Page 38 of Hidden Hero

Mark chuckled, then deftly turned the conversation away from Jeremy’s dating ornon-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.”

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