by T. F. Jacobs
I take a deep breath and stand.
I glance over my shoulder at the crowd, looking for Evan in the sea of faces. I don’t find him. There are men and women of all shapes and sizes, but not the one I’m looking for. Wait. Three rows from the back is a face I recognize. Almond-shaped eyes, black hair pulled back into a loose bun, rosy cheeks. Aly.
She gives me a soft smile, then bobs her head.
I wink. Then I turn around and lift my right hand.
“Do you swear that the testimony you are about to give is the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth?”
“I do.”
Connelly nods. “You may be seated. You are under oath, and we recognize your opening remarks.”
I take my seat.
Even though I’m not religious, being under oath is one of the most daunting weights I’ve ever felt. If I lie, I will not only be condemned by God, if there is such a thing, but also by the entire world.
“Mr. Higgins, we want to start today by asking about your time as a contract reviewer with American True Care. Were you told to put exclusions into health insurance contracts that removed liability from American True Care for procedures or medications?”
“Yes.”
“Can you elaborate on why you did this?”
I glance over to Davies. He’s glaring.
“Yes.” Silence. Anticipation for what I might say. “American True Care has a database of preexisting conditions, along with the procedures, surgeries, and medications that may be necessary for those given conditions. If we find customers with these conditions, or those who are likely to develop these conditions, we put exclusions in place for some of the more costly procedures, surgeries, and medications.”
The crowd erupts into whispers.
Members of Congress steal glances with one another.
“Let’s move on. During your time as a lobbyist for American True Care, were you told to, quote, ‘do anything it takes to get the deal done?’”
“Yes, sir.”
“And can you tell me who told you to do that, and what you thought it implied?”
“Yes, sir. Rebecca Schooner. She told me that if a politician needs campaign funding, some spending money, a vacation, or a memorial in a district, we give them what they need. There was a donation cap of one hundred and twenty-five thousand dollars, run through an outside foundation. I never got the name of that foundation. Rebecca also approved petty cash in exchange for prostitution for Congressman Byers, which has already gone public, as I’m sure you’ve seen. She also instructed that these things stay silent, and if I were ever caught, she implied that bad things would happen.”
I can feel every eye in the room drifting from me to her.
Connelly waits till the whispers die down. “Were you worried about your personal safety?”
“Yes. I thought they were going to kill me.”
“Why would you think that?”
“It’s the largest healthcare company in the nation. I’d heard rumors of other lobbyists and people who asked too many questions going missing. I’d uncovered truths they didn’t want getting out. Other whistle-blowers who were also planning to come forward with me were dead or missing. Dominique Alvarez, Rob Henderson, and Alex Nadar.”
Hundreds of cameras click and flash. Audible gasps fill the room.
Investigations are already in place for all three, with a missing persons investigation for Rob and Alex. They’ve each got their fair share of media coverage, but I know that bringing them up here and now will put a heck of a lot more eyes on the investigations.
“Mr. Higgins, if you knew that contracts were illegally being tampered with, illegal bribes were taking place, and potential murders had been committed, why not come forward sooner? Why keep working for American True Care?”
Here is the question I have been waiting for. The one that put me here in the first place. The one I have been waiting to answer, so that finally the world can know what happened to my Lexi.
“I crossed lines that I knew I shouldn’t. I purposefully put exclusions into insurance contracts, because it was my job. I knew if I didn’t, I would lose my job. When my wife died of cancer after six agonizing months, I lost my grip. We racked up over four hundred thousand dollars in medical bills that American True Care refused to pay because of clauses like the ones I wrote. I almost quit my job, but instead I saw it as an opportunity. An opportunity to blow the whistle on the largest and most corrupt company in the nation. And so I decided to stay. I decided that I needed to work my way up the system so that I could find out just how far it went. I blackmailed my boss into giving me a lobbyist position. And he gave it to me. I bribed politicians on behalf of American True Care with money, sex, prostitutes, and blackmail. I watched as bills were put before Congress and the Senate for the benefit of insurance companies and not the benefit of the American public. When I finally felt like I had enough information to go public, they came after me. They tried to silence me. I can’t prove it was them—I’ve said that a hundred times in a hundred different interviews—but I know it was. Some good people lost their lives in order to get to the point we are at today. And none of this would have happened if it weren’t for me losing my wife. Lexi.”
Tears flood my eyes and cameras capture every one of them. Some people will probably say they were faked for dramatic effect. I don’t really care. At this moment, I feel something I haven’t felt in a long time.
Justice.
After what I just admitted to, they have enough to put me away for five to ten years. Extortion, several broken lobbyist laws, and bribery. I knew this day would come eventually, but I’m ready. And if I had the choice, I’d do it all again.
The congressmen exchange whispers with one another. A long moment later, Connelly turns back to face me.
He gives me the slightest of smiles, which most people will probably miss. Then he leans in toward the microphone.
“No further questions. Thank you, Mr. Higgins.”
And just like that, it’s over.
They are letting me go.
No investigation. No sentencing.
It takes a moment for the realization to settle in.
When it does, I stand and face the circus of flashing lights. And smile.
I’ve got the attention of every person in the entire world.
I take one last glance at the table beside me and wink as Rebecca, Davies, and the rest of them watch me go free.
Electric shockwaves soar through every molecule of my body. Everything in this moment, here and now, feels absolutely right.
Take down the people who take advantage of the average man and stand up for the people who just want to live. This is what I was meant to do.
To untangle the black web.
Acknowledgements
This book had a lot of help in getting it across the finish line, and I want to thank all of those involved. Thank you to Amazon and the Kindle Press team who believed in the book and took a chance on publishing it. Thank you to Jo Gledhill, my genius editor, for your edits and insights in my early rounds. Thank you also to Ellen, the fantastic editor whose brilliant edits helped to make this book what it is.
I am grateful for my early readers and their feedback on tackling these hot button-issues: my dad, Amanda, Timon and Tia. Thanks to Kevin Kane at the Frontispiece for sticking with me in bringing the cover to life. And thank you to my family for all the support they provided me in making this book come to life, and for all their help and encouragement in everything.
Saving the best for last, thank you to my wife, my best friend, who has been nothing but supportive in challenging me to write the best book I am capable of writing. I couldn’t do any of it without you.
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