“Where do you live?”
“I settled down in Lakewood. It’s about ten miles west; a twenty minute drive on a good day. I rent a two-bedroom condo. I’ve got a private garage and a clubhouse with an Olympic sized swimming pool. It’s really nice. How about you? I know you live down in Centerville, but where do you stay while you’re up here?”
“The Bureau owns a small house in Lorain. It’s about thirty-six miles west of the office. Most of the ride is on I-90 so I’m on the road for only a half-hour. That’s longer than the short commute I have when I’m down in Centerville, but it gives me a chance to catch up on the news, sports and weather on the way. My favorite place to eat breakfast is only two blocks away, so, needless to say, I don’t use the kitchen very much in the morning.”
“Which place is that?”
“Barry’s!”
“You’re kidding, I love Barry’s. I go to the one on Marshall Street. I especially love their omelets.”
“Finally I meet a woman who understands what good food is all about. That’s fantastic.”
They had a good laugh and went on to talk about college, travel and a variety of other subjects. Around eleven they drained the last drop from a second bottle of wine. The crowd was beginning to thin out.
“I guess we’d better call it a night,” Wendy said.
Mark knew she was right, although he was enjoying himself so much that he could have stayed there all night talking with her. They ordered coffee and when Cindy delivered it she dropped off the check.
“It sure was a pleasure to serve you two tonight. I hope you’ll come back soon.”
“You can be sure we will, Cindy and we’ll ask for you,” he said as he handed her the signed bill with a generous tip included.
Twenty minutes later they were heading back to the office and to Wendy’s car. Mark pulled into the parking lot and stopped next to her car. He was starting to get out to open her door when she leaned over and kissed him softly on the cheek.
“Tonight was wonderful, Mark.”
“It was for me too, Wendy. Let’s do it again, soon.”
“I’d like that, Mark. Goodnight.”
Before he could respond, she was out the door and getting into her Toyota. What a perfect night, Mark thought to himself. She just might be the one for me. He waved as she drove out of the parking lot. He pulled out behind her, heading in the same direction. After a few minutes he made a right hand turn onto the highway and was alone again with his thoughts.
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
Every day, at exactly two o’clock, John Ingram walked downstairs to pick up the mail from the box marked 2F. He eased the key out of the lock and closed the door. Another pile of junk mail, he thought to himself. On the back of the top envelope there was a box that said that he might be the winner of a new car. He could even choose from among six color options. On another line it said that he could choose between the car and a check for thirty-six thousand dollars. All this was in addition to a chance to win TEN MILLION DOLLARS. Wow! He thought to himself, this is really my lucky day. I can finally move away from here.
Returning to his small, one-bedroom apartment, he tore up the unopened envelope, two appliance store ads and three circulars from neighborhood supermarkets, thereby, once again, giving up all hope of joining the “rich and famous” He tossed them all into the trash can. He emptied his trash only once a week, but at the rate the junk mail was coming in, he would need another trashcan just to keep up with it. Only one envelope was left, one with the return address of the Cleveland Heights Senior Center. Finally, some real mail, John thought. He got a small paring knife from the utensil drawer and sliced it open. Inside was a card with a blood donation appointment scheduled for the following Monday. John looked forward to donating blood. It gave him the chance to get away from the apartment for a few hours and socialize with the people at the center.
John Ingram was seventy-two; a retired autoworker. He lost his wife Mary to emphysema several years when she was sixty-eight. She smoked at least two packs a day during the forty-eight years they were married. As she lay dying, she made a last request for one more cigarette. All she said to John was, “What difference can it possibly make now?” It was hard for him to argue with her and he wished that he had argued more over the issue during the previous forty-eight years.
John never smoked a cigarette in his life, even during his years in the army. He did smoke marijuana in Korea, more to fit in than for any pleasure derived from it. He didn’t really like the feeling of listlessness that the weed gave him. Even so, he didn’t stop smoking it until his hitch was up and it was certain that he was going back home. John was aware that the brass knew about the widespread use of drugs in the military; apparently they didn’t care. He even suspected that the army was supplying the drugs for morale purposes, but he didn’t know that for sure. John saw a lot of hypocrisy during his time in the military. That was only one example. He chalked it up to the uniqueness of the Korean War. It was like no other war the US had ever fought. Besides, the times had changed. Marijuana acted as a morale booster in the midst of an unpopular war. He never told anyone about that part of his life, not even Mary.
John and Mary were childless. He was an only child and his parents were both deceased. Mary had a few distant relatives whom he heard from only at Christmas. The last time he had seen any of them was at Mary’s funeral, even though they lived within thirty miles of his home. For this reason alone the Cleveland Heights Senior Center was a real haven for him.
John showed up ten minutes early for his appointment. He had to take two buses to get there. He owned a car, but he didn’t like city traffic and he could never find a decent place to park. The trip took him about fifty minutes, all told. The Bloodmobile van was already sitting out front when he arrived. John started giving blood in the service. Over the years he probably donated at least ten gallons. He was told once that he had a rare blood type that was in short supply. That was all the incentive he needed to continue donating over the years. He was greeted by a volunteer. “It’s good to see you again, John. We have an opening at station ten.”
The donation process started with a check of his blood pressure, pulse, hemoglobin and temperature. John usually breezes through the first stage, but today was different. The technician looked up at him. “I’m afraid we can’t take your donation today, John. Your blood pressure is too low and your hemoglobin is way off. Have you changed your meds recently?”
“I switched to a generic medicine a week ago. Could that be the reason? My doctor said that it was exactly the same formula as the original, just a hell of a lot cheaper.”
“That’s true. Federal law requires that the formulas used be identical to the original. The generic companies don’t have to spend a lot on research and development, so they can sell them cheaper. It’s been a real boon for you senior citizens. I would suggest you go back to your doctor and get checked out, though. Bring your meds with you. He may want to have them checked. Sometimes things go wrong in the manufacturing. Don’t get me wrong, it’s not just generics, it happens to the name brands, too. I don’t think that there is anything seriously wrong. They’ll probably just need to adjust the dosage. You go ahead back and have some cookies and orange juice, anyway. We’ll get you next time.”
“I feel bad not being able to give.”
“Don’t you feel like that. With your donation record, you have nothing to be sorry for. If you can’t give occasionally, you can always come back.”
John was escorted by a volunteer named Wanda. She led him to a small waiting area where a half-dozen card tables with folding chairs were set up in a circle. Bottles of water, a pitcher of orange juice and a large plate of cookies were placed in the center of each table, along with some plastic cups. He asked, “Are you sure it’s alright for me to be back here even though I didn’t give blood? You know, this is only the second time in my life that I couldn’t give. The other time it turned out that I had the flu and didn’t know it.
I sure hope that I’m not coming down with anything now.”
“Well I hope not, too, John. Don’t worry about it. You deserve to be back here just for all the times you’ve already donated. Go ahead and enjoy yourself. You’re going to really like the cookies. They were donated by Wilkies Bake Shoppe. They’re the best I’ve ever tasted.” She turned and went back to escort the next donor.
John ate five of the cookies; two oatmeal and three chocolate chips. Wanda was right. They were the best cookies he had ever tasted. He decided that he would pick some up on the way home. He got into a conversation on the economy with another donor and didn’t leave until a half hour later. He walked home, stopping at Wilkies for two dozen cookies and made his way home on foot with his bakery boxes tied together with fine white string It reminded him of the old days and a neighborhood bakery shop that sold the best tasting bread and sugar buns. He and his dad used to go there every Sunday morning after church.
When he arrived home he called Dr. Edmond’s office to set up an appointment for a physical checkup.
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
With the advent of computers and the Internet, the practice of background checking took a quantum leap from contacting references by phone or mail to a science requiring high-speed, high-capacity computer systems. Personal analysis of the results was still time consuming, but the overall speed and accuracy of the process was much improved.
Mark was recruited out of graduate school to serve a hitch with the Defense Department in Washington, D.C., during the second Clinton administration. The code name of his group was appropriately “Hide & Seek.” Although his degree was in criminology, he spent most of his time searching for people; AWOL soldiers, terrorists and missing persons (businessmen and/or their families) who were connected to the defense industry. Missing children were a common occurrence. While the odds of an actual kidnapping were low, each case was given a high priority. Fortunately, in almost every instance the missing child was a runaway having issues with his or her parents that needed to be worked out.
His success rate in Washington was over eighty percent; exceptionally high for that kind of work. Mark attributed these results mostly to the highly advanced technology that he had at his disposal. Hardware and software manufacturers offered their wares free to test. Usually a “hit” with the Defense Department virtually assure a multi-million dollar contract for them. His recommendations helped launch many such start-up businesses. This free software availability insured that he was always on the cutting edge of technology with his searches.
When he left Washington, limitations were placed on his access to some of these programs, however, during his time as a private investigator, when he acquired Thurston Electronics, a large defense contractor as a client, his security clearance increased to include access to all the software that he used during his four years with “Hide & Seek”, along with some new software that had been added in the interim. That, combined with joining the FBI, added four levels to his clearance; every level justified by his “need to know” Along with Susan’s exotic software, Mark was confident that he had all the computer power he would ever need to get the information he needed from the Atronen Pharmaceuticals’ computer systems.
The programs Marcia was using perform a number of checks not normally included in skip-tracing software. After a basic match is made on the key identifiers, the software does a series of “what if” checks on ten data items to uncover multiple or hidden records. It’s human nature to stick close to your given name when a name change is necessary. That makes the job a bit easier. First names, middle names and last names are massaged. A last name such as “Green” is run a second time as “Greene” “Brown” as “Browne,” etc. Fields such as addresses (previous and present) and age are often ignored in order to prompt the computer to search multiple records to facilitate an optimum search.
Perfect matches are found about eighty percent of the time. They represent people with nothing to hide; people who have filled out applications completely and honestly. Of the remaining twenty percent, about half have made honest mistakes or did not see the harm in fudging a little bit, especially about their age or education. This group may also lengthen a record of employment to cover up a lay-off or being fired.
It is the last ten percent where Mark usually hit pay dirt. The misrepresentations by this group were more flagrant and ranged from significant lies about the level of their education, to covering up for jail time/arrests, criminal convictions, firings for theft or other capital crimes. No investigation ever conducted using this powerful software combination, at least to Marks knowledge ever failed to raise these essential flags.
There are millions of people in our country living and working under false pretenses. This is often done at the expense of law abiding, hard working citizens. There is no issue that a person shouldn’t be given a second chance, but it should only come as the result of choices a company makes after full disclosure of a person’s background, not through deception.
When Mark conducts checks for a corporate client, he does not make any recommendations or offer any opinions. They are usually not asked for and are generally not appreciated, especially if a marginal individual was high on the company’s list of candidates. The client only expects Mark to report on the results of his in-depth investigation based on the information supplied by the applicant. His findings are reported without bias for the client to evaluate on their own. He violated this rule only once when he uncovered a pedophile applying for a position as principal of an all boy’s school. The candidate had been high on the school’s list, and they rewarded Mark with a sizeable bonus for preventing a potential calamity.
Working for the FBI requires a totally different set of rules. Mark is not only expected to uncover evidence of wrongdoing, but to develop and recommend a plan on how to utilize the data as well. The information was hoping to find on Atronen Pharmaceuticals’ employees would allow him to uncover those individuals with histories that they would not want to be exposed, thereby assuring their complete cooperation.
He expected Marcia to compile a list of these candidates. The last run, which he planned to do personally, would be for Marco Vennuti. Mark wanted to know all his weaknesses, as well as his strengths. If he played his cards right, he would build an insurmountable case proving Vennuti’s involvement not only with the drug ring, but in the deaths of the Bennett family as well.
Time alone would tell for sure.
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
At nine o’clock, Marcia passed by Mark’s cubicle and handed him a courier pack. She nodded good morning and continued down the hall. He set it aside, got up and went to the break room for a coffee refill. When he returned, he broke the seal and removed the three-inch-high packet. He scanned the pages quickly looking for flags. The program was designed to print an asterisk in the left column next to the name of any employee with questionable data. Asterisks were absent from the first page. He thumbed through the stack. All together there were fifteen such flags.
He separated the targeted pages. As he did, he was thinking that he needed to develop another program to segregate and summarize the target reports. When he was finished sorting, he set aside the pile of paperwork that he had no further interest in and returned to do a more selective analysis of the fifteen remaining reports. Nine were flagged for technical reasons that had nothing to do with his search. He was now down to only six potentials. He preferred to have at least three viable candidates. He checked the six names with the test list that Marcia processed earlier. There was only one match. The “trigamist” was still employed at Atronen; the others apparently were gone. Mark smiled. He was looking forward to researching the man’s lifestyle.
Mark scanned the candidates. The first employee was Oliver Dyson, Vice-President of Animal Sciences. This was the first Mark knew of Atronen manufacturing medicines for animals. The report showed a conviction for petty larceny as a minor; he received one year’s probation. He also claimed a graduate degree that was
fraudulent. Oliver Dyson was working at Atronen for three years.
The second was Sarah Applebee, Secretary to the President. Under the name Sarah Egbert, she was convicted of check kiting and mail fraud, and spent three years in a correctional facility for women. She has been employed there for four years.
The next employee was Melinda Gross, Group Leader in the Data Input section. She shaved ten years off her age and lied about her marital status. Melinda has been with Atronen for two years.
The fourth candidate was William Nesbitt, MIS supervisor. He lied about his references and educational background. He’s been employed there for four years.
Number five was Michael Prendergast, Cost Accounting Manager. Michael covered up being fired from three jobs for questionable accounting practice one that involved the IRS. Michael Prendergast has been with Atronen for the past three years.
The sixth and final report was for Paul Snyder, the “trigamist.” He also lied about receiving a degree from an institution he did not even attend and about employment at two companies. Paul worked for Atronen for slightly over ten years, somehow slipping under the radar.
Well, there it was; Mark’s list of potential candidates. Somewhere in that group he had to find three individuals that he could manage. Specifically, he wanted to select those individuals that were in the best position to aid in his investigation and who had the most to lose if they were exposed either to the company or to other authorities. The determination of who the three would be went beyond the data in the reports. An in-depth analysis of each person was necessary, now, to assure that he would not in any way jeopardize the ongoing investigation by giving Vennuti or his bosses an early warning.
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