“They weren’t technically killing people,” Maggie offered. “But then there are the drugs they were withholding from the patients. They were complicit in that respect. That’s plain cruelty.”
Annie shook her head in disgust. “Yoko, can you get enough of the organo-stuff for at least four people? I am sure Gerber has a partner in this,” Annie stated.
“Most likely Hawthorne. According to his record, he has introduced nothing but additional funding for nursing homes. Not that there is anything wrong with that, but it appears that it was in his own personal interest. That is, if we are right about our suspicions,” Fergus added.
“Alright, everyone. Proceed as if everything is normal. We’ll reconvene tomorrow evening. We should have information from Avery by then.”
“Good night, everyone,” Myra said, and yawned.
“Mind as you go.” Fergus signed off.
The Following Day
Florida
Edith Clayton tried to swipe her key card to one of the offices. She tried again. Then a third time. “I hate these things!” She stormed off to her own office to get a new one.
Three Hours Later
Arizona
Janet Turner entered the care center. She nodded at Kathryn, turned, and walked toward the clandestine door. She swiped it. Nothing. Again. Nothing. Again. Nothing. She started kicking the door, while Kathryn could barely keep her self from rolling over in hysterics. She watched as Turner practically exploded.
“Why doesn’t anything work around here?” she bellowed. Then she turned toward Kathryn, who was literally biting her tongue. Kathryn looked up from her desk. “Something wrong?”
That’s when Turner actually exploded. “I am so sick of people not doing a job properly!”
“Excuse me. Did I do something wrong?” Kathryn maintained her cool. It wasn’t easy.
“No, you fool. Can’t you see my key card isn’t working?” She was heaving. “Now I have to go back to the main office and get another one.” She stomped down the hall and out the door. Kathryn could swear a black stream of smoke was coming out of Turner’s ears.
Chapter Eighteen
More Revelations
Washington, D.C.
Sasha crawled along the side of Gerber’s car just before dawn. She placed the tracker under the chassis of his vehicle. It was more for assurance, should she lose sight of him. It rarely happened, but it was a matter ofjust in case.
She sat across the street from his townhouse and waited. Around six-thirty, a blond woman wearing sunglasses and a scarf exited his place. “Well, now. I wonder who this could be,” she muttered under her breath, as she took a photo of her and uploaded it to Fergus. Their facial recognition would be able to identify her.
Two hours later, Gerber walked out of his house and got in his car. Sasha waited for him to pull away and followed a few car lengths behind. On his way to the Senate office building, he stopped at a coffee shop. She recognized the person he was meeting. It was Congressman Maxwell Hawthorne. She clicked a few more photos and sent them on. Now she knew whose car would get the next tracking device.
As she watched from several yards away, she could see the conversation was tense. She pulled out her iFlytek long-range audio recorder that had a range of fifty feet.
Gerber was speaking in a heated tone. “I told you to chill. Edith and Janet just signed on two new residents. We have over a hundred grand to work with.”
“That is not going to do it. The social security payments are drying up. We only have four more people in hospice care.”
“Okay. So, when they go, we’ll still have a month to collect the money.”
“Spencer, do the math. That’s only eight thousand, give or take,” Max huffed.
What Max didn’t know was that Spencer already had done some math and moved over a hundred thousand from their coffers into his personal account.
“Take it easy, man.” Spencer tried to calm his partner. “What’s with you this morning?”
“Besides our finances turning into a dumpster fire? Karen rolled in at six-thirty this morning. She went out with some friends and got totally blotto and spent the night at Sarah’s.” Max let out a long breath. “I don’t know what’s going on with her lately. Her credit cards are through the roof. Plus, she’s been going out until all hours, and when she gets home, she smells of booze and I don’t know what else.”
