Illegally Dead

by Gregg E. Brickman

  "Did he have any other enemies?" Alfonzo asked.

  "Juan didn't have enemies."

  "How about the people he used to get high with? Any of them have reason to hate him?" Howard leaned forward on the sofa and looked at Mrs. Iglesia.

  "Not that I know of." She dabbed at the tears with tissue. When she turned sideways, her abdomen protruded from her thin body

  "He worked for a law firm as a paralegal. Can you tell me about that?" Howard wondered when the baby was due. He felt sorry for her and believed her husband was no longer using cocaine. That meant he believed Iglesia was murdered. Was he the third victim of the murderer who had killed Valentine and Henninger?

  She gave the details of his employment. "He'd been on probation with the firm since they discovered the drug problem and forced him into treatment. The drug screens were part of the deal. Juan was a good paralegal. They didn't want to fire him."

  "What did he work on mostly?"

  "He helped Valentine and Henninger with their medical malpractice cases. Juan was a nurse before he went to school to be a paralegal. He was a natural, and with the malpractice cases, he was able to use his nursing background, too. Working for Valentine and Henninger again was a promotion for him, a reward for staying clean. He worked for them originally, before he started using. When he got in trouble with the cocaine, they reassigned him to a couple of the new associates where he'd be out of the public eye, you know. They moved him back to work for the partners when he proved he'd stay clean."

  "Was he working on the Thorne case with Valentine?"

  "Yes. He was in court with Valentine the day the poor man had his heart attack."

  Alfonzo raised his hand in the air. A puzzled look crossed his face. "You don't know Valentine was poisoned? It's been in the newspaper several times."

  "Juan never told me. He told me Valentine had a heart attack. We canceled our paper, I don't know, a while ago."

  "Did you know Henninger died?"

  "No, my God, no." Fresh tears welled in her eyes. "Such a nice man. Was he sick? Juan never told me he was sick. When did he die?"

  "He died the day before your husband. Henninger was poisoned."

  "Maybe whoever killed them also killed Juan." Maria Iglesia's eyes pleaded with the detectives. "Now, if you'll excuse me." She stiffened her back and squared her shoulders.

  The detectives returned to the Taurus and headed west. Howard drove in silence for several blocks. "Iglesia could be another murder victim. It seems too big a coincidence that he died at almost the same time if his death isn't related to the other two. Of course, Thorne would have no motive for killing Iglesia."

  "Unless he wanted revenge against everyone connected with his case." Alfonzo reached over and adjusted the thermostat. He shivered.

  "There is no evidence Henninger had anything much to do with Thorne's case. It would have to go beyond simple revenge."

  "That's one explanation. The other is Iglesia's murder was drug related. He voluntarily took the coke, or he was forced. That seems to be a more logical explanation in my mind," Alfonzo said. "Maybe the law firm is involved with cocaine traffic. As an Assistant State Attorney, Valentine would have had all kinds of opportunity to meet the right kind of people."

  "That's a stretch. No, I think it's all tied into the malpractice cases. The question is who and how, and at the moment the evidence doesn't point to Thorne as the perpetrator."

  "But then who is?"

  "Beats me. I suspect the name isn't even on our list. We've ruled out Valentine's wife and brother-in-law. DiGiovanni and Backus don't seem to fit. They'd have a motive for Valentine and the Judge, but not for Henninger and certainly not for Iglesia. Iglesia wasn't even around when they were sent away. Someone out there has a motive stronger than Thorne's."

  Alfonzo raised an eyebrow.

  "Maybe Conte is right, and Thorne's innocent. We need to widen the view—look beyond the obvious. Who else has a grudge big enough to want to take out a whole law firm one by one?"

  "If you're right," Alfonzo added, "who's next?"

  Seventeen

  Tony, in deep concentration, executed kicks and punches, completing a series of difficult forms. He sensed Jennifer's presence. He continued without acknowledging her. He needed the focus for the hard day to come, and he knew the pleasure she took in watching. Kiai, he thought as a silent explosion of air left his lungs and punctuated a powerful kick. He returned to his ready position, then turned and bowed to Jennifer. The last kata was her favorite, and he had done it as a show for her.

  "I knew you were here. I could feel you. I can always feel you when you're in the room. Did you know that?"

  "Yes," she said, "I believe I did."

  He kissed her and wrapped her in his arms.

  "Want coffee?" she said.

  "Sounds good." He followed her into the kitchen. "What time do we need to see Corvasce?"

  "Early, about eight-thirty. She wants to see me before we go to Thorne. Since she's my primary care doc, she wants to clear me for surgery—pronounce me likely to survive the procedure. It shouldn't take long."

  "Let's make a big breakfast for Nonna and the kids."

  "Sounds like fun. What'll it be?" Before she heard the answer, she reached for a large bowl and the pancake mix.

  ***

  Tony and Jennifer dropped the older two children at school and Monica at day care. They arrived at Corvasce's office a few minutes early, coming upon the office manager, Roxanne, as she fit the key in the lock.

  "Tony, Jennifer," she said, "come on into the back with me. You can keep me company while you wait for Dr. Corvasce. I'll put the pot on."

  Roxanne made coffee, plugged an earpiece into the answering machine on her desk, and began transcribing messages. Tony and Jennifer found chairs a few feet away in the nurses' area.

  "Tony, she's going to be late. There's a message from her saying she was headed into the hospital for a delivery. She recorded it two hours ago."

  "We'll wait," he said, shrugging.

  The back door rattled. "That must be Volney. He's scheduled to be in this morning to fix a glitch in the billing system." Roxanne started to get up, then stopped, turning to Tony. "Would you mind opening the door?"

  "It'd be my pleasure, ma'am." He took three long steps to the door and opened it wide. "Mornin'."

  "Jerald Volney, practice management," the man said, charging forward, head down.

  "Roxanne is expecting you." Tony stepped out of the man's way to avoid a collision. He had expected a younger person in casual clothes, maybe a golf shirt and Dockers, similar to what he wore. Instead, Volney was a middle-aged man, close to fifty, with graying temples and deeply creased scowl lines. His expensive, Brooks Brothers suit draped over a slight paunch.

  The man dropped his brief case next to a computer terminal in the corner of the file room, switched on the system, and sank into the chair. Maintaining his stiff posture, he seemed focused on the opening text on the monitor. He hadn't greeted the office manager or made any social comments to Tony.

  Now, that's one uptight SOB, he thought. Nevertheless, he crossed the room and watched over Volney's shoulder.

  Tony recognized Volney as the former neurosurgeon who lost his license. He went to jail after losing a lawsuit and having the plaintiff and lawyer roughed up. Tony remembered reading an article on the case a few years ago. Volney was infamous for erratic behavior, but like many physicians in his specialty, held staff privileges at most of the county's many hospitals. There were never enough neurosurgeons in the community, and hospitals endured unprofessional behavior to keep the specialists on staff.

  Tony found it interesting Volney was now selling and servicing practice management software. By the looks of things, he was good at it. "What happened?" Tony asked, pointing to the computer screen where a message indicated the account being accessed was unknown or unavailable. "That doesn't look right, even to me."

  Volney turned and glared at Tony as if the interruption of
fended him. Then in a pleasant voice he said, "Some idiot," he glanced in the direction of the Roxanne, "didn't follow the damned directions. She used to work for me and screwed things up then, too."

  "O . . . kay." Tony backed off and rejoined Jennifer. He leaned close so only she could hear him. "Merda, I wouldn't want him for an enemy." He filled her in on what he remembered about Volney.

  Volney seemed to grow frustrated, tapping the desktop with a closed fist, rolling forward and backward in the chair, and banging the keys. He pulled a manual from his huge eelskin briefcase, opened it, looked at something, and then tossed the heavy binder on the counter next to the computer.

  The office manager startled when the book crashed against the wall. She got up and stuck her head through the doorway of the file room. "Jerry," she said, "please, I have patients waiting in the waiting room. They'll hear you."

  "Doctor Volney. It's Doctor Volney to you."

  "He's got a short circuit of his own," Jennifer whispered.

  "Looks like it to me." Tony patted Jennifer's hand, then leaned close and kissed her on the cheek.

  The next time the backdoor to the office opened, Corvasce's partner, Julio Villegas, entered, looking harried. "Good morning," he said to the office manager. He stopped and looked over her shoulder at his schedule. "Everything okay here?"

  "Thankfully, Tony was here when Doc-tor Vol-ney arrived. Everything is fine. The man could hardly verbally abuse me in front of witnesses."

  Villegas raised an eyebrow. "I'm sorry. I should have been here to meet Volney, but I needed to wait for Mary at the hospital before I could leave. Then I stayed and assisted with the C-section."

  "I understand, Doctor. Truly, it's okay." Roxanne turned back to her work.

  Villegas walked over and touched Volney on the shoulder. "Will you have any problem getting the system back online?"

  "It's already done. No real problem."

  Tony rolled his eyes at Jennifer and whispered, "Some personality change, wouldn't you say?"

  Volney looked at Villegas. "What's going on with your lawsuit?" He began stacking his reference manuals in his briefcase. A soft ring interrupted the conversation. "Volney," he said into his cell phone. "No. Later." He clipped to his belt. "Sorry, Julio. How's it going?"

  Villegas fiddled with the stack of messages in his hand, glanced at Tony and Jennifer as if he had second thoughts about talking in front of them, and then replied, "Hansen sent over a last minute settlement demand. Damned lawyer. We countered with an offer, which the insurance company and my lawyer think is fair given the fact I did nothing to cause the child's cerebral palsy. It looks like they are going for the limits of my policy, however, so I'll see them in court. We're optimistic. The hospital records support our position. The mother repeatedly refused my recommendation for a C-section. I documented it in my notes, so did the nurses. I think we're okay, I really do." His hands stopped moving and he lowered his voice. "But then, you never know what the jury will do."

  "When are you going to trial?"

  "Next Wednesday. I hate going through this again. The last time, I wasted a whole week in court before we won."

  "You prevailed," Volney said with finality.

  "With much aggravation. Because I deal with mothers and babies, I'm a big target. Somehow they forget the good service we perform."

  "That's why we need to fight back." Volney hoisted his briefcase. "Will you be at the meeting tomorrow?"

  "I think so."

  "Be there. It's important." Volney left without looking back.

  "Julio," Tony said to the obstetrician who delivered two of his three children, "Volney seems to have found a way to cash in on his background even though he can't practice."

  "I guess so. I think he's hoping to get his license back someday. He has a petition at the state now. The last time he filed, they flat out refused. They did give him an opening to apply again. They are requiring him to have psychological counseling as part of his rehabilitation plan."

  "From what I saw here, a little help with anger management would be useful, too."

  "Is that so?" Villegas said as he picked his first patient's chart from the rack on the examination room door closest to the office. One of the nurses had arrived and put patients into the rooms to wait their turns.

  The office manager waited for the door to close behind Villegas. "I used to work for Dr. Volney, and he blames me for talking to the police. I told them about the two thugs he hired. I wasn't going to lie to the cops for him. Why would I? I worked for him for years, and he was always rude."

  "I was wondering what was going on. It doesn't seem like you should ever be alone with him."

  "Oh, if you weren't here, I wouldn't open the door for him. He threatened to have me killed once, but there were no witnesses. What could I do? I didn't bother to report it to the police. It would make matters worse. So now, Volney works with several of the practices in this building. He's done a good job of consolidating the billing offices, and the collections system he installed is effective."

  "I'll bet it is," Tony laughed, "at least when you consider he used force to settle disputes in the past."

  "No, no. Not that way." Roxanne raised her hands stop-sign fashion.

  "I know, I know, just kidding." Tony was still laughing when Jennifer's physician rushed in.

  ***

  As Jennifer had predicted, the visit with Corvasce was brief. With the surgical clearance in hand, Tony suggested they stop by Sam's Deli while they waited for the scheduled appointment time with Dr. Thorne.

  The day was cool and fresh smelling, like a spring day up north. Jennifer shivered and grabbed Tony's arm. She snuggled next to him. He shook off her grip and put his arm around her shoulder instead. Before she climbed into the Astro mini-van, she slipped both of her arms around his middle and hugged him. The top of her head didn't quite reach his chin. With her ear to his chest, she said, "What a surprise, you're alive."

  "I should hope so."

  "I hope I stay that way, too." She broke her embrace and climbed into the mini-van.

  Sam's Deli was a short distance from the hospital, and they rode in silence. Corvasce had cleared Jennifer for surgery, saying she was healthy—other than having lymphoma. She'd handle the surgery well, but Corvasce reiterated they should not delay getting a firm diagnosis and treatment plan.

  The usual morning breakfast crowd packed the deli. As they waited, discussing mundane family issues, Tony heard his name and recognized Howard's voice. Howard and Alfonzo were in their usual booth in the rear. He waved at Howard. After Jennifer nodded it was okay, he guided her in the direction of Howard and Alfonzo.

  Howard vacated the bench so Tony and Jennifer could sit next to each other on the bench. "This is a surprise. How are you feeling, Jen?" Howard said.

  "Fine."

  Howard looked at her with skepticism.

  "As fine as can be expected." Jennifer went on to explain her prognosis was good, but she wanted to get treatment started as soon as possible.

  "I don't blame you." Howard said. He looked at Alfonzo. "I'd like to brainstorm about cocaine."

  "You mean fatal levels, like with Iglesia?" Tony said.

  "Shit, man, why does he know that?" Alfonzo said to Howard, then looked over at Jennifer. "Sorry, ma'am."

  "It's okay, Alfonzo," Jennifer muttered, flipping open the menu. She closed it after a moment. "Tony, I'll have tea and a small glass of OJ."

  "Me, too." Tony knew Jennifer was uncomfortable with his open conflict with the unkempt detective.

  The conversation lulled, and they all watched a young waitress cross the room to wait on them. Tony ordered before facing Alfonzo and Howard. "Alfonzo, are we going to go through this again?"

  "Just what do you mean by that?" Alfonzo retorted.

  "You being pissed I'm involved in your case."

  "You don't belong involved in this case, or in any other for that matter," Alfonzo said.

  "You're wrong there. My friend is bein
g falsely accused of murder. It affects my family, my job, and my life. Vaffanculo, I'll be involved in what I please." Tony started to stand, but felt Jennifer's restraining hand.

  "Work it out, please."

  He looked at her pleading eyes. "Okay, baby." He leaned against the bench. He didn't want to get into it with Alfonzo, not right here in front of Jennifer anyway, so he decided to pursue the conversation with Howard. Maybe prove his worth to Alfonzo. "Howard, what do you want to know about cocaine?"

  "Anything. You have a good mind for connecting things, especially when you have a personal interest."

  Tony thought for a moment, then said, "By the way, I knew Iglesia, and I don't believe he was using anymore. We both worked as staff nurses across town before he changed professions. Then we treated him in the Emergency Department several times for drug related problems—severe nose bleeds and a couple of accidents, and I referred him for treatment a year or so ago. He came back in and let me know that he was doing fine. He had his kids in a time or two, for fevers once that I remember and another time to have the youngest one sutured. He said he was fine." Tony patted Jennifer's leg while he decided how to continue.

  "I remember giving him a bad time about working for the malpractice lawyers, the ones who are suing everyone. I called him a turncoat. He'd been a good nurse. He started using drugs while he was practicing and thought changing professions would remove the temptation to divert narcotics for his personal use."

  "Interesting. His wife is convinced he was murdered. Said he wasn't using. He was beyond that," Howard said.

  "Maria is a good person. She was supportive of him. She wouldn't lie though, ever. Very religious. Juan said he'd started going to church with her and it helped him stay clean."

  Alfonzo said, "I saw several crucifixes in the house, just from where we were sitting, and she had one around her neck. What parish did they attend?"