One day, several months back, while discussing a past-due bill, Michael proposed the idea of breaking into John’s office and stealing some of his prized possessions. The money collected from the insurance companies would be used to repay Parks and put a few dollars in John’s pocket. John was intrigued by the idea, but expressed concern that targeting his practice alone might send up red flags. An hour later they had a plan that would expand the burglary to include six of the twelve occupied spaces; a plan that would enrich both of the men.
When the cinder blocks finally got too uncomfortable to lean on, he looked around the cell to find a spot to rest that would keep him a decent distance from the snoring sot. He decided to stand by the bars and watch for his lawyer, although he realized that he would not be there for a while. Time, without a wrist watch, was difficult to measure. John pressed his face against the bars in an attempt to see into the police station’s reception area. There was bound to be a wall clock there.
As he stood looking out from the bars, he caught a glimpse of Michael Parks and two other men in handcuffs being escorted towards the rear of the station. He desperately wanted to call out to Parks to caution him not to say anything, but he realized the last minute, that such an outburst would be an admission of guilt. Where the hell is Fleming? He’s got to get me out of here.
Chapter 48
Special Agent Byron Hawkins gave Blaine the good news. “The Director sent in the FBI’s top interrogator, Special Agent Mark Whitetower, here to question the suspects. He started with the Gazebo man. It took him several hours, but he finally broke the man. His gave his real name as Stanley Sabatini. Once Whitetower convinced him that the Omerta code had been broken by others and that he had been fingered as the supplier of the drugs subsequently confiscated, he pleaded for a deal, citing his family and being a first time offender as justification. As part of his plea deal, he named George Abbott as the supplier of the drugs and the picture of “Big Al” as the man he gave the drugs to.”
“Do you remember what I said about dominoes? Knowing that he faced twenty to thirty years in prison, George gave up his brother and three of the men we picked up at the Hopkins house. He claimed not to know any of the others, which is quite possible. The three he did name were low-level distributors, but they controlled the flow of drugs throughout the northern counties of the state.”
Blaine looked at Hawkins and blurted out, “You called me here to tell me that? You could have told me over the phone.”
Special Agent Hawkins replied, “Okay, I deserve that. You have every right to be upset with me.”
“I think a more appropriate word would be ‘disgusted.’ I’m so happy that things are going well for you,” he said sarcastically.
“Okay, disgusted then, but I think you’re going to change your attitude once you hear what else I have to say.”
“Go on, I’m all ears.”
“My SAC talked to the Director. It took some convincing, but he agreed to drop any charges against Wilson in this case. He even sent a letter to Wilson, thanking him for helping with the investigation.”
He handed the letter to Norm. It read:
Dear Mr. Wilson A. Symington,
I would like to take this opportunity to thank you for your assistance with our investigation into drug distribution in your State.
Your exemplary behavior, in which your concerns for your own personal safety were secondary to the task at hand, demonstrated noteworthy courage and character.
Your efforts and cooperation with the Bureau is appreciated by the Agents with whom you worked and by my office. Please accept my sincere appreciation for your valued assistance in this case and for your service to our country.
The letter was signed by the Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigations, with a CC: to the Justice Departments, Office of Management.
Norm looked very contrite as he said, “What can I say? You really came through for Wil. I know he will appreciate this, but what about the matter of his old offense?”
“The Director signed this letter yesterday. He sent a copy to Justice along with a recommendation that Wilson be pardoned. An hour ago, right before I called you, I got a message that Wilson’s record of involvement in the 2009 drug case has been expunged. He received a full pardon as of midnight yesterday. They faxed over a copy.”
Norm looked at the document before he replied, “I guess I should have trusted you more. You accomplished everything you set out to do.”
Byron smiled. “You had every reason to doubt me. Hell, there was a time there when I thought all was lost, but as the old saying goes, ‘All’s well that ends well.’ I wish I could take credit for all this. I think it was more dumb luck than any skill on my part and, of course, a large part of the credit goes to your tenacity. By the way, if you ever have the idea of becoming an agent, I’d be glad to recommend you. I think you’d make a good one.”
“No thanks. I’m happy doing what I do. It may sound a bit corny, but I’m in a position where I can do a lot of good for people, especially the young ones like Wil. So, you keep catching them and when they’re through paying the price for their crimes, I’ll do my best to keep them from returning to a life of crime.”
***
At noon, Wilson came into Norm’s office. “What the hell is it this time?”
“Whoa,” Norm said. “First thing, let’s lose the attitude.” Then, doing his best imitation of a pilgrim meeting the Indians for the first time, he added, “We come in peace.”
Wilson and Hawkins couldn’t help but laugh.
“Wil, I’ve got some very good news.” First he handed him the letter from the FBI Director.
Wilson read it with a surprised look on his face. “What does this mean?”
“It means that the Director of the FBI thinks that you are someone special. He took the time out of his busy schedule to single you out for a special tribute to the bravery you showed helping us with our investigation. Treasure that piece of paper. I can assure you that he doesn’t send too many of them.”
“This is great. What can I say?”
“Well, nothing for now. Wait until you read what’s on this other piece of paper.” Norm handed him a piece of paper with the heading:
Expungement Notification
Wilson’s eyes scanned the filled in areas of the form that applied to his 2009 case. Tears began to well up in his eyes. He looked at the two men standing in front of him, waiting to see his reaction. He wiped at a few of the tears that were cascading down his cheeks. Amidst the obvious exuberance and flood of tears, Wilson looked at Norm and Byron with what appeared to be penitent eyes.
“I feel real bad that I didn’t trust you guys.”
“Look, Wil, you have nothing to be sorry about. I agree that there were times when it appeared we were letting you down, despite our best intentions, but we never gave up on you.” He walked over to Wilson and gave him a hug; Byron was right behind him; an eager participant in the group hug.
Norm looked at both. “We couldn’t have a better ending than this. You realize that this means you don’t have to report here anymore. I hope that doesn’t mean I won’t see you now and then as your friend.” He extended his hand to Wilson.
Wilson shook his hand and said, “I’d like that very much, Mr. Blaine.”
“And no more of that Mr. Blaine stuff. Now you can call me Norm.”
“Thanks, Norm.”
“And call me Byron. You know, I don’t know about you guys, but all this excitement has made me hungry. In my opinion, all this good news calls for a celebration. I think that the Bureau can spring for a decent lunch, under the circumstances.”
“How about Amelio’s?”
Chapter 49
The clinic was unusually busy, according to the log sheet. Richard showed up around seven forty-five, signed in, and went immediately to room 3B. Nurse Betty was already there setting up the surgical instruments. “Good evening, Doctor.” She smiled. “We have to stop meeting like this.”
He rejoined with, “Of all the clinics, in all the towns, in all the world, you have to walk into mine.”
Nurse Betty laughed. “Don’t give me any of that malarkey. Max said you insisted on me assisting you tonight.”
“You got me. Yes, I did, but don’t go getting a swelled head. The fact that I feel comfortable having the best qualified nurse on the staff assisting me has everything to do it. But I must warn you, no more hijinks like last time. Let’s do our utmost to be professional.” He smiled. “All kidding aside, we’ve got a tough one scheduled tonight.”
“I saw that. Two-Ts are sometimes messy. I’ve assisted with four, but they were all due to the death of the fetus. This will be my first voluntary termination. I’m not looking forward to it.”
“Nor am I, to tell you the truth.”
“How did her interview go?”
“Max said she was fine. She’s reconciled to the fact that that she going to give up on a child she was looking forward to bearing. Apparently she’s so bitter over the father walking out on her that she doesn’t want anything that would be a part of him. Apparently there were offers of adoption, but she’s very adamant about not having the fetus in her any longer than she has to. She wants to get back to work and doesn’t want anything delaying it. It’s sad when you think about it.”
“It certainly is, but our job is to make it happen.”
At eight, Max escorted a very beautiful young woman into the room. “This is Ms. Sutherland,” he said as he handed a chart to Richard.
“Thank you, Max.”
Richard looked at the chart while Nurse Betty got the woman into position for the pre-exam.
Minutes later, he pulled Nurse Betty aside. “Somebody’s not telling the truth. She’s further along than twenty-four weeks. I’d hazard a guess that she’s over thirty weeks. Well, I guess it doesn’t matter. We’re going to have to do a D&X anyway.”
“Ms. Sutherland, I’m going to administer a local anesthetic to make you more comfortable during the procedure. The whole thing will take about fifteen or twenty minutes, so close your eyes and relax.”
“That’s easy for you to say, but I’ll give it a try.”
Richard proceeded to move the fetus around and pulled it out until it stopped at the head. He could see the pumping of the heart as he punctured the skull and began to vacuum out the brain tissue. The skull collapsed and he withdrew the entire fetus.
Nurse Betty placed the fetus in a surgical bag and placed it on a lab table across the room.
Ten minutes later the cavity was completely clean and Richard spoke to the patient. “Ms. Sutherland, Nurse Betty will give you some pain pills to take if you experience any discomfort. Not everyone does, but if needed, take one every six hours.”
***
In another part of the clinic, Maggie was sitting up and anxious to join Jason in the recovery room.
“How do you feel, Ms. Otis?”
“Oh, just fine, Doctor. I’m a little numb down there, but I don’t have any pain.”
“I’m glad you came in when you did. That made the extraction easy. I’ll give you some pain pills anyway, in case you experience some pain later. Don’t take more than one every six hours. Do you have any questions?”
“I don’t think so, Doctor. I think the office covered everything.” No one at the clinic knew that she herself was an RN; the less they knew, the better. It was bad enough having to be there, but to have anyone know that she worked at a hospital was out of the question. She kept her fingers crossed that she wouldn’t run into fellow nurses that might have been moonlighting at the clinic.
“Fine, then. Nurse Jane will take you to the recovery room. Are you with anyone?”
“Yes, I am. He’s waiting for me in the recovery room. Thank you again, Doctor.”
“You’re very welcome, Ms. Otis.”
Maggie found Jason in a corner of the room reading a fishing magazine. “I didn’t know you liked fishing.”
“I don’t, but the choice of magazines for men was very limited. You would think that they would have more, considering what they do here, but I guess the majority of women that come here aren’t accompanied by a man. Never mind that, how did it go?”
“It was a lot easier than I thought it would be. There were no complications.”
“No regrets?”
“Miss Otis has no regrets. It was the right thing to do.”
Jason pulled two chairs over to where they were seated. He placed one in front of Maggie and the other in front of himself. He took off his shoes and put his feet up on the chair, creating a make-shift chaise lounge. He took one of the blankets he found stacked in the corner of the room, covered them both, and snuggled next to Maggie. “We may as well make ourselves comfortable for the next two hours. I think they’re going to hold us to that time limit. I saw a nurse stop a woman who wanted to leave fifteen minutes early.” He pointed to a stern looking nurse seated by the only exit.
“That’s okay. I’m comfy as long as I’m here with you. Thanks again for coming with me. I could never have done this on my own.”
“I love you, Maggie Symington. There is no place I’d rather be than with you.”
***
Ms. Southerland sat up on the edge of the table.
“How are you feeling?”
“Well, I’m a little sore down there.”
“That’s quite normal. You may experience numbness for a few days, but that will wear off. You should have received a brochure from the office that tells you what to expect for the next two weeks. After that you’ll be as good as new.”
Richard expected that Nurse Betty would escort Ms. Sutherland to the recovery room, but she seemed to be occupied cleaning up the room after the elaborate procedure. Special protocols needed to be followed when a D&X was performed.
He took the patient’s arm instead and walked her to the room. “Did you come with anyone?”
“Yes, my sister brought me.”
When they entered the room, Ms. Sutherland spotted her sister. She called back to him as she went to join her. “Thanks again, Doctor.”
Richard decided to get a cup of coffee for himself and Nurse Betty. As the machine churned away, he scanned the room to see how many couples were waiting. As he did, his eyes settled on a couple snuggled under a blanket in the corner of the room. He could only see the upper part of her face, but there was something familiar about the woman. His jaw dropped as he recognized who it was. “Oh, my god, Maggie, what are you doing here?”
She heard a voice from across the room call her name. A bit confused, she opened her eyes and focused in that direction.
“Richard?”
Chapter 50
Lt. Brody stopped by Ron’s office to update him on their investigation. “Hazleton’s offices were clean, but just a few minutes ago I received a call from the lead detective over at his apartment. They found a large envelope taped to the back of the refrigerator. It contained enough evidence to justify putting the doctor under arrest. My men are taking him down to the station now. By the way, we’ve released your wife. It doesn’t appear that her relationship to Dr. Hazleton was connected in any way to the break-in, so we have no reason to hold her.” Brody was obviously uncomfortable discussing the subject.
“Thank you for stopping by, Lieutenant. As far as you know, is anyone else here at the Center involved?”
“As far as we can tell, it doesn’t look that way. We also picked up the owner of an antiquities studio called Treasured Things. He may have been the ring leader behind the thefts. With the evidence we uncovered at the apartment, the doctor’s office is no longer a crime scene. Feel free to remove the tape on the door.”
“Well, thanks again, Lieutenant. If I can be of any help with the prosecution’s case, please let me know. Thanks for your discretion,” Ron said awkwardly after a short pause.
“No problem, Doctor.”
The first thing Ron did after Lt. Brody left was call Peter to fill him in
on what had transpired. Peter had agreed to keep a low profile while the warrant to search Hazleton’s office was being executed, letting Ron be the official representative for the Center. His first reaction was not surprising. “I knew he couldn’t be trusted. Ever since he started cooperating with us again, I became suspicious. It was so out of character for him to apologize and offer to work closely with us. He’s too political an animal to be so docile. I don’t want to jump the gun, but with Hazleton gone, we might be able to sign up our candidate. That is, if this whole mess doesn’t scare him away. From what I recall of my last discussions with the doctor, he really likes the Center for its mix of practices and for the location. I think I might be able to pull it off.”
“Well, you go for it, Pete. I’ll officially disband John’s committee so you can go ahead on my authority as CEO. I’m going to shut down early today and catch up on some paperwork. I may even take it home and work there.”
“It looks as if most of the practices in the building are doing the same thing. Tomorrow will be soon enough to deal with the ramifications of this incident. Enjoy your evening.”
He wondered if Peter had heard anything about John and Marilyn through the grapevine. If he did, he was certainly giving no indication of it. Then again, he would be too much of a gentleman and a friend to bring it up, but Ron believed that he could tell by the tone of Peter’s voice, if he had heard anything and was betting that he hadn’t.
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