by Emery, Lynn
“My mind is on getting a check out of this dude Fred Jones. He’s been dodging us for days. Now leave so I can get some work done.” He picked up the phone and punched a number.
“Yeah, right. Like I believe it,” Vince retorted, and left.
***
Lee sighed when he was gone and tried to focus on something other than Andrea Noble.
Andrea walked into the clinic and couldn’t help but smile. Kids were everywhere, climbing over the furniture and bouncing around like cute jumping beans. Exactly as she’d planned, she thought happily. This waiting room had been added on especially for children.
The walls were painted with baby animals, flowers, and clouds in bright, cheery colors. In one comer a four-year-old little girl happily hugged a stuffed giraffe and babbled to it. A burst of giggling to Andrea’s right caused her to turn around. Jamal had a group of six children captivated with magic tricks. His tall, muscular body made him look like a mighty giant compared to them. His thick arms bulged as he waved them. The playful gentleness he exuded was in sharp contrast to the raw physical power implied by his stature and build. A gentle giant, Andrea thought. Jamal Turner was not just a pretty face. He really seemed to care about people.
“Now, where did that mysterious magic coin go?” Jamal reached behind a little boy’s ear and then showed them a big gold Mardi Gras doubloon. “Mickey, you’ve been hiding it all along!”
“Oooh,” came a chorus of childish voices.
“Make the stuffed rabbit appear again, Mr. Jamal,” a boy called out, followed by the clamor of shouts.
“Yeah, we wanna see that one again!”
“Where’s bunny?” A five-year-old girl clapped her hands.
“Hey, I’ve done that one three times already,” Jamal said with a weary laugh. He rubbed his forehead. “I better see what’s taking Miss Katy so long.”
“Stay with us!”
“We wanna play some more!”
He was hemmed in on all sides. “Now, come on. I’ve got to get some work done.”
Andrea smiled. The strong man who had rescued her twice now needed to be rescued, and from a mob of children, no less. He spotted her and tried to escape.
“Miss Andrea is here to take over,” he said. His voice and eyes pleaded with her.
“You’ve got things under control. See ya.” She waved her fingers at him and started to back out, but stopped when he yelled.
“No, wait!” Jamal quickly handed out toys from a box, then made an end run around the children and cut off her exit. “I’m just helping out. Lisa and the other student nurses are running late.”
“If they don’t come, you might have to stay in here,” Andrea said with a wicked grin.
“Please tell me you’re joking!” He glanced around him in distress.
Andrea laughed at the expression of alarm on his face. She couldn’t torture the poor man. “They just got here. I was coming to tell you they’re helping Katy set up now.”
“Whew! You almost gave me a heart attack, woman.”
“You had them eating out of your hand.” Andrea nodded at the children.
“I’m winging it, to tell you the truth.” He rubbed his hands together and followed her gaze. “I’m used to trying to amuse one kid, mine. And he has to give me help most days.”
“You’re married?” Andrea felt a stab of dismay. Something in her voice must have betrayed her.
“Divorced,” he said softly.
His eyes seemed to hold a message, but Andrea was afraid to read it. “Oh,” she said, and glanced away. To her relief, Lisa bounded in.
“I’m sorry, y’all. We got held up at school. I’ll take over,” Lisa said in a breathless voice.
“Am I glad to see you,” he said with vigor as he gazed at the young woman.
Lisa blushed. “Really?” She smoothed down the front of her bright pink scrub shirt.
“They might look cute, but they’ll eat you alive when they get bored. You got here just in time.” He laughed and gave her a big-brother pat on the shoulder.
“But you’re so wonderful with children, all of the patients actually,” Lisa purred. She looked at him with adoration written all over her pert face.
Andrea groaned inwardly with irritation, at herself as much as Lisa. The young woman only mirrored what she must have looked like only seconds before, a foolish woman simpering over a man. An image of her mother flashed through her mind. Charlene was a master at the art of flirting. Andrea had made it a point not to behave like her. Not that Jamal didn’t turn on his special brand of charm at the drop of a hat. He loved the attention he generated from women of all ages. Well, she would not join the Jamal Turner fan club.
“I’d better get back to work.” Andrea turned to leave.
“Me, too,” he said quickly. He said goodbye to Lisa and followed her down the hall. “Hey, thanks for staying with me.”
“No problem.” Andrea did not risk looking at him again. “We’re a team.”
“Yeah. Listen …” His voice trailed off.
Curiosity made her glance at him briefly. “Yes?”
“I… I really like working here. A lot more than I expected to,” he said, eyes averted to some point past her shoulder.
Andrea was captivated in spite of her attempt to be cool and professional. This brawny man who could make thugs cower seemed to have a shy side, too. There was no macho seductiveness flavoring his words now. He seemed genuine. Still she held back. Getting caught up in some guy was not what she wanted or needed, a little voice reminded her. Andrea looked away.
“Like I said, we’re a team. I’m lucky to have good people working here. It makes work pleasant,” she said with forced cheer, and continued toward her office.
“Very pleasant,” Jamal said with emphasis.
Her heart thumped faster at his tone. “Yes, well…”
Andrea got to the door to her office and turned to find him standing only inches away. She gasped at the heat generated by being so close to him. The broad expanse of his muscular chest filled her vision until all else seemed to fade. The whole world tilted in his direction. His body called to her, enticing her to stroke it with the tips of her fingers. Andrea looked up into his eyes and breathed in the scent of his aftershave. Her gaze traveled down his face, back to his chest. It rose and fell in a hypnotizing slow motion.
“You’re the reason, you know,” Jamal said softly.
“I am?” Andrea’s head swam when she looked into his eyes.
“Yeah. You’re the reason this place has a whole new feel to it.” Jamal gazed at her hair. He tucked a stray tendril back in place.
“Thanks,” she replied, thrilled more by the intimate gesture than of the compliment.
The sound of Katy’s voice broke the spell. Andrea stepped back and leaned against the doorframe.
“Thanks, Mrs. Williams. We’ll see you in two months. We’re ready for the next one, Troy,” Katy said from an examining room down the hall.
“Right this way, ma’am,” Troylyn replied.
Andrea tugged at her blouse, feeling as though she’d been caught necking in the hallway. Indeed, her mind and body had taken a sharp turn into an erotic zone she’d thought was dormant. Obviously Jamal Turner had awakened it. She would have to find a way to work with him and not be affected. Talk about a challenge, she mused. Months of celibacy had made her vulnerable, Andrea told herself. It was nothing deeper. She wouldn’t let it be anything more. Andrea stood straight as Katy, Troylyn, and the patient walked by. She even risked looking into those eyes again. What she saw stunned her. Desire lit his dark eyes. Then in a split second a curtain dropped and he was back to normal. Had she imagined it?
“As I was saying, I’m really pleased with our progress. Everyone is working hard,” she said in her prim nurse voice again. She went into her office.
He exhaled slowly and walked in with her. “Yeah. Even Denny. I don’t know what kinda scare you put in him, but the kid is working like a dog.”
Jamal nodded. “I notice you’ve given him more responsibility.”
“He’s earned it. Katy, the pharmacist, and even a couple of the doctors have told me how much he’s changed.”
“Is that right? Listen, I could help him out, too.” Jamal looked at her with his head cocked to one side. “He’s putting in a lot of hours.”
“That’s nice of you, but that would double your workload.” Andrea went to her desk.
“I don’t mind. It’s not like I’m giving up an active social life,” he joked.
Andrea glanced at him sideways and cleared her throat. “I find that hard to believe. You’ve got women fluttering around you like bees to honey,” she said, hoping her tone sounded casual.
“There’s no one special, at the moment,” he replied.
The last phrase sent a now familiar tingle down her spine. Andrea had to do something to stop it from taking over again.
“Yes, well, a positive male role model would be good,” Andrea said.
“Like you said, he’s not a bad kid.” Jamal grinned. “I’ll start on those records he’s buried under.”
He smiled at her, dimple and all. It was as though he deliberately let go one last sensuous salvo before leaving. Andrea shook herself to recover. She dove into a voluminous single-spaced bureaucratic report to block out thoughts of his strong hands touching her in all the right places.
***
The husky man the color of burnt cork stared at Denny through hooded eyes. “What you gonna do?”
They stood in a cluttered, dirty apartment in Bayou Blue’s only subsidized housing complex. There were four cinder-block duplexes, painted drab mint green. Three other men watched with implacable expressions. They were one third of what passed for the local gang in Bayou Blue. Yet they had ambitions to go further and do bigger things. Ty’Rance, their leader, had decided Denny could help them. They had grown up together in Bayou Blue, both running the same dusty streets and getting into trouble. Now Ty’Rance was convinced Denny could use his L.A. contacts to help him.
“Look, Ty, that new lady they put in charge, uh, she keeps an eye on everything. I dunno ’bout all this.” Denny licked his lips nervously.
“When you took my money you knew, punk. We had an understanding.” Ty walked close to him, cutting off any chance Denny might have to escape. “You knew payback time was comin’.”
“Yeah, I’m sayin’ …” Denny’s mouth worked for a second until he registered the threat that hung heavy in the air. “The clinic doesn’t keep heavy drugs,” he finished lamely.
“Don’t he to me. My cousin Shonda already told us they got local anesthetics, sometimes even stuff like Soma.” He referred to the highly addictive muscle relaxant.
Denny rubbed his mouth with a shaky hand. “What I meant was they don’t keep much of that stuff around. And the pharmacist keeps a list.”
“‘And the pharmacist keeps a list,’ ” Bo mimicked. “Man, this dude takin’ us for fools.”
“Look, you ain’t backin’ out, so get that outta your head.” Ty’Rance thumped Denny’s chest with a thick forefinger.
“I didn’t say I wasn’t gonna help y’all.” Denny raised both arms as though to protect himself from a blow.
“First, you pay back the three thousand you owe me. Either I get cash or I take it outta your ass.” Ty thumped Denny harder to make his point.
“Right, right,” Denny agreed eagerly. When the big man walked away, he rubbed his chest.
“Now, tell me again about the setup.” Ty went to a lumpy old couch and sat down hard.
“Three days a week I work with the pharmacist. I can get in the drug room without it looking suspicious then,” Denny said.
“Okay, but you can get a key other days if you tell one of the nurses you need somethin’, right?” Ty asked the question as though he already knew the answer. His icy gaze did not waver.
Denny rubbed his jaw with a nervous jerky movement. “Sometimes the pharmacist makes up prescriptions on the spot if the doctors leave orders.”
“So you can pretty much come up with a reason to get in anytime you want,” Ty’Rance said as he leaned forward. “You can fix up the books so they don’t know nothin’ is missin’.”
“But I can’t—”
“Then make up some invoices and order more drugs,” Ty’Rance cut in.
“Forge her name?” Denny’s eyes were round as saucers.
“No, say ‘Sign here, I’m gettin’ extra goodies to sell on the street,’ ” another gang member barked. “What a chump!”
“What you think you gonna do?” TV glared at him impatiently. “You can get the blank forms an’ you know what to do, right?”
“Yeah,” Denny said reluctantly.
“I’ll tell you what to order. There are some drugs we can cook and make into powerful stuff.”
“Yeah, designer drugs,” Bo piped up. “Damn, Ty. We can clean up!”
“Right. We can corner the market around for miles. Even make some sales in New Orleans. Yeah, I like that.” Ty’Rance wore a smile as he looked around at the others.
“We got to be real careful now.” Denny wore a thoughtful and more relaxed expression. “Listen, after my debt gets paid, how ’bout I earn some money, too?” Ty’Rance tilted his head back and stared at the ceiling for a few minutes. The others waited in silence. He lowered his head and looked at Denny again. “You set this up right and we’ll see.”
“Okay!” Denny blurted out. His anxiety seemed replaced now with enthusiasm.
Ty held up a palm. “I said we’ll see. First you gotta produce.”
“Yeah, sure.”
“Now you talkin’ sense, boy. I was beginnin’ to think you was all into that nine-to-five crap.” Ty lit up a cigarette and sucked on it.
“I’m gonna make enough to set up a nice savings account for Granny, then I’m heading back to L.A. I’ve got it all planned,” Denny said with a lopsided grin.
Ty eased down into the cushions. “Uh-huh. One thing at a time.”
***
Two days after his last heated encounter with Andrea, Lee sat in front of the computer monitor without seeing it. He’d put off digging deeply for too long. Why? The answer blinked in his head like the black cursor on the computer screen: Andrea. Lee did not want to find the link proving she was involved. But he would need to do a report soon for Mandeville and the advisory board. There was no way around it.
With a sigh, he scrolled through the now computerized drug inventory. There was a tracking chart for the purchase of medications and their use, which linked to a spreadsheet. The pharmacist entered quantities dispensed, which in turn subtracted from totals. It took only a few keystrokes to know the amount of drugs that should be in the cabinet. Lee gazed at the figures for thirty minutes. He noticed a gradual increase in orders. Yet according to his count, the number of patients had remained the same. He wrote down long chemical names of drugs so he could look them up. Later he would check purchases against dispensary records. Before Lee could react, the door to the record room swung open. Denny came in and looked at the monitor over his shoulder.
“What you doing?” Denny asked.
Lee switched to a different screen. “Checking these programs I installed. I’m taking a break from entering data. Man, these records are jacked up.” He pointed to a stack of folders.
Denny gathered the folders into his arms. “I’ll take care of these.”
Lee stretched and leaned back in the chair. “Okay. Just show me the invoices.”
“What invoices?” Denny looked at him with a frown. “Purchase invoices, purchase orders? If I’m going to help keep track, I’ve got to see it all.”
“I’m taking care of that, too. Just, uh, help me file some papers in the patient records. I mostly got this stuff wrapped up.” Denny dropped a folder, then three more when he bent down to pick the first one up.
“Lots of things are disappearing around here. We can cover each other if we both make sure all the paper is right.” Lee cocked his head to one side. “You’re not worried about anything, are you?”
“Don’t come in here accusing me of anything,” Denny said, his voice strained.
Lee dropped his voice. “Lots of drugs being ordered. Wonder why.”
“It’s a clinic, man! I don’t have time for this.”
Lee held up both hands, palms out. “Whatever you got goin’ on is your business.”
“My business is right,” Denny snapped. “I work here and that’s all you need to know. There is nothing going on. Nothing.”
“Cool. But Miss Noble asked me to put the records in the computer. I’ll know what ought to be here, equipment and medical supplies included.”
“So do it and quit bothering me!” Denny blustered. “Man, I’m going back out front.”
“I can help,” Lee said quietly as he leaned forward. Denny glanced at him sharply, then looked away. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“Okay. But if you get jammed up, let me know.” Denny stood up straight, his expression guileless. “I’m working with Miss Andrea to clean house, Jamal. If you know anything about missing clinic property, then you better tell me.”
Lee had to admire the kid’s audacity. Denny seemed quite confident of himself. It meant one of two things. Either Denny really was innocent of any wrongdoing or he had what he thought was a foolproof system for covering his tracks. His cocky expression made Lee suspect the latter. Also he and Andrea had been working closely together. Could it mean Andrea was in on it and would back him up?
“A person could make some good money. If somebody wanted to, I mean.” Lee shrugged.
“Which is why a lotta folks got fired, right?” Denny shot back.
