Code Blue

by Debra E Blaine

  “Right, but how does he pay for that house on Centre Island? I can’t believe B. Healthy pays him that well. And he didn’t come here with any money. He told me once that he was given financial assistance to get through the second residency, which he had to do to get licensed here.”

  “Well, then, he lives above his means. Residencies do not pay much, but if you’re a little bit frugal, you should be able to make it without debt if you have no children, especially if you marry someone who has a job. It’s med school that’s the killer, tuitions are enormous.”

  “Yes,” Ellie cackled, “we both know—and you know twice!”

  “I do know twice!” Tobi found herself laughing anyway.

  “But you know Ellie? Rufini was pretty weird to me today. He and Molly asked me if I am happy here—”

  “That’s right, you had your meeting today! How’d it go?”

  “Horrible. They want me to quit, I’m sure of it.”

  “Did you call Dr. Chagall?” Ellie asked.

  “I did. He told me not to worry about it, he’d speak with them. But Rufini came over to me after and tried to be chummy. It was odd.”

  “What did he say?” Ellie asked.

  “He asked me if I was having any trouble with the EMR, did I need any help with anything … and he asked me about my family and if I were lonely. It was really strange. He gives me the creepy crawlies, Ellie, I can’t explain it.”

  “That’s bizarre,” Ellie said. “What did Dr. Chagall say about that?”

  “I didn’t really mention all that to him. But Steve did accuse me of snooping in charts that were not mine, which was ridiculous, because I don’t do that.”

  “Wait, Tobi! Didn’t you tell me that Rufini was using your tablet? Maybe he was doing it under your login.”

  “Yeah, I mentioned that to Steve, but how would he do that? The thing times out every few minutes and we have to sign back in, and he can access everything with his own login. And he probably has more ‘permission’ to look at stuff than we do, so why would he bother?”

  “Because maybe he’s not supposed to be doing it, that’s why,” Ellie said.

  Tobi had a headache and it had been a long day. She groaned. “Maybe. I’m going to hang, Ellie, and chalk all this up to an active imagination fueled by having three small children who live in fantasy worlds. I’ll talk to you tomorrow.”

  Ellie cackled again and they hung up.

  Tobi made herself a cup of ginger tea. She had intended to call her friend Sally and talk to her about Troy’s messages but found she just didn’t have the energy for it. She texted Chloe to confirm they were still on for lunch tomorrow, then cuddled up with Pantelaymin in front of the TV to watch the new episode of Criminal Minds.

  Tobi barely noticed the commercial showing a woman walking hand in hand with a man and her young daughter among rich green foliage, and then sitting beside a beautiful waterfall. Soft music played while the sweet voice-over said: this medicine could decrease ability to fight infections, including serious infections like tuberculosis, and these have occurred, as well as lymphoma and other malignancies. Among the side effects was “death.” The medicine was great for arthritis, though. To Tobi, the commercial was just another example of tycoons manipulating the beauty of the Earth to subliminally pray upon the emotional needs of unsuspecting humans so they would pressure their physicians to prescribe something that may or may not be right for them.

  She pulled out her iPad and reread both messages from Troy. Why in the freak was he trying to wiggle back into her life now? He wrote that it was “urgent” that they speak. What could be urgent after nearly a generation? The Troy she had known was not given to drama any more than she was, so why would he write something like that?

  Chapter 28

  Mannfort waited impatiently for Kazi to pick up the phone.

  “Dah.” Finally.

  “Where have you been, Kazi?”

  “Mannya! I have good news! We are expanding our catchment criteria and will have many more clients soon.”

  “Why is it you cannot get one lady doctor out of the way? It should not be so difficult. Do I have to do everything myself?”

  “Nyet, Mannya. I have it all under control. I just have to convince the fat doctor we mean business. He was going a little soft. I think he will get the message when I explain it to him again.”

  “He was always soft, Kazi, he is a fool. That is why we used him. But maybe he outlives his usefulness now, if he is not very careful. We may have to go there and take care of it ourselves. We give him one more chance.”

  “Dah, dah, but listen, Mannya. We have brilliant idea. We get the patients to sign up before they are so sick. We just scare them by telling them where their condition is expected to go and how much it is likely to cost … it is brilliant. They can pay us for many years, maybe never even get sick at all. No claims to Kordec, just big premiums!”

  “You think people are that stupid?”

  “They are, Mannya, it is already working!”

  Chapter 29

  The week went by quickly with no word from Tobi or Inspector Bent, so Troy was not able to leave. He felt antsy just waiting around, but after having spilled his guts to the guy, he tried to be patient. He consoled himself that the Australian police had sizable resources for discovery that he did not have, and he wanted as much information as he could get before heading home. Troy was also not confident he could get through the airport without being detained; Bent could have easily put out an alert for him.

  He should have been back at work at least a week ago, and his emails were piling up. He had told his board he was doing some examinations of the Great Barrier Reef, and in fact, he did do several dives. He noted the strikingly increased bleaching of the reef over his last visit four years ago. He had heard how the heat wave of 2016 had done colossal damage, but the sensitive algae that once lived in the coral had been replaced by a heartier species now. The coral was starting to recover, so he was not prepared for the extent of the damage. It still looked like nearly half the reef was gone. He was appalled.

  Humans traipse all over the planet without any consideration of what devastation they leave behind, Troy thought. He firmly believed that humans were put on this Earth to be its caretakers, not its conquerors. That was exactly why he had named his foundation “Executors for Our Earth.” It was the responsibility of humans to care for the Earth and for life in all its forms, and he did not understand the people who thought accruing wealth was more important, as if they could buy clean air or clean water once it was all gone. There was a reason she was called Mother Earth, the planet that nurtured and sustained them all, without regard to race, conscience, or even species. How she must be crying.

  Troy came out of the water and brought his dive gear back to Tobi’s Dive Shop. He had decided to keep the business running, sponsored by his foundation, and had interviewed a few locals for the day-to-day upkeep. How could he close a shop named “Tobi’s”? Bent had given his approval and offered to assist with transfer of title even after Troy left, since the shop had belonged to Reuben and there was no one else to claim it. It had always been a sort of unofficial not for profit. Reuben had only taken enough income to pay for his rent and utilities. He had bought his inventory wholesale and sold it for little more than cost and was known for giving stuff away. Troy was setting it up so that all revenue generated would be funneled into efforts aimed at restoring the Reef.

  Missy and her brother Patrick were running the business end for now. They hadn’t found anyone experienced enough to lead dives or teach classes yet, but they rented and sold gear and refilled tanks, so Troy put them on payroll. Missy had gotten down on her hands and knees and scrubbed Marcus’s blood off the floor, for which Troy would be eternally grateful. He put his tank down near the compressor to be refilled and placed the rest of his gear onto the counter.

  “I
t’s a sad sight, right?” Patrick said.

  Troy took off his buoyancy compensator and put his weight belt in the crate on the floor. “You know, you read, you see pictures, you hear reports … but it’s not the same as going down and seeing for yourself. I thought it was recovering better with the more resilient algae transplanted into the coral.” He shook his head. “I wanted to cry.”

  “We all do,” Patrick said, “but it is actually looking a bit better than it did two years ago.”

  Missy walked over to take Troy’s fins and mask. “Thank you for keeping the dive shop open. It means a lot to all of us, like a part of Robain is still with us. He was one of the kindest men I ever knew. He saved my life.” She swallowed and looked down.

  Troy saw her anguish. He was feeling hypersensitive these days. “It’s not your fault, you know. That’s just how he was. And he had heart disease before he came here that was going to get him sooner or later. No one lives forever.”

  Missy took his wet gear and walked to the back. Troy looked questioningly at Patrick.

  “She hasn’t been right since that day. And she’s always had some psychological issues. She’s been on meds for a year now, but I’m not sure they help; she gets really sad. She took Robain’s death hard, and now, with Marco murdered … she’s scared. We don’t see that stuff around here,” he whispered. “The worst we get is a robbery, and it usually involves tourists, never us.”

  “You know, she probably saw the killer,” Troy whispered back. “I wonder if she remembers anything about him.”

  “Yes, we know,” Patrick said quietly. “Inspector Bent has talked to her three times. I keep telling him she’s very fragile and he has to tread lightly. And now she’s scared the killer might come back for her, but Bent thinks he left the country already.”

  “There’s something I didn’t tell the inspector.” Troy and Patrick both jumped at Missy’s voice, unaware that she had been listening.

  “What’s that?” Troy asked gently.

  “I saw him that day before he came here to the dive shop with that stupid laptop of his. He was at the table on the beach first and then up at the bar, smoking a cigar and drinking beer, and that’s when he started looking at me funny. I felt him before I saw him, he was staring. He wasn’t holding a computer then, he was stroking his beer bottle. And it was like … like he was undressing me with his eyes. I felt like I wanted to get my shirt on bad. And then the storm started blowing in, so I came up quickly, and I went straight to Marco. Who leaves a computer on a beach table if it’s so important?”

  “Good question,” Troy said. “Someone cocky enough to think nature can’t hurt him.”

  “Yup,” Patrick said. “Rolly said the guy told him his name was Boris and gave him a couple hundred bucks to make sure no one messed with his stuff, but Rolly didn’t feel obliged to tell him about the afternoon rains. It seemed like the guy didn’t know our weather patterns. He was an arrogant sort.” Patrick snorted in disgust.

  “Rolly is the bartender?” Troy asked.

  Missy and Patrick both nodded.

  “He acted like he should be able to buy anything,” Missy said. “A real jerk.”

  “Did you see him before that day? Maybe in town?” Troy asked Missy.

  She squinted her eyes in concentration. “I don’t think so, I think I would have remembered. He had that thing about him, like he owned everyone and everything.”

  Patrick nodded to Troy. “How much longer will you be in town?”

  “I don’t know. As soon as Bent tells me he doesn’t need me here anymore, I guess. Not much longer. I have to bring Robain’s things to his sister Tobi.”

  “Is that who this place is named after? I always wondered, but Robain would just smile mischievously when I asked.”

  “I will be sorry when you are gone,” Missy said quietly.

  Troy took her hand between both of his and squeezed gently.

  He left them to take his evening run on the beach. He’d been doing three miles both at sunrise and sunset, just to siphon off the nervous energy he could barely contain. It also gave him some respite from his incessant thoughts.

  At dinner, he went over his last conversations with Reuben in his mind again, until his head hurt. He felt like he was being sucked slowly into quicksand.

  Chapter 30

  Blaise Kavandor sat at his desk, going over the paperwork one more time. He had been on the US Senate Committees on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions for five years, and he had just been asked to chair the next Roundtable Subcommittee on Small Business Health Plans. There were multiple items on the subcommittee agenda, but he kept coming back to one specific insurance company that was up for review. It was ironic because his Russian “friends” had just demanded another large payment from him.

  The American Medical Association and several state medical societies had recently voiced questions about Kordec Insurance, and whether it was being fair and reasonable to American patients. They suggested putting a cap on the premiums that could be charged, as many families were suffering undue hardship to pay these premiums for individuals who were not expected to live long enough to benefit from them. Kordec contended that was up to the individuals who optioned to buy the plan, but the AMA argued the insured were being misled.

  Kavandor hung in the balance. He could approve discussion of the plan or find a reason to postpone it for another roundtable meeting. He looked again at the text message on his phone.

  It is that time of year again.

  Remember your wife and your constituents.

  A lifetime ago, or so it seemed, he had been less careful with his indiscretions. It took some explaining to his wife Lauren, but luckily syphilis was a disease that could lie dormant for decades before manifesting, and he could have easily contracted it before they had even met. That was probably not the case, but it didn’t matter. He might not have even known about the syphilis if he hadn’t also gotten the drip. That was unmistakable and could have lost him his marriage and the election. He had himself treated before he touched her again, and since, he had learned to cover up or have his partners tested first. The women were fine with that; after all, who wouldn’t want to sleep with the senator from Utah? He made sure they received their perks, except that lately his affairs were becoming more treacherous with the whole “#MeToo” movement. And yet, a little danger made it all the more delectable.

  Lauren had been tested for everything, but she only needed treatment for syphilis, and he had made sure to double his flower orders and jewelry gifts. She hadn’t been much interested in sex even in those days, anyway, so it worked out well. But blast these Russian guys, and however they had found him out. He’d been paying them forty grand a year since to keep his meanderings quiet.

  He might never have known that Kordec was connected to his blackmailers, but they had decided having a senator in their pocket was useful and he had been pressured into giving the green light for their insurance agency to operate in the States. He didn’t learn the details until he was so far in over his head, there was nothing he could do without incriminating himself. They also made sure he knew how easy it was for them to terminate anyone who did not comply, and all the while, he was supposed to keep paying them. He’d been entangled in this sticky web for nearly twenty long years, unable to break free.

  But now, they needed him, didn’t they? He could bury this investigation for them under mounds of paperwork, or let it play itself out on the roundtable floor. Wasn’t that worth forty grand a year?

  He sent a text message back.

  We should talk. Looks like you need help. I can help you.

  He regretted it as soon as he’d sent it. He should have been less assertive and said simply that he’d noticed they might have a problem, and he could try to assist. Damn his impulsiveness. It always seemed to get him in trouble.

  CHAPTER 31

  Tob
i hated Sundays. They always seemed busier than any other day of the week, even though the hours were shorter. She had not seen a rad tech on the schedule, so she was especially dreading it, but when she came in, she found Patty, Esther, and Travis. Maybe it wouldn’t be a bad day after all.

  “Hi, Dr. L.” Travis said. “I heard you needed help today. Apparently, Janie quit.”

  “Really! Thank you! So she finally stopped threatening and just quit?”

  “She got the job down the street from her,” Esther said. “She was heading that way for a long time.” Esther and Janie used to be good friends, but Janie had gotten weird at the end. She demanded her texts be answered immediately and generally wanted an unreasonable amount of attention at all hours of the day and night. They didn’t speak to each other at all anymore.

  “Snap-to Urgent Care? Those guys were bought out by the East Coast Hospital Conglomeration last year, so things may change for her there too,” Tobi mused. “Right now, that hospital system is owned by doctors, but East Coast may be selling to a hedge fund.”

  Patty cocked her head sideways. “Where do you get this insider information, Dr. Lister?”

  “I have connections,” she winked. “I’ve been in this field for decades. So, I guess you aren’t going to come over to us full-time?” Tobi asked Travis.

  “I can’t, doc. I have too much going for me at Cuttles Medical Associates.”

  “I know you do.” Cuttles was a multispecialty group that rivaled B. Healthy, and Travis had just been promoted to Director of Radiological Services. Like so many medical practices, it had begun as a loose association of physicians who prided themselves on their autonomy and banded together for better bargaining power with insurance companies. They were trying to stay independent, but who knew how long it would be before they were forced to sell out to some corporate mogul?

  “Did I hear something about us getting bought out by a hospital system too?” Esther asked.