Page 99 of I’ll Be Watching You

“Cooper’s okay,” she said. “He’s absolutely fine.”

“When can I see him?” Ava asked.

“I’m working on that,” Rita said. “He’s in solitary for his own protection, at the request of the US Marshal’s office.”

“That’s what Quincy said, but why here? Why not keep him in solitary at Eyman?”

“Possibly the nature of the threat,” Quincy said. “This is a federal penitentiary, and feds like to have control, as I said. As far as being in solitary here, this is Supermax, and they wouldn’t want him to mingle with the general population. That alone would put him at risk.”

Ava knew what that meant. This prison was for the worst of the worst, the men who needed to be locked up for the rest of their lives because of the pain and suffering they caused others. Predators would see that Cooper wasn’t like them.

“He’s all alone,” Ava whispered.

“But he’s holding up well,” Rita said firmly. “He is in good spirits. The marshals told him why he was being transferred, and until they know the threat is gone, he’ll remain here. He has a Bible to read. Thirty minutes of solo yard time each day. The guards are strict, but fair. I filed for an emergency hearing to transfer him back to Eyman, but I’ll want to see the threat assessment because he really might be safer here. I’ll need to be ready if the judge calls today, though realistically it won’t be until Monday.”

“I’m not leaving,” Ava said. “I’m not leaving Cooper here all alone.”

Rita flicked a glance at Quincy. “Don’t look at him,” Ava said firmly. “Cooper is my husband, and I’m not leaving Colorado until he can leave this prison.”

As she said it, she realized that was completely unrealistic. She couldn’t stay if he was here for months or years.

Well, she would. She’d get an apartment and visit as often as they allowed. She hoped it didn’t come to that.

“I asked him the questions you wanted,” Rita said and tore a page from her notebook. “Here are the people involved in the Neurovantix trial. Cooper confirmed most of what we know. Devin got suspicious after Christina Aberdeen died and Jim Novak experienced side effects. When he discovered ten patients had been scrubbed from the records, he called Willa Blankenship. She acted surprised, said she’d look into it.”

“But she didn’t,” Ava said.

“Cooper didn’t know anything other than what Devin told him. He connected him with Dr. Pierce, but Cooper never saw the data or what Devin had compiled, though he knew that he was keeping a copy of his own patient records.”

Ava shook her head. She was certain that Cooper had some knowledge that would help them. But it looked like they had already learned everything he knew after a couple days’ work.

“Oh, one more thing,” Rita said. “Neurovantix was chasing grant money, so there could have been other people involved who weren’t located in Phoenix. Cooper has no idea who ran the company.”

“Money,” Quincy muttered. “Anytime there’s a new drug, it can mean big money for the company and investors.”

“But the VA’s federal,” Ava said. “They don’t profit.”

“They can,” Quincy said. “Grant funding. Contracts. Royalties if staff helped develop a new drug, even while an employee, even if on the periphery. One drug can bring in millions, and a successful drug can bring in billions.”

“Tess has been tracking the money,” Ava said. “But it’s buried or not public.”

“Most health care staff don’t need to file financial disclosures,” Quincy said. “Unlike federal agents, judges, politicians. There are loopholes everywhere, and whenever there is a lot of money to be had, those loopholes seem to get wider.”

“So how do we find it?” Rita asked.

“I usually say follow the money, but if we can’t see the money trail, then we need to follow the people,” Quincy said. “Who has something to gain when the drug hits the market? Who needs money? Or, who is living above their means and may have been paid to look the other way?”

Greed, Ava thought with disgust. Greed killed Devin and Liz. Greed put Cooper in prison.

She said, “Nadine Pierce mentioned that approval is likely to be next week. That means they can market and sell the drug. If there is any shadow over the trial, it could put approval on hold.”

Quincy nodded. “Once it’s approved, putting the genie back in the bottle will take time. They’ll make money, and historically, even when a company is fined for a dangerous drug, they have already made far more money than what they are fined. It’s truly a disgusting racket and one reason I’ll never go into white-collar crimes. Nearly impossible to prove, and few people go to prison.”

Rita checked her watch. “I need to get back to Phoenix. If the judge calls, I’ll argue for Cooper’s transfer, if that’s what you want.”

Ava glanced at Quincy. “What do you think? Tell me the truth.”

“I think,” he said carefully, “that for now, he’s safer here, but because the process can move slow, Rita needs to get on record that he should be transferred back to Arizona. Maybe not Eyman. I know that would make it difficult on you to visit, but another prison may be the best option.”