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  “That would be great. I’ll send it to you,” Michelle said. “Why didn’t we think to invite your significant other over with you?”

  “She’s working tonight. She works the search end of things, and she says the legal search engines run a lot faster at night.”

  Michelle’s nose twitched and she asked, “Can you get her to run a search on my mark?”

  Geech looked at her for a second and said, “Sure. I can see what she has available for time.”

  “I’m looking under all the rocks I can turn, sorry.”

  “I’ll run it when I get the data you’ve got. We’ll see what comes. I can stop in tomorrow and pick the stuff up. Most of my work is in the evenings. That’s when the e-Johns are most active,” Geech said as he started fishing for his keys. The key ring only contained three or four keys.

  Colin noticed and said, “Geech, you’ve dropped your key-collecting hobby?”

  Geech looked at his keys and smiled, “Yeah, been behind a monitor too long, I guess. Don’t do much anymore except work.”

  “e-John’s?” Michelle asked with a wry grin.

  Geech smiled too, “That’s what we call them. They solicit the contact on the Internet. They are smooth, too. I hope we catch them all, but when I go into chat rooms with the gang it’s impossible to hook them all. We call them e-boys, too, go shopping for an e-boy!”

  “Sounds like you have more fun than I do.”

  Chapter 29

  Tracking Bishell

  Geech surveyed the file cabinet. There were four drawers that were full of material. It was organized by state.

  “Girl, why don’t I work on it here, rather than drag it back to my place? Do you have a meeting room I can borrow for a week? I’ll have to clear it with my boss, but I’ll just come here and crunch your data,” he asked as he started reading the first file.

  “You can use my office. I’m doing fieldwork now, mostly, and for the next week, I’ll make sure I don’t bug you. Here’s the key. I need the original back tomorrow,” Michelle said as she started twisting the key from her key ring.

  “Hold it, let me look at it. OK, you can keep it, I’m in. Standard 23112 with left protection groove. Got it, thanks. I’ll let you know when I get something.

  A week turned into a month. Geech’s boss cut him to Michelle’s department. The two Valley Girl cops were doing so well, he did not think Geech was necessary anymore.

  Finally, Geech called Michelle and Colin in for the big meeting. They used the department’s inner meeting room.

  “OK, I’m going to show a spreadsheet on the board. It will start with the last time we had contact with Clinker. Michelle was assaulted in the Analytic building roughly nine years ago. Then there has been nothing. The first data Marvin sends over is the licensing of someone five years ago in Manitoba by the name of Clinker Ballows. Then there are two years that are empty before Missouri receives a request for licensure from Clinker Ballows on the reciprocal privileges of Illinois. Before we get into that, though, I will discuss the process of licensure in Missouri.

  “What a guy or gal’s gotta do is contact the state they want to work in. That state would send out an application package. They want to know everything from high school on. There’s a time line in these packets, and if there’s a break in the time line of four weeks, it will stop the process until those four weeks are accounted for. You wanna know why four weeks is so important? Get this, four weeks is the average drug treatment program. Ha. Next time you go to your doc, ask him how long his last vacation was.

  “Anyway, when all this paperwork comes back in, they start the file for that state. Most states only checked the big items when Clinker started working on the original license, such as the medical school where he did his residency and the like. The application packet would be presented to the medical board of the state in question when all the material was verified. The board would then decide if they needed an interview or not. Missouri ran about a 15 percent interview rate, slightly below the national average of 18 percent.

  “In Clinker’s case, however, the application packet came back, requesting issuance of a license based on Indiana licensure. C. Ballows did not have licensure in Indiana at that time. That was granted one year later on reciprocity for licensure in Missouri, which we already know was bogus from the year before. The question you two are asking is, ‘How does one state verify the licensure of an individual in good standing in another state?’ Well, I’ll tell you. When reciprocity was in full affect, it took only one letter from the original state’s licensing agency to verify the physician in question was licensed in good standing. One letter is all it took. Clinker only needed to get one letter into the system for the verification.”

  “How could he do that? These states would know each other’s license and stationery. How could they get a bogus letter?” Colin asked.

  “That’s a good question. They quit doing reciprocity all over the country. No state will accept licensure by reciprocity today. I called California’s licensing bureau and was chewed out by some dude that said it never happened here so how was he supposed to know why they quit. I called the Federation of States Licensure, if you can believe there exists such an agency. They told me the scoop. It seems there were all sorts of problems all over the country, and they told me that there is room to suspect one in every thirty licenses out there have something in their file from high school on that is falsely documented, and perhaps as many as one in ten.”

  “That makes me feel great,” Michelle said. “So Clinker did this twice, once for Missouri and once for Indiana?”

  “Brass ring goes to the pretty girl. Exactly. He could not very well ask for licensure from Indiana based on a license from Missouri that had been issued on reciprocal statutes with Indiana , or could he? Turns out the letter that came back from the state that has a valid license must also contain copies of the certified documents, which are busted down and taken as true authenticated documents, and that is where the Federation of States Boards had umbrage. It appears that there are now long trails of bogus documents that are copies of copies and are worthless, but held as authentic. Catch one dude, and you can go to all the boards and ferret his actions out, but someone has to do that, and they don’t have that mandate. Clinker could get caught in Missouri, and he may never get in trouble in Indiana.”

  “OK, but what about the picture?” Michelle asked.

  “That’s the same picture that we get from Alaska, North Dakota, Missouri, and Illinois. They all are the same picture. He’s either altered his appearance greatly or has a bogus picture he’s substituting. Once they issue the license, he is home free. Clinker is also smart enough to keep out of the picture they issue in their physician guide. My bet is he applied in other states, and when they asked for an interview, he’d drop the application, on some bogus reason like he found another job.”

  Colin asked first, “OK, so where is he now?”

  Geech raised his eyebrows and said, “That’s a good question. When he goes to work somewhere, he’s smart enough not to pick the high-profile places that do their own credentials search. He goes to places that are working on a shoestring, so they don’t have the cash or personnel to do the paperwork. And he’s working for a firm that vouchsafes for him. It is called a locum firm, and they place part-time physicians in offices around the country. But to make it work, on the last minute, they place them with credentials in place. Clinker is out there working in some tidewater hospital without ever having been checked closely. There’s a good chance he’s figured out a way to get bogus social security account numbers, too.”

  Michelle sat back and crossed her arms on her chest, “How do you know this Geech?”

  “There is one record from Alaska that had a query concerning Clinker. It is in Palmer, and it was in the last year. Went through a federal system based on a social security number. My bet is that’s one place we can go looking for him. I’d start by taking a picture there and ask around. Maybe this place has
his picture on the wall in the lobby, who knows. But he’s been in Palmer in the last year,” Geech said. “I volunteer to go check it out!”

  “Geech, we’re all out of this one unless you can show he’s been on California turf,” Colin said.

  “Not a trace. He’s a sly one, Mr. Clinker.”

  “OK, Geech. Next step is we go to The Door and run this by him. I was told that when we had something that made sense, he might dispatch one of us to the FBI for a field trip. I’ll suggest you are to go, because you did all the work,” Michelle said as she began putting the files together.

  “No dice there, Michelle. I still have my ponytail, and as I recall, there are no FBI agents in the news that sport a hair do like mine. No, it is you or Colin gets this one,” Geech said as he helped Michelle pack the boxes.

  “I’m half time and Mr. Mom, so if The Door sends anyone, it will be you, Michelle.”

  “Trump you both, recall I’m compromised. He has seen my mug. I’m out. Has to be you, Geech, ponytail or not.”

  “Oh great. I jump from the pedophile squad to the multiple-murderer file in one month. How do I do this? When do we talk to The Door?”

  “Next week. He wants the three of us to drop in for the same briefing, and then he’ll decide what to do.”

  Geech shook his head, “I went through training with this ponytail, but I’ll be damned if I go to the FBI wearing the thing.”

  A week later Detective Doreveck greeted them at his office, then escorted them into the meeting room.

  “Geech, good to see you, and good work in the e-Johns. We’re getting some good internal cop publicity from your work. You may not be in the loop for this, but it seems there are agencies from other states that want to come and train their agents under the two gals you left in charge,” Derek said. “Your squad is famous.”

  “You mean there will actually be a market for Valley Girl cops? That sounds too strange. Those two will have the market cornered in weeks if they know there’s value in it. Those two are real sweet talkers, but they were tough cookies under all that makeup,” Geech said.

  “Well, they can take care of themselves, that’s for sure. They’re going out on their own arrests now, did you know that? We back them up, but they pass as kids, and the courts agree that a crime has been committed if there is an attempt to contract with the person of the stated age in the e-mails, so they are issuing charges. So far it has held tight. Anyway, Michelle, before we get into the data you have in that pile of paperwork, or I guess you all have, I want to know the bottom line. Do we have enough to go after Bishell with the feds?” Derek asked as he darkened the room to projector lighting.

  “Boss, we’re suggesting the next step is field work. It could be done by transmitting instructions to agents in place in Alaska and North Dakota, but it would be easier if the feds would let Geech go into it,” Michelle answered. “Someone needs to leg out how he got his licenses, too. That will need some on-site work in Missouri and Indiana.”

  “I agree that Geech is our man here, but we need more specifics that that. Show me your data, and we’ll talk.”

  Derek turned to the group after the information had been presented. “Geech, I have to tell you that you need to pack your bags. I’ve already talked with the feds. Michelle leaked to me the fact that she was pretty convinced, so I pushed some buttons, and the agents in charge of medical fraud have accepted you for an internship. Means you’ll be paid by them and will be at their beck and call for the time that they want your assistance. This could be a week-long assignment, it could be two years. You OK with that?” Derek said as he pushed water drops around the tabletop from his bottled water drink.

  “I guess so. I do not exactly have a job here anymore. What is their pay?” Geech asked.

  “That’s what I thought you would say. Pay is based on your seniority, and when I called them, they did not know you were well on your way to retirement. You’ll be making as much as you do here plus expenses. I’ve sent a picture of you to their office, and they want you to keep the hairstyle you’re in, as you’ll be doing the gumshoe work for them, and they felt you were better for the part with your present appearance. One thing you need to know when you play with the FBI, though. They think it’s unprofessional to have to resort to using firearms. And when they do, you’ll find out they’re shitty shots, so keep your own weapon and keep it handy.”

  “I bet they’d appreciate you giving me that advice,” Geech said as he raised his eyebrows to Michelle. “This is another fine mess you’ve gotten me into, Sis.”

  “I’d likely get a reprimand in my file for that advice, but you heard it from me. You leave with the next train. You’re booked out in a week, Geech. One more thing. Don’t let them catch you copying keys, they do not have a sense of humor for that stuff,” Derek said as he stood.

  Geech pulled out his key chain and took two keys off the ring. “OK, Boss, you win. Here are the keys to the meeting room and your office. I didn’t want to get locked out. I’ll keep it in mind.”

  Derek shook his head as he pocketed the keys. “OK, if you need help from us, you must ask, and I’ll send what I can. Michelle, do you want any part of this action?”

  Michelle looked at Colin, then said, “I’m blown. It’s been nine years, but I think we’re dealing with a pretty smart cookie here. I’d like to leg out how he got licenses. I would need a couple weeks, if that is OK with Colin.”

  “I’ll talk to the feds. Between you and me, there seems to have been a very subtle takeover of the FBI, and they seem distracted and unorganized as far as some work in criminal activities is concerned. I think they’ll welcome any help they can get. Colin, you’d have the kids full time. Can you do that for a couple weeks?” Derek asked.

  “I’ve got some time on the books, Derek. I’ll take leave and go on vacation with them, too. We’ll head up to Oregon to see Michelle’s mom and sister.”

  “Good. Michelle, I’ll know next week if they want your assistance. Geech, you’re already on. You go to St. Louis to meet with Chip and Dale. That’s the way we identify FBI guys. They’re the only outfit besides the Mormon Church that sends their agents out in suits and in pairs. Thanks for the work. You folks picked up some pretty subtle stuff here. One problem, though. Until we have a visual on this guy, we sill don’t know for sure if it is Bishell. It could be the fellow in the picture. The good news here, though, is that we’re still going to catch a crook. OK, thanks again,” Derek said as he stood.

  “Derek, got one question. When I’m with the Feds, who’s my boss?” Geech asked. “Do I report to you or to Chip and Dale?”

  Derek smiled and said, “Chip and Dale call the shots. You’ll be given the authority to exercise lethal restraint based on your training status here,” Derek said as he wrinkled his nose a bit. “Wonder if we’re doing the same thing with agents we swap around? Don’t know. What that means is you can carry a gun. OK, your orders will be e-mailed to you, Geech. Michelle, you’ll know next week if we’re sending you to the sticks to track down the mailman. Good day, folks, I have to go work out a union complaint.”

  Chapter 30

  FBI Assignment

  Detective Doreveck called Michelle and Geech to his office early the next week. They arrived early.

  “What do you suppose is up?” Geech asked.

  “Well, if I were a betting kind of gal, I’d say we’re about to be detached to the FBI. Why else would he call us both in,” Michelle answered as she sorted through her mail that she brought in a grocery bag.

  “Suppose so. This may be pretty weird. You’re not going to where they think Clinker is, so The Door must have plans for you somewhere else,” Geech said as he retrieved a piece of mail that fell from Michelle’s lap.

  “And right you are,” came Derek’s voice from behind. “Come on it, you two. I have someone here you need to meet.”

  Michelle and Geech entered the room. Sitting next to the desk was a suit. Man was obviously FBI.

  “Agent
Smith, this is Mr. Geech and Michelle Lumen. They are the two principle investigators on this case.”

  Smith smiled and said, “My real name is Smith, I’ve had to apologize for that name for my entire career. This looks very interesting. Michelle, what do you suspect will be our interest in this case? What I mean is, what laws have been broken on a level that the FBI would be interested in pursuit of this criminal?”

  Michelle studied the agent for a moment and said, “I guess interstate flight of felon, if he were found to be guilty. Fraudulent licensure of a physician. Aggravated assault on numerous accounts, homicide, mail fraud, interference with the mail. Will that get the ball rolling?” Michelle asked, somewhat puzzled by the line of questioning.

  “Those are all potential charges, but what got me here and you two detailed to me is much more mundane. I am almost chagrin to admit it, but the charge that mobilized my office is Medicare fraud. That is the general line of work that we are involved in, but the driving force will be all of the charges you mentioned. Anyway, you two will be attached to the St. Louis Federal Bureau of Investigation office of Medicare Fraud. If that doesn’t warm the cockles of your heart, I’m not sure we can do it for you,” Smith said. “By the way, if we’re working together we might a well get it straight; you call me Richard or Rich from here on.”

  “OK, Rich. When do we head out?” Geech asked.

  “Geech, you will be going to St. Louis for a week of orientation, and then you’re scheduled to go out into the field. Derek tells me you’re made, Michelle, so you get the honor of figuring out how Clinker, if this is he, got his hands on the mail. That is the other spot we’re all interested in because it is another level of federal offense charges. You go to Missouri, Illinois, Indiana and maybe North Dakota and Manitoba to look at the licensure process. The only place we’re seeing the picture of fraud is with the Missouri and Indiana licensure boards, so that’s where we want you to concentrate. Geech, you get to go to beautiful Alaska to figure out what happened there in that licensing agency and also to search some worksites to see if you can find out if Surgeon Bellows is on staff. Maybe start at this Palmer site. From there we dispatch the photo team and see if we get a match. Your tickets are online, here are your passes and travel vouchers. I’ll be seeing you next week in the city, St. Louie.”