let one PI from Myrtle Beach stand in his way. Von calls Stu and gives him the okay to terminate the PI. Stu gives him an update on Donna Crist and tells Von he will take care of both situations.
Chapter 36: Big Ed Connehey
Immediately after reading the police report, I call Detective Ed Connehey with the Reynoldsburg Police Department. I get lucky. He’s in the office. “This is big Ed, Homicide, how can I help you?”
“Big Ed?” I’m caught off guard. All I can think of is big Steve.
“It’s an office name, long story. How can I help you?”
“Detective, my name is Mickke MacCandlish and I’m a private investigator from Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, and if you have a few minutes I would like to talk to you about an OD case you were on about five years ago.”
“Mr. MacCandlish, I’ve been on a lot of overdose cases, you’re going to have to be a little more specific.”
“The OD victim was Sue Ellen North, wife of state representative Michael North. Do you remember the case?”
There is silence on the other end of the line. “Detective Connehey, are you still there?”
“Mr. MacCandlish, what is a private investigator from Myrtle Beach doing looking into the overdose death of Sue Ellen North?”
“Well actually, I’m up here looking into the death of the sister of a friend of mine. She died after falling from Mt. Pleasant a couple of weeks ago. My friend is her brother and he thinks she was murdered. Did you read about it in the paper?”
“I think I vaguely remember the story, but what do these two cases have to do with each other?”
“Detective, there is one glaring similarity. In each case the victim’s cell phones were missing and never found.”
Detective Connehey pauses before continuing. “Mr. MacCandlish, before I say anything else, is there someone who can vouch for you that I can talk to?”
“Sure detective, you can call Detective Steve Reynolds with the Lancaster Police Department.” I give him Steve’s cell phone number and he says he will call me back.
Forty-five minutes later, he calls. “Well, I spoke with Detective Reynolds and he sort of vouched for you. He said you were a pain in the ass but probably honest. He also said you were ex-Special Forces. Is that true?”
“Yes it is. You too?”
“Yes sir, and I remembered your name after Detective Reynolds said Mickke D. We had a class one day on some things one should never do during a mission and you were the first one mentioned. Something about turning claymores around on a cocaine encampment in Colombia. Was that you?”
“Yeah, that was me. I was hoping that little incident had been forgotten. Who was giving the class, Colonel Townsend?”
“Yes, it was, and I called him to check on you as well.” He laughs. “He also told me that there were some other crazy things you had done after Special Forces, but they were classified. So Mickke D, what do you need to know about the Sue Ellen North case?”
Feeling more relaxed and happy to get back to the case, I reply, “What was your opinion of her pain management doctor, Jon Spineback?”
Detective Connehey thinks for a minute before answering. “I would say very well rehearsed. He had all the correct answers as if he knew what the questions were going to be, and he wasn’t that concerned that his patient was dead.”
“Did he have an alibi for the night she died?”
“Oh yes, and the pills found in the room were not prescriptions he had written for her. We had no reason to go any further with the investigation. You might say he had all of his ducks in a row. Is he a suspect in your case?”
“He may be. By the way, did you know he had a twin brother Von?”
“No, that never came up.”
I think of another question to ask Detective Connehey. “When you talked with her husband, did he know she was hooked on pain pills?”
“He knew she was taking pain pills but he had no idea she may have been addicted to them. He was devastated.”
“Did he know Dr. Spineback?”
“I don’t think so but he said his wife seemed happy with him.”
It’s time for me to move on. “Thank you, Detective, you’ve been very helpful.”
“No problem. Call if you need anything else. If you’re ever up this way, I would love to meet you.”
“Thanks. I’ll keep that in mind.” I feel good knowing I probably have another inside source in a police department.
Now I think it’s time to have a talk with the twins.
Chapte
r 37: Dr. Jon Spineback
The following morning, I call Dr. Jon Spineback’s office in Reynoldsburg and speak with his receptionist. I tell her that I am in a lot of pain with a bad back, and that I would like to get in to see the doctor as soon as possible. She checks her appointment book and tells me she has a cancellation at 11:30. I give her a fake name and tell her I will be there.
I arrive with a noticeable limp around 11:15 and begin filling out my forms. It’s kind of fun to make up all of this stuff and when she asks for my insurance card, I tell her I will pay with cash. When she asks for my driver’s license and Social Security number, I tell her I forgot and left them at home. She frowns but tells me to have a seat, that the doctor will be right with me.
Ten minutes later, I am ushered into one of those small, cold exam rooms with uncomfortable chairs. The nurse asks me some questions and takes my blood pressure, then quickly retreats and says the same thing; the doctor will be in shortly. That’s when I notice magazines spread out on a table. I figure that means it may be awhile. I am right. Twenty minutes later, in walks Dr. Jon Spineback.
Dr. Jon is an intimidating looking man. He is about 5’10 or 5’11, bald, and I can tell even through his white medical frock that he works out regularly and may have been a wrestler or weightlifter in his younger days. Suddenly, I remember where I have seen him - at Papa Boo’s on Buckeye Lake. He was one of the guys with Ginny Ridlinger, or maybe that was his twin brother Von. He does not offer to shake my hand.
“Mr. Candish (my made up name), what seems to be your problem? I see here,” gazing at his clipboard, “you have no insurance and no driver’s license or Social Security number.”
“Well, Doc, I have a bad back and I would like some pain pills. I was told I could get some here. Can you fix me up?”
I notice he is taking a closer look at me, as if he has seen me before, “I don’t know who told you that, Mr. Candish, but I just don’t dole out pain pills to every Tom, Dick and Harry who walks in the door.”
It’s time to hit him hard and hit him fast. “Actually doc, my name is Mickke MacCandlish and I don’t have a bad back.” I hand him my card, which he reluctantly accepts. “I’m a private investigator from Myrtle Beach and I would like to ask you some questions about the death of Sue Ellen North and the death of David Adams. Both of them died about five years ago.”
I notice a slight twinge of pink creeping into his cheeks, but he quickly regains his composure. “Mr. MacCandlish, or whatever your name is, Sue Ellen North was a patient of mine but I know nothing about her tragic overdose and I do not know a Mr. Adams. I would appreciate it if you would leave so I can take care of some real patients who need my help.” He turns and moves towards the door.
“No problem, doc. Say, didn’t I see you on Allen Road last Saturday? You were in a black SUV.”
Turning back, a soft smile comes over his face. “Sorry, Mr. MacCandlish, I was out of town last weekend.”
“How about Buckeye Lake two days ago?”
“Wrong again, Mr. MacCandlish; I’ve never been to Buckeye Lake. Now please leave or I will call the authorities.” For the first time, I notice anxiety in his voice.
As I leave the office, my instincts are telling me this man is hiding something. I need to go back and check the notes from Sissy. I can’t remember a Dr. Spineback on her list.
Dr. Jon goes back to his office and dials a number on his cell phone. “Stu, it’s Dr. Jon. I need a problem taken care of right away.” He tells Stu about his conversation with the PI and gives him his name.
“No problem Dr. Jon. I think I’ll enjoy this one. I’ll bill you when I’m finished.” Stu is laughing to himself. He will get paid twice for eliminating the same person. It doesn’t get any better than this. He is already conceiving ways to eliminate both of the brothers’ problems.
Stu is working for both Dr. Jon and Von Spineback, but the brothers don’t know that. Dr. Jon uses him to collect from pill pushers who do not pay up or short him on their payment.
Chapter 38: Beverly
Beverly Beery has finally received the phone call she has been hoping for. Her boss Liz Woodkark called this morning and told her she was good to go on her trip to the Caribbean. Her plane ticket is on the way, as well as a new passport and drivers license with the name Cathy Mars on them. She has a one-way ticket to the Bahamas with an open-end return. Included will be instructions where weapons may be acquired and any other materials she may need, as well as an 8 X 10 photo of her target. Although it may sound like a vacation, Beverly realizes it is actually work. She has a unique job. She finds people for her boss and sometimes eliminates them.
Liz is an employee with the Department of Defense in Washington, D.C., but her real job is to run a rogue cell operation for the CIA. She and her group take care of problems in society that the courts and law enforcement fail to enforce or control. She answers only to the Director of the CIA, and usually it’s only when she initiates the call. When a new director comes in, he or she is lightly informed of Liz and her group. Liz uses third parties, code words, and code names so that even the people she is talking to don’t really know who she is or what she does. She is funded through materials confiscated from drug dealers and other wanted persons. Taxpayer money does not fund her projects. There is no money trail back to her group.
Beverly’s new job will be to find Stephanie Langchester, a former British Intelligence agent who they suspect killed three women who were working with her on a salvage job in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. British Intelligence contacted Liz through a third party in Canada and asked if she could help. Liz accepted the mission. She was told that British Intelligence thinks she may be in the Caribbean. Liz negotiated a healthy fee for her services.
For now, all Liz wants is for Beverly to find Stephanie. A decision to eliminate her will be considered later. She warns her to be careful, that Stephanie is probably armed and very dangerous. Beverly has a plan in mind. She will make copies of the photo she received from Liz of Stephaine. She plans to post them in different regions of the Caribbean. She will state on the photo that this is her missing sister and will mention a small reward. Either someone will come forward with a sighting or Stephanie herself may show up. Either way, Beverly’s plan will be a success.
Chapter 39: Stuart is Back
I spend the rest of the day going over Sissy’s notes. She did not interview a Dr. Jon Spineback; however, I did find a Jon Spineback on big Steve’s list of black SUV owners who live in Live Oak Estates. The doctor she interviewed was a Dr. Lyndon Johnson, and she seemed to think he was legit.
Dr. Johnson was indeed legit, and in a casual conversation at lunch one day with several other doctors, including Dr. Spineback, he had told the group about his interview with Sissy. He said she was going after the bad guys, the ones who give their profession a bad name, which should make everyone happy. He did not make Dr. Jon happy.
I fall asleep in one of the cozy chairs in my room. When I wake up, it’s dark outside. My stomach is growling so I head out to get a good hamburger, maybe a Jimmy’s Jawbreaker. Jake told me I could still get one and where they were located.
Shaw’s lot was full when I returned last night so I had parked in the public parking area behind the hotel. There had been a light rain during the day and the pavement is still wet. As I approach my vehicle, for some reason I notice what looks like some sort of flashing light in a puddle on the wet pavement coming from under my vehicle. I get down on my hands and knees and carefully look under the SUV. Holy shit, there’s a bomb under my car, and the flashing light is green. Instinctively, I get up and begin to run when I see two couples walking my way. I yell, “Run, run the other way, there’s a bomb!” They all turn and run with me.
Seconds later, I guess the green light turned to red because there was a huge explosion and my brand-new SUV turned into a piece of molten metal. We are all thrown to the ground by the force of the blast. I ask if they are all right and they answer affirmatively.
Just as we begin to stand up, several shots ring out and bullets ricochet off the paved parking lot and into the metal sides and tires of cars around us. I yell to get behind a vehicle and get down. They heed my warning immediately. I draw my weapon and look for a target.
As quickly as the shots rang out, they end just as quickly. The only sounds we hear are the roaring flames from my SUV and several other cars in the lot that are now on fire, along with several vehicle horn alarm systems set off from the force of the blast. Then another fierce explosion erupts as the fire reaches one of the gas tanks from a burning car. I motion for my group to stay down.
The next sound we hear is welcome. Sirens are coming our way. I slowly stand up, and no shots are fired so the others stand up as well and we all survey the noisy war zone. It is not a pretty sight. Fire trucks, EMS and the police all arrive about the same time. The fires are extinguished without much trouble and some of the horns eventually stop sounding their blaring warnings.
I, as well as the two couples, am examined by the EMTs. No one seems physically hurt, but I think they will have a hard time sleeping for a while. Their entire lives have been changed in about two minutes. They will live in fear for several months or maybe longer. They will jump at the sound of a loud noise, and they will continually be looking over their shoulders. They may even look under their cars before getting in them for months or maybe years to come. They could be considered civilian war casualties. I know because I’ve been there in that dark place, but I was trained to get over it. However, I don’t believe one ever gets over it, you just learn to accept it and move on.
Death on Mt Pleasant Page 11
