Lori Avocato - Dead On Arrival

Over his cup he said, “You have to start somewhere, Sherlock.”

And I had. From Worker’s Comp fraud to plastic surgery fraud, and now what? What kind of fraud involved driving?

“Oh wait. Does this have to do with visiting nurses or something?” I looked at the rest of the cruller, thought about unbuttoning my size 4 jeans-but only for a deeper breath-and while looking at Jagger, stuck the rest of it into the napkin, which I methodically folded up to save for my pup, Spanky. He was a doll and I shared custody of him with my two roommates.

“So,” I said, still looking at Jagger. “You are telling me that my case number six is a big one? A costly one?” My heart started to pound when I thought I could make a killing on this case if the bonuses were in conjunction with the wins.

No one needed money like I did after cosigning a loan I got burned on and giving the term “shop until you drop” new meaning. I really couldn’t swing a place of my own yet and although I loved living with Miles and Goldie, as a thirty-something, I yearned for my own place.

“I’m telling you we start tomorrow on your case and it’s the biggest one Fabio has given you yet.”

Ugh. Fabio. “So why are you telling me about it instead of Fabio doing the deed?” I still couldn’t figure out Jagger’s place in all of this. Then again, I’d learned over time not to even try to figure him out.

“He gave me the info, since I had filed the report.”

I leaned forward. “You filed the report? What report?”

Jagger leaned back (no doubt to get out of my face or make me get out of his face) and gave me a Jagger look. You don’t even want to know. “It was brought to my attention that TLC Air and Land is making way too much dough, and may not be on the up and up.”

“TLC? The ambulance company that has the market locked in on the northern side of Hope Valley?”

“Yeah. Apparently it’s not exactly Tender Loving Care Express, Sherlock.”

“Wow. Uncle Walt has used that ambulance service a few times as have numerous friends of his. It’s not safe?”

“Relax. It’s safe enough, but someone is making money on it-”

“Off the insurance companies,” I said, worrying about my favorite, eighty-something uncle.

Jagger smiled.

My heart warmed like a puppy’s (okay, I was thinking man’s best friend, but not exactly a canine).

“So, TLC Air and Land is bilking the insurance companies-”

“For millions,” he said.

“Mill…ions? I’m getting a case to investigate medical insurance fraud in the millions?” Gulp. My mouth went dry again.

Jagger shook his head. See, when he did that once, he was perturbed. Twice meant exasperated. Three times and-well, I’d better get the hell away from him.

He leaned forward, drained his coffee cup, set it down and looked at me. “Someone inside TLC reported billing fraud. Claims of charging for oxygen that was never used, and the law only allows a flat rate charge anyway; billing for advanced life support that was never given; air ambulance charges for statute miles rather than air miles-”

I wrinkled my forehead.

“Statute: on-the-ground miles. 5,280 feet. Twists and turns on streets add plenty of mileage, which adds up. In the air would be a lot less.”

“Makes sense. Wow. How crooked.”

Jagger merely looked at me, as well he should. Every suspect I’d investigated was crooked. Duh.

Suddenly it hit me. Jagger knew way too much about my case. Jagger talked way too much about my case.

Jagger thought he was going to be part of my case.

“You’re not helping me with this one.” The words actually came out sounding very sensible (to me), logical and firm.

Jagger smiled.

I groaned.

“Tomorrow you report to TLC.”

“Oh good. You’re not going with me.” Phew. I really didn’t want to work with him. “Am I going to be doing the receptionist job or-”

Looks really do say everything. I figured that out in seconds when I stared at Jagger.

He was working with me on this one.

He’d gotten me to don my nursing scrubs and head back into a profession I’d burned out of yet again.

He was working with me!

Oh great, Jagger and me probably riding in close quarters for an entire case…on the old Tender Loving Care…or should I say “Tough Luck Charlie Ambulance Company” after we got through with them?

Scrubs. Ick. I hated wearing them, and yet I had on my bright pink ones today. Reminded me way too much of my past career-the one I wanted nothing to do with now yet kept getting thrown back into.

This I blamed on none other than Jagger.

Okay, it wasn’t always his fault, but the guy had broad shoulders (sigh) and could handle anything. Sure it made sense that I would investigate the cases involving medical fraud.

That didn’t mean I had to like it-or the damn scrubs.

I headed out of my bedroom and down the stairs.

Lying on the couch with a cold pack on his forehead was none other than my darling Goldie.

“Hey, Suga,” he mumbled.

“Sinuses acting up again?” I thought about all the suffering he’d recently gone through for the “new” nose, and how maybe that caused him more sinus problems. “May is always a bad month for you, Gold. You taking your daily local honey?”

He peered out from under the ice pack.

“Gold, you have to take it! It’s like desensitizing yourself to the pollen.”

“Why you dressed like that?” he mumbled, ignoring my sage advice and more than likely expecting me to give him the horticultural lesson that bees pollinate the flowers and when the pollen gets into the honey and we take it in small daily doses, it’s just like getting a shot at the allergist’s office.

I sat on the edge of the white couch Miles so lovingly picked out for our snowy-decorated living room. Sometimes I needed sunglasses, but the guy had exceptional taste in décor.

And roommates.

“Shit, Gold. I’m back to work already. Newport is barely a distant memory-”

Goldie shrieked, but not too loudly. Guess he didn’t want to scare Spanky, who was nestled beneath Gold’s arm. “Please don’t remind me of that debacle. Let it fade into the sunset.”

“It was only a few weeks ago, so I’m guessing fading is going to take some time. Either way, Gold, I start work today at TLC.”

He dropped the ice bag to the side and it landed smack on Spanky’s paw, causing him to spring up and jump off the couch before Goldie or I could catch him. I waved my hand at Goldie, who was apologizing to the absent pup.

“He’s afraid if a paper falls. Don’t sweat it. And-” I leaned forward, inches from his perfect nose. “-what’s that look for? What do you know about TLC that I need to know?”

Goldie knew something about everything, but not in the same way that Jagger did. Let’s just say, Goldie was always on the side of the law-while Jagger walked a fine line between right and wrong-but never got caught.

Gotta love both of them.

“Come on, Gold. Spill.”

He lifted the ice bag to his forehead. “Word on the street is they’ve been in much better shape financially since the nephew and his sister took over.” Leaning back into the white softness of Miles’s silk pillows, Goldie sighed. “Payne Sterling.”

“The nephew? I’m guessing he is going to be a pain to deal with and is not exactly sterling.” I laughed.

Goldie glared at me with a perfectly mascaraed eye.

“Okay. Okay. That was lame. I know. But, Gold, I’m going back into nursing! (To my ears that last word came out like something out of The Exorcist.) Cut me some slack, here.”

“Nursing on ambulance runs will be different, Suga. Especially flying in those air ambulances…”