Chapter 16
16
Jeremy hustled back to the station, where Pete waited for him. “Sorry, man,” he apologized as he walked over to several detectives standing around.
His partner waggled his eyebrows. “You meet up with Cora?”
“Whoa, this is news,” Mark said with a grin.
Brad swung his head around. “Who knew you’d go for the?—”
“What? Go for the what ?” Jeremy barked. The last thing he would tolerate was someone making fun of Cora’s job.
Brad’s eyes widened as his chin jerked back. As Jeremy looked around, the others shared the same wide-eyed look. “Um, chill out, man. I was going to say that who knew you’d go for the quiet one.”
“Oh. Sorry… fuck. Brad, I’m sorry.” He grabbed the back of his neck and squeezed as he felt his cheeks heat. “I have no idea why I jumped down your throat. God knows, I used to try to get a rise out of her when referring to her job.”
“You’re dating Cora?” Elizabeth Perez, another detective in the county, walked over, her smile warm with approval.
He quickly shook his head. “No, no. We’re not dating. We’re just friends. Yeah… friends. You know… like… um…” He stopped blabbering as a blush hit his face, and he swallowed deeply.
Mark chuckled, then deftly turned the conversation away from Jeremy’s dating or non -dating life. “Pete said you’re heading out to talk to my Karen.”
Grabbing the chance to talk about the case, he nodded. Mark and Karen had recently gotten together. Combining their families of his son, her two daughters, and two sibling foster children, they made a ready-made family that, going by the smile on his friend’s face, was more than successful. The invitations to the wedding had gone out, and he wondered if Cora would go with him.
“We’re hoping she can give us information about people who drive the elderly around to events or the doctor’s offices. Something to tie in the four suspicious deaths we have.”
“She’ll give you whatever she can,” Mark said.
Jeremy was glad to see the stalwart detective smile. He’d raised his son alone since his wife had died, and it was good that he’d found love again with a great woman who’d also been alone since her husband passed away. He swung his gaze around the group, thinking of how many of them had discovered love over the past several years and were building families.
“You ready?” Pete asked, jerking Jeremy back to the task at hand.
“Yeah.” Jeremy threw up a hand in a casual wave, paired with a couple of chin lifts, trying to ignore the goofy grin he was certain was plastered across his face. Thankfully, his colleagues didn’t comment as they turned and headed out of the building. He let out a breath, following Pete toward the SUV, feeling the heat of his own thoughts simmer just beneath the surface.
Once the doors shut behind them, the privacy of the vehicle offered no escape from Pete’s knowing smirk. His partner leaned back in the passenger seat, the shit-eating grin spreading wide. “Alright, spill it,” Pete said, the amusement in his voice unmistakable. “Tell me about the lunch that’s got you in such a mess.”
Jeremy shot him a sidelong glance. “A mess? You’re imagining things.”
“Partner, you could barely string together a full sentence back there. And I know it had everything to do with the pretty ME.”
Unable to keep the grin off his face, Jeremy sighed. “Yeah. I was only going to take her lunch, but when I got there, some prick doc in a white coat was standing entirely too close to her. And his fucking hands were on her shoulders.”
Pete let out a bark of laughter. “So you staked your claim? Surprised we didn’t get a call to haul your ass out of there in cuffs.”
“It was weird. Jealousy isn’t an emotion I’ve felt over a woman in years. If ever. And I didn’t expect it today. I sure as hell didn’t expect it with Cora. But we’ve become… friends.”
Pete’s chuckle softened into something more thoughtful as he turned to Jeremy. “I hate to spell it out for you, but friends don’t usually get jealous like that.”
Jeremy opened his mouth to argue, but the words caught. He settled for a half-hearted defense. “We’re not dating. We’re just friends.”
“So if someone else asked her out, you’d be okay with that?”
The image of Dr. Danny’s hands on Cora’s shoulders flashed through Jeremy’s mind, and he growled. “Okay, okay, you’re right. I really want to get to know her better, and I’d prefer not to have to wade through her admirers to do it.”
Pete grinned, clearly enjoying himself. “There it is. Glad you’re catching on, partner.”
Jeremy shook his head, deciding it was time for a tactical subject change. “Did you call Karen to let her know we’re coming?”
“Yeah. She said she would be in the office until two p.m. Thought we could hit her up now and hopefully have something to follow afterward.”
Arriving at the county’s social services department building only took a few minutes. Once inside, they were soon ushered into a small office where Karen met them with a huge smile. She waved them toward the chairs and settled behind her chaotic yet seemingly organized desk. She laughed. “I see you staring at my piles of folders,” she accused. “Believe me, I know where everything is. And I have an agreement with my receptionist—by the time I leave each Friday, my desk is clean.”
Jeremy chuckled, sinking into the chair. “No judgment here. If you saw our desks, you’d know we’re in no position to talk.”
Still smiling, she leaned forward. “Okay, what can I do for you?”
“We’re trying to tie together several elderly people who died in the last three months. Their deaths are suspicious because the autopsies found that none of their prescription medications had been taken. And when their homes were checked, their prescription bottles were empty.”
Her eyes flashed. “You think someone is stealing their meds?”
“The last one, Fred Rudolph, was found with a bag of prescription pills in his possession.”
Karen leaned forward, her hands resting on her desk as she shook her head. “There’s no way Fred Rudolph was selling drugs,” she said emphatically. “I’ve met him. Quiet man but a good-hearted man. I haven’t seen him in a while, but I can’t believe that he would sell his prescription drugs. Certainly not willingly or purposely.” She sighed heavily, sadness filling her face. “But who really knows what someone will do? Times are tough for those on limited incomes. Maybe… oh, I don’t know.”
Jeremy easily felt Karen’s frustration and nodded. “In trying to tie the ones we know about together, we’re coming up with few links. One possibility is someone who drives them places. We’re hoping to find out if they shared the same driver.”
“We don’t provide drivers for home health services. The ESAAA… sorry… the Eastern Shore Area Agency on Aging can provide some transportation. They are the only official agency that does, but then, of course, others just volunteer to drive elderly persons to and from appointments. They aren’t vetted or licensed… they’re just doing out of kindness or needing to make some extra cash.”
“Do you have a contact name at the agency for us? We’ll get hold of them.”
“I can do better than that. I’ll call Angie Brown.” She picked up her phone and quickly placed a call. “Angie? Hey, it’s Karen. I have two detectives here who have questions about some of the people who drive our elderly around. Can they come talk to you now, or are you out in the field?” She laughed. “Yes, they’re friends of my Mark. Um… I don’t know.” She pulled the phone away from her ear, her grin turning mischievous as she eyed the two men. “Are you single?”
Jeremy and Pete looked at each other in surprise before Pete nodded and said, “Yeah…?”
Karen said, “They said yes. Anything else?” She burst out laughing. “Yes, I can definitely say they are nice looking.” She winked and added, “I’ll tell them.”
Jeremy held back a snort as Karen said, “Angie Brown is the head of the ESAAA. She’s wonderful at her job, very busy, and constantly in motion. But she’s got a hilarious sense of humor. She said that if you were handsome, she’d make time to see you this afternoon. And if you were also single, you could come over right away!”
Jeremy couldn’t help but chuckle, while Pete shook his head, his grin wry. “Well,” Pete said as they stood, “I guess we’ve passed the first test.”
Saying goodbye, they headed outside and walked the block to the building where the ESAAA offices were located. They had just walked through the main door when a blond woman with a purple stripe in her hair walked from the back with her hand already extended, her smile wide, and her blue eyes twinkling behind bright purple glasses.
Her outfit was a cheerful riot of colors: a flowing, multicolored skirt that swirled around her ankles, sturdy boots, and a bright pink blouse. She exuded confidence and charm, her energy filling the room. She shoved the glasses up onto her head like a headband and exclaimed, “Hello! You must be the handsome, single detectives Karen told me were coming. I’m Angie.”
They shook her hand, both grinning at her exuberance. “Jeremy Pickett and Pete Bolton,” Jeremy said. It didn’t miss his attention that while her outfit wasn’t revealing, she had a bombshell figure with tits and ass galore. It also hit him that she was exactly what would have grabbed his attention in previous years. Now, he just appreciated her exuberance, but compared to the quiet intelligence of Cora, he felt no pull toward Angie at all.
“Come on, detectives. Let’s talk about what you need. And if you’re lucky, I might just spill all my secrets.” Angie winked, walking past a reception desk with a woman who wiggled her fingers at them while she talked on the phone.
They walked down a hall to a small office, much like Karen’s. And just as crammed full of items. A folded walker sat in the corner next to a folded wheelchair. Several canes stood upright in an umbrella stand. And files were piled on top of the filing cabinet.
“Have a seat, detectives,” she said, waving to the two chairs pushed close to her desk. “Welcome to the Eastern Shore Area Agency on Aging. How can I help you?”
Pete remained surprisingly quiet, so Jeremy jumped in and gave an abbreviated version of the information they sought and why. Angie nodded, popped her glasses back down on her face, and immediately began tapping on her laptop. “I want to make sure I’m giving you the correct information. I know so many of the elderly in our two-county area, but as our society’s aged population grows, it’s hard to remember everyone.”
“We appreciate that,” Jeremy acknowledged.
Pete leaned a little closer, his back straightening. “Take your time Ms. Brown. We know you’re busy and have seen us on short notice.” He handed her a piece of paper with the victim’s names written down.
Jeremy glanced over, seeing Pete’s attention focused on the pretty Angie. He blinked, not remembering the last time his partner talked about going on a date. Jeremy chuckled under his breath. It seemed like the afternoon was about to get interesting—for more reasons than one.
“Please, call me Angie,” she said, peering over at Pete with a smile that hadn’t left her face since they’d met her. “We have a lot of volunteers. We provide training and have the sheriff’s department do a basic background check, but there’s no way to know everything. I only say that because as much as I’d hate to think it’s one of our volunteers who is doing something they shouldn’t, I’d be naive to think that it would never happen.”
She peered down at her computer, sighed, and shook her head. “Helen used our transportation services for several months. According to the log, she was taken back and forth from their home to the hospital complex where their doctor’s offices were located. I don’t have any official transportation on the other three.”
“I was afraid this might be too easy,” Jeremy said, feeling the weight of the case with few clues. “Do you know any unofficial volunteers from churches or organizations who will drive the elderly.”
Angie pushed her purple glasses up on top of her head again and sucked in a deep breath before letting it hiss through her teeth. “There is a very good chance of that. I’m not knocking that mode of transportation, you understand. We are spread too thin as it is. So Good Samaritans who take it upon themselves to help out a fellow church member or neighbor are all a good thing even though we can’t track who’s doing what.” She scrunched her nose. “Well, it’s a good thing as long as they’re not doing anything illegal!”
Jeremy wondered when Pete was going to start asking questions. When his partner remained silent, Jeremy continued, “Is there anything else you can think of?”
“We do have our delivered meals program.”
“What does that entail?”
“There are two senior centers on the Eastern Shore, one in each county. A lunch is provided daily for any seniors who can come. If a senior is unable to make it to one of the centers, they can apply to have the lunch now delivered to their home. We have drivers that specifically deliver meals. They might go into people’s homes if the person is unable to take the meal from them and warm it. These services also provide buyer volunteers.”
“Can you check those names?”
“Aren’t you lucky today?” she said with a smile. “I certainly can.” It only took a moment for her printer to start whirring, and she leaned back to snag several pages. Handing them to Pete, she said, “Okay, Man of Mystery… here’s a spreadsheet of our volunteers and the logs of who they see and in what capacity.” She batted her eyes dramatically. “Sorry… it’s just that you’re so quiet it makes me wonder what you’re thinking.”
Jeremy slid his gaze to Pete, noting his stalwart partner’s expression not changing—with the exception of the slight blush that crept along his neck, from the collar of his shirt to his ears. Hiding his usual smirk, Jeremy thanked Angie.
She propped her elbows onto her desk and rested her chin on her knuckles with a thoughtful expression. “What can you tell me? I know, I know… it’s an ongoing investigation. But if I knew a little more about what you think is going on…” Her shoulders lifted to her ears in a shrug. “Maybe I could help.”
“We’re investigating why we have a rash of elderly persons in the two-county area of our jurisdiction who are dying, and their regular medication isn’t being taken, nor is it in their homes,” Pete said.
Her eyes widened as her gaze stayed riveted on Pete, and she stared for a moment. “And you’re looking for a connection between them.”
Pete just nodded, so Jeremy added, “If it hadn’t been for Fred’s automobile accident, we might not have been clued into the problem. But he had a plastic bag filled with prescription pills that weren’t his. Where was he getting them, and where was he taking them?”
She pushed her purple glasses up on her nose as she frowned, then shook her head slowly. “Look, you all are the drug detectives, and I certainly don’t know much about black market drugs, but would he get much money if he sold those pills?”
“You’d be surprised.”
A noise sounded behind them, and an older woman leaned into the office doorway. “Angie, I’m sorry to interrupt, but you’ve got the online meeting with the Virginia Agency on Aging in fifteen minutes.”
“Oh, that’s right,” she said, standing. She rummaged through the files on her desk before finding the one she was looking for. Lifting her gaze, she sighed. “I’m really sorry I couldn’t be of more help.”
Pete stood, holding the papers in his hand. “You gave us more to look at, Ms. Brown. Thank you.”
She smiled at Jeremy, then grinned even wider at Pete. “Remember—it’s just Angie. And any time you’re in the neighborhood, stop by to say hello.”
Pete simply nodded as his neck and ears blushed again. Jeremy took pity on his partner and said, “Will do.”
Once they were in the vehicle, Jeremy looked over as Pete strategically kept his eyes on the road. “You gonna tell me why you clammed up in there?”
“I didn’t clam up.”
“No? Coulda fooled me. I thought maybe the pretty Ms. Brown caused your brain to shut down.”
“The only thing that needs to shut down is you,” Pete grumbled.
Jeremy laughed before taking pity on Pete. It wasn’t Angie he thought of as they drove away. His mind was filled with the beautiful Dr. Wadsworth.