Death of a Scam Artist by Mike Befeler

Author:Mike Befeler
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Encircle Publications
Published: 2017-06-23T21:36:49+00:00

Chapter 17

Reginald stared at health services director Hector Lopez, wondering if the emergency was of the Jerry-and-Henrietta carnal variety or the dead-body-on-the-loading-dock type. Hector impatiently tapped the toe of his shoe as the white façade of Sunny Crest loomed over him.

“I’ve been trying to reach you on your cell phone all afternoon, Boss. I kept getting your voicemail.”

“I’m sorry. It’s Sunday and I didn’t have it with me.”

“Emergencies happen any time.” Hector scowled. “I had planned to go on a picnic with my family today, but I had to cover this problem.”

“I’m sorry you couldn’t reach me. What happened?”

“Mrs. Rasputin in 804 broke her hip.”

Reginald headed into the building with Hector next to him. “And where is she now?”

“An ambulance took her to Boulder Community Hospital. She’s scheduled for surgery. But that’s not all of it.”

Reginald raised an eyebrow. “Go on.”

“One of her relatives is all up in arms over her injury. Her lawyer grandson says he’s going to sue Sunny Crest and you personally for a bunch of money.”

Reginald came to a screeching halt in front of the reception desk. “Me?”

“That’s right. He heard that you had instigated cost-cutting programs and blames her accident on you because your expense-reduction measures caused unsafe conditions at Sunny Crest.”

“That’s absurd. How did she break her hip?”

Hector lowered his eyes as if he needed to check the carpet for unwanted crawling members of the Formicidae family. “She fell down in the bathtub.”

“How can that be my fault?”

Hector continued to inspect the rug. “There was no safety railing in her tub.”

Reginald headed over to the elevator and punched the button. “I thought we had safety railings in all the bathrooms.”

Hector followed him. “We do, but the one in Mrs. Rasputin’s apartment had been removed. Nolan Rasputin claims that your financial direction led to the lack of timely repair of the safety railing in her tub, and, therefore, you’re responsible for her injury.”

“That’s ridiculous.”

“Maybe so, but he’s going to file a lawsuit, and we may have trouble with our insurance covering Sunny Crest and you.”

“Why is that?” Reginald pounded on the button again, but the elevator from slow-as-molasses hell didn’t appear.

“Alicia added a negligence clause to the contract this week as a step to reduce our insurance premium per your directive to cut expenses. If we’re negligent, then we’re not covered by the insurance. And this lawyer grandson is making a major issue that you and Sunny Crest are negligent.”

“Why would the safety railing have been taken out and not replaced in her tub?”

“I don’t know, but I have a call in to Dex Hanley. He’ll have to check with his maintenance crew tomorrow.”

The elevator doors opened, and a hunched-over old woman emerged. She whacked Reginald on the shin with her cane and pushed past him. He grimaced in pain and pictured a lawyer going through his pockets, while he hung upside down from a rafter.

*****

Sunday night found Reginald staring blankly at the wall in his apartment. It was as if someone had scooped out the inside of his chest.

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