Her smile vanished when Decker showed her his cred pack.
“FBI? Am I in trouble?”
“That depends. We met with Mr. Norris. He wasn’t very forthcoming. I’m hoping you’ll be better at that.”
Drews put a hand on the counterto support herself.
Decker leaned against the wall. “Your son never should have been able to get that life insurance policy; do you know that?”
Drews lips started to tremble. “Guess I do now, mister.”
“But Norris made it happen?” said Jamison.
“It was his idea. I guess I should’ve told you before, but I didn’t know you were with the FBI. He came to me afterKeith injured his back. I’ve known Willie a long time. Got my car insurance through him. And my house insurance, when I had a house. He said in crazy times like these, it’d be a good idea. I wanted to get me a policy too and have Keith the beneficiary, but Willie said with all the drugs I’d done they’d never approve me.”
“I think that was a good thing for you,” said Decker ominously.“So, Norris filled out all the paperwork?”
“Yeah, and he had a local paramedic do the medical exam.”
“A paramedic?”
“Yeah, they can do the exams, Willie said. He said the insurance companies contract out with them, and also with a local lab to do the blood work and such.”
“So all local players. Interesting. Did Keith tell the paramedic about being injuredand being on painkillers?”
“I don’t know, ’cause I wasn’t there.”
“Did Keith mention anything to you later?” asked Decker.
“Do I need a lawyer, mister?”
“That might depend on your answers.”
“Look, Keith wasn’t really on them painkillers no more. And his back was a lot better when he got that policy.”
“But a million bucks in life insurance?That’s a lot. He wasn’t even employed.”
“Willie said Keith was so young that that would help. He wouldn’t die for a long time.”
“Uh-huh, well that turned out to be wrong. How was he going to pay the premiums? Even if they weren’t that much, your son had no income.”
“I was gonna help him, well, if I could. And…and Willie too.”
“So Norris was giving Keithmoney to make the payments on the insurance policy that Norris sold him?”
She nodded, her skin as pale as the napkin she was holding.
“Did you know that was illegal?” said Decker.
She shook her head. “No sir. I just thought Willie was being a good friend.”
“And then Keith got hooked on opiates and died?”
“Yeah.”
“But you said he was offthe painkillers,” Decker said in a dubious tone.
“Well, he wasmostlyoff ’em.”