Chapter 5
CHAPTER
FIVE
Cruz
I saw Jolie come over and am currently pacing my living room, unsure if Mindy is sick or not.
Do I go over there and check or just wait and find out from Jolie when she leaves?
I don’t want to ambush her because that would make me appear to be a stalker.
Do I even have a right to ask those sorts of questions?
Hell, we’re not much more than casual acquaintances right now, although I’d like to explore more.
I realize she needs to heal in a myriad of ways, but I want to be there, supporting her while she navigates her way to whole.
The question is, how do I let her know that without it coming across the wrong way?
Sighing, I drop onto my couch and grab my remote. Maybe a mindless show will allow me to push my thoughts away, at least for a little while. When my phone rings, I check the caller ID but don’t recognize the number at all. Still, curiosity has me answering. “Hello?” I ask.
“Is this Mr. Cruz Dempsey?” the female on the other end questions.
“Yes, who’s this?” I query.
“My name is Genevieve Butler, I’m part of the attorney group that handled Oceanic’s lawsuit after the oil rig explosion a few years ago. Dex Armstrong called us and asked us to look into your situation,” she says.
Dex? Have I fallen into an alternate universe or something? We haven’t really spoken that frequently, although I’m well-aware of who he is since he helped Mindy move in and of course, that night when Jolie came to Mindy’s house after the attack.
“How can I help you?” I ask.
“Well, while I don’t have all the particulars, he mentioned you used to be a nurse anesthetist but there was an incident and you ended up losing your job and going to prison. I wanted to know if I could meet with you and get the full story.”
“That would be fine, although I can give you the basics now if you’d like,” I reply. I’m not sure why she’s interested in hearing my side of things, nobody else was after everything went down, but I’m curious enough to explore the reason behind it.
“I have the time, so go ahead. If I have any questions, I’ll jot them down and ask once you’re through,” she says.
“Okay, so I was leaving work one night and got a 911 page that all hands were needed for a mass trauma. I went back into the emergency room to assist, and during everything that was going on, my lanyard with my badge came off, something I didn’t notice since things were so chaotic.
The next morning, I flew out for a two-week vacation to Turks and Caicos because a family member was doing a destination wedding.
” She laughs and I laugh along with her.
“Not gonna lie, the place is gorgeous and it was a much-needed reset, all things considered, you know? When I got back, I got my stuff together for my first shift and noticed my employee badge was missing from my stuff. I even went so far as to go out and check my car in case it had slipped between the seat or something, but came up empty. The next morning, I went to work early and saw human resources. I was informed at that time, prior to the police coming in, that at some point during my time off, the hospital pharmacy had been accessed using my badge, and the thief or thieves made off with a lot of narcotics and opioids. I was arrested then and there, even though I had proof I wasn’t in the country at all and had, in fact, just returned two days prior.
My attorney was good, but because none of the cameras in the pharmacy picked up anything at all, I was blamed anyhow, and sent to prison on a ten-year sentence.
I got out on parole five years into my sentence for good behavior.
I know I didn’t do it, and need to fight the charge and clear my name, but honestly, I had no idea where to start.
My parole officer is a bit of a jackass to be honest, so I’ve just focused on keeping my nose clean. ”
“Who was your previous attorney?” she asks.
I can hear keys clicking and presume she’s taking notes, but I give her Mr. Brown’s information.
“Can I send you a records request via email? It’ll be one of those DocuSign documents, you simply follow the instructions.
Once I have that, I’ll get the case files he has, then order a transcript of the trial itself. ”
I snort because the whole trial lasted a whopping two days.
Hell, I had the deepest tan I’ve ever had thanks to the weather being so damn good, but still, the District Attorney made it seem as though I was a criminal mastermind.
Up until that point, I’d never been in trouble with the law.
Hell, my one speeding ticket was thrown out when it was determined that the cop who was using the radar gun hadn’t calibrated it, which I knew because I was actually using my cruise control on that particular day since I knew it was an area where speed traps were often placed.
“Any ideas who could’ve taken your badge?” she asks, bringing me out of my reverie.
“Not a clue, to be truthful. It was absolute chaos that night, and there were multiple healthcare providers working on each patient who came into the ER,” I admit.
“And I probably should’ve noticed, but by the time I left again, I had been working for nearly eighteen hours so I wasn’t exactly on top of my game. ”
“I’m surprised it went as far as it did,” she muses. “I mean, you weren’t working since you were on vacation which can be proven through airline tickets, receipts, and credit card trails, so why didn’t they recognize that fact and move on to who took your badge so they could prosecute that person?”
“Because the employee is responsible for where and how their badge is used,” I retort, reciting one of the many ‘rules’ the hospital had with regard to our ID.
“If I hadn’t gone on vacation, I would’ve known the next morning that it was missing, contacted HR who would’ve done something on the computer to invalidate it, then they would’ve issued me a brand-new one. ”
“So, because you didn’t report it right away, it made you responsible?” she questions.
“Apparently so. My attorney argued that I was thousands of miles away, but then they pressed harder and insinuated that I was likely the mastermind behind their disappearance, especially when the altered drugs hit the street and overdoses started happening. The drugs that were stolen were cut with that synthetic fentanyl or something, hell if I know, a lot of things are a blur from that time because I was in a state of shock. And since there’s a rise with respect to healthcare workers and drug addiction, I took the fall.
Now, I’ll own my shit, Ms. Butler, it’s how I was raised, after all, but this conviction?
It was baseless and has obviously destroyed the life I was building.
I lost my license to practice, I spent years in a ten by ten cell, and am now a convicted felon. ”
“I hope to change all of that, Mr. Dempsey,” she says. “Once I have everything and have gone over it, I’ll call you back to set up that appointment, okay?”
“That works for me. I do work third shift these days, so if possible, can it be a late morning appointment? I’m usually home by midnight, as that’s my curfew due to my parole restrictions, but it would allow me to get a few hours of shuteye.”
“We can definitely do that. Thank you, Mr. Dempsey, for taking the time to talk to me.”
“No, I’m the one who owes you my thanks, because this was something I needed to get handled, I just didn’t know where to start. I’ll go in and get those documents signed now so you can get started.”
After I take care of signing the documents that Ms. Butler sent over, I pick up my phone and scroll through the contacts until I reach Dex’s, then I send him a quick text.
Me: Thanks for calling your attorney to look over my case. I appreciate it more than you know.
Dex: Don’t mention it, Jolie texted me about it and after I did a little nosing around, I realized you were railroaded. It’s the least I can do for everything you’ve done to look out for Mindy these past few months.
Me: Jolie’s over there now, saw her go in on my camera.
Dex: Yeah. I think Mindy is finally telling her what happened that night.
I know it’s not good and I know you’re going to keep her secrets, which is fine.
My wife will tell me what she wants me to know.
Just glad that you were there that night.
I don’t think she’s told her brother, though, and I’m not looking forward to when that happens.
Me: Don’t really know him, but I know how I’d react if it was my sister, so I can assume he’d do the same.
Dex: He’s always been her protector, so yeah, whatever you’re thinking as far as how he’d react? Multiply it by a thousand, at least.
Me: Remind him, once she tells him that is, that prison sucks. Hell, I can give him first-hand knowledge if he needs it. Thanks again, man. I appreciate it.
Dex: Just don’t hurt her, because I’ve got friends in all places if you catch my drift.
I chuckle because I understand what he’s saying without a road map, that’s for sure. And he might not be working the oil rigs any longer, but he’s still a beast of a man and I have no doubt that he’d go balls to the wall for his wife’s best friend, especially since they all grew up with each other.
Me: Noted.
Tossing my phone on the couch, I head into the kitchen for a snack. Dinner was good, the company was even better, but I’ve always had a bit of a sweet tooth and with all the revelations from today, it has struck. Time to quiet the beast within.