“When you get to a doctor’s office, who do you give the samples to?”
Huffing, she squeezed her hands tighter together. “That depends on the office. Most of the time, the doctors can only see me for a few minutes, and they tell me to give the samples to whoever is available in the office. I’ve given them to receptionists, nurses, or even the doctors themselves.”
“And this clinic. What is your procedure?”
“The same. When I drop by, this clinic is usually first on my rotation for the day. Sometimes, I bring coffee or doughnuts or bagels. I try to remember the long-time employees’ birthdays. When I can see Dr. Tiller, I make sure to tell him what new drugs are available. As far as the samples, this is a clinic where I can leave them with whoever’s available.”
“The first time I visited the clinic, I saw you outside, Ms. Washington. Polly was just arriving, and you handed some to her straight from the back of your car and she placed them in her purse.”
Gasping, Beth shook her head. “No! I mean, yes, I did, but it’s not what you think. Polly was usually the person who opened early in the mornings. She was usually the person I handed the samples to. She was running late that day and stopped me on the street to say hello.”
“Did she ask for samples?”
Beth opened her mouth, then hesitated, her brow furrowed again. “Yes, yes she did. I told her that I had left some inside, and she asked if there were more antibiotics that she could have. The samples are ours to give out, so I handed her some. She was going straight inside, so I didn’t think anything about it.”
“And just to clarify, you had no idea she was handing out medication that is supposed to be prescribed by a doctor.”
Shaking her head furiously, she said, “Absolutely not. I had no idea she was doing anything with those drugs other than giving them to Dr. Tiller to distribute.”
Thanking her, he sent her on her way. She had only taken a few steps out the door when he heard Dr. Tiller greeting her in hushed tones.
“Beth, I didn’t know you were here.”
“Doug, I went rushing into your office and was shocked when it wasn’t you sitting behind the desk! He wanted to interview me.”
“What did you tell him?”
“The truth. I told him the truth. I had no idea what Polly was doing.”
“Damn Polly! The last thing this clinic needs is any reason for somebody to shut us down.”
“I’ve got to go. I’m already running late.”
He heard the sound of heels clicking down the hall and was not surprised when Dr. Tiller stepped inside the office. “Just in time, Dr. Tiller. Have a seat and I’ll make this as quick as possible.” Not giving the doctor a choice, he noted the man’s grimace as he sat down.
“Dr. Tiller, let’s talk about the opioid epidemic. It’s now common knowledge that many doctors have over-prescribed painkillers to the extent that patients are addicted. There’s kickbacks from pharmaceutical companies and, of course, the continuation of patients coming in, paying for office visits when they need more drugs.”
Waving his hand as though swatting a fly, Dr. Tiller said, “Yes, yes. That’s not the majority of doctors, but it does happen. I assure you it’s not happening here.”
“I’m not surprised,” Carter said. “After all, unlike a private clinic, your salary is set. You aren’t reliant on clients paying you.”
“Exactly! It would make no sense for me to want the financially-needy patients to be hooked on narcotics. They can’t afford the drugs. We wouldn’t keep prescribing them. And it’s not like I get paid for their office visits.”
“Then do you have any idea where the drugs that Carl Burnley, Jonathan Rothberg, and Rocky Stallone were carrying came from?”
Rearing back, Dr. Tiller shook his head. “If you’re implying that Polly was giving out more than antibiotics, well… I… Well…” He sighed heavily and said, “I was going to say that you’re wrong. But honestly, I have no idea where they’re getting the drugs.”
“I assume you’ve put new measures in place for the handling of the drug samples that Ms. Washington delivers.”
“Yes. I had a staff meeting yesterday and from now on, the samples are coming directly to me.”
Brows lifted, Carter asked, “You? This clinic actually has a pharmacy, so I would have thought they would go there.”
Shaking his head, Dr. Tiller said, “The pharmacy is regulated by our orders and laws. To add sample drugs would be confusing. I’m the one who sees the patients. I’m the one who knows what drugs they might need. If I determine that a sample would be worthwhile, then I’ll give it to them.”
Unable to argue with the doctor’s logic, Carter simply thanked him for his time. His next interview with Robert yielded no surprises. Like the others in the clinic, he claimed to not know of Polly’s quest to medicate the homeless who would not come into the clinic. But he complained that Dr. Tiller wanted the samples to come directly to him. Robert felt that they should go through the pharmacy, and Dr. Tiller insisted that he be the keeper of the samples.
By lunchtime, Carter was back at headquarters with Evan who had been talking with some of the homeless that wandered the park behind the shelter.
Shaking his head, Evan said, “I only found one guy that would talk to me. He said that he recognized Carl when I showed him the picture. When I asked him if he knew anything about Carl dealing drugs, he just laughed.” Evan held Carter’s gaze and grimaced. “Then he replied, ‘Who the fuck doesn’t? It’s a way to make some fuckin’ money.”’
Carter
