Chapter 5 - The Discovery Process
The federal building on Dearborn Street was a monolith of black steel and glass, designed by Mies van der Rohe to look like an equation that had been solved once and never needed revision.
Thomas Miller sat behind a desk that held nothing but three black pens and a legal pad. He was fifty, with the sharp, narrow face of the Whitmore family and the quiet demeanor of a man who spent his life listening to people lie before sending them to Terre Haute.
"The state’s case is strong on the attempted murder," Miller said, looking through the spreadsheets Clara had printed. "But Geller is going to argue temporary insanity brought on by financial distress. He’s already got two psychiatrists from Northwestern lined up to testify that Paul had a fugue state brought on by the collapse of his business."
"A fugue state doesn't buy a lithium latch lubricant three hours before the event," James said from the corner of the room. He was leaning against the radiator, his arms crossed.
"A jury might believe it if the husband looks pathetic enough on the stand," Miller said. "But this..." He tapped the insulin invoices with his finger. "This is different. This is Title 18, United States Code, Section 1347. Health care fraud. If he moved frozen insulin back into the supply chain, he was looking at a minimum of fifteen years per count. And if anyone died because their insulin was inactive, it’s life without parole."
"We checked the distribution records," Clara said, her voice steady. "Three hundred vials from lot number 44-B-12 were sent to a clinic in South Chicago. I called the clinic yesterday under the pretext of a compliance audit. They had four cases of unexplained diabetic ketoacidosis in April. All four patients survived, but they were using the stock Paul delivered."
Miller looked up at her, his expression shifting from professional interest to something much darker. "You did this research yourself?"
"I’m a compliance officer, Mr. Miller," Clara said. "My job is to find the gap between what a company says it’s doing and what the invoices prove it’s doing. Paul thought I was just doing the bookkeeping. He didn't realize I was doing his biography."
Miller picked up his phone. "Get me the regional director of the FDA. Tell them we have an immediate product recall for all biologic stock associated with Hale Distribution from November to the present. And call the grand jury coordinator. We’re going to need a bigger room."
As they left the office, James looked at Clara. "You didn't tell me about the clinic in South Chicago."
"I wanted to be sure before I said it aloud," Clara said. "If you give people half an explanation, they use the other half to build an excuse."
"You’re very good at this," James said.
"I had a good teacher," she said, looking at him. "You showed me that if you look at the architecture of a lie long enough, you can find the pillar that’s holding up the roof. Then you just have to pull."
They stood on the plaza outside the federal building. The sun was directly overhead now, casting short, dark shadows on the granite squares.
"The girls are starting to sit up," Clara said suddenly. "Sarah is faster at it, but Eleanor has more balance. She uses her hands to hold her knees."
May you like
James smiled—a real one that reached his eyes. "Like her mother."
"Like someone who doesn't want to fall," Clara said.
