Authors: Dorothy Phaire
“I gave Jerome Johnson many a verbal warning first before resorting to suspending him and notating his permanent record,” she said, as Deek read the file, “but I guess he was just a square peg that refused to fit into a round hole, if you know what I mean.”
After reading through the file, Deek passed it to Renee to study. On Jerome’s skills inventory sheet under qualifications Renee saw where it indicated that he had obtained his CDL license prior to joining Union Delivery Service. He trained and prepared for the feeder driver position beforehand she was sure in the hopes of one day getting a promotion. Renee didn’t think this demonstrated the typical behavior of a drug addict. She believed this supported Brenda’s claim that Jerome hadn’t touched drugs in the past 18 months. But what other reason would Odessa Dillon have to fire him other than drug use? The deficiencies noted on Jerome’s record were reported solely by Mrs. Dillon and couldn’t be substantiated by anyone else at UDS.
“Jerome appeared to be doing well reporting to his uncle who supervised another division. So why was he assigned to a different route after just two months?” asked Deek.
“Nepotism. Ike had already used his influence to get his nephew hired. I guess somebody complained to the head office about favoritism.”
“I suppose you have no idea who complained to the head office, do you Mrs. Dillon?”
“Not a clue.”
“When we spoke to Mr. Temple, Jerome’s uncle, he said Jerome left him an urgent message while he was away on vacation last weekend. Jerome said he needed to speak to him about a problem at work as soon as he got back. Unfortunately, by the time Mr. Temple returned, Jerome was dead. Any ideas what that problem at work could have been Mrs. Dillon?
She clasped her hands together on top of her desk and looked directly at Deek with a sphinx-like expression. Then repeated her pat answer. “Sorry. Not a clue, Detective.”
“We questioned several of your employees but one in particular gave us the most useful information. A close friend of the victim’s, Alonzo Woods said that Mr. Johnson was terminated about two weeks ago right after failing a random drug test. Jerome’s wife also said she spoke to you when she tried to track down her husband and you told her he had been fired for failing a random drug test earlier that same day. If that’s correct, I’d like to get a copy of the test results for all those employees who were randomly selected to undergo drug testing that day,” said Deek, firmly.
Renee noticed that Mrs. Dillon’s unwavering look of calmness began to crack.
“Uh, Alonzo was mistaken as usual. And Mrs. Johnson, poor thing, was so hysterical that night I doubt she could recall anything we talked about. Fact is, the test wasn’t quite random, Detective. I requested that Jerome be tested on the basis of reasonable suspicion.”
“What suspicion, Mrs. Dillon?”
“Well, like it says on his record he’d been coming into work late, his eyes looked red, and ‘course I was suspicious since I knew about his prior drug problem. I just wanted to be sure he wasn’t slipping back into old habits.”
“I see. Since you specifically requested this test for Mr. Johnson based on your own belief of his using drugs,” said Deek, “I’ll need you to explain your company’s drug testing procedure in detail.”
Odessa Dillon removed her jacket and leaned back with her arms folded under her chest. She attempted to hide her annoyance but wasn’t able to disguise the chill in her stare. She explained that UDS used a private company but they still followed federal government regulations mandating that drivers and personnel operating heavy equipment be randomly tested. However, a supervisor could request that an employee be tested if they suspected drug use. That was her justification for requesting that a drug test be performed—reasonable suspicion.
“How does the technician identify the person being tested? In other words, how do they ensure that the sample matches the person being tested and this person is who they claim to be?” he asked.
“Ah, I see why you’re an investigator, Detective Hamilton. You do have a suspicious mind, just like me,” she smiled. “Well you see, the contractor comes to our work site and brings their own testing supplies, cups, and whatnot. I sign what’s called a chain of custody form to authorize the drug testing. On the form there’s a pre-printed form number, say, 456 as an example. The form also has a peel off label with the same identifying number of 456.”
Deek took notes on his Blackberry™ as Mrs. Dillon explained the company procedure.
“This form has the employee’s name, phone number, social security number, and other information to identify him. The technician peels off the label and affixes it to the urine sample cup. Next the employee shows his or her picture ID like a driver’s license to the technician and the technician matches this to what it says on the form.”
“Umhum, I see,” Deek nodded, “Go on, Mrs. Dillon.”
“The employee then provides his urine sample in the labeled cup. Afterwards, the technician sends the sample to the laboratory for analysis and the results are recorded in an automated system called HEIDI. Is that detailed enough for you, sugar?”
“Yes, Ma’am. Please continue,” said Deek, crossing one ankle over his knee. “Who has access to the results?”
“As the supervisor I can access HEIDI to obtain the results of my employee’s test results by typing in his social security number. The results will show either positive (presents of drugs) or negative (no presence of drugs).”
“Is there a printed record of the results?”
“Yes, I can print out these results and show them to the employee, which is exactly what I did with Jerome. Positive results can be justification for dismissal. That’s why Jerome was terminated two weeks ago. His test results turned up positive.”
“Thank you for explaining the process so thoroughly, Mrs. Dillon. It sounds full proof enough. Would you mind pulling up Jerome’s test results now and printing out a copy for me to take with me?”
“Of course, Detective. Is that about all you think you’ll need ‘cause I’m running late for an appointment.”
“Yes, Ma’am. That should be sufficient and we’ll get out of your way.”
“No problem, Darlin’,” she said and turned to her computer to key-in Jerome’s social security number that she obtained from his employment record.
In seconds the drug test results printed out on the printer next to her workstation. Deek read the report that Odessa handed him and verified Jerome’s identifying information in the top half of the document. He read the test results that indicated Positive for traces of cocaine and marijuana in Jerome’s system. He folded up the report and placed it in his coat pocket.
“Everything appears to be in order. Thanks again for your cooperation, Mrs. Dillon.” Deek held Renee’s coat while she slipped her arms through. As they walked out, he placed his arms around her waist. “Well, that didn’t turn up much,” he said, “Let’s hope we have more luck talking to this ex-girlfriend, Leenae Lewis. Even if she’s innocent, she may know of someone Jerome dealt with who wanted him dead.”
Renee sensed the frustration in Deek's voice and the hopelessness on his face. It didn’t give her much hope that they could help get Brenda out of trouble any time soon. She knew she had to get home today to check on her cat, Angel and finish packing. Although, her housekeeper, Chizuko had been coming daily to feed the cat, Renee had grown very fond of her former nemesis and wanted to make sure she wasn’t too lonely in that big house all day. Angel would love the small, cozy rowhouse they were moving into next Saturday. It marked a new beginning for both of them. Ever since Bill left, Renee was surprised that Angel didn’t seem to miss him any longer. She had to admit, neither did she.
Deek held the car door open while Renee climbed in. She was glad she didn’t see Alonzo in the yard with the other workers when they left. A single dose of his flirtatious behavior was enough for one day. Just as they were about to drive away, Deek’s pager went off with an urgent message. He put the car in park and returned the page from his cell phone. After the call, he flipped the phone shut and turned to Renee.
“That was the Assistant US Attorney’s office calling about another case,” he said, “I’m also assigned to an ongoing investigation involving a series of unsolved murders. They have a witness and all detectives working on the case must be present to question this witness. If I’m not in the room, they’ll postpone it and that won’t be good. I gotta go Sweetheart. They’re starting in twenty minutes and it’ll probably take a couple of hours.”
“I understand, Deek,” she said, disappointed, “You go ahead. I’ll catch a cab home.”
Deek dialed a taxi from his cell phone and gave the taxi service the location at UDS’s main office. The taxi service said they had a cab in the area and one would be there in five minutes.
“Wait right out front, Baby and promise me you won’t go traipsing off to see Miss Lewis without me. As soon as I get out of the meeting, I’ll stop by your place and pick you up, okay?”
Renee nodded but didn’t seem thrilled to just sit, wait, and do nothing. He got out of the car to open her door and they leaned against the car and kissed good-bye.
“What about Jerome’s possessions, Deek? Do you want me to take them to the Adams residence?”
“No, that can wait. Brenda’s in no position to receive these things now anyway. I’ll take care of it later.”
“Don’t forget to take out Leenae’s picture before you return Jerome’s things to Brenda’s family.” she said.
“Most definitely. It’s settled then. You go home and I’ll meet you there in about two hours,” he said. “We’ll pay Leenae a visit later this evening. Then I’ll take you someplace quiet for dinner and we can go over the facts again and try to come up with a new strategy. I’m not giving up on Brenda, so don’t look so defeated, Renee.”
“All right Deek. I trust you, Honey.”
“Oh, I almost forgot. I have something for you,” he said, leaning into the car to retrieve a package from the glove compartment. “Perhaps, this’ll cheer you up. I was saving it to give you tonight but you may as well have it now.” Deek held out a beautifully wrapped small gift box and a letter.
“It’s a belated birthday present, Darling. Promise me you’ll wait until you get home to open it. Make sure you’re somewhere comfortable and romantic with no distractions,” he smiled, then kissed her again.
“I promise. Thank you, Sweetheart,” she whispered and buried the gift and letter deep inside her purse.
Deek hopped back into the car and dashed off. A late afternoon spate of sunshine had melted the early morning snowfall. The wet pavement glistened from a slick coating of slush. Renee walked carefully to UDS’s front entrance and stood at curbside to wait for her taxi. The same guard that Deek spoke to earlier when they first arrived ran towards her just as a taxicab turned the corner into UDS.
“Good thing I caught you, Doctor,” the guard said, out of breath.
“I believe that’s my taxi pulling up. I was on my way home. Can I help you with something, Mr. Fletcher?” said Renee, reading the name on the ID tag pinned to his shirt.
“The Detective said you folks came to pickup Jerome’s belongings from his locker. I forgot to mention to him that we also got employee mail slots. I checked Jerome’s mailbox and found this.”
The guard gave her a sealed white envelope with Jerome Johnson written on front.
“Will you make sure his wife gets this?” said the guard, “and tell his family I’m really sorry. Jerome was a good man. I’ll miss him.”
“I’ll be glad to, Mr. Fletcher,” said Renee and put the envelope in her purse, “Thank you.
“I guess this is your cab,” said the guard and opened the rear passenger door.
“Looks like it.”
“Are you here to pickup Dr. Renee Hayes?” she asked the taxi driver.
The cabdriver nodded and turned down his music when Renee climbed in the back seat.
O
dessa Dillon burrowed her eyebrows together in a frown, and the muscles in her face grew tense. She tried to remain calm and not read anything into that Detective’s questions about the drug test. But she couldn’t shake the feeling that he and Dr. Hayes suspected something. What if they realized that Jerome’s drug test had been falsified to give her a legitimate reason to fire him? He had been good at his job and customers loved him. No matter how often she probed the regulars on his route for negative feedback they always gave glowing survey responses about him. So she also had to fabricate some trumped up charges on his employment records since the only complaints Jerome ever received came from her.
Odessa tapped her pen rapidly on the desk and went back over her plan to make sure she hadn’t made any slipups that could lead the cops back to her. Unfortunately she had needed to rely on that ignoramus Alonzo Woods to carry out her dirty work. She knew Alonzo was used to being controlled by a woman at home because she had met his bossy wife, Izza at a company picnic last summer. And when Odessa found out that he indulged in recreational drug use with cocaine and marijuana, she knew she had him by the balls. He was just four years away from early retirement and he would lose his pension if she fired him. Odessa started Alonzo out on small tasks like sending messages, and being her eyes and ears in the yard to find out who the troublemakers were. Even though he tried to play macho around the young ladies at work who didn’t know any better, Alonzo Woods didn’t stray too far from his wife’s apron’s strings. Like his wife at home, Odessa manipulated him at work like a puppeteer working the strings.
Just before planning the arson-murder, Odessa had sent Alonzo over to Jerome’s house to tempt him with an easy run and a raise if he’d come back to work and be her boy toy. But Alonzo came back and reported that not only had Jerome rejected her offer, he planned on filing a sexual harassment lawsuit and hostile workplace complaint against her. If Jerome talked, other complaints about her might start to surface, especially from Hector Gonzales who might get the idea to join Jerome’s lawsuit. She had no choice after learning what he planned to do once his uncle got back from Vegas. Jerome Johnson had outlived his usefulness on earth, if he ever had any.