That's what I am afraid of. I am very uncomfortable with the culture of conniving and suspicion that seems to be rampant here.
And I only say "probably" because it sounds like you're looking for a local W-2 gig, and there are some places (e.g. rural Idaho) where there's likely to be a shortage of potential employers.
Elsewhere, consider "any company with senior programmers to report to" as a location which is probably hiring, or at least entertaining applicants - regardless of what any public listings may say about what openings exist, or how much experience or what madcap assortment of skills any job postings say that they'd like (yes, like).