Gotta Get Next To You (30 page)

“Like we said, no way to tell. I mean, we
both think somebody else did it,” Jamal said calmly. “You’d
probably get a different answer from each staff person.”

Andrea turned to Denny. “I want you to put
all the in-voices in order. Make a list of any missing numbers and
give it to me by the end of the day.”

Denny seemed on the verge of another angry
outburst as he stared hard at Andrea for a few seconds. “Okay,” was
all he said. He walked out with one last furtive glance at
Jamal.

“I thought a war was about to break out in
here,” Jamal said. He wore a jaunty grin as he closed the door.

“It started off peaceful enough. Then all of
a sudden I’ve got this attitude coming at me.” Andrea relaxed
against the back of her chair. “I don’t know what got into
him.”

“He’s under a lot of pressure. Take it easy
on him.” Jamal sat down across from her.

“I’ve been doing that since I walked through
the door,” Andrea replied. “But I can’t go back to the old way this
place was run.”

“What’s the big deal? A few missing invoices
and a few extra drug cartons. I’ll bet we can make it all come out
right.” Jamal waved a hand.

Andrea wondered at his casual response to her
concerns. “We’ve got to go beyond doing better. Bayou Blue Clinic
has to be damn near perfect. We’ve talked about that.”

“Yeah, but hell, it’s like the contracts.
Nothing is going to be perfect. You oughta know.”

There was something beneath Jamal’s smile,
and it wasn’t humor. Andrea studied him for several seconds. “I
don’t get it. What do contracts have to do with the drug
inventories?”

“I’m just saying it’s all the same thing. We
do what we can to keep the right people happy.”

“Yes, and part of that is doing things the
right way.” Andrea studied his expression. She sensed some change
in him.

He shrugged and stood up. “Whatever. I’ll
help Denny as much as I can.”

“Want to have dinner later?” Andrea asked. “I
make a mean spaghetti and meatballs. It’s about the only thing I
can cook.”

“I’ve got plans with a couple of
buddies.”

“Why don’t we make it Friday then?” Andrea
said. “Yeah, I’ll call you.” He left and shut the door behind
him.

Andrea frowned. There seemed to be a
flippant, al-most sarcastic tone underlying Jamal’s words. Strange
that he happened to come in during her meeting with Denny. She
looked down at the printed reports again and thought of Jamal’s
comments. A meeting that was supposed to be open and shut had left
her with two mysteries on her hands. What was going on?

***

The scene should have been idyllic. The
sunset on the Mississippi River in downtown New Orleans was lovely.
Andrea and Jamal strolled along the Riverwalk. Dinner had been
nice, but Jamal was back to being the charmer, all bright and shiny
on the surface. Andrea tried all evening to pierce through the act
to find the sensitive man underneath. Jamal seemed to dance away
with the agility of a boxer ducking punches. His emotional defenses
were up and she didn’t know why. She was frustrated and struggling
not to show it. This wasn’t the man she’d gotten to know.

“Let’s sit here for a while,” Andrea said.
She took his hand and led him to a bench.

“Sure.” He held her hand lightly, but let go
when they sat down.

“I’m glad the week is over.” Andrea sighed.
She put an arm on the bench seat behind his back. “But this is a
perfect way to end it. I haven’t seen much of you all week.”

“That place has been crazy.” Jamal gazed at
passersby.

“Let’s not talk about the you-know-what,”
Andrea said in a stage whisper.

“I don’t blame you with the way things are
going.” Jamal glanced at her, and then went back to
people-watching.

“You mean with Denny and the invoices?”
Andrea sighed. “Yeah. I still haven’t figured out what’s up with
him.”

“Maybe he’s right. It’s not like a few
missing pieces of paper are the worst thing that’s happened.”

“I know the staff must get tired of hearing
it, but we can’t afford mistakes.” Andrea frowned at him. “You
think I’m too demanding?”

Jamal turned to her with a half smile. “Nah,
just judge him by the same standard you set. You know, the
contracts.”

Andrea was confused by the sudden turn away
from Denny to herself. He’d made a reference to the contracts the
other day after the confrontation with Denny.

“You keep bringing that up. Is there
something bothering you about the contracts?” she said.

“Oh, c’mon. Allgood Healthcare, Inc. has a
fat contract. Most of that equipment is overpriced,” Jamal
said.

“You’re right, but it’s what the market pays.
Medicare and Medicaid allow suppliers to charge them higher prices.
It makes no sense, but it’s legal.”

“Yeah, I guess that makes it okay,” Jamal
said, his voice laced with cynicism.

Andrea took her arm from around him and sat
up straight. “No, but it means I have to set priorities. So a few
small companies pad their profits. The state and federal folks need
to fix the problem.”

“Right, let somebody else worry that shoddy
equipment costs everybody big bucks. That’s the way it goes.” Jamal
looked at her.

“I haven’t heard complaints about shoddy
equipment,” Andrea said.

“Have you asked? Or are you too busy
‘networking’ with the big dogs?” Jamal looked away.

“What do you mean by that?”

“Nothing. Just forget it,” he said.

Andrea was through being patient. “Oh, no.
You’ve dropped a few nasty little comments that need to be
explained, and fast.”

“Look, it’s your business. You’ve got people
you want to take care of,” he said with a tight smile. “I know how
it is.”

“I have no idea what or who you’re talking
about, Jamal. And I’m tired of playing guessing games. If you’ve
got something to say, say it,” Andrea said with a glare.

“Like you don’t know John Mandeville owns a
big part of Allgood Healthcare.”

“Felice Allgood owns that company. It’s
registered with the state as a female-owned firm and gets extra
help getting contracts.”

“Felice Allgood fronts for her husband,
Norman, one of Mandeville’s pals. The happy couple was at that
fancy party a few weeks ago.” He rattled off the facts in a dry
voice.

“You talk like they’re my friends, too. I
don’t know them personally,” Andrea broke in.

“Poor Norm. He thinks he got a good deal. He
doesn’t realize that Mandeville slept with his wife.” Jamal gave a
harsh laugh.

Andrea had a sick feeling in her stomach at
his revelations about John. Her mind raced with the implications
until all else was blocked out. She’d wondered about John’s sudden
devotion to his civic duty. For all she knew of him, John only
wrote checks and let his wife deliver them at society charity
functions. Andrea definitely intended to find out more. Suddenly
she looked at Jamal through narrowed eyes.

“What was that crack about me wanting to take
care of certain people?” she said tightly.

“Hey, Mandeville is an important man in a lot
of ways. That’s why he gets the goods. Right?” Jamal wore a sly
grin.

Andrea was startled by his expression. His
eyes glittered with scorn. In an instant it vanished and he laughed
lightly. Jamal turned his head. When he glanced back at her, his
expression was all charm again. Could he really believe that she’d
agree to such a slimy scheme?

Once again her parents had succeeded in
messing up her life. Andrea felt sure Charlene knew about
Mandeville’s real motives. They were two of a kind in a lot of
ways. Even though she had no part in it, Andrea felt guilty.

“Sins of the father,” she whispered low.

“What?”

Andrea shook her head. “Nothing. I didn’t
know about John Mandeville’s connection to the Allgood
con-tract.”

“Politics rules down here. And powerful
people get their way, especially rich ones.” Jamal shrugged again.
“That’s the first dung I learned when I moved to Louisiana.”

“I’ve monitored compliance with each
contractor, including Allgood. I didn’t find anything irregular,”
Andrea said. “Just being politically connected doesn’t make them
crooks.”

“Uh-huh.” His expression was still
cynical.

Andrea glared at him. “Not everyone in
Louisiana is a scumbag crook.”

Jamal held up both palms. “Hey, it’s cool
with me. My only point was Denny might be doing business as
usual.”

“Then he’ll be doing business according to
regulations and state law. That’s business as usual now.” Andrea
was offended by his attitude.

“Sure.”

“Are you saying I’m in on some kind of
under-the- table activity?” Andrea’s voice rose with anger.

“Maybe it’s hard to fight the system.” Jamal
looked away. “Or fight against certain people. Like I said,
Mandeville is one of the richest and most powerful men in the
state.”

Jamal thought she’d been influenced by
Mandeville’s position. Andrea hated the resignation in his tone.
She cared deeply what Jamal thought of her, and it hurt that he
assumed she’d compromise herself in any way. What else could he
think, given the facts?

Yet this was not the time or place to tell
him about Mandeville and her mother. She simply was not ready.
Especially since her mind still reeled from this new in-formation.
First she would find out more from the best source possible. If
John Mandeville wanted to have a relationship with her, it would
have to be built on honesty. This would be a perfect chance to see
if rumors she’d heard about him were true.

“You’re right.”

Jamal gazed at her with an impassive
expression. “I am?”

“Status and money make a difference in this
country, not just in Louisiana. I can’t change some things. But I
would never, never let a patient suffer because of politics. Do you
think I would? Well?” she said angrily when he didn’t answer
immediately.

Jamal twisted a stray tendril of her hair
around one finger. “I wouldn’t want to believe it,” he
whispered.

“Then don’t. I thought you knew me better.”
Andrea brushed his hand away.

He sighed deeply and his expression softened.
“I’m sorry. Come on now, forgive me. I should know better. Please,
baby.”

Andrea slowly put her arms around his neck
and touched her forehead to his. “There will always be gossip
floating around Bayou Blue. Not much else to do in town.”

She closed her eyes and took a deep breath.
The aroma of soap and shaving cream on his skin was delightful. He
stroked her cheek with one forefinger. Their noses touched first,
then their lips.

‘To hell with it,” Jamal said fiercely. “I
don’t care about contracts or anything else. Not when I’m holding
you.”

He enfolded her in a strong embrace and
kissed her deeply. Jamal seemed determined to drive out the world.
It worked. Andrea stroked the hard muscles of his back, wishing she
could rip the shirt off and feel his bare skin against hers. She
gasped for air when he pulled away.

“Are we ready to go home?” he said close to
her ear.

Andrea pressed her cheek against his smoothly
shaven cheek. “Yes indeed.”

Hours later she was alone in her apartment
with sweet memories. She could still feel his arms holding her as
they’d made love. Andrea sat on the side of the bed, brushing her
hair and humming. She watched the small television without really
paying attention to it. An old black-and-white movie was on. A
hard-boiled detective was grilling a suspect.

“So how do you know all this? You got too
much info for an innocent guy. Talk or I’ll toss you out of here,”
the actor growled.

Andrea sat up straight. She hadn’t thought
about it until now, but how did Jamal know so much about All-good
Healthcare, Inc.? He knew more than she did about the clinic
contract. That had never been part of his job. He knew details
about the company’s owners and more. And he knew way too much about
John Mandeville. Andrea tugged at the belt of her terry cloth robe
as she considered it all. She went over the scene with Denny in her
mind. That was where it had started. But what did it all mean? A
knot of anxiety formed in her chest. There was no use pretending.
Jamal had behaved strangely for the last few days. The old voice of
suspicion came back, and his relationship with Denny took on a more
ominous aspect. If Denny was doing something wrong, it was likely
Jamal would know. Andrea remembered how he’d stepped in to defend
Denny. She shook her head. He was only being overprotective.

The issue of Denny’s sloppy work was minor.
Mandeville was the bigger problem. He was more involved in the
clinic than he or her mother had let on. She would meet with John
Mandeville. Then she would have a long talk with Jamal. There must
be no secrets between them, no matter how well intentioned. They
would both have to face unpleasant facts.

Chapter 17

“I don’t like it one damn bit!” Sheriff
Boudreaux shook his head vigorously. “No sir, not one bit.”

“That guy is no Sunday school student,
Matthews.” Chief Deputy Tullier said with a skeptical
expression.

Lee paced the small square of sickly green
tile in the chief’s office. For the last forty-five minutes he’d
tried to convince them Denny was just a kid caught up in a bad
situation. For a while he’d thought they would agree. Now they had
shoved him right back where he’d started. Guilt had eaten away at
him for weeks. Andrea’s lovely brown eyes haunted him. There was
admiration in them whenever she talked about his special
relationship with Denny. For all his swagger, Denny was scared of
Ty’Rance. Denny needed to be rescued from himself as much as from
Ty’Rance. Part of the young man wanted the easy money. Yet Denny
also knew he was in way over his head. Lee thought about Chris and
his mother. He hadn’t been able to save them from the kind of evil
Ty’Rance and his gang spread around, but he could damn sure try to
save Denny.