Page 21 of Too Old for Love

“Yes. Exactly. This poor old man has been fighting his insurance provider for almost a year now, suing the doctor for malpractice, all of it!”

“I’ve got him. Sebastian E. Myers, seventy-three years old, widowed. He lives in Crafton, outside of Pittsburgh. Looks like he had to sell his home and move into a tiny studio apartment. Poor old guy,” frowned AJ.

“They did this to him. They put him on alternate medications, then made it look as though he had something he didn’t. See! Look there,” she said excitedly, “they uploaded to the system x-rays and bloodwork that weren’t real.”

“How do you know they aren’t real?” frowned Tanner.

“Every patient test, no matter where or when, is identified by date of birth, patient identification numbers, and a mix of their last four digits of their social security and hospital identification numbers. Those numbers on those tests are only his date of birth.”

“Wouldn’t they have known about the additional identification features?” asked Tanner.

“They should have but remember, Abigail doesn’t understand the system at all, only what it can do. She never actually worked in the system, she’s marketing and markets the software to doctors and hospitals.”

“You mentioned that she was often dressed inappropriately. Would she be the kind of woman that would use that to convince hospital administrators and doctors to use the products?”

“One-hundred percent,” nodded Everest. “She doesn’t hesitate to use her body to get what she wants.”

“I think we need to visit Mr. Myers,” said Tanner.

“I’ll come with you,” said Everest standing with the men. They both looked at one another, then back at Everest. “Listen, I’ll let Mike know that I’m going with you guys. He said I’d be safe with you, I trust him, and I trust both of you. Mr. Myers is an old man and may feel more comfortable speaking to a woman.”

“Okay,” nodded Tanner, “but you stay between us at all times. The Osprey can get us there in an hour and we’ll be back by dinner.” She nodded as she sent the text to Mike. He simply responded, ‘thank you for telling me’. But in the next second the phones of Tanner and AJ were pinging like crazy.

“Well,” smirked AJ, “he got your message.”

“He told you?” she frowned.

“Yep. And if I’m reading this right if we don’t bring you back without a scratch he’s going to show us an interesting way to use a firehose,” laughed AJ. “Come on, Everest. Let’s do this and get home.”

CHAPTER THIRTEEN

Mike, Parker, Hiro, and Joseph sat in the reception area while a young girl skittered toward the back. He heard her telling someone that the fire department was there to investigate the elevator incident. Then they heard the voice of someone they were almost positive was Abigail.

“What the fuck does that have to do with us?” she yelled.

In the glass partition they saw the woman’s reflection and her tugging her skirt down. Behind her was a large dark-skinned man, his hands resting at her hips.

“Bold,” muttered Parker.

“Just get me close enough to the computer that I can download everything and we can leave,” said Hiro. The others only nodded. When they heard the clicking of heels, the receptionist sat at her desk, looking downward while two other women stood to the side.

At first they appeared inconvenienced, then they stared at the four men with milky sweet smiles.

“Gentlemen, we’re terribly busy but I suppose we can make time for you,” said Abigail. “I’m Abigail Sanders, the Vice-President of Marketing. This is Samantha Gordon, our Human Resources Manager. What can we do for you?”

“We have some questions about the incident the other evening with the elevator,” said Mike. “I’d like to speak to the woman who was trapped inside.”

“Her?” scoffed Abigail. “She’s no longer with the company. Dead weight and all that. I’m sure I can answer any questions you have.” She stepped closer, one long fingernail reaching for his chest. Mike gripped her hand so hard she gasped.

“Don’t touch me, ma’am. I’m here on business and business alone. I’d like to remind you that if you terminated Ms. Marshall because of the accident, she’ll have quiet a lawsuit against you.”

“He’s right,” said Parker smirking at the two women. “She was nearly killed and although the elevator is the building’s domain, you seem to have no concern regarding her safety at all.”

“Who are you?” growled Samantha.

“We told you. We’re with the NOFD. Those two men,” he said casually waving toward Hiro and Joseph, “are part of a government risk management investigation group. I’m sure you’d prefer to not have federal officials in here.”

Both women swallowed and looked at one another.