Silver Wilderness Range Read online

  The young woman’s eyes widened. She slowly lifted the phone. “Dr. Verner, Sheriff Royce Madison is here to see you. And she’s insisting…”

  Royce saw his door opening. His smile was painted across his face. “Sheriff. Sorry to keep you waiting. Let’s go in my consultation room.” To his receptionist he ordered, “Take care of getting my patient settled back in her room.”

  Verner was in his early fifties. Over six-foot, he was slightly overweight, yet he looked exercised, and handsome. Blue eyes, graying styled hair and perfectly trimmed mustache made him appear modelish. Royce could imagine him in a Viagra ad. She knew him only slightly. From what she’d ascertained, he was pompous, said to be demanding by his employees, worshipped by his patients, and often abrupt, and sometimes alluring.

  When he motioned for her to sit across from him at the desk in a small room, Royce removed her hat, then eased her body into the chair.

  Dr. Verner immediately began the conversation. “I was not aware that there was an issue. I hadn’t been notified about anything problematic that would concern the law. It is not unusual for our patients to wander off. We have a huge complex, and the range gives patients an inviting place for them to roam. Often they shouldn’t be on their own.” He flashed his PR smile.

  Royce wasn’t going to waste his time, nor was she going to waste hers. “There are a few matters I’m interested in finding out. You’ve signed off on Daisy Barnaby as being senile. Pre-Alzheimer. At least this was what I was told. And she was given medication – tranquilizers and sleep medication, for this condition. I wonder if you’d be able to share any available files.”

  “We have strict regulations about patient’s records being kept confidential. I have a private practice, and position at the hospital, as well as my work here at the Center. I’m sure you’ve done your homework and found that my reputation here is excellent. I’m not certain what you hope to do by stirring this up.”

  Royce leaned forward. Her hands were pressed to his desk. “I’m certain that you’re aware of what I’m investigating. Elderly abuse. Geriatric care fraud. Misuse of guardianship. I’ll make certain I make you aware of all I’m investigating as the case goes on.”

  “You know you’re wading into deep water.” His jaw clenched.

  “You must already feel as though you’re in deep water. I’m merely following you.” She stood. “I’m certain you’re not going to release your files. Or answer my questions. You’ve got two missing seniors. Eventually, you’re going to need to come up with some answers.”

  His stand was as if a spring was released as he popped up. “I’m not sure why you’re bothering us. We’re doing the community a service.”

  “Perhaps most of your employees are doing good works. I have yet to believe anything beyond that. You’re keeping some of your staff away from me on purpose. I’m going to talk with Alec Zellner, and the rest of your staff eventually.”

  His smirk lifted as he spoke. “Every one of our employees has signed a confidentiality agreement. They know that they aren’t permitted to speak to anyone without losing their jobs. In the morning, I’ll again remind everyone of that. I’ll reinforce our agreement, and they’ll do as they’re told.”

  Royce stood. She rubbed her forehead before she answered. “That ought to do the trick. I hope you’ll let us know if you locate the two missing patients.”

  She liked Dr. Verner less than she had thought she would.

  On her way to her vehicle, she saw Chance’s head pop through the window. All the windows were down, so that there would be plenty of cool air. Royce opened the door. Chance bolted out for her run. Watching the German shepherd dash across a field always had a way of calming Royce. When Chance returned to her side, she pointed to the passenger’s seat. “Let’s get out of here, Chance.”

  Driving back to her office, Royce recalled Daisy’s words. She’d said, “Why Royce, I was born there in that house. I never would sign over that property. My life belonged there.”

  Royce had asked if she felt safe living alone in that large older home. “Are you ever lonely?”

  “Not in my home. Why Royce, I never feel alien to that place. When heaven finally hijacks me, I’ll only ask if I’m allowed to bring my home with me. I can share it with the angels.”

  That had triggered the investigation.

  Chapter 5

  It was early morning. The night before Royce had made another excuse for not staying with Hertha. She said she was tired, and she needed to chop firewood for her grandmother. While splitting and chopping wood at the cabin, she had time to think about the case. If Seth Egan appeared suddenly, it would free her time to concentrate on Daisy’s case against the Silver Wilderness Center.

  Now, Royce planned, she would spend the day talking with Seth Egan’s neighbors, and trying to check places where he might be hiding out. She would also try to interview Night Supervisor Rhonda Smith and Nurse Amber Kerr. The nurses worked in that ward, and could possibly shine some light on the disturbance the night Seth Egan disappeared. However, Royce was not optimistic that either would be chatting since Dr. Verner had undoubtedly threatened everyone involved with their jobs.

  Because Royce was officially off duty for the day, she wore her civvies – denims and a long-sleeved sweatshirt. Her drive was cut short as she exited the edge of Timber City. Rather than continue on toward Crystal, she would stop at Miss Daisy’s home. She noted that the ‘For Sale’ sign that was covered with a SOLD plate above it had been removed. The Center had obviously received the stay of judgment that D.A. Michael Parker had delivered.

  Daisy loved her home, was fighting to keep it. There were hummingbird feeders, and someone had filled them recently. Royce was certain it was Daisy’s neighbor. As Royce rounded the house, she careful looked at the view from each angle. A portrait by nature around each corner.

  As Royce walked, she felt a smile, and a desire to phone Lyn Evans. Lyn’s familiar laugh was raucous. “Royce, darling, Mike is getting this D.A. thing down pat. I told him he isn’t working for billable hours, so rush it. He seems very eager.”

  “He is a nice guy. My last conversation with him was about getting a subpoena to talk with the Center’s staff. And a warrant to obtain records. He doesn’t seem certain if he’ll be able to get those.”

  “I’ll contact him. Hell yes, he can get those. You’ve got two missing persons, both of whom are in the guardianship of the center. Get a couple dozen deputies to execute the warrant. It would be terrific showbiz. Check CD trays; pull flash drives of everything that looks like a computer. Open every drawer. And the warrant should include phone records. I’ve looked over what I have, and there is definitely a pattern. Once Mike has the financials, he can check for breach of fiduciary obligations. I’m betting he’ll find some financial abuse.”

  “If Daisy wouldn’t have escaped, no one would ever have known. By the way, I haven’t had any luck finding Rick Durant. Records show he’s living in L.A. I have a cell phone number, but he never returns my calls.”

  “I’ve got people there. I’ll try to check it out. I wish I could get a few days off to come to Timber. Maybe if the case I’m currently working on wraps up, I can fly there.”

  “Mike would certainly appreciate it.”

  Lyn chuckled. “How about you?” The sheriff recognized the flirty melody of Lyn’s voice. She knew that Lyn’s eyes were shimmering a hydrangea’s blueness. “Would you appreciate seeing me?”

  “It would be nice to see you.” Royce’s smile went to a beam.

  “Are things going any better with you and Hertha?” Lyn lulled her question.

  “Not really.”

  “Royce, she isn’t the problem. You are.” There was a pause. “Come on, she redacted you. But that was for reasons. I’m opining about your great love, and you aren’t listening, are you?”

  Royce expelled a gulp of air. “I’m trying not to make a mistake.”

  “Royce, you love her. Your trust is hardened off. And the lady w
ants to microchip you sooner than you want to be micro-chipped. That’s undeniably correct, love.”

  “I’ve got to go. Thanks, Lyn.”

  Royce knew that Lyn wasn’t fooled by Royce’s abrupt goodbye. Royce and Chance looked around the exterior of Daisy’s home. Then they ran across the range, and onto the wilderness trail that lifted upward. This had to be one of the loveliest spots on earth, Royce thought. The wilderness lifted with soft mountainous climbs, into a ridge of stony peaks. The terrain included huge boulders. Some places looked like grottos made of decorative stone. Off to the side was a sheer wall with a thirty-foot fall. Above, on the mantle, one path passed near the precariously dangerous ledge. Most hikers and bikers took the alternative route.

  “Plenty amazing,” Royce uttered with a sigh. The tranquility always touched the sheriff’s soul. There was symmetry, it seemed, to this case. Royce saw the lower range, then the precarious first layer of meadow wilderness, and then the dangerous ledges. Narrow and jagged, they were undependable, yet glorious.

  After a hearty climb up the side of the mountain, Royce examined the magnificence of the area. She saw something moving through a path about a hundred yards away. Squinting, she saw a mountain bike coming toward her. It was a bike lurching over the path.

  Even the helmet hadn’t hidden the rider’s face. It was Silver Wilderness Director, Alec Zellner. Brown, nearly black, eyes were behind the tinted eyeglasses. His eyes and mouth registered his distain. A wider face than Royce had imagined. She had studied the man’s photos. His face was dough-colored and round. He was now in his mid-thirties. His thinning blond hair had been shaved from his head. He was large, well over six-foot, and bulked up with muscle. As though basked in evil, his face was a sneering mask.

  Royce had assumed from all she read and what little she’d seen of him that he was a smug, smart-aleck bully. She’d examined his background, noting that he had several harassment complaints against him. He’d worked with four or five hospitals over the past decade, as well as EMT, and settled in at the Center three years ago.

  His background was spotty. He’d started his career in medicine by become an EMT. Then hospital work. And finally, beginning as an orderly, he moved his way up to director. When Royce had read the report, she questioned how he would have so quickly been elevated to the position.

  She heard the crunch of rocks and mountain loom beneath the bike tires as Alec attempted to stop. Royce ran toward him, she didn’t want to give him time to turn the bike. “Alec,” she called out.

  As if caught in a trap, Alec nodded to her. “Sheriff, I didn’t recognize you out of uniform.” His expensive biking outfit had very nearly hidden his identity

  “I’ve been trying to locate you.” Royce attempted to keep her voice friendly, yet authoritarian enough to get his attention. “We’ve got to talk.”

  “I’m late getting in to work, can this wait until later. Say ten.”

  He began his attempt to turn his mountain bike on the narrow trail. She stood too near for him to accomplish his escape.

  “Now is best for me,” Royce said in a commanding voice. She was fairly certain that at ten AM, he would be out of his office. “Are you planning to cycle on the path above the sheer?” Royce often warned bikers.

  “I’m a valiant dude,” he replied with a hostile snarl.

  “There’s a huge difference between valiant and reckless. Our department of truly valiant deputies is constantly risking their lives to save valiant dudes.” She wanted to keep him talking.

  “I thought Search and Rescue did that.”

  “Sometimes the Sheriff’s Department beats them to the party.” She paused a moment. “Alec, weren’t you an EMT?”

  “City only. I lived my life mostly in Denver, until I got this job.”

  “How did you get to be director of a nursing home center in Timber County?”

  “I sent in my resume and was hired on as an orderly. With my credentials, I was promoted quickly.” He glared at Royce. “But I’m sure you’ve got my history. Now, I’ve got to get going.”

  “Valiant dude, have yourself a rest and answer my questions. I need to know about the night Larry Austin and Seth Egan skirmished. You were called, and I want to know what you saw. How you were implicated.”

  His breathing was ragged. Royce knew some of that breathlessness was dramatized for thinking time. “I wasn’t implicated. Larry called for the orderly. Then he called for me. Seth was a problem when his meds weren’t correct. Larry is athletically built, but Seth was like a raging bull. I simply helped Larry restrain him. Even with the two of us, Seth resisted. I’m a strong man. I lift weights. But when dealing with an out of control mental case…”

  “And then? What came next?”

  “We put him in restraints until he settled down. Then we took him to his room.” Alec was sweating profusely. He leaned against his handlebars for a moment.

  “Did you medicate him?”

  “He passed out, or probably pretended to pass out. I looked at his report, and it showed that he’d been medicated. So, I left him. Larry finished getting him settled under the bedcovers.”

  “How do you suspect he escaped from the Center?”

  “We think someone left the emergency door ajar. Sometimes the staff members sneak outside for a quick smoke.” He jeered, “Geriatric care is stressful.”

  “When you entered the scene, and Larry was fighting with him, did Seth fall to the floor?”

  “Yes, briefly, he was on floor.”

  “Bloodied?”

  “There was some blood. Not much. It doesn’t take much blood on a light-colored floor to make it look like a massacre.”

  “A much older man is bloody and on the floor, and you restrained him.”

  “These people are dangerous. We’ve had staff injured. Don’t you want to know about that? How many casualties we have a month?”

  “Next time I see Seth, I’ll issue him an arrest warrant for battery.”

  “Any more questions?” With a malicious glare, he emphasized his words, “I ask you a question. Do you have any more questions?”

  “Just one. If it were your grandfather being punched, how would you feel?”

  Alec had no answer he was willing to share. Yet there was an unmistakable flash of emotion. Anger. “I’ve got to get back.”

  “I’ll have more questions soon,” Royce threatened. “I’m going to find out what happened to Seth Egan.” Royce wisely assumed that Alec would continue with his arrogance, and pretense. Those were two non-qualities that would help Royce’s investigation. Not an easy accomplishment. But Alec was not to know that, Royce contemplated. At least he believed she was a bumpkin sheriff. That was how Royce wanted it. Some people, she mused, are transparent when attempting to stifle their haughtiness.

  ***

  The informal interview with Alec Zellner, although brief, had told her a great deal. And best of all, she knew where to locate the Director of Silver Wilderness Center. She would check out the biking/hiking path. She watched him ride off toward the sheer, then called Chance. “Let’s head back to town.”

  As she drove to the center of Timber, Royce calculated the components of the interrogation with Alec.

  She first stopped by Molly’s Pantry to talk with Molly. She peered through the windows of the small bakery. Behind the counter and display cases, Royce viewed, Molly’s assistant. Pearl Ward was a young woman when in her late teens, she had become Molly’s student of baking. Pearl found a wonderful tutor and mentor in Molly Madison.

  Pearl’s long curly hair was pulled back beneath the netting. She always used a varied rainbow of colored dye. Molly claimed Pearl’s hair was a theater show. Both Molly and Pearl were chatty, and exuberant.

  Royce sat at the counter. “Pearl, is Mom in the back baking?”

  “She took some donuts over to Gwen and Nadine.” Pearl edged behind the tall counter. “She fixed some really yummy buttermilk apple coffee cake. Would you like some?”

  “
That sounds too good to pass up. And a cup of coffee, please.”

  While Pearl sliced the coffee cake, and poured the coffee, Royce decided to see if Pearl knew anyone that worked nightshift at the center.

  Pearl placed the coffee and cake in front of Royce. “Gosh, Royce, I don’t know anyone.” As if a light bulb was clicking, she snapped her fingers. “I tell a lie. My friend Jim’s older sister is a nurse out there. I’m sure she works night because she’s been taking care of her bed-ridden grandfather during the day. When her mom works.”

  Immediately, Royce knew it sounded like the Kerr family. They owned and operated a local antique shop. Mostly frontier and western items. The home was behind the small shop. “Amber Kerr?” she guessed.

  “Yes. Jimmy’s sister is Amber.”

  “And you know her?”

  “Not well. But sure, I know her.”

  Royce took a final sip of coffee. “Great coffee. Look, could you call Amber and tell her I’m on my way over to visit with her?”

  “Sure.” Pearl went to the wall phone. “Most nurses are real nice.”

  “That they are, Pearl. That they are.” Royce threw down some money, and spoke as she walked to the door. She opened the door and heard the familiar bells. “Thanks, Pearl. And thanks for calling.”

  An introduction card, Royce considered as she walked behind the antique store. When Amber opened the door, the attractive young nurse ushered Royce inside. Her green eyes were welcoming. Blonde neatly trimmed hair was short, and fell in tiers. “Come in, Sherriff. Have a seat,” she pointed to the table. “Tea?”

  “I just had something at the Pantry.”

  “I know what you want to talk with me about.” She sat slowly. “I’m not supposed to tell anything about what happens. We’ve all signed confidentiality agreement.”

  Royce knew if she were to discover anything, she would need to tread lightly. “I understand. I’m attempting to find Seth Egan. And find out what I can about the treatment of Daisy Barnaby.”