Mountain Justice

by Phillip W Price

  She shook her head and looked at me like I was an idiot. “There ain’t no county water. The only place in Gilmer County with a water system is in Ellijay. They live about three miles out of town. They tried to pay the city to run water to their house, but it was just too expensive.”

  It was at that moment, me lying on the bed naked, watching one of the most gorgeous women I had ever known get dressed to leave, when the fraud scheme fell into place.

  CHAPTER 11

  BANKERS’ HOURS

  I barely slept, and when I finally rolled out of bed, I was excited. Things were finally coming together. Everything had been right there in the audits, if you could figure out how to interpret it. I should have called Will Carver and given him a heads up. But I wanted to get the whole picture firmly in my head before I raised any alarms. And the evidence wasn’t going away. The meeting with the DA would wait, as well.

  I called Willie Nelson and told him to meet me at the State Patrol post in Blue Ridge. When we got inside, we both prepared a cup of coffee and took deep drinks. Then we borrowed the Post Commander’s office again.

  I looked at Willie, as if sizing him up. “I need a Secret Agent to do some work for me. Are you up for it?”

  He nodded seriously.

  “Can you go by Turner Mayfield’s building supply store and see how much one-foot, white plastic water pipe he has in stock?” I asked.

  “How much pipe are you needing? The manager goes to my church. I can get you all you want.”

  “I just need to know how much they have. I’m looking for some pipe the county may have bought.”

  Willie nodded. “I can find out how much they have. Anything else I can do for the good of the order?”

  “Doesn’t DNR regulate water systems in the state?”

  “They do. I can contact one of the regional technicians if you need me to.”

  “What do they do?”

  “They go all around getting water samples. They take them back to the regional lab and see if the water meets purity standards.”

  “Could you call the lab and see when the last tests were done for the Gilmer County water system?’

  “Sure.” Willie grabbed a phone from the desk of the Post Commander. He dialed the in-system number for the DNR lab in Calhoun. Once he got someone on the phone, he identified himself and asked to speak with someone named James Tallent. “Brother James. How are things at the big lab in the sky?”

  I could hear a muffled voice on the other end of the phone. After a minute or two of catching up, Willie got down to business. “Can you pull up your records for the Gilmer County water system? I want to see how their testing levels are.”

  I heard more talk on the other end. “I got a GBI Agent looking at me waiting for this information.” He paused and then said, “No, not Ellijay. I’m looking for the Gilmer County water system.”

  Willie listened intently and grunted a couple of times. “So, they are required to have you test them?”

  Willie grunted some more. “That’s what I needed to know. Thanks, my brother.”

  I waited. Willie hung up the phone and turned to me. “I have a feeling you already know what I’m about to tell you.”

  I couldn’t wait. “There is no Gilmer County water system, is there?”

  “Nope. The City of Ellijay goes out a couple of miles on a couple of main roads, but no county water system.”

  I couldn’t help but smile. “I think I have it figured out. The county has purchased over sixty miles of pipe. They have paid a company that doesn’t really exist to lay the pipe that was never laid. And the taxpayers were steadily getting raped every year.”

  “So, what’s next?”

  “Get back to me when you talk to your friend at the building supply place. I have an idea that the same thing is going on at the Roads and Bridges Department, but on a smaller scale.”

  “Why do you think it’s happening there?” Willie asked.

  “Lots of roads are actually paved every year. They couldn’t get by without actually paving some of the roads in the worst shape. I think they are paying a company that doesn’t exist to pave some projects that don’t exist. About half a million dollars’ worth.”

  Willie gave a low whistle. “That’s the little money in all this?”

  I nodded. “The Water and Sewage Authority is tapping about three and a half million dollars a year.”

  Now, Willie was impressed. “Who’s getting the money?”

  I wasn’t sure. But now I knew how to find out. “Willie, I hope to know that by tonight.”

  As I left the State Patrol post, I saw the weather was turning. Clouds were gathering in the west, and the temperature was dropping. Thankfully, it wasn’t raining yet. Rain and wet roads would just slow me down today. And I was on a roll. My confidence had been buoyed, and I knew the steps I needed to take to get this situation wrapped up.

  I headed straight for Shelia Haney’s office. I got there in record time and didn’t see any Gilmer County Deputies along the way. I had a hunch, and Shelia could tell me how far off base I was. I asked her to pull up canceled checks the county had issued for Water Authority work and for road work on small projects. Right away, she had the checks in hand. I asked her to copy both sides of a few of the checks. I thanked her and took the check copies down to my truck.

  I climbed into the Expedition and pulled my briefcase into the passenger seat to use as a worktable. The checks for the work for the Water Authority were made out to Oakwood Street Commercial Plumbing, but the address listed was not in Gainesville at all. The checks indicated they were mailed to a post office box in Ellijay. I noted the tracking information on the back and saw the checks had been deposited in a bank in Ellijay. It was possible I was on the wrong track. Maybe there was an Oakwood Street Commercial Plumbing in Ellijay. Every check issued for the Water Authority was to this address and company. Then I checked the canceled checks for road work. The largest ones were made out to Dalton Paving. The tracking and deposit information was for a Dawsonville Bank. I checked a couple more of the road work checks and found a relatively small check, for fifteen thousand dollars. It was made out to Dalton Paving but at an Ellijay post office box. When I compared my notes, I realized the PO box numbers were the same. Then I compared the tracking and deposit information. It was the same as the ones from the Water Authority made out to Oakwood Street Commercial Plumbing.

  GBI Agents can issue letters to banks for copies of certain records. One of those records that banks must provide upon notice of an official investigation is a list of the people who are on record for a specific account. There wasn’t any point in serving a notice on a bank in Ellijay, but the bank in question had a branch in Jasper. So, I knew I would be headed down to Jasper.

  I dug in my briefcase and found the bank request form, filled out the information I needed, and specified the accounts. When I was finished, I put the case back into the rear, stuck the filled-out forms into the passenger seat, and got onto the road.

  The drive south was relaxing, even though the weather was turning dark. It took less than twenty minutes to find the bank branch I needed in Jasper. I tightened my tie and pulled on my blazer. I figured whoever was in charge would be reluctant to help me, but I had a plan. I was guessing any paperwork with the names I expected would be held closely.

  The bank building was tan brick, with large glass windows in the front. I strode into the lobby and looked around for the person in charge. A nice middle-aged lady sitting at a desk near the door asked me if she could help. “I need to see the person in charge of the branch.”

  She pursed her lips. “Mr. Sharp is with a customer. Can someone else help you?”

  I held out my badge. “I need to see Mr. Sharp.”

  She seemed flustered. “Can I tell him what this is about?”

  “It’s confidential. I need to discuss it with Mr. Sharp.”

  She bustled off to a corner office. In a minute, a tall, thin man in his late thirties came out. He w
as in a cheap suit and was wearing an equally cheap toupee. He came at me with his hand out.

  “May I help you?”

  “I believe so,” I said. I handed him the bank letter forms.

  He took the forms and looked them over. I could see the recognition on his face. He started to visibly shake. “I am going to have to call my supervisor.”

  I followed him into his office. He seemed nonplussed that I wasn’t allowing him privacy. “Could you please step out of my office?”

  I shook my head. “You have been served with the proper authorization to give me the information under Georgia law. The letter mandates that this inquiry is confidential and improper disclosure could result in criminal liability. I am going to record the name and information on any person you disclose this matter to. And if, after a reasonable period to get some guidance, you don’t fully comply with this order, I plan to place you under arrest.”

  I thought Mr. Sharp was going to need medical attention. He looked pale. He picked up his phone and dialed a number he knew by heart. In a few seconds, he said in the phone, “I need Mr. Brothers.”

  After a pause, he continued. “No, I need him right this minute.”

  I watched him closely. I made a show of writing Mr. Brothers’ name in my notepad. While he was waiting, I asked, “What’s his first name?”

  “Walter,” he said to me. Then he switched his attention to the phone. “Mr. Brothers, I have a man from the GBI in my office. He has served me with a letter requesting the ownership information on a couple of accounts.”

  I heard a voice on the other end but couldn’t make out the words. Sharp responded to the voice by reading the account numbers I was inquiring about. Sharp was nodding and looking at me. He didn’t seem happy. At last, he said, “Mr. Brothers says we can’t disclose that information.”

  I held out my hand. Sharp didn’t know what to do. I finally snapped my fingers, and he handed over the phone. “Mr. Brothers?” I started.

  The voice on the other end of the phone was deep and officious. “Sir, I can’t help you. We do all we can to protect the confidentiality of our customers.”

  “I understand,” I said. “I only need to know two things.”

  “Well, I’ll help you if I can.”

  “Where are you located?”

  “I’m in our Ellijay office.”

  “Thanks. And the other question is, who do you want to take charge of this branch?”

  “Why in the world would someone need to take charge other than Mr. Sharp?”

  “Because I am arresting him for failure to comply with a lawful order. A violation of Georgia law. He is going to the Pickens County Jail. Then I’ll be coming to Ellijay to pick you up.”

  “Give the phone back to Mr. Sharp, please.”

  I held the phone out so both of us could hear. I looked at Sharp and nodded. “Sir, I’m here, and the Agent is listening.”

  “Give him the information he wants. Nothing more and nothing less.”

  Sharp sat down hard. “Thank you, sir. Thank you very much.”

  He hung up the phone and started working on his office computer. In just a couple of minutes, he turned the monitor around so I could read it. It was displaying the first account that I had asked for. The cosigners on the account were the Sheriff, Judge Pelfrey, Turner Mayfield, Linda Pelfrey, and Ira Freely. The second account was much the same, with the addition of Chief Deputy Givens. I asked him to print out the information.

  When I left Sharp’s office, all the staff were huddled around a central counter looking at me. I smiled and walked briskly out the door.

  I pointed my truck back up the road. Rain was coming in from the west. The sky was dark over in that direction and sprinkles of rain were all over my windshield. I knew there was more to come.

  I kept on going through Ellijay and made my way to the GSP post in Blue Ridge again. When I turned down Industrial Boulevard on the way, I met Willie in his DNR truck. Rather than make him turn around, I pulled over and made a U-turn. I followed Willie to an empty parking lot. We both climbed down from our trucks. The rain was hard enough to keep us from talking out in the open, so we stood underneath an aluminum carport that had been abandoned with the property.

  “I have some hot news for you. You ain’t gonna believe this shit,” Willie said.

  “Lay it on me.”

  “The supply place has about a mile of that pipe.” He waited for me to respond. That wasn’t what I expected. “He said they had about sixty miles of pipe just a year ago. They tried to get the vendor to take it back, but they couldn’t get them to credit the supply company. Ended up selling it off a little bit at a time.”

  I slapped Willie on the back. “That’s great.”

  Willie looked troubled. “I don’t think my friend will testify.”

  I didn’t care. “There is plenty of documentation on what was done. The vendor will be able to tell me what happened. We have just hit a home run.”

  “What else can I do for you? I’m getting to be a pretty good GBI Agent.”

  I laughed. “You are.”

  “What’s the next move?”

  “One of the things I totally missed is payments to the Water Authority. If you sell water, someone should be paying for it. I don’t remember any deposits of payments to the Water Authority. They just spend money; they never make any. I have a couple more things I need to confirm with Shelia Haney at the courthouse. I’ll run by there and then hightail it back to Blue Ridge. When I’ve had time to look over the paperwork, I think I’ll have enough to give the bosses in Atlanta. I’m going to write up a synopsis, get a good night’s sleep, and then get the hell out of here for a while.”

  Willie nodded. “Dinner?”

  I shook my head. “Thanks, but I need to put all these facts together and get them in an email. When I finish, I plan to get to bed early, and then roll out of here.”

  “Dinner alone, then.” Willie had a knowing look.

  “A gentleman doesn’t talk about such things.” Rose hadn’t made any plans with me, but she knew where to find me.

  As I was getting into my truck, the rain was coming down harder. I got back on the parkway and made good time to Ellijay. The rain was more of an annoyance than anything, serving mostly to keep my windshield a mess. When I got there, I headed to the Commissioner’s Office. I got up to the door only to discover it was after four p.m. and Shelia was true to her word. She would have to be my first stop tomorrow.

  I was standing near the door to the Commissioner’s Office when I saw Linda Pelfrey coming in the front door of the courthouse. When she saw me, she turned in my direction. She was visibly upset. “What the hell gives you the right to strong arm information from my banker?”

  “If you’re asking about the information I got today, the State of Georgia gave me that authority.”

  She shook her finger in my face. “Fuck you and the State of Georgia. People have a right to expect that their personal information is secure from the likes of you. I’m planning on suing you and the GBI. I’ll take every fucking thing you own.” By now, she was shouting.

  “Ma’am, there’s no need to get upset. If you have any complaints, you can certainly address it when this case goes to trial.”

  That bit of information didn’t seem to calm her down for some reason. Her business suit looked like she had slept in it. Her mouth was working overtime and her perfume was barely covering a sweaty chemical smell. I was sure she had bumped meth recently.

  “You stupid fucker. I’m somebody in this town, and you ain’t shit. My daddy can have your job with a phone call. You need to back off of us, or you’ll pay the consequences.”

  I shook my head. “What you say may be true. If he can get me fired with a phone call, it wasn’t much of a job to begin with. I don’t have an axe to grind, but I do have a job to do. And I took an oath to do that job without regard to personalities or fear of the outcome.”

  She rolled her eyes. “Is that some kind of boy scout
shit they teach in GBI school?”

  “I’m trying to be honest and straightforward with you.”

  Linda shook her head. I saw Chief Deputy Givens approaching out of the corner of my eye. I shifted around so I could keep an eye on both of them.

  When Givens was close enough, he asked, “Is there a problem here, Ms. Linda?”

  Pelfrey was still fuming. “This pecker-head went to the bank and got hold of records from a private account that I happen to be on.” She turned to Givens. “You’re on it, too. What the hell happened to privacy?”

  Givens looked surprised. He took a moment to digest the information. Givens lowered his voice and turned away from me. But I could hear him in the empty courthouse lobby. “Ms. Linda, we need to talk to your dad about this tonight. He had to go down to Atlanta for a meeting. He asked me to tell you we are meeting tonight, at seven here in the courthouse.” He looked over at me. “A private meeting, behind closed doors.”

  Linda Pelfrey wasn’t finished. “I told this piece of shit that his time was up. Daddy is going to make him pay.”

  Givens grabbed her elbow and walked her away from me. I could tell he was talking to her in hushed tones but Linda wasn’t playing along. “Fuck the Sheriff. I will do what Daddy says, but the rest of y’all can get fucked.”

  I watched until they walked out of sight, heading in the direction of the Sheriff’s Office.

  I needed to get out of the county and type up a report to Carver. I couldn’t risk trying to call from anywhere in the courthouse, or out on the streets for that matter. My best bet was to get back to my room, get a report out, and regroup for the next day. And I began to think it was time to call in a little more help. Things were picking up pace.

  I made my way back to my truck. I couldn’t help but think I had broken open the investigation. There were loose ends, but all of that would come together once the forensic audit of the accounts was done. I drove to the motel deep in thought about what my next steps would be. As the dark clouds began to gather, the motel parking lot was already shadowy. There was a mist of rain on the windshield.