DEAD ON ARRIVAL: Angie Bartoni Case File # 14 (Angie Bartoni Case Files)

by Marshall Huffman

  “He is okay for now but he is deteriorating quickly. We figure he was given something in the range of eight Gy of radiation.”

  “What is Gy?” I asked.

  “It is a measurement we use. It is nothing more than the absorption rate and dose exposure called a Gray. We call it Gy.”

  “How much is lethal?” Dan asked.

  “Any amount can be lethal but anything over 6 Gy and there is no chance of survival.”

  “So this was definitely meant to kill him, not just make him sick?” I prodded.

  “That would be my best guess,” Miller said.

  “Who becomes the new CEO if Wittman doesn’t make it?”

  “I honestly do not know. The board selects the person. They do a comprehensive review of the possible candidates and choose from among the top candidates. I don’t know the exact process. I’m not far enough up the food chain for that kind of thing,” Miller told us.

  “Who would we need to talk to in order to determine the specifics of how all of this is determined?” I asked.

  “The person who has more answers than anyone is Carol Truax. She is the Executive Administrative Assistant to Doctor Wittman. She has been with him since he first landed here or close to it. I’m sure she can answer any of your questions. She has always been the ‘go-to’, person when you have a question,” Miller told us.

  “So she is kind of the woman behind the man who gets to the top?”

  “I honestly doubt that he could have done it without her. She is one savvy woman and I certainly wouldn’t want to cross swords with her under any circumstances.”

  “Where will we find her?” Dan asked.

  “On the seventeenth floor. The CEO has the best view in the house as you might imagine,” Miller said.

  “We need to go see her. We also need updates on Wittman,” I told him.

  “Updates? Look, you saw him. He doesn’t have long now, less time than I first thought.”

  “Then I guess you need to let us know when he expires,” I replied.

  He nodded his head. He showed us to the elevators and Dan punched in the seventeenth floor.

  CHAPTER FOUR

  “Is this weird or what?” I asked as the doors closed.

  “You mean investigating a murder that technically hasn’t taken place yet? Oh yeah, I think that ranks pretty high up on my weird-o-meter. He is DOA before the murder has taken place,” he replied.

  “They tried killing the guy his first day on the job. Man, that’s brutally cold,” I said.

  “Obviously he must have made some enemies on the way up,” Dan pondered.

  “I would think so. You don’t get to be the top banana without stepping on more than a few toes. It could have been someone outside of the company but my best guess is we are going to find them right here under our noses,” I replied.

  The doors opened and we looked out at a massive reception area. The room was huge, with a large desk situated in the middle. In front of the desk were two long leather couches and a polished granite coffee table. The carpet was so thick you felt like you were going to sink up to your knees in it.

  Behind the desk was a huge wall that looked to be etched brass or copper. An intricate design extended from one wall to the other and from the top to the bottom. There were two doors, at least ten feet high, barely noticeable in the design.

  “You must be the detectives,” a trim, attractive woman said, coming around the desk to greet us.

  She looked to be around fifty, maybe a tad older but well maintained. The dress she had on probably cost more than my car.

  “You’re Carol Truax?”

  “Yes. I am sorry, I should have told you my name.”

  “No problem. I’m…”

  “Detectives Bartoni and Roberts.”

  “Okay, now that we have that out of the way.”

  “Would you like refreshments?”

  “A Diet Coke if you have it.”

  “Coffee,” Dan stated.

  “Just a moment please.”

  She retreated to a side area and soon brought two cups of coffee and a Diet Coke with a glass of ice. We took a seat on one of the long couches and she sat down across from us.

  “Ms. Truax they tell me you pretty much know everything that goes on around here,” I started in.

  “How nice. Not entirely accurate, but it’s nice that people think so. Please call me Carol. Ms. Truax is so stuffy.”

  “Fine. Carol, you work directly for Doctor Wittman?”

  “Yes. I am his Executive Assistant.”

  “Tell us what you know about all of this so far?” I queried.

  “Honestly, not much. The doctor called in and said he wasn’t feeling well. He asked what I had eaten at the banquet in his honor last night. After that he said he would be in shortly. When he came in you could tell that something was terribly wrong. I called Doctor Miller and asked him to come look at Dr. Wittman. The next thing I knew, they were taking him down to the medical facility and now I understand that he has radiation poisoning.”

  “When was it announced that he was going to be the next CEO?”

  “Unofficially the word started to filter out a couple of weeks ago. It became official last week. Last night’s banquet was scheduled to honor Doctor Wittman as the new CEO,.”

  “I want you to think about this next question very carefully before you answer,” I warned her.

  “Alright.”

  “Who stands to benefit from Doctor Wittman’s demise?”

  “Oh dear. Well, I really hate to say.”

  “I understand that but your boss is dying as we speak. This is murder; it’s as simple as that. He didn’t do this accidentally. Someone intentionally caused this and we need to find out who that person is.”

  She sat with her hands folded in her lap for several moments. A tear ran down her face but she made no effort to wipe it away.

  “I have been with the doctor for twenty-one years now and I don’t even know where to begin. Yes, the competition for the CEO’s position was fierce. There were five top tier candidates. I don’t know about outside people. There are often one or two who are considered but Nemein usually promotes from within.”

  “Who were the others being considered?” I asked.

  “Our CFO, Walter Pike, was a top consideration. He and Doctor Wittman did not see eye to eye on many occasions.”

  “Who else?” I prompted.

  “Senior Vice President of American Sales, Ted King, Senior Vice President of Marketing, Megan Stewart, and Senior Vice President of Operations, Tanya Meyers. Like I said, if there were outsiders, I don’t know who they were.”

  “Any of them other than Pike, that he didn’t get along with?”

  “To be honest, once the position of CEO opened up, they all became tense with one another. I believe Bryan…Doctor Wittman, was kind of the peacemaker. He wanted everyone to get along so he was able to bend a little more than the others,” she replied.

  “Except for Pike?”

  “Pike is a hot head. He has run-ins with just about everyone. He has a tendency to speak without thinking through the repercussions. He pretty much sets everyone’s nerves on edge. I can’t imagine a single person in management who hasn’t had a falling out with him at one time or another.”

  “You don’t care much for him either,” I said.

  She didn’t answer and that was answer enough.

  “Tell me a little about the process involved with the selection?” I said.

  “Well, the Board of Directors determines the President and CEO. They are one and the same here. When John Handley died of a heart attack, they started looking for the next CEO. Obviously they already knew the top performers so they held lengthy interviews with each candidate. They wined them and dined them and in general looked at every aspect of their lives. They went through their personal files from the time of first hire up until the last entry. I suppose they did the same with any outsiders. It is my understanding, and I do not know this
for a fact, that they eliminated them one at a time. It is all very hush, hush and no one is told that they have been eliminated.”

  “But someone knows.”

  “I suppose it is possible but all I know is, they play it very close to the chest for obvious reasons.”

  “Obvious reasons?” Dan chimed in.

  “They didn’t want people jumping ship if they didn’t get the job.”

  “They could still jump after the announcement,” he replied.

  “True, but then it would look like sour grapes and that wouldn’t impress a new company very much would it?” Carol said.

  “And at some point the word starts to filter out?” I asked, trying to get back on track.

  “It’s just rumors at first. Who has the inside line, that sort of thing. Then rumors take on a life of their own. Finally it is announced unofficially. The official,” she said using her fingers as quote marks, “announcement comes at the banquet honoring the new CEO.”

  “So, once the rumor mill starts up, the other candidates pretty well know that they have been eliminated?”

  “I’m sure a few hold on to the hope that the rumors are wrong but deep down, yeah, I think they know it is pretty much over except for the shouting,” Carol replied.

  “Doctors Miller, Parker, and Lawrence were never considered?” Dan asked.

  “Heavens no. They are much further down the executive ladder. I don’t mean that to sound as if they are unimportant but they do not operate at the top rung.”

  “So who is going to be the new CEO?” I finally asked.

  Carol looked down at her hands.

  “Carol?”

  “I honestly do not know. All I know is, whoever it is, I won’t be here with them. Twenty plus years and like Doctor Wittman, I had finally made it to the top floor. Now it is all gone. Poor Doctor Wittman who worked so hard for this company is dying and I will be out of a job. This is so wrong on every level.”

  “Carol, I know this is a tough question but I have to ask it,” I said.

  “Yes,” she said.

  “Yes?”

  “Yes, I was in love with Doctor Wittman. We have spent time together outside of the office. It was after his wife died though, never before she passed away.”

  “Alright. I had to know,” I said.

  “I understand. Everyone loves dirty laundry.”

  “I didn’t ask for that reason but at some point in our investigation we would have come across something that indicated more than just a working relationship with you. Now I know how to handle it and won’t waste valuable time going down the wrong path,” I told her.

  “I’m sorry. I’m not at my best right now,” she replied.

  “It’s understandable. Is there anything else that you can tell us that might shed some light on this?” Dan asked.

  “I can’t think of anything off the top of my head.”

  “Alright Carol. Here are our cards. If you think of anything, or hear of anything that you think is important, please call us. It may not seem too important at the time but you would be amazed at how little things often crack a case,” I told her.

  “I’ll call, I promise,” she said.

  She walked us to the elevator and we headed down to the lobby.

  “Are we going to go see the other guys at the top of the list?” Dan asked.

  “Not just yet. By now they will know the police have been here. I want them to worry a bit. I also want to go online and learn what I can about Nemein Pharmaceutical and the people who work there.”

  “I can have Eric do a background check on them as well,” Dan offered.

  “You will need to go to Epstein’s Deli if you want to put a rush on it,” I warned him.

  “I know, corned beef on rye, brown mustard, two bags of chips, and dill pickles.”

  “That will move you to the top of the list,” I said.

  “He is easy.”

  “Like you aren’t? It doesn’t even have to be from Epstein’s to buy you,” I shot back.

  “I’m a big guy. I require much sustenance.”

  “You just like to stuff your face,” I said as we stepped off the elevator.

  We dropped our visitor’s badges, gave the security people a dirty look, and headed back to the station.

  CHAPTER FIVE

  I immediately started looking up everything I could find about the Nemein Pharmaceutical and Research Company. I discovered that they were the second largest pharmaceutical manufacturers in the world with sales in excess of fifty-eight billion dollars.

  Of course the only information I could find on them was about how great they were. No one was willing to say anything derogatory about them. Wouldn’t it be great if someone wrote about how they ripped the consumer off for thousands of dollars every year in overpriced medicine?

  I did find the names of the board of directors. The big shots were all pretty well known in the community, the ex-mayor, a college president, the head of a chain of hospitals, and a grocery store mogul. I wondered what kind of perks they gave out to each other. It didn’t mention that, however.

  While I was doing my research, Dan had picked up Eric’s sandwich and was schmoozing him into digging into Wittman’s background. I wanted everything we could find about the man. I decided to pop in to bring the captain up to speed.

  “Got a second boss?” I asked sticking my head in the doorway.

  “Would it matter? You would just pester me until I gave in. Come in and let’s hear it.”

  “I wanted to brief you on the Wittman case.”

  “Wittman? Who is Wittman?”

  “The guy we are waiting on to die so it can be officially declared a homicide case.”

  “Ah, the poisoned guy. He isn’t dead yet?”

  “Almost. He has only a few hours left at most according to the medical team.”

  “He is in a hospital then?”

  “Not exactly. They have their own medical facility that is, according to them, better than any hospital in the state with the most qualified staff.”

  “Do say. And they can’t do anything for the guy?”

  “Apparently he ingested some radiological material that gives off Alpha radiation and once it gets inside the body it pretty much turns everything into mush.”

  “Geez, that’s gruesome.”

  “Tell me about it. We went to see the guy but he couldn’t really tell us much. He talked but he doesn’t have a clue as to how he managed to ingest the material.”

  “And you’re thinking?”

  “There were four other candidates for the CEO position. Now it could have been someone outside the company but I intend to start with the four competitors for the position that Wittman had just been promoted to.”

  “I have a feeling this is going to get ugly before it is over,” McGregor said.

  “They usually do,” I replied and went off to see how Dan was coming along.

  I found them eating at Eric’s desk.

  “Where is my sandwich?” I asked.

  “You said to get Eric one,” Dan said wide-eyed.

  “You got sandwiches for yourself and Eric and didn’t even think of getting one for me?” I said.

  It wasn’t the fact that I was hungry but that I never got sandwiches without bringing one back for him. It was just plain thoughtless.

  “Just kidding,” he said reaching down beside him and bringing out a sandwich.

  I guess I should feel bad for thinking he was a buttwipe but I didn’t. This wasn’t remotely funny. An Epstein’s corned beef on rye is not a joking matter. I was hoping he didn’t try that again and just about that time the captain stuck his head in the door.

  “I smell corned beef. Hand it over,” he said looking directly at Dan.

  Without missing a beat, Dan grabbed another sandwich out of the bag and tossed it to the captain. He opened it, made sure it had brown mustard and headed back to his office.

  “Good thing you didn’t pull that crap on him or you would be dir
ecting traffic in a parking lot someplace.”

  “I may be dumb but I am definitely not stupid,” Dan replied.

  “So what do you have Eric?”

  “The guy is as clean as a whistle. No record of any kind. One speeding ticket twelve years ago but nothing sense. His wife died two years ago of a heart attack. He is pretty low key. Does a few social events and helps with a couple of charity events but other than that he is remarkably boring.”

  “How long with Nemein?”

  “He was hired when he got out of the Navy. He finished med school and joined the military to help offset his tuition. Then he joined Nemein and that has been the only place he has ever worked.”

  “Don’t make me eat your pickle. Give me the rest of it.”

  “I don’t know for sure but I suspect he is or was having an affair. He has a standing room at the Rose Garden Suites for every Friday and Saturday. This started two years ago.”

  “Carol Truax,” I said.

  “It doesn’t give a name,” Eric replied.

  “No, but she told us about it.”

  “Then you know about as much as I know about the man,” Eric said.

  “Alright. Thanks for trying.”

  “Digging up dirt is what I do,” he said and laughed.

  When I got back to my desk I saw a missed phone call from Doctor Miller memo.

  “Bartoni,” I said.

  “Detective, I’m afraid that Doctor Wittman is just about ready to expire. We have done everything we can and have given him something for pain but we are talking a matter of a few hours if that long. If you need to speak with him again, I would advise that you hurry.”

  “I honestly doubt that it would do much good. Thank you for letting us know. Since this is being treated as a homicide, the ME will need to examine the body. You can keep him there and we will come to you,” I told him.

  “As you wish. I will make the arrangements with security so that you don’t encounter another problem like the last time.”

  “I would really appreciate that,” I said and hung up.

  This next call would be a real beauty. I needed to call Doc Sorenson and explain all of this to him.