by Kieran York
“Damn fools are damn fools, no matter the era.” With a pole, Larry herded the cows out to the corral. The back portion of the corral was barbed wire. The front part was wooden posts and fencing.
The sheriff wondered if the fancy façade of the Silver Wilderness Center might not also have a back wall of barbed wire. The expression on his face told Royce that he was picking up on her disdain.
“Gouging by over-charging, does that make you feel better about life?”
“I’ve got nothin’ to feel better about.” He slid his battered western hat back from his forehead. “Silver Wilderness does a lot of good. Nobody these days has time to make a living and take care the old folks. We provided a very welcome service to the elderly.”
“Larry, I have a couple questions. One of the elderly gentlemen strolled away from the care and supervision of the Center. Seth Egan is missing. Where could he be hiding?”
Glaring, Larry spat words, “First off, Egan isn’t a gentleman. He’s an old horse thief. He deserves to be hung.”
“According to records, Seth Egan’s firm stole your investments. He was a fraudster.” Royce paused. Larry’s icy eyes squinted. “To be real honest with you, Larry, that would piss me off if someone cheated me out of my money. Did it make you mad enough to see that Seth got paid back for charlatan ways? Do you know anything about his disappearance?”
“I lost twenty grand. Back then, I could have used that money. But it’s over now. Now he’s just a crazy old coot.”
“A crazy old coot that you beat up?”
“I never beat an old man. He’s so crazy that he’s strong like a damned bull. Sometimes we need to restrain patients. If I did any pounding on him, it was a way of protecting myself from his insane assaults.” He gazed down at Royce’s badge. He pointed to it. “What do you do when drugged-up nutcases jump you?”
“Use my stun gun. Or my K-9 dog.” Royce hand commanded Chance. Chance immediately took her attack stance. Her growl made Larry jump back a few steps. “Usually one or the other settles a criminal down.”
“You can take your dog, and leave.”
Royce stood still, ignoring his command. “I’m not done. Larry, do you think Dr. Melvin Verner, or Alec Zellner, or your wife, might be capable of fraud?”
He faced off with Royce. “That’s absurd. We charge plenty big fees. We don’t need to do anything fraudulent.”
Royce didn’t believe his adversarial response of innocence. He’d played too many poker games in his time. He was schooled in the deceit needed for card games. “I’m sure I’ll be checking in with you again, Larry.”
“I can’t say I enjoy talking with you.”
Nor I you, Royce thought.
***
The usually stoic Lyn Evans sputtered while listening to excerpts from Royce’s chat with Larry Austin. “Royce, I’m hoping all four of the suspects are in on the corruption at Silver Wilderness Center.”
“My bet from here is they’re all duplicitous in some way.”
Lyn chuckled loudly into her cell phone's mouthpiece. “Sounds like we’ve got a conspiracy going on somewhere?”
“Any news on any of them?”
“Royce, there are definitely a few red flags in each of their backgrounds. But it’s surface. Zellner’s sheet showed he was released from a couple of employers. That could be anything. And at this point, we have no way of knowing. Larry Austin’s file shows only minor infractions of public drunkenness and fights. Eileen has had one allegation against her. A fraudulent Facebook charity. The collection monies went into her bank in Memphis. And Dr. Melvin Verner was alleged to have had some Medicare fraud charges that were dropped after being reimbursed. The doctor was contrite as he blamed it on intricacies in the system. Although shady and questionable, he skated from there. And now he’s obviously going to face more allegations of fraud. I’m certain he believes he’s sliding under the wire now, too. When the four of them got together, it started a confluence of greed. The more they got away with, the more they bilked.”
Royce sighed. “There’s nothing here in Timber on Verner. Not surprising. Either he learned his lessons before he arrived here, or he learned how not to get caught.”
“What was your take on Dr. Verner?”
“Lyn, he’s arrogant. If something financial is going on, he’s undoubtedly aware of it. He inferred that he was too busy running the medical side of the Center. As well as working at the local hospital, part time. He claims that he has no time to be naughty with the books and deals.”
“Eileen?”
Royce paused, considering her description. “She’s attractive. Cloyingly sweet. Wanted to be a country-western singer. Married a cowboy, with a makeshift ranch. She’s in the center. She handles the financial end of the business. A key player.”
“And Zellner?” Lyn chuckled, and asked, “What is it you call him?”
“Valiant Dude. He said he was a valiant dude.” Royce laughed. “I just went with it. He’s a blockish, gigantic man. Full of himself. The guy is director of the Center. He wears an expensive suit there, then changes jackets. He’s always seen in personalized physician lab coats, or the mid-length consultant’s lab coats. Replicating himself in a costume, and perhaps presenting himself as a doctor. He’s shifty. Although most of his work is sitting at a desk crunching numbers. Doing the filing. And more than likely he’s culpable for scrounging up business for the Center. He’s one of those well-groomed, yet larcenous crooks. A fleecing agent. He’s doing what he calls acquisition for the Center.”
Royce heard Lyn bellow. Lyn remarked, “I see them all the time here in the city. Even their handshake is shadowy. Royce, they’re all over. There’s a hunger in their eyes. Alec is impersonating a real live doctor. Give credence to his pitch. He’s got a ‘doctor complex’ and he wants to be important. Wants a title. And he wants to steal the aged generation’s money? Exploit their vulnerability.”
“Exactly. He must be doing well at it. He ruthlessly seizes homes and property so he can keep himself in a lifestyle of exclusive toys. He drives an expensive sports car. Wears the best clothing. He has a high-end mountain bike. I wonder where he’s getting the money. I’m sure he makes bucks, but where he lives, and how he lives is high, high end.”
“We got a financial on him. Royce, there’s his sizable income. And then there’s a category called commission that we questioned. It is more than his salary. Perhaps that’s where acquisition comes in.”
“I interviewed a couple of the nurses and they call him a playboy. Nauseating how those kinds of guys call themselves playboys, and they are clearly harassing the women. He chases after all the women superstars in Crystal. And Crystal is filled with hot women. Athletes, film stars, rock stars, and the superrich.”
Lyn agreed, “Crystal Ski Village hosts some big players. Lots of money. And yes, the women are hot. I call them billboard beauties. Flawless women with no imperfections.”
“And they don’t give him the time of day.” Royce stretched.
“Speaking of hot women, how are things with you and Hertha?”
“Yesterday I was watching the kids, and Antero fell from the apple tree. She blamed me for yacking with Gwen and Nadine, and not paying attention to the children.”
“You don’t sound too upset by her little flare-up.”
“So many things have changed between us.” Royce pondered the question. She was becoming hardened. Her heart had been rung out when Hertha left her. Yet love seemed eternal.
“Does she ever say anything about me?”
“At first she said that she was glad I’d had someone nice to spend the year with while she had dumped me for her ex. And once in a while she says things like I’d be better off if we had stayed together – you and me.”
“We’ve remained friends, Royce. And if I wouldn’t have needed to progress my status, we’d probably still be together. So, in a way, I suppose you must feel that I dumped you, too.”
“Lyn, you were honest from the beginnin
g. We both knew you’d be moving when a great job offer came around. You knew I wasn’t going anywhere. She promised never to leave me. It’s an entirely different thing.”
“Maybe she’s insecure about you. You’re not exactly rushing in to sweep her off her feet.”
“You know how complex it is. I’m just not there.” Royce closed her computer file, and turned off her computer. “And I’ve got a missing man. And a woman fraudulently held captive by a nursing home. I’ve got mountains of day-to-day work to do. Routine work never slows down.”
“Do you want me to come to Timber and give you a hand?”
“Nice offer, Lyn. But I know you’re busy. And you’re already helping me.”
There was a pause. Then Lyn said, “We’re not at the place where I’ll be of as much help as I plan to be. Working via phone and skype with your D.A., Mike is fine for now. When we get into making charges, I promised Mike that I’ll be showing up.”
“I’ll hold you to that. This stealing land and property from seniors really upsets me.”
“In Middle Ages England the law of property was called Feudal Law. When I get a case where seniors are being bilked, I feel damned feudal inside. In fact, if those people at the Center are utilizing any form of defalcation to rip off the elderly, I’ll see that they’re indicted, prosecuted, and jailed.”
Royce’s grin was wide. “I know you can do it.”
“This group – Eileen, Larry, Melvin, and Alec – they don’t want to be in my red zone.”
After hanging up, Royce looked down at her scattered notes. Chance moved closer to her desk. “Chance, we are very similar. Both mostly quiet, and easy going, and we both enjoy justice. And no one wants to be in our red zones either.” She scratched Chance’s head. “Especially your red zone. Tough girl!”
***
Royce entered Molly’s Pantry, after walking through the alley in hopes of finding her confidential informant, Plato. “I was checking on Plato, and thought I’d drop by for a cup of coffee,” Royce told her mother.
As Molly poured the freshly brewed coffee, she snooped, “Coming in through the alley door, maybe you’re not wanting to encounter Hertha. You’ve got a speck of trouble?”
“You’ve heard from Gwen that she’s upset with me?”
“From Nadine. Although they both stuck up for you! But I admit, I constantly worried about you when you were a child. When you’re a mother, your children worry you. I see Hertha’s side of it.”
Royce’s back stiffened. “I came in here to relax for ten minutes, Mom. I don’t want a scolding from you. I tried to help Hertha out with the kids.”
Molly came around the counter to sit beside her daughter. “You’re not going to be able to keep Hertha if she can’t depend on you.”
Sipping the warm coffee, Royce confessed, “I’m not sure that matters to me anymore. I’m tired of trying out for Parent of the Year. All I can do is allow the kids to have the kind of freedom that I had. Climb trees, run in the meadows. Enjoy life, and enjoy Timber City.”
“It’s a different world, Royce. You need to keep an eye out for those little ones.”
“I don’t think there’s any way of pleasing her. She constantly threatens to return to her homeland, the kid’s homeland. I know what I went through when she moved back there last year. When she left me. I don’t want to be dropped again. I don’t.”
“She’s back here for good, Royce. She’s got her animal clinic going again, and she’s here to stay. Maybe she says such things only to get your attention. You’re just like your daddy was. You get a case, and you don’t listen to anything other than what’s happening on your case.”
Swallowing, Royce stiffened. “Mom, I’ve always immersed myself in my job. It’s not a safe profession. I’m responsible for the safety of my deputies. If I miss something I should have seen, they could end up dead. Or I could end up dead. Before, Hertha was okay with understanding my being on the force.”
“She wasn’t minding her business, and two children. She’s got a profession where there is stress, too. Taking care of animals is important. But she tries to make room for you and the kiddos.”
“I’ve got to get back to the department.”
“Oh, I nearly forgot.” Molly pulled a piece of paper from her apron pocket. “A message from Rhonda Smith.”
Quickly reading it on her way back to the Sheriff’s Department, Royce smiled. Rhonda’s message indicated she wanted to meet up with the sheriff at her Gran’s cabin. She would stop by on her way home from work. She got off her night shift at seven in the morning.
Perfect, Royce thought. In the morning she would have time for her shower and breakfast. Then interview Supervisor Rhonda Smith. Rhonda might have information that would be helpful to the case. Or maybe she just wanted to stop by for Gran’s amazing griddlecakes bedecked with Vermont maple syrup.
Chapter 9
The cool morning air was thick with clouds that gave off a special pine scent. Royce inhaled deeply as she filled her arms with firewood. Gran insisted on firewood for the kitchen range, and the potbellied stove that heated the kitchen and the living room. Both were wood-burning, and both were polished cast iron.
Royce stomped her feet as she entered the mudroom. Then she placed a few of the logs in the stoves. The morning chill began to be warmed away.
“That’s the ticket,” Gran said as she poured the griddlecakes onto the spitting griddle. “Good eating for days like today.”
The steam from the batter lifted. “Smells great.” Royce added, “Rhonda is going to love your cooking.”
When Rhonda arrived, she appeared concerned. Her face was gaunt. The breakfast was ready, so the three women ate, and talked about recipes. Although she definitely enjoyed the griddlecakes, she wasn’t as chipper as usual.
Royce suspected the nurse had something on her mind. “Rhonda, your note seemed urgent.”
“Sheriff, I’m putting my livelihood on the line.” A grimace tightened her face. “I just don’t know what to do. They continue to tell us not to breathe a word to anyone about anything to do with Silver Wilderness.”
“But you have concerns?”
“It isn’t as if the patients are mistreated. I mean,” she sucked for air to continue, “to my knowledge no one is harming them. But I have seen some medication being given at times that wouldn’t be appropriate.”
“Who is administering the dosages at these times?”
“Alec Zellner. I’m confused by what he’s doing. There are times when he seems to be under-medicating, yet he puts in the charges for a full series of meds. We have abbreviations for all the charges. And he switches them around. And if the patient becomes too awakened, and becomes loud, he then medicates them again. But the second time, it’s again only half a dosage. But it is charged for a full injection. I’ve seen him short patients on pills. Oxy, some of the other opioids. And the morphine injections aren’t administered the way I was instructed to do them.”
“Do you know if others have noticed any of this?”
“I’m probably the only one. I was a bookkeeper and manager before I changed careers and became a nurse. I watch for the how charges are calculated.”
“So Zellner could be shorting in order to either make more money for the Center. Or he’s taking the drugs. Maybe to resell.”
Rhonda responded, “To me that’s what it looks like. I’m not sure if anyone else knows about it. Dr. Verner doesn’t act as if he knows, but if he reads the charts, well, he must know about it. And Eileen Austin is more interested in bringing more patients in, and once they’re residence, she only pays attention to the bottom line.”
“If they’re padding the bills, she might or might not know it. Maybe Zellner isn’t allowing her to be privy to his overcharging.” To herself, Royce thought, valiant dude might have a sideline. Stealing drugs for resale is undoubtedly profitable in Crystal Village.
“I just don’t want to believe that Eileen or the doctor would be doing such things.�
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Again, Royce considered that they might have an entirely different scam. Taking the property of the elderly probably produced much more revenue. Reselling drugs would be small potatoes, and risky. In comparison to getting away with the estates thefts from patients, it would be minimal. Yet the sheriff also realized that greed intensified. For some, no amount of money in the world is enough to satisfy their craving.
Royce divulged, “At this point, Rhonda, we don’t have any conclusive evidence one way or another. But something is going on there. Right now, we’re trusting one another to keep tight-lipped. You said that you know about finances. If you had the charges, files, would you know how to decipher them?”
“Of course.”
“Would you be willing to decode the charts, and take a look if we actually did have the files? Knowing that both or either Eileen or Dr. Verner might be implicated?”
“If anyone was doing wrong by those elderly and infirmed folks, I would be willing to help no matter who it was.”
Gran place another flapjack on Rhonda’s plate. Rhonda smiled. “Dora, your griddlecakes are the very best. I’d love your recipe.”
Gran’s eyebrows lifted as she smiled. “Plenty would like the recipe. But my recipes are sacred. I’ll sure be willing to give you a copy, since you’re helping out with this business.”
“Gran,” Royce teased, “You’ve got a little extortion in your persona.”
“I suspect that’s not breaking a Commandment,” Gran dipped her head.
Rhonda snickered. “As long as I get the recipe, I don’t care if it is a sin or a crime.”
***
Royce was convinced she could trust Rhonda Smith. Relying on gut instinct had rarely let Royce down. As soon as she arrived at the Sheriff’s Department, she contacted Lyn Evans. She wanted to make certain that Lyn could trust Rhonda, since both Lyn and D.A. Michael Parker were handling the intricacies of this investigation. She felt confident now.
Lyn immediately stated that she would be talking with Mike and as far as she was concerned, this would present a key witness. Coordinating on this case with Rhonda might be the gift that the prosecution needed.
