When she found the next two patients in the same condition, Marie returned the charts and hastily left the building. She was walking toward her car when she saw a woman sitting on the bus stop bench in front of the home. Marie sat beside her and asked, “Do you have a relative at Meadowview?”
“No, but I work there. I’m a nurse.”
Marie said, “Oh, very good. I’m also a nurse, but I work in Atlanta. I’m considering putting my mother in a nursing facility here, and I wonder if you would recommend Meadowview.”
“I’ve only been working at Meadowview for a couple of months, but I’ve worked at other facilities, and they certainly do things differently around here.”
“What do you mean by different? Can you give me an example?”
“I really shouldn’t say this, but since you’re a nurse I’ll tell you that I wouldn’t put my mother here. Please don’t repeat me saying that. I don’t think I will be working here much longer, but they could give me a bad reference when I try to get another job.
“I would never tell them what you say.”
“Well, the food is terrible here. It’s so bad that all the nurses bring sandwiches from home. They are continually out of whatever we need, from toilet paper to medical supplies, and the administration is the worst I’ve ever seen.”
Marie said, “Someone told me that Heritage Bank was paying for a lot of the patients here.”
The nurse took the bait that Marie had dangled. “Yeah, there are a lot of bank patients here, but most of us never see them. They’re all kept in one wing and stay in their rooms, and they are tended to by only certain members of the staff. They must all be pretty bad because I’ve been told all the bank patients are sedated as soon as they arrive at Meadowview.”
Marie said, “I appreciate your help. I hope it works out for you.”
She called Blake in Atlanta that afternoon and told him about the way she was received at Heritage and at the nursing home. Then she told him about the dilapidated condition of the nursing home and about the condition of each of the patients she had seen. She also told him about her conversation with the nurse at the bus stop.
Marie said, “Mr. Blake, it’s obvious to me that these patients are being warehoused at Meadowview and being unnecessarily sedated. I was also told that there’s no contract between Heritage and Meadowview. They haven’t yet consented to give me all the records, but I doubt that the bank ever refers a patient anywhere else.”
“What do you think is going on, Marie?”
“I don’t feel comfortable making accusations that I can’t prove, but since you’re paying me for my opinion, I think someone may have their hand in the piggy bank. This is deplorable, and they are resisting everything I’m doing. I honestly think there is some type of collusion between the trust officer and the nursing home manager. Please understand, this is just supposition on my part. I don’t have any evidence of wrongdoing other than that they are definitely unnecessarily sedating patients. They don’t want me to see any of the records, so I’m going to need some reinforcement from you before I can prove anything.”
Blake said, “Thanks, Marie. I agree something strange is going on. Back off for now, and I’ll get our audit people up there to check it out financially. We’ll get back to you.”
Proudland immediately initiated an internal investigation and discovered that Marie’s theory was correct. Norton and McPherson were siphoning funds from the trust accounts by a scam they had been running for months. McPherson submitted bills to the bank from fictitious vendors. Norton would authorize payment, and a check would be issued and mailed to the fictitious company at a post office box. Norton retrieved and cashed the checks and split the ill-gotten gains with McPherson. Both men were immediately terminated by their companies when the scam was exposed.
Marie gained access to the records and determined that the bank only referred patients to Meadowview, and none of the ones referred had close relatives in the area that could check on them. With no one to complain, the mistreatment and the scam would have probably continued for years if Marie had not discovered it.
Proudland instructed her to immediately arrange for complete medical evaluations. The exams revealed that none of the patients needed to be heavily sedated, and once they were free of the medication, it was determined that some of them did not even need to be in a nursing home. Several of those who were confined were determined to be able to function in their own homes with minimal assistance. Others were more properly relocated to assisted living facilities. Proudland instructed Marie to identify acceptable nursing homes and arrange for the transfer of the patients who did in fact need full-time care.
After Proudland notified them of the scam, the district attorney’s office subpoenaed records of the two men’s personal accounts. These records provided the necessary paper trail, and Norton and McPherson were arrested, arraigned, and subsequently released on bail pending a trial.
Marie was told it would be necessary for her to eventually testify at Norton and McPherson’s trial. She really didn’t look forward to testifying in a criminal trial, but there was an upside benefit. Her company got a lot of positive feedback from Blake for discovering the scam, and her work cemented the relationship between Proudland and RN4U.
Chapter 18
The newspaper and television coverage of the scandal led to Marie receiving calls from potential clients that she would otherwise never have been able to reach. Blake thought that their image would be enhanced because of their exposure of the scandal and arranged for Marie to be interviewed by the River City newspaper and local television stations.
Marie’s appearance, poise, and intelligence made her a natural in front of the camera, and her comments positioned Proudland as an institution of high integrity in their new market area. It also introduced RN4U as a nursing home alternative that might allow elderly patients to stay in their homes longer. The public response was immediate. Marie was inundated with telephone calls for more information.
RN4U’s contract with Proudland prohibited her from providing the same service to any other bank within fifty miles of an existing Proudland office. When she signed the contract, the exclusive limitation didn’t seem significant, but now she actually had to turn down business from a competing bank. But the new business from individual assignments was not impacted by the contract, and it was booming.
Marie’s television appearances also eased her search for new nurses. Scores of local nurses contacted her, seeking information and job interviews. It was beginning to look as if the River City office might have far more business than she had originally anticipated. This forced a decision that she did not think she would have to make so soon: should she hire a full-time business manager for River City or move there and manage it herself? Her head nurse in Atlanta was already trained and doing an excellent job managing that office, so the logical decision was for Marie to relocate.
She gave up her Atlanta apartment and became a full-time resident of River City. Marie could still handle most of the administrative duties and some supervisory oversight for both offices. And there were also personal advantages to the move. She would be in the same city as Dex, and apartment rental rates were much lower. She actually saved so much money on the different rental rates that she was able to rent a small storefront office in River City without substantially increasing her overhead.
Dex shared the excitement over Marie’s business success, but he was even more concerned about her safety because of her frequent television appearances. Whoever was threatening him could now easily discover his connection with Marie.
Andrea Mitchell was also happy about Marie moving to River City, and they became very close friends. Dex had also become very close to her husband Jim. It created a problem because Jim was Dex’s boss, but they made it work, and the friendship blossomed. Jim treated Dex as an equal when they were together socially, and
Dex treated him with the respect due a superior when they were at the office. They defied the odds by simply not succumbing to the ego and jealousy that usually doomed this type of relationship.
Andrea and Marie often went to dinner together when the men were on the road, and despite their age difference, they discovered a lot of common interests. They also soon learned they could trust and confide in each other. One night when they were having dinner, Andrea said, “Marie, I know you’ve wondered but have been considerate enough not to have asked why Jim and I have never had children.”
“Andrea, that’s a personal question that I would never ask anyone.”
“After several years of trying, we finally had the tests and the doctors discovered that I could never conceive. I was terrified because both of us wanted children, and I was afraid it would destroy our marriage.”
Marie said, “Maybe I don’t know Jim that well, but I’d bet he handled it with great concern for you.”
“You’re right. He was an absolute angel. He knew how devastated I was, and I couldn’t have asked him to be any more compassionate. Tell me about growing up next door to Dex. You’ve said that you were just friends back then.”
“Actually, we were best friends. Neither of us ever thought about a romantic involvement. I was a gangly tomboy, and Dex was already a promising young athlete. We competed in sports and everything else up until I moved to Atlanta. It was seven years before we saw each other again. I had already started RN4U, and Dex was a senior in college.”
“How did you get back together? I’ll bet he hunted you down.”
Marie laughed and said, “You would lose that bet. He probably didn’t even think about me during all those years. He had become a big college jock and had all these adoring fans, and probably a bunch of football groupies. I was at best a distant memory.”
“I find it hard to believe that he hadn’t kept up with you over the years.”
“Well, I didn’t keep up with him either. The only way I knew he was at UGA was because his name and picture were regularly in the Atlanta newspaper.”
Andrea laughed and said, “Now we get to the meat of the story.”
“I was alone in my apartment watching the last game of the season when Dex broke his leg. I saw them load him in the ambulance and then the announcer said he was being taken to the hospital in Atlanta where I had previously worked. I beat the ambulance there.”
“Did you have some kind of premonition about getting romantically involved with him?”
“Are you kidding? That never crossed my mind. I just felt obligated to check on him because I knew he had no family in the area.”
“Well, something must have happened at the hospital. Tell me how you got together.”
“Something happened all right, but I’m still not sure what or how it happened. I never had a romantic thought about Dex, and I’m pretty sure he never thought of me in that way. But we talked a lot over the next few days, and it suddenly dawned on me that it wasn’t friendship that was messing with my head. Before either of us knew what was happening, we were spending every possible moment together, and we’ve never looked back.”
“Wow! That’s some love story. Have you guys ever discussed marriage?”
“Gosh, no; we’ve both been too busy starting our careers to think that far down the road.”
“Marie, would you marry him if he asked you?”
The question caught Marie off guard, and she hesitated. When she did speak, she never really answered the question. “My goal has been to spend five of six years building a comfortable business before getting seriously involved with anyone.”
Although she didn’t answer the question, Andrea saw the way the couple adored each other and knew the answer even if Marie hadn’t yet figured it out.
Chapter 19
Dex had always heard that absence makes the heart grow fonder, but it was working in reverse with his relationship. They were growing even closer now that they were in the same town. They discovered once again why they had been such good friends as teenagers. They enjoyed doing the same things, liked the same people, and thoroughly enjoyed each other’s company.
Now that Dex was making a descent salary, they dined out often, but their favorite evenings were still spent watching old movies and munching on popcorn. Every night it became harder for Dex to leave and for Marie to let him leave. He frequently left her apartment feeling agitated, but he promised himself that he would not push Marie beyond where she was comfortable. It was a vow he was finding harder and harder to keep as their passion reached levels that threatened his sanity. Dex felt like Marie was struggling as much as he was with the emotional boundaries she had established. Marie said more than once that it wasn’t fair to him for her to let it go too far and then abruptly stop him. She seemed to just get caught up in the moment before she realized they were reaching the point of no return. She couldn’t possibly question his love for her; he had demonstrated it in so many ways. He didn’t discuss it with her, but it was always the eight-hundred-pound gorilla sharing the room when they were together.
However, finally the time came. Dex had been out of town all week and returned on a Friday afternoon. Marie rented her favorite movie, Sleepless in Seattle, for about the tenth time. Dex preferred action movies, but he never objected to a Meg Ryan movie. He opened a bottle of wine, and before long the tender story and merlot collectively created a mellow mood that led to whispered words of affection.
Their passion escalated rapidly. Her breathing was irregular, and she was making barely audible moans. Dex sensed they were on a plateau where Marie had never been when she finally whispered, “Please, Dex, let’s go to the bedroom.”
He cradled her in his arms, carried her down the short hall, and laid her gently on the bed. Over the next few hours they lost all concept of time as the world outside that one room ceased to exist.
Sometime later, Dex asked, “Marie, are you okay?”
She snuggled her head under his chin and said, “Sweetheart, I love you, and I’ve never been so okay in my life.”
That night Dex didn’t toss and turn on the sofa, as he had so many nights in the past. On this blissful night, they had no way of knowing that their shared love and commitment would be the only thing that would help them survive the turmoil of the life-changing events they would soon face.
Chapter 20
Marie was still asleep when Dex slipped out of bed Saturday morning, but after he showered, he found her in the kitchen. She was humming as she made coffee. Since he was barefooted, she didn’t hear him come up behind her.
Marie jumped as Dex circled his arms around her waist and said, “Have you ever been hugged in the kitchen by a naked man?”
She answered without turning around. “Until about eight hours ago, I had never been hugged by a naked man in the kitchen or anywhere else. Go put your clothes on.”
“I think I’m dressed appropriately for breakfast with my girl.”
She laughed when she turned and saw that he was wrapped in a large bath towel tucked in at his waist. “I’m not serving you breakfast until you put some clothes on. Get out of here.”
“Marie, do you remember Mystic Lake?”
“You’re changing the subject, but yes, I remember you and Hoagie talking about it all the time; however, if you recall, my mother would never let me go up there with you.”
“Well, your mother isn’t here, and I think it’s time you see Mystic Lake. We’re going on a picnic today.”
Marie smiled and said, “Dex, I know the guys used to swim in the buff up there, and I’m not going to do that.”
“That sounds like fun, but it isn’t the reason I want to take you up there. The mountain is beautiful this time of year, and I haven’t been to the lake in years.”
Mystic Lake was on top of the mountain. Over eons, the force
of a spring-fed creek cascading over a waterfall had hollowed the area at its base into a crystal clear pool about the size of a basketball court. The creek that tumbled over the waterfall at the upper end of the lake flowed quietly out the other end for a few hundred yards before spilling over a massive one-hundred-foot waterfall and continuing its rush to the valley.
The lake was in a remote area of the mountain, where only the locals were aware of its existence. In the spring, mountain laurel, rhododendron, and other wildflowers adorned the area. When walking from the nearby road to the lake, the sound of rushing water could be heard a long way before the waterfall and lake finally came into view.
The lake was in a depressed area, bordered on the east and west by rock cliffs. The only access to the lake level was by carefully climbing down the cliff on the east side. The solid rock cliff on the west side was impassable.
When the couple reached the cliffs above the lake, Dex pointed to a place beside the lake and said, “That small gravel area between all the boulders is the only beach. We can spread our picnic out there and go swimming.”
Marie said, “I would be happy to just stay up here and look at all the beautiful flowers, but since we both wore bathing suits under our clothes, I guess we ought to go in the water.”
They climbed down to the beach area, and Dex spread a blanket on the gravel beach and set the picnic basket in the middle of it. The roar of cascading water and the light mist rising from the base of the waterfall created a surreal atmosphere.
“Come on, Marie, you’ve got to see this.” Dex led her right up to the base of the fall, where the cold mist soaked them before they reached what he wanted to show her. The rocks were slick, but Dex supported her as he continued to pull her along. When they got closer to the falling water, the noise made conversation almost impossible, so Dex just pointed to the opening.
Appalachian Intrigue Page 10
