12
Acknowledgements: My eternal thanks to the many websites I used for research in the areas of elder abuse and con artists, especially ElderAngels (www.elderangels.com) The information contained within was a priceless resource in the process of writing many chapters. I sincerely hope I have projected a realistic version of the behaviours of scam artists, and that a certain ElderAngels president won't be ticked if she finds I've done some slight ripping off of her words, and that a certain character is loosely based on her…
SPOILERS: This chapter reveals part of the plot line from the first story contained in the short story series by Mary Higgins Clark called 'My Gal Sunday'. While I consider the spoiler to be minor, you may skip the 'call-in' section of the Ask Dr. Susan show if you don't want said plot line ruined.
Monday
When the alarm buzzed at six, Susan sat up slowly and turned the bedside lamp on. Don groggily roused himself and stifled a yawn.
"'Morning, sleepy-head," Susan whispered affectionately, before leaning over and brushing his cheek with a kiss. She rose, replaced the rosary in the jewellery box and went to the bathroom, quietly closing the door behind her. Upon stepping under the shower, Susan felt very rested, realising that she must have had a rather peaceful sleep. She reflected that her meditations on the lives of Jesus and his Mother must have had a wonderfully calming effect as she had mentally recited the prayers, for within fifteen minutes she had fallen asleep. She smiled when she remembered something Gran Susie once told her. It was said by the older generation that one's guardian angel would finish a rosary for you if you happened to fall asleep during the prayers. Sorry, guardian angel, Susan thought with a smile, I must have left a lot for you to finish last night.
Don blinked several times in an attempt to wake up, eventually massaging his lids vigorously, trying to shake the weariness and exhaustion he was experiencing. He knew why he felt so listless - he had been unable to return to a normal state of sleep following the dream he'd had. For long hours he had lain there, his arm securely wrapped around Susan, listening to the sound of her breathing as she slept. As irrational as it seemed, he had done so in order to convince himself that she was still with him, alive.
He inhaled sharply and then exhaled slowly, trying to ease the tension that seized him as he recalled the grisly details his subconscious had created the night before. It had seemed so alarmingly real – the office setting he now realised mirrored Susan's own old office in SoHo – with the homicide detectives and their forensic equipment, and finally the blood-soaked body on the floor. He had instantly recognized the shoes as being Susan's, and the thought that someone had done something so horrible to her made him physically ill.
It's all my fears from what happened three years ago being dredged up, Don supposed. During the murder trial they had learned that Alex Wright had stabbed three people to death – people who might have been able to identify him. The thought that sometimes occurred to Don was what would have happened had Wright decided to use a knife instead of a heavy plastic bag to try to end Susan's life. The accompanying terrifying answer would come to him readily enough: I'd have found her dead on that floor.
Sitting up, Don swung his legs over the side of the bed and decided it was best if he forgot about the dreams and put those disturbing thoughts and images away. He silently hoped Susan had forgotten about last night's episode as well, as he didn't want her to think he was unnecessarily worried about her. She'll think I'm turning into a nervous old biddy, he chided himself, and walked into the closet to choose his wardrobe for the day.
As the couple was finishing breakfast the telephone rang, and Susan got up to answer.
"It's for me," she said, as she saw a familiar number displayed on the caller I.D. Picking up the phone she said: "Hi, Mom."
"Good morning, Susan," Emily greeted her daughter, "how are you?"
"I'm fine. And you?"
"Just fine, sweetheart. Calling to check in on you two. I knew Don was supposed to be flying back in on Friday; and with Dee's good news, I thought I'd have heard from you this weekend…" Susan thought she noted a hint of reproach in her mother's voice.
"Don's safely home, Mom. Sorry I didn't call over the weekend. What's up?"
"Well, I had lunch with Liz at the Club on Saturday…and I bumped into your father there."
Here we go, Susan thought. "I see… How is he?"
"He was there having lunch with Dan Lake and some other buddies. Retirement seems to be suiting him well."
Susan knew there was more to the encounter than her mother was letting on. "Did you talk with him long?" she asked.
"No…but he did say I was looking well, and that he was glad the incident with that con man didn't leave me financially ruined… Then he actually told me if I was ever in trouble, in spite of what happened between us in the past, he'd be willing to help."
"You're kidding!" Susan was taken aback, remembering the bitter fights between her parents regarding finances that had taken place during the divorce settlement.
"Actually, he seemed quite genuine. I think your father is mellowing in his old age."
"Good Lord, mom, if Binky ever found out about what he said to you…"
"Binky has all she needs already and then some," Emily snapped, "and besides – I have no intention of taking Charley up on his offer. He made his choice a long time ago to be with her, and I'm perfectly capable without his help."
"Sure, mom," Susan said, but thought to herself: Either Dad's ' mellowing', or he's beginning to realise life with Binky can never be what it was like with you, before or after retirement.
"Anyway, with Dee and Russ deciding to get married," Emily continued, "I think we're all going to have to mellow a bit. Of course Dee is going to want Charley-Charles and the Trophy to be there. It's not going to be easy."
"I'm sure when the time comes, Dee will be certain not to put us at the same table."
"I'm so glad she's finally found someone again. She was so lonely after Jack died, and moving back here was ultimately the right thing for her to do."
"As I recall, at the time you thought it was a rash decision. But yes, it has been good having her back in New York, hasn't it?…Okay, Mom, I'm afraid I've got to run. There are things I need to prepare for the show today. See you Thursday for Thanksgiving. Love you."
"Love you too, Susan. 'Bye, dear, and give my regards to Don."
"So how's Mom?" Don asked as Susan hung up the phone.
"She's fine... She bumped into my Dad on the weekend when she and Mother were at the Club."
Don raised his eyebrows in surprise. "Was everything okay?"
"Apparently, Dad expressed his concern over what happened between her and Anton Riley. Said he'd be willing to help her out if she ever got into financial trouble."
"Really?"
"Oh, yes. My guess is he knows he's going to have to be dealing with all of us – including Mom – now that Dee is going to be married. With this pre-emptive move, I think he's trying to smooth out old hurts to avert any potential problems at the wedding."
"I think everything will be just fine, Susan," Don said, taking her hands in his.
***
At 9:15, after spending some time at their offices doing some final revisions on her notes for the show, Susan said goodbye to Don and hailed a cab, heading to the WOR studios at 41st and Broadway. When she arrived, she went up to the fifteenth floor and greeted Jed before entering the broadcast booth. A few moments later he poked his head in to announce that her guest for the day had arrived.
Susan extended her hand to Julia Palmer, president of a non-profit group called 'Senior Sentinels'.
"Nice to meet you, Dr. Chandler," she said, shaking Susan's hand.
"Call me 'Susan'," Susan smiled, "if you're comfortable with 'Julia'". Requesting that a person use her first name was a courtesy Susan often extended to people she felt immediately comfortable with.
"Of course," Julia replied with a smile that revealed a set of perfectly straight teeth, and she sat down in the seat Susan offered her. Casually observing her guest, Susan noted that Julia appeared to be in her late thirties, with lively, dark eyes and neatly French-braided hair.
"A lot of people get nervous when they're in front of a microphone," Susan told her, "but don't be. I like to tell my guests to pretend they're gabbing with their best friends, sharing the latest gossip. You'll find that the two hours go by quickly."
"Thanks, Susan. I do admit I am a bit nervous. I've done several public presentations on the subject of elder abuse, but never on radio."
"Jed will give us a countdown before we go on-air. I'll do a brief introduction, and we'll talk about what your organization does. There are some cases we can bring up that will serve as examples as to what people should look out for concerning cons, especially those that target seniors."
"Okay," Julia said, nodding in comprehension.
"After that, we'll have some commercials, followed by our call-in section. At that time, I'll introduce the caller to our audience, and we'll both have some input. Then we have more commercials, and then that's it."
"I'm game," said Julia as she slipped on a headset Susan handed to her, and gave her a thumbs-up.
The musical theme for the show played along with the recording that informed listeners of the program title, the telephone number for the call-in segment, and the address of the radio station. Jed's voice came through with the countdown, and Julia took a deep breath and waited for Susan to give her opening comments.
"You're listening to WOR 710 Talk Radio…Welcome to another instalment of 'Ask Dr. Susan'. I'm your host, Dr. Susan Chandler. With me for the program is president of 'Senior Sentinels', Julia Palmer. Today we're talking about the dangers our senior citizens face from con artists and scams. We'll discuss things you should be on the lookout for if you yourself are a senior, and for those of you that have close friends and relatives that are seniors, as well. Julia, thanks for being here today."
"It's good to be here, Dr. Susan."
"Julia, let's first fill our listeners in on what your organization does."
"We're a fairly new organization, Susan. Senior Sentinels started up in 1999 in response to an initiative that the U.S. Vice President at the time proposed in order to protect seniors from telemarketing fraud and abuse. We're non-profit, and we recruit numerous volunteers to detect abuse, investigate when abuse is suspected, and just help get information out there regarding financial abuse of elders. We often work closely with other aid agencies, with the ultimate goal in mind of curbing the abuses we see."
"From what I understand, nationwide statistics on these scams that involve seniors are quite shocking, Julia."
"Susan, our research has shown that about sixty percent of all scams in the United States are perpetrated against citizens that are 65 years or older. Sixty percent! Seniors, especially those that live alone, make very appealing targets for con artists."
"Why is that?" Susan asked.
"Let's make it clear that it is not because our senior members of society are more trusting and gullible, or mentally incapable. Certainly that may be the case in some instances. But most of the time, these seniors are simply the victims of very clever, elaborate and devious schemes that many of us would fall for. Because some of these single seniors often don't have support systems around them like family or friends, these criminals think seniors will make easy targets – and they do."
"What different kinds of scams do you see most often?"
"The most common ones we see are bogus home or car repair schemes; mail order or telephone scams; and sometimes the most devastating of all, a sweetheart scam. Our listeners should know that any unsolicited phone call should be met with an immediate hang-up, and any such correspondence through the mail should be tossed in the trash. Sometimes these con artists will show up at the residence of a senior, and will tell them their home or car is in need of an unnecessary repair."
"What usually happens in scams that happen through the mail?" Susan asked.
"Well, sometimes a letter will arrive from a stranger offering large sums of money in return for a 'small' loan or some such 'lending' of finances. They might claim that they are from a foreign country, and have money in a US bank account that they cannot access unless someone pays some unheard-of tax for them. This kind of thing should definitely set off alarm bells."
"What are the statistics regarding how many of these schemes are reported?"
"Sadly, only about 1 in 14 financial elder abuse cases are ever reported, Susan. These seniors are victims of crimes that can be quite devastating not only financially, but emotionally and mentally. Many are also just plain embarrassed to tell someone they were taken in by a con artist. They fear that they will lose their independence as a result, so they stay silent."
"I see. Now, if someone suspects such an abuse has taken place, where can they get help?"
"First of all, if abuse is suspected, it should be reported. Now, sometimes it can be difficult to catch and prosecute the perpetrators because police resources are simply too occupied with other more serious criminal cases. If there is an emotional connection with the abuser, as is sometimes the situation, prosecutors have a hard time compelling the victim to testify. Finally, these con artists are crafty and deceptive. They routinely change identities, addresses, social security numbers – the whole nine yards – in order to escape detection."
"Now, by law," Julia continued, "all states are supposed to provide funding for legal services - free of charge – for people over the age of 60 when dealing with non-criminal matters. This is just one of many avenues available for seniors to get help. We at Senior Sentinels work hard to make sure that our elders know about these services."
Julia went on to list various aid agencies presently at the disposal of seniors, and the necessary contact information. She discussed recent legislation in the government that looked to halt elder abuse, and how Senior Sentinels was in the process of developing programs to train new recruits at the present time.
"You mentioned earlier that these con artists routinely change identities and so on in order to avoid prosecution," Susan said.
"That's right," Julia nodded.
"Our listeners should know that even though this is often the case, they should not get discouraged. I want everyone to know that I have a personal connection to today's topic, as a family member was nearly a victim of a scam that could have left her in serious financial difficulty."
Susan took that opportunity to talk about the doubts she had about 'Eric Norton', and how her investigation of him with Chris Ryan's help turned up unsavoury information about his real identity - Anton Riley - and his activities. She also pointed out the fact that he was still at large, and gave an overall description of him in the hopes that someone knew of his whereabouts.
"If you or someone you know is in a relationship with someone who constantly requests money and/or access to personal property, have that person checked out," Susan said. "Julia, for those listeners out there with seniors in their care, what signs can they look for if they suspect financial abuse is taking place?"
"Well, Susan, we often point to things like sudden changes in a bank account or banking practices. People in banking professions especially should be wary of persons accompanying seniors when they withdraw large sums of money. If you live with a senior, it might be wise to request going over bank statements with them. Look out for unauthorized withdrawal of funds using an elder's ATM card, forged checks, and sudden drops in funds. If check-ups on seniors who live alone aren't that frequent, be on the lookout for the disappearance of valuable possessions, and – this is a big one – changes in a will. You'd be surprised how many families get the shock of a lifetime to find out grandma has left all her savings to someone they've never met before, all because that stranger got sweet on ol' granny, and convinced her to change her will."
Jed's voice came un-obstructively through their headphones reminding Susan of an impending commercial break.
"Thanks for that advice, Julia," Susan said. "We'll be back after these brief messages."
"Now we're going into our call-in section. You're free to answer questions anyone has about Senior Sentinels and so on," Susan said to Julia.
"Sounds good to me."
After a few minutes of commercials, they were back on the air with their first caller.
"We have a caller from Queens," Susan announced, "Marshall, you're on."
"Yes, hi, Dr. Susan; Julia," the caller said.
"Hello, Marshall, what's your question?"
"I've gotten those 'pan pal' sort of letters from Guatemala asking for money. How can I tell if it is really just a poor kid or a scam? If this person really needs help, I don't want to just ignore them… "
"First of all, did you seek out this 'pen pal', as you call it, or did they write to you?" Julia asked.
"Well, I sent my name to this Internet site that said it would match you up with people from Third-World countries who wanted to learn English better. They get to learn how to read and write by being pen pals to people in America."
"So at what point did they start asking for money, Marshall, and more importantly, how much have they been asking for?"
"The last two letters they were saying that things are really bad – they have no money for food and clothes. They asked for $1000 US to help pay off some debts, too."
"I'd say it was a scam," Julia said without hesitation. "The Internet has allowed a proliferation of these kinds of things, and I'd bet dollars to donuts your money will go straight to whomever set up that website, and not to some poor kid in Guatemala."
Another caller asked about letters received in the mail promising a cruise and a hotel in some tropical paradise providing he pay the airfare.
"What you have to ask yourself is this," Julia said, "where did the sender of this 'great offer' get your name and address from? If you send them money for airfare, I guarantee you will never see that tropical paradise. And you won't get that airfare money back, either."
Several more calls came in from people who had questions about possible fraudulent pieces of correspondence, and Susan allowed Julia in her expert judgment to handle them. One caller brought up the fact that while it seemed that males dominated the con artist profile, not all are men.
"You've brought up a good point," Julia said. "While we have no definite statistics on the percentage of males in the fraud business, there are indeed female con artists. Don't just think it's men who do all they preying."
"We've got a caller from Newark now," Susan said, "Jean, you're on."
"I was wondering about that case that happened a few years ago involving that senator, Thomas Shipman, and his housekeeper. Would she be considered a con artist?"
Susan remembered the case. "For those listeners who are unfamiliar with that case, former senator Thomas Shipman had a housekeeper who, from what I understand, was hoping he'd marry her. When he showed no interest in her, she began to slowly poison him, and even tried to frame him for the murder of his young lover. Julia, what's your take on that?"
"I don't think that housekeeper was a con artist in the conventional sense. She wasn't pretending to be something she was not for the purpose of personal gain. But she was still trying to take advantage of her vulnerable employer. I want to make it clear that there are individuals who do indeed marry for money. The more dangerous of these will definitely try to expedite the dying process. So be on the alert for unusual attention elderly single parents are receiving from younger 'admirers'. Having an elderly parent change a will in favour of a new significant other is one thing, but when that significant other has a hand in prematurely ending that elderly parent's life, then we're in serious trouble."
Once again, Jed's voice came through, warning of a commercial break.
"Dr. Susan, let me just say that while majority of all fraud cases are indeed perpetrated against seniors, they are most certainly not limited to the elderly," Julia said in conclusion. "Everyone stands to take the advice we've given on today's show to heart."
"Thanks for all your practical advice, Julia, and for being my guest today." Susan said.
"It's been my pleasure, Dr. Susan."
"Before we end the show, I'd just like to once again give our listeners contact information for Senior Sentinels…"
After the show ended, Julia shook Susan's hand.
"Thanks for the opportunity to get this information out there, Susan," she said.
"You're welcome, Julia, though I should be the one thanking you. As I mentioned, this is a personal topic for me. Your being there to answer questions and give helpful advice was better than anything I might have been able to do. Let's just hope it sticks with our listeners."
"I really hope you nail that S.O.B., Anton Riley. He doesn't sound like the kind of person who is going to give up easily. Good luck on getting him behind bars."
"Thanks. Good luck with Senior Sentinels, too. It's filling a very much needed service."
***
"Hi, Dr. Susan," Dana said, as Susan arrived back at the offices at 12:30. "That was a great show you did today. I had no idea financial elder abuse was so bad."
"That makes two of us," Susan responded.
"I really hope someone catches that loser, Anton Riley."
"So do I," Susan sighed.
"Maybe you should have stayed in law! I'm sure you'd get huge satisfaction if you got to prosecute him."
Susan laughed. "They wouldn't let me near the case. It would be too much of a personal connection. Besides, I get a lot more satisfaction out of this practice than I ever thought I would."
"By the way," Dana stopped her employer, "some flowers were delivered to you just now."
"Flowers?"
"I took the liberty of putting them in your office. Your lunch just arrived as well. Both are on your desk."
"Thank you," Susan said, and noting the curious expression on Dana's face asked: "What?"
The amused smile that tugged at the secretary's lips curled up even higher. "Did you and Dr. Richards have a fight last night?" She asked with a raised eyebrow.
Susan laughed. "Oh, no! Nothing like that. Maybe he's sending me an early birthday present."
"I never knew he was such a romantic guy," Dana said.
"Well, I don't know who else could have sent them. I'll give him a ring." Opening the door to her office, Susan was met with a lovely arrangement of white lilies. Picking up the receiver, she punched in the number for Don's office, knowing he was probably eating his lunch.
"Dr. Richards," he answered, between a mouthful of his meal.
"Hello, 'Dr. Richards'," Susan said playfully. "This is Mrs. Richards calling to thank her wonderful husband for the flowers he sent her today. But unfortunately, she is at a loss as to why they were sent. Is there some special occasion she has forgotten about?"
There was a beat of silence before Don responded.
"Susan, at the risk of sounding terribly unromantic, I didn't send you flowers today."
"Oh," Susan said, somewhat disappointed. "You didn't?"
"I know, I know, I'm an awful husband, sweetheart. A million pardons. But check and see if there's a card attached. I need to know who's hitting on my wife. Can't have competition from some amorous secret admirer."
"Oh, be quiet, you!" Susan teased. "Hmm….I don't see a card. Wait, there's something buried in here by the stems…"
There was another beat of silence.
"Susan?" Don asked.
"Well, I know for sure you didn't send it," Susan said flatly.
"What is it? Is there a card?"
"Yes. It seems I've just been the victim of one of the many kooks out there with too much time on their hands."
"What does it say?" Don quietly demanded, an edge of anxiety in his voice.
"Nothing. Don't worry about it. It's just someone's idea of a stupid joke."
"For God's sake, Susan - "
"Okay," Susan sighed, "I'll tell you. It says: 'Ask Dr. Susan if she thinks she has much longer to live'. See? It's probably just some listener who gets off on writing junk like this. Look, it's something you've got to expect with the publicity of the radio show…"
Don realised the phone was clenched tightly in his fist. "I'm calling the police."
"You're not taking this seriously, are you?" Susan asked, almost feeling Don's emotional tension through the phone line.
You need to know that you're in danger.
The words spoken to Susan by the strange woman the day before suddenly thrust themselves to the fore. Could this possibly be a sign of what Claire was talking about? Susan thought. Doubting her original assessment that the message on the card was an empty and idle threat, she found herself agreeing to allow Don to contact the police.