“Then let’s concentrate on removing the threat.”
He studied her face, then took a deep breath. “The entire force of the federal government is working on that, specialists who’ve spent years training for the job. Why do you think you can do better than they can?”
“I don’t, and it’s not a competition.” She paused, searching for the right words. “I can’t get the sight of those rioting nurses out of my head. That level of civil unrest, among nurses, of all people, is scary.” She swallowed. “I know those people. I’m one of them. We care, deeply, and we work every day to make our patients’ lives better. But we don’t usually resort to violence. It argues someone behind the scenes orchestrating the whole thing.”
“The cartel.”
“If Clara and Becky are right, yes. That makes it personal.”
He was silent for a long moment, studying her face. “Okay. Let’s assume you’re right. How do you propose to deal with the cartel?”
“We need to take this fight to the enemy, to identify his weaknesses, vulnerabilities. What mistakes has he made? What challenges is he facing? If we can get inside his head, we can get to the next battlefield before he does, and stake out the high ground.”
Jim frowned. “You sound like one of those crazy people who reenacts famous battles.”
“You’re not far wrong.” She smiled at him. “My mother teaches history. Remember? And it’s the lessons of history that military tacticians study. All we need to do is pay attention.”
* * *
Chapter 35
Day 15 – Friday morning
Forbes Residence
The first step in a successful military campaign was gathering intelligence. Immediately after breakfast, Ginny tackled the cartel and its problems, starting with a list of the things she had discovered so far.
1. The DEA was in Dallas because of suspected drug cartel activity.
2. The cartel attacked the Hillcrest ER.
3. Luis Perez stole fake drug patches from his mother, after which Maria Perez went missing.
4. Maria said Phyllis was killed because of what she told her.
5. Phyllis connected the Mexican drug cartel to the Mexican Nurse Pipeline in the BON article.
6. Jim was asked to take evidence back to Dallas, but someone stole it out of his hotel room.
7. Someone put a tracker on Ginny’s car.
8. Corey’s drug supplier might be involved in a turf war.
9. Lisa accused Phyllis and Grace of buying drugs illegally.
10. Clara and Becky suspect cartel money is behind the Nurse Pipeline, but can’t prove it.
She sat back and looked at her list. She might have missed some, but this gave her a good starting point.
The second step was to develop a plan of attack. How much of this constituted a problem for the cartel? She started another list.
a) If Maria was actually handling drugs for the cartel (and all they’d seen so far was fake fentanyl patches), then she could turn stool pigeon on them, and put at least some of the organization away for a very long time. Ginny frowned. Maria’s car suggested the cartel had already handled that problem.
b) All of the criminals who attacked the Hillcrest ER were either dead or in prison. So the cartel was down a round dozen bad guys. How long did it take to recruit and train replacements? And re-arm them? Because all their weapons had been seized by the DEA. Possible personnel and equipment problems for the cartel.
c) Phyllis’ Board of Nursing Bulletin article might be a problem for the cartel. The law might take the position that it was a dying declaration and admit it into court as evidence.
d) The cartel had recovered the evidence Jim was asked to deliver to Dallas. If they wanted to silence him, they should have done so before he talked to the DEA. Was that a problem for the cartel? Or Jim? Or both?
e) The tracker on her car. There was no way to classify that until the warrant came through so they could see who was keeping tabs on her movements.
f) The traffic in illegal drugs was an ongoing headache for everyone. But it was lucrative, so the cartel continued to offer the service. They were vulnerable because the users might talk, or the dealers might be picked up, or someone could get greedy. But none of those would lead to the main man. No obvious help there.
g) The money trail was a definite weak point. If the new legislation made it possible to find out where the money for the Nurse Pipeline came from and where it went, and assuming the cartel was behind it, the cartel was vulnerable indeed.
Ginny nodded in satisfaction. So far, so good.
The third step was to select a strategy to exploit the enemy’s weaknesses. Ginny considered what tactics they might be able to use.
1) People talk. The cartel’s usual way to handle that was to kill them before they could talk to the wrong person, and to scare everyone else into not talking at all. She needed to find someone willing to testify. Maybe one of Maria’s coworkers, now that she knew where to find them. The textbooks called this tactic subversion.
2) The forensic evidence might still be useful. If they could trace those fake drugs, they might be able to cut the supply off at the source. Divide and conquer.
3) The legislation had passed and would take effect, but it might be years before it showed irregularities in the financial aspects of the cartel’s business. Hmmmm. Technically another divide and conquer, but much too slow for her purposes.
4) Could the DEA put undercover agents in the place of the gunmen now dead or in custody? A tried and true method for defeating the enemy, infiltrate with saboteurs and spies and maybe traceable weapons as well.
5) Set a trap. DeSoto was already doing this, with Ginny and Jim as bait.
Ginny looked over her work, then e-mailed the lists, with a suitably respectful cover letter, to Agent DeSoto. She trusted him, but bringing down the cartel was a big job. He might welcome a fresh eye—and her role as staked goat was getting a wee bit uncomfortable.
* * *
Friday noon
DFW MegaMall
It was the next-to-last shopping day before Christmas. Faithful to DeSoto’s instructions to do what she would normally do, Ginny had accompanied Jim to the mall and was mingling with the crowd, looking for the last few items on her list and admiring the decorations.
Santa’s sleigh, suspended from the ceiling and drawn by eight full-sized reindeer rendered in pecans, was always a favorite. Actually, there were nine. Rudolph had been added years ago, and the artists had done a good job of matching him to the existing reindeer, but it was clear he was an outsider. His red nose was the only part of the display that used electricity.
There was another decoration she especially liked, a curtain of moving lights in red and green. Not the low-budget LED rotating rainbow, either. This was a tour de force of shimmering, vivid color that seemed to splash from ceiling to floor in a solid waterfall that parted as the shopper approached. No wires could be seen and, when one reached out to touch the lights, there was nothing there. Magical and (apparently) produced by magic. The only clue to its source lay in the dazzling white clouds that roiled across the ceiling just above the deluge. One had to approach from the south corridor because from the north side the whole display was invisible. There was always an audience in front of it, mesmerized, and Ginny joined them, fascinated by the spectacle, knowing it well, but gazing anyway.
When she’d had enough of that particular delight, she wandered on, looking in the windows, sometimes going in to handle an item that caught her eye, sometimes buying, sometimes putting it back. Ginny had no trouble spending money, but her Scottish blood demanded that it look like a fair price, preferably a bargain, and not much in this mall fit that description. In one of the shops she looked up to see a familiar face, apparently on the same errand.
“Hello!”
Grace started, looked up, then returned the greeting. “Hello. How’s the Christmas shopping going?”
“Pretty well. I’ve got all the big
presents done. Now I’m looking for stocking stuffers.”
Grace raised an eyebrow. “Among the cashmere sweaters?”
Ginny laughed. “Busted! No, what I’m actually looking for is something I can throw in the washing machine. A petroleum product of some sort.”
Grace gestured toward another rounder. “There are some over there, but I won’t pay what they’re asking for them. It’s too easy to find the same thing in the thrift shops.”
“You’re so right! Maybe I can swing by one on the way home.” Ginny turned and caught sight of another of their number, passing the plate glass windows. “Is that Marjorie Hawkins?”
Grace glanced over. “Looks like it.” She turned back to her shopping.
Ginny hesitated, studying Grace’s face. She looked as if she hadn’t been sleeping well. Not surprising, really. Ginny took a breath then plunged in. “Grace, about the bombing, if you want to talk, I’m available.”
Grace lifted her eyes to Ginny’s for a moment. “No, thank you.”
“It’s normal to have a touch of PTSD after being caught like that. There’s no shame in it.”
Ginny watched as Grace’s hands stilled on the rack, but all she said was, “I’m fine.”
“If you change your mind, call me.”
Grace nodded, but didn’t look up.
Ginny gathered up her selections and headed for the checkout desk. Well, she’d made the offer. The next step would be up to Grace.
* * *
Friday afternoon
DFW MegaMall
Jim set his packages down on the table and lowered himself onto one of the dainty metal chairs provided by the café management for the use of its customers. He ordered coffee, then turned his eyes to the ice surface. He had no trouble spotting Ginny. She was wearing a bright red sweater that stood out from the everyday jackets of the other skaters.
She had Luis firmly by the hand and was showing him how to move his feet. As Jim watched, and to his very great surprise, both Mrs. Forbes and Himself skated up to join them. His grandfather knew how to ice skate? And still went out on the ice? At his age? Jim watched them move around the rink for several minutes, then decided he felt left out. He would have to learn to skate, too, enough to join family parties like this one.
At least he wasn’t sitting alone at home waiting for a death squad to break down his door and shoot him. He glanced around uneasily. The DEA agent was still there, and there might be others. They had his back. The problem was that Jim would never see the attack coming. Or maybe he would, and would be a sitting duck here in the open. Maybe he should have stayed home. Or maybe it didn’t matter. Maybe, when your time was up, your time was up and it made no difference where you were or what you were doing.
His eye was caught by a flash of red and he looked back in time to see Ginny fly past. Luis was now between Mrs. Forbes and Himself. His face was a mixture of fear and ecstasy. He shrieked as his feet got ahead of him. Then, as Jim watched, he shook off his escorts and struck out on his own. Jim smiled. A braw lad. Whatever his future held, he would be all right.
The sound was too small to be called a gasp, more like a hiss, the sharp intake of a breath. It caught his attention, though, and Jim turned to see Marjorie Hawkins staring at the ice, at Luis.
Jim’s brow furrowed. Marjorie Hawkins had every right to be in the mall. She also had a right to enjoy a cup of coffee at rink side. So why did he feel a sudden disquiet at seeing her here, watching Luis so intently?
She stared for a moment longer, then paid her bill, rose and walked away. Away from, not toward, the ice surface. Jim watched her out of sight, then turned back to find Ginny waving at him from the barrier. He smiled and waved, then completely forgot about Marjorie Hawkins in the pleasure of watching Ginny skate. She was so sure, so deft in her movements. Back on the ice, in defiance of death, she glowed, and his heart glowed at the sight.
* * *
Chapter 36
Day 15 – Friday evening
Cooperative Hall
The Cooperative Hall that night was bustling with the preparations for the coming holidays. Tomorrow was Christmas Eve and, in another week, it would be Hogmanay.
“How does this look?” Ginny asked.
“Up a little on the port side.”
She grinned at Jim. “Port, huh? Feeling nautical are we?”
He smiled. “I was just thinking how much fun it would be to take a Windjammer cruise, with you.”
“Those are the ones on the big sailboats, aren’t they?”
“Ships. Tall ships, with real sails. The wind in your face, the sun on your back, the salt spray on your lips.”
He helped her down from the step stool and Ginny found both of her hands captured and pressed to his chest, his eyes on hers.
“It would make a very romantic honeymoon.”
Ginny lifted an eyebrow. “Judging by the look in your eye, a bride might wonder which you loved more, the ship or her.”
He shook his head. “As lovely as a tall ship can be, no creation of wood and canvas can match flesh and blood. She would have no doubt who came first. But give me a bride who delights in the wonders of the world and I will make her a happy wife.”
Ginny smiled up at him. “Here comes Caroline. You’d better give me back my hands or she might draw the wrong conclusion.”
“Too late. I saw you two lovebirds.” Caroline dropped into a chair set along the wall and looked from one to the other. “You'd better hurry up and get married and have children before you get yourselves killed.”
Jim objected. “Wouldn’t it be better not to have the children first, if all we’re planning to do is die young?”
“Not for you. We need an heir. So you’d better get busy.”
Ginny blushed. “Did anyone ever suggest you need a filter between your brain and your mouth?”
“Many times. I just ignore them.” Caroline leaned forward, eyeing Ginny. “What you need to do is find out who killed Phyllis and get this whole thing settled.”
“I’m trying!” Ginny protested.
“Okay, so where are you in the investigation?”
Ginny pulled a chair up and sat down. Jim straddled another. “We’ve narrowed the suspect pool to three.”
“Unless you count the mysterious outsider who could have slipped in, done the dirty deed, and slipped out again unseen,” Jim added.
Ginny shook her head. “I don’t believe in him. Someone would have mentioned a stranger.”
“So who’s left?”
“Lisa, Marjorie Hawkins, and Grace.”
Caroline chewed on her lip. “Well, if you ask me—”
“I didn’t.”
Caroline gave her a dirty look, then continued. “The stories all say the most likely suspect is the person who saw her alive last. So, who babysat while she went to the bathroom?”
“Marjorie Hawkins.” Ginny frowned, remembering the discrepancy.
“What?” Caroline asked.
“It may not mean anything. She was in and out of almost all the rooms at some point that night.”
“But?”
“She didn’t sound the alarm.”
Caroline gave her a shrewd look. “Explain, please.”
“We cover for one another all the time, and sometimes things happen to pull us away, but if that happens to me, I go back later, just to make sure the patients are still alive.”
“And she didn’t do that?”
“I think she did. The four o’clock vital signs were done and she signed for the meds.”
“So, where’s the problem?”
“When the nurse I cover for comes back, she usually asks if anything happened. It’s sort of a mini-report. Not formal and not documented.”
“Okay. And?”
“I actually looked at one of those patients, after the day shift pointed out that Phyllis was missing. The patient was fine.”
“That’s good, isn’t it?”
Ginny nodded. “The thing is, she shouldn
’t have been.”
Jim was watching her intently. “Can you be more specific?”
“Well, she was on a ventilator and the respiratory therapists were managing those, so her airway was clear and the machine was working.”
He nodded. “Okay.”
Ginny screwed up her face. “She got her four a.m. medications and vital signs, which is also okay. But there was something odd, and I didn’t realize what it meant until just now.”
“Go on,” Caroline said.
Ginny turned to her friend. “Do you know what TPN is?”
“No.”
“It’s a way of feeding a patient through a big intravenous line. The fluid is delivered via pump, because it’s dangerous and needs to stay on schedule so it doesn’t cause big shifts in glucose and electrolytes and fluid volumes.”
“Sounds serious.”
Ginny nodded. “When I got into the room, the pump had been set to a keep-open rate. There was still fluid in the bag, enough for several more hours, so I wasn’t worried. I just told myself the oncoming nurse would deal with it. But it shouldn’t have been set to run so slowly. You only do that when the bag is almost empty and you’re waiting for the new one to come up from the pharmacy.”
“Okay. So whoever changed the pump setting didn’t want to have to deal with plugging in the new bag.”
“It’s more than just the bag. The tubing and dressing also have to be changed, to prevent infection. It’s a routine night shift duty.”
“What’s your point?”
Ginny looked from Caroline to Jim, then back to Caroline. “Someone turned it down so she wouldn’t have to do all that work.”
“Again, what’s your point?”
“In the usual course of things, anyone who had to respond to a low volume alarm would have raised the roof. Where in the hell was Phyllis? Why wasn’t she doing her job? But no one said a thing. Whoever it was just turned down the pump and walked away.”
“Would your Head Nurse have done that?”
Ginny gave a small shrug. “I wouldn’t have thought so, but she was one very busy woman that night. She might have meant to follow up on it and been prevented.”
The Swick and the Dead Page 24