17

Jesse arrived at the station and headed for his office. Molly quickly followed.

“Lots of activity,” she said.

“Five bucks says Marty Reagan called,” Jesse said.

“Twice.”

“Aren’t you impressed by my prescience?”

“Not really.”

“They’re mistreating their patients. They tranquilize and shackle them. They did it with Donnie. They did it with Sheldon Lee, and they did it with Norris Hopkins’s partner, Craig Diamond.”

“Proof?”

“I’m working on it.”

“To what end?”

“I’m working on that, too.”

“Are you going to tell me about it?”

“Not yet.”

“When?”

“Soon.”

Then he picked up the phone and returned Marty Reagan’s call.

“You know what I find amazing,” Reagan said when he answered.

“What,” Jesse said.

“How often the first thing people say to me is how pissed off at you they are.”

“Wow. I’m impressed.”

“So now you’re tangling with a major real estate corporation?”

“They’re bent.”

“That hasn’t been proven.”

“Are you aware of their track record?”

“Amherst Properties?”

“Yes.”

“Are you referring to the so-called mistreatment of patients at their facility in Marlborough?”

“Yes.”

“They rectified that situation. No charges were pressed. In fact, no judgment has ever been rendered against them.”

“Well, they’ve sure unrectified the conditions here. They’re sedating patients. Tying them down, too.”

“You’re talking about Donald Jacobs?”

“Donald Jacobs and at least two more that I know of. And I’m betting that it’s endemic.”

“Whatever you think you’ve got on them, Jesse, it’ll never stick. Even if what you’ve got is true. The record shows that there were others before you who complained, and in response Amherst immediately stopped doing whatever it was that had generated the complaints. History tells us that there’s not a chance in hell you can nail them.”

Jesse didn’t say anything.

“They want me to charge you,” Reagan said.

“Because of Donnie?”

“Because you removed him from the facility without honoring their protocols.”

“That’s a lot of crap.”

“That’s not what they’re saying.”

“Talk to his daughter.”

“They’re claiming that you strong-armed him out of there.”

“They’re lying.”

“That’s what they’re claiming.”

“Did you get the lab reports?”

“They confirm that there were drugs in Donnie’s system, but Amherst is saying they had to sedate him or else he’d run away again.”

“What about the bruises on his body,” Jesse said. “Why was he so afraid?”

“Drop this, Jesse.”

“It stinks, Marty.”

“Be that as it may, I’m advising you to drop it. I’ll get them to forget about charging you, but you’ll have to back off.”

Jesse didn’t say anything.

“Jesse?”

“What.”

“This is a big-time real estate operation. They’ve got serious juice. If you go up against them, you’ll lose.”

“Says you,” Jesse said.

“Says Aaron,” Reagan said, referring to District Attorney Aaron Silver.

Jesse didn’t say anything.

“I know you, Jesse. This won’t sit well with you. Don’t be a jerk. Drop it.”

“Thanks, Marty.”

“Jesse?”

“Okay. Okay. I heard you,” Jesse said, and hung up.

Загрузка...