HE DIDN’T SHOW up this morning. I called his home but no one answered. I drove over there but his car was gone. I peeked in the window, but it was all dark. And a neighbor told me she saw Mr. Norris leaving in the middle of the night with a bunch of luggage. But he never told me he was going anywhere. I’m not sure what to do.”
This had all come tumbling out of Jenny, Willie Norris’s assistant, as Decker and Jamison stood across from her in the front room of the man’s insurance office.
“He had appointments this morning and he missed them all,” she added. “Do you think he’s all right?”
“I seriously doubt it,” said Decker. He looked around. “And if I were you, I’d think about looking for another job.”
Her face crumpled. “Hell, I had a hard enough time getting this one.”
“And maybe hire a good lawyer,” added Decker.
“What!? Why?”
“Because you just never know.”
He and Jamison walked out and Decker phoned Kemper.
“We got a runner,” he said, filling her in. “I know this isn’t exactly your jurisdiction, but for all I know Norris is connected to all the other crap going down in this town. And you might want to have some people start digging through his business records.”
“On it.”
“And the other thing?” he asked.
“Nearly done.” She clicked off.
Decker put his phone away.
“What other thing?” Jamison asked.
“Something I tasked Kemper with. I’ll fill you in later.”
“You think that asshole was part of the gas sabotage at my sister’s that nearly killed us?”
“I would be stunned if he wasn’t. It happened pretty quickly after we spooked him. And now he’s on the run.”
“So what did he get out of all this?”
“Money. His normal commission plus something on the back end. But we can find out for sure.”
“How?”
He glanced at her. “You up for another carrot cake muffin?”
*
Linda Drews called out to them as they walked into her café.
“Couldn’t stay away, could you?” she said, smiling.
“No, we couldn’t,” replied Decker. “We’ll take two more of the carrot cake muffins and some coffee.”
“To go or you eating in?”
“Better make it to go. And before you handle any hot coffee, can I ask you some questions?”
She smiled, though her look was perplexed. “Sure.”
Her smile vanished when Decker showed her his cred pack.
“FBI? Am I in trouble?”
“That depends. We met with Mr. Norris. He wasn’t very forthcoming. I’m hoping you’ll be better at that.”
Drews put a hand on the counter to support herself.
Decker leaned against the wall. “Your son never should have been able to get that life insurance policy; do you know that?”
Drews lips started to tremble. “Guess I do now, mister.”
“But Norris made it happen?” said Jamison.
“It was his idea. I guess I should’ve told you before, but I didn’t know you were with the FBI. He came to me after Keith injured his back. I’ve known Willie a long time. Got my car insurance through him. And my house insurance, when I had a house. He said in crazy times like these, it’d be a good idea. I wanted to get me a policy too and have Keith the beneficiary, but Willie said with all the drugs I’d done they’d never approve me.”
“I think that was a good thing for you,” said Decker ominously. “So, Norris filled out all the paperwork?”
“Yeah, and he had a local paramedic do the medical exam.”
“A paramedic?”
“Yeah, they can do the exams, Willie said. He said the insurance companies contract out with them, and also with a local lab to do the blood work and such.”
“So all local players. Interesting. Did Keith tell the paramedic about being injured and being on painkillers?”
“I don’t know, ’cause I wasn’t there.”
“Did Keith mention anything to you later?” asked Decker.
“Do I need a lawyer, mister?”
“That might depend on your answers.”
“Look, Keith wasn’t really on them painkillers no more. And his back was a lot better when he got that policy.”
“But a million bucks in life insurance? That’s a lot. He wasn’t even employed.”
“Willie said Keith was so young that that would help. He wouldn’t die for a long time.”
“Uh-huh, well that turned out to be wrong. How was he going to pay the premiums? Even if they weren’t that much, your son had no income.”
“I was gonna help him, well, if I could. And…and Willie too.”
“So Norris was giving Keith money to make the payments on the insurance policy that Norris sold him?”
She nodded, her skin as pale as the napkin she was holding.
“Did you know that was illegal?” said Decker.
She shook her head. “No sir. I just thought Willie was being a good friend.”
“And then Keith got hooked on opiates and died?”
“Yeah.”
“But you said he was off the painkillers,” Decker said in a dubious tone.
“Well, he was mostly off ’em.”
“You said he overdosed because he mistook fentanyl for heroin?” asked Jamison.
“That’s right.”
“And where did this happen?” asked Decker.
“At a friend’s house.”
“And the friend wasn’t there to give him Narcan?” said Decker.
“No, he was alone. I didn’t find out till later. Cried my eyes out.”
“Did the insurance company investigate the death?”
“Yeah, they did. But Willie was on top of that too. He told me he wasn’t gonna let them cheat me outta my money. And he came through all right. They paid out a few months later.”
“And then you got the million dollars?” said Decker.
Drews didn’t answer right away. “Yeah, that’s right.”
“No, that’s not right.”
“What?”
“You didn’t get the full million. How much did Norris get?”
“Well, um, he got his commission.”
“Which was how much?”
“Thirty percent.”
“So he got three hundred thousand dollars?”
“Yes sir, that’s what Willie said was standard with life insurance.”
“And how was it paid?”
“Willie took care of that. He just made sure my money got to my account.”
“I’m sure he did.” Decker paused. “Ms. Drews, did you ever think it was strange that soon after your son took out a million-dollar life insurance policy, which was Norris’s idea, he overdosed and Norris got three hundred grand?”
Drews’s lips started to tremble and the tears began to slide down her cheeks. “Mister, are you telling me that…”
“Yeah, I am,” said Decker. “They set your son up. They got a big policy on him and then rigged it so he overdosed and died.”
Drews put a shaky hand to her face and sobbed. “I never wanted my son to die, so help me God.”
“But the fact is, he did die.”
“And…and you really think Willie had something to do with that?”
“I don’t think it, I know he did.”
“Am I in trouble, mister?” she asked again.
“I’d get that lawyer if I were you. And forget about the coffee and muffins. I just lost my appetite.”
Decker and Jamison walked out.
Back in their truck, Jamison said, “God, I can’t believe that. She had to know what was going on.”
“Maybe she did and maybe she didn’t. If I’ve learned one thing in this business, it’s that people can justify anything they want to.”
“So, insurance scams, drug dealers, and framing someone for a treasure. Who would have thought one town could have so much crap going on separately?”
Decker put the truck in gear.
“Only it’s not really separate, Alex. It’s all tied together with a not-so-neat little bow.”
Chapter 66
A PHONE CALL a while later brought Decker and Jamison to the Baronville police headquarters. They were met at the front door by a solemn Kate Kemper and three of her agents.
When Decker and Jamison walked into the room where the homicide detectives worked, Lassiter was standing next to her desk. She looked up in surprise.
“Hey, what are you guys doing here? I—”
She abruptly stopped when she saw Kemper and her agents file into the room behind them.
Decker said to Lassiter, “Can you have your partner join us?”
“Marty? I think he’s around here. I’ll text him.”
She did so, and about a minute later Detective Green came into the room.
“Hey,” he said to Decker and Jamison.
Decker nodded.
Green glanced at Kemper before fixing his gaze on Lassiter. “Did you need me?”
Lassiter pointed to Decker. “No, but he wanted to see you for something.” She paused. “You okay, Marty? You look out of sorts.”