Chapter 6
No one said a word until they all had a cup of coffee, and Amelia drew in a deep breath, let it out slowly, and told him of the overheard conversation.
“You’re shitting me, right?” Caleb stared at her in shock when he heard the entire story.
“No, I left the proof over at Raymond’s cabin. I had caught it all on video on my phone, and even where Dr. Ervin slapped Betty.”
“What about you? Who slapped you?” Caleb asked in concern when he pointed out her own bruised cheek. He reared back when she grinned and laughed.
“It’s nothing bad. I had a six-year-old that needed to have his cast removed.
I failed to tell and show him all about the saw before I turned it on to remove the cast. He panicked and lashed out.
I didn’t duck in time.” She looked at the men, and shook her head.
“It happens with kids, they think the saw will cut their skin when you remove the cast. If you’re patient, and explain things, it goes smoothly. I failed to explain what would happen.”
“Ah, okay, you’re sure it’s nothing sinister?”
“I’m sure. It was my own failure to reassure the patient.”
“Good, not that getting hit by a cast is good, but at least someone didn’t hit you.” He looked at Betty. “I’m sorry that happened to you.”
“Thank you, but I’m sure when this case goes to trial, I can be compensated.”
“I’m planning on working that into the lawsuit.
” Raymond nodded and looked at everyone.
“Back in North Carolina, I’ve sat in on several malpractice cases.
” He shook his head at their concerned looks.
“Trust me, I was second chair, and I know all the ins and outs of medical malpractice. I just have to read up on what Colorado law is. I’ll be doing that this next week when Amelia is working her last week at the clinic. ”
“Okay, but why do you need my help?”
“Dr. Perkins is going to call Shay into his office, and tell him that I lied to him and that he needs surgery. On that video I told you about, he openly admitted that he had fake x-rays that he would show patients, telling them their previous physician was incompetent, and they need immediate surgery, then he would put them under the knife, and do nothing while they are cut open.”
“Shit, you’re talking unnecessary procedures, and possibly medical malpractice.” Caleb had heard them say that before he made his statement, but he had to say it out loud in order to wrap his head around the scope of what they were facing.
“Correct. Not now, but when Shay gets the call from Dr. Perkins’s office, I would like you to take x-rays of both his knees, to prove that there is nothing wrong with him. We won’t use them right away, but we want to see how far Perkins will go to do unnecessary surgery.”
“I get it, I have, or rather, you or Shay have the x-rays from when he was first injured.”
“Correct, along with the MRI and CAT Scan. He even has the copies of the x-rays where I told him he was healed. That was over six months ago. I thought if Perkins calls him in after I leave the clinic, we can take another set of x-rays to compare then and now.”
“Don’t forget that we can compare them to what Perkins says is wrong. Do you think Shay will be adamant about getting a copy of those fake x-rays?”
“Yes, he said he would cooperate and help us in our case against Perkins and Ervin. However, we’re in a hurry up and wait situation right now. I have another week to work at the clinic, and I’ll be packing up my home this next week. I should be here mid to late afternoon next Saturday.”
“And you?” Caleb looked at Betty.
“I’m staying, but we might have a situation, and I’ll be helping with that.”
“Dare I ask what?”
Amelia and Betty looked between Kevin and Raymond, and Kevin only shook his head as he pointed to Raymond.
“I don’t know the legal ramifications of what you’re going to do, so you’re going to have to talk to Raymond.
From my experience as a homicide detective, it’s not really entrapment.
Once something is tossed in the garbage, it’s free for anyone to take. ”
“Garbage? What are you talking about?”
Amelia again looked at Raymond, and he nodded to her.
“On that video I told you about, Dr. Ervin, he says his name is Alexander Ervin. Anyway, on the video I took he openly admitted to Perkins, that he had a family member pay him handsomely to lie to a patient. The lie was to tell them that there was no surgery available to make them be able to walk again. He named locations, and some things, that made Erin think of Naomi. She called her over to Raymond’s cabin to view the video.
She told everyone there that the man I know as Dr. Alexander Ervin, is the man she knows as Dr. Earl Alexander. ”
“Oh, shit, that’s bad. How can you prove that they are the same person?”
“That’s where I come in,” Betty said. “I clean Dr. Ervin’s office on Thursdays.
He is a slob, leaving half-empty and empty coffee cups spread out all over his office.
I’ve been known to remove at least three dozen at once.
I’m going to gather them like I always do, and Yvonne is going to meet me in the back of the building by the dumpsters on Thursday.
We’ve already coordinated a time and place. ”
“Why? I don’t understand why you would do that?”
“DNA, son,” Kevin said. “With those coffee cups, we can get a DNA profile. It’s going to take at least six weeks to get the results back, but once we have that, we can see if he’s Earl Alexander, or Alexander Ervin.”
“Once we establish who he is, we can go after him for taking bribes, lying to patients, and if he’s working with Perkins on his malpractice, then we can add that to the case,” Raymond said.
He shook his head as he sipped his coffee, then looked at the people in the room.
“It’s going to take time. I’m taking the case, and if I need to, I’ll bring in Jason and Ilsa.
They’re away this weekend, or I would have had them at the initial meeting earlier.
I’ve got over thirty years of experience being a trial lawyer, so I know what I’m doing.
Right now, it’s reading files, and gathering information. ”
“Well, for whatever it’s worth, you can rely on me to help in any way.”
“Thought,” Amelia said with a scowl. “What if we take x-rays of Naomi now, and compare them to when she had her injury years ago? You know, when her doctor lied to her? Would that help in this case I started?” She looked around the room at the others and saw they understood where she was coming from.
“Let me read the files you brought me first,” Raymond said.
“Let me get a feel for what I’ll be perusing.
” He turned to look directly at Betty. “I’m going to need you to be careful when you return to work on Monday.
Don’t do anything differently, and I’ll make sure you have my cell number.
You both have Kevin’s and Yvonne’s right? ”
They said they did, and he gave them his, and got theirs in return. They concluded the conversation but as they went to leave, Caleb stopped and stared at Amelia in shock.
“What?”
“Shay gave me the pain pills you prescribed to him. He never took them. Along with the x-rays, would you like me to draw blood work and have a full toxicology screen done? Would it prove that he has nothing in his system.”
“Yes,” Raymond said quickly as he looked at the others.
“If Betty said not to fill any prescriptions at the hospital because of the potential problems there, again, let’s see how far Perkins and Ervin will go to lie to their patients for insurance fraud, and medical malpractice.
” He grinned and rubbed his hands together.
“I can’t wait to get my hands on this case.
It’s been ages since I felt this passionate about taking someone down. ”
“One last question,” Betty said. “I’m not saying it’s going to happen, but after Amelia leaves the clinic next week, if and or when Perkins has us call in her former patients, do you want me to send them here to Amelia first?”
“What for?” Kevin asked in confusion.
“To get x-rays from Caleb, and have their blood drawn. Do with these healed patients the same way you’re going to do with Shay.” She deflated and sighed heavily. “That might not work.”
“Why not?” Amelia asked.
“We would probably have to tell them why we’re sending them to you, and it might be leaked back to the people at the clinic that we’re setting the doctors up.”
“Here’s a thought,” Raymond said. “Why not call Amelia with the name of the person Perkins or Ervin is calling in? The two of us can go over their file,” he turned to look at Amelia. “You only made copies of your patients, correct?”
“Correct.”
“Okay, so if any of Amelia’s patients are called in, call her, we can go over the file, and I’m sure she would know the patient enough to know if they would help us or not. Give us the name, and let us decide.”
“Besides,” Kevin said as he rubbed the back of his neck.
“You can always schedule the appointment a couple weeks out, right? It wouldn’t be suspicious that far out?
It would give them time to come here, get the work done, then make the new appointment.
I’m not saying we would use the toxicology report and fresh x-rays right away, but we would have a base line of evidence against those two. ”
“I only have one concern with all this,” Amelia said.
“While I agree with everything, I think in the long run, and if this goes to trial, it will give us a base of what we need, however, what about insurance purposes? They would use their insurance for our work, then a couple of weeks later, for what Perkins or Ervin orders. What if they are denied the second set of labs and have to pay out of pocket?”