The Human Syndrome: A John Logan Action and Adventure Mystery Thriller Novel (Logan's Mysteries Book 1)

by AJ Newman

  I tugged at Bubba’s sleeve. “I need some police protection. There were some things stolen, and my Porsche was vandalized.”

  “You’re lucky she didn’t cut your pecker off. That was a wild one and don’t worry, she’s gone. The hussy tried to hook up with one of my married deputies, and I ran her off the island. She met a biker from California over at Gulf Shores and is halfway to the Pacific Ocean now. You know I take care of my friends.”

  Then I mentioned the situation at the bar. Bubba whispered, “My campaign fund is getting low, and I’ll have to spend a lot of time out begging for donations. I don’t know if I’ll be able to watch for the last girlfriend and this ‘Rooshian’ feller.”

  I wrote Bubba a check for a thousand dollars. “Bubba, I ain’t scared of Meagan, but the Russian guy set the hairs on the back of my neck to wobbling. Can some of your boys teach him some manners?”

  “It’ll be done quicker if my boys can get a couple of freebies over at Long John’s.”

  Crap, Doc will be pissed because in Bubba speak, that meant free alcohol and food. The Mafia isn’t the only group that extorts protection money from innocent business owners. “Bring your wife over tonight. Drinks and dinner are on me. Tell your boys two free meals and drinks for them and their wives or girlfriends.”

  “Why, thank you, John. You didn’t have to do that. Tell Doc to have two thick ribeyes ready to grill around seven.”

  “Dad, you let him think I’m your girlfriend.”

  There was a twinkle in my eye. “And tonight, when he shows up to scarf down some free beer and steaks, we’ll make a fool out of him in front of his friends. He’ll tell the entire island about my new girlfriend.”

  “Dad, that’s just mean. You like stirring the pot.”

  “It’s what I do. Kinda like a cat toying with a mouse.” Yep, crap stirring done dirt cheap.

  “You sure keep Eric in turmoil. He is so jealous of you.”

  “Why? He’s rich, and I’m just a teacher. He gives your mom everything. I’m just a teacher.”

  Her eyes glistened. “Dad, you’re recognized as one of the best chemistry professors in the country. You’ve won awards. You have a bazillion patents and started a world-renowned company with Uncle Mike.”

  “I still feel like a failure. I sold half of the company to buy a nice home for your mom, and my marriage went to crap. I only see my kids once a month or so, and I scramble to pay my child support and your tuition.”

  “Dad, you have two things that Eric will never have. Mom’s love and Alex’s and my love and respect. Dad, we’re grown and want to spend time with our friends. You can’t take us in tow to the beach or national parks like ten-year-olds anymore. We both love our time with you, but please start treating us like adults.”

  Rewind! Whoa! “Your mom still loves me? Then why did she have an affair with Eric?”

  “Dad, that’s above my paygrade. I think she did it to get you to pull your nose out of the lab and pay more attention to her. It kills her to know you’re with Meagan, a woman half her age.”

  “Please make sure Mom knows that I tossed Meagan out.”

  “I already texted her.”

  “Spy.”

  “Dad, that body worries me. There’s been a rash of missing black men and women from Pritchard. The paper will be running an article tomorrow, suggesting there’s a serial killer loose in the area.”

  “Hon, we have too much on our plate to worry about. I need to fill you in on your new job.”

  “I’ll like working with Doc at the grill. I’ll bet I get more tips than Meagan did.”

  I’ll bet she would. Cindy was good looking and fun to be around. The men would love her. “You’ll be my lab assistant on a project working for Uncle Mike at New Wave Labs.”

  “That’s weird. New Wave turned me down for a summer intern’s position.”

  “I know. Our company installed the machinery and reaction process, but New Wave can’t get the process up to full capacity. Mike gets it working, and then it goes to crap when he leaves. He’s hired me to babysit the operation. We’ll be watching the process around the clock for the next two weeks or more. What do you think about that?”

  “Dad, I can make two hundred a day on weekends at the grill and over a hundred on weekdays.”

  Damn, I was in a trap. Piss Doc and Tally off or help my daughter. I kicked the can down the road. “Cindy, I need someone I can trust. I’ll pay you twenty per hour, twelve hours a day for a guaranteed fourteen days, and then make sure you work for me as long as you want this summer to earn the rest of the money.”

  My daughter hugged me and then put out her hand. “That’s a deal.” We shook hands while I cursed myself, but now I had two weeks to come up with work for Cindy.

  I didn’t go over to the grill to stir up Bubba. I did tell Doc and Tally about the situation, and they were eager to set Bubba up and then pull the rug out from under him. Tally mentioned the cute young thing and I were spending the evening alone together. Then Doc lowered the hammer when he told everyone in the restaurant that my daughter was visiting for the summer and to make her feel at home. Tally later said to me that Bubba’s face was Alabama crimson the rest of the night. I knew I’d catch hell from Bubba, but it was worth stirring the pot.

  Chapter 10

  Dauphine Island

  Cindy and I stayed up too late, reviewing the documents Mike provided for the process. Then we talked about her schooling, her boyfriend, and life in general. It was the first time we’d had a substantial conversation. Apparently, treating her as an equal instead of my kid worked. I now wanted to meet her boyfriend. You’d be proud of me because I didn’t try to give her the sex talk or ask if she used protection.

  I woke at five-thirty and scrambled to get a shower. I was shocked to see Cindy dressed and enjoying a cup of coffee. I gave her a kiss on the forehead and rushed through showering and getting dressed. “Hon, could you pour me a cup while I shine my shoes?”

  I usually wore my running shoes to work. The Altra Olympics had a thick sole and helped me stand on my feet most of the day. I didn’t really run but did walk on the beach year round.

  “Have you met Beth?”

  “No, does she work with Uncle Mike?”

  “Yes, and owns some stock in the company. Beth is becoming the Operating Officer for the chemical manufacturing end of the business. James Beaumont manages the equipment side.”

  “Dad, let me guess. Knowing Uncle Mike, she’s homely and in his words – can bite a punkin through a picket fence, wears her hair in a bun, and fifty pounds overweight.”

  “Hon, Mike is all business at work and says he doesn’t dip his pen into company ink.”

  She chuckled. “Well, at least that’s much better visually. So, my Uncle Mike behaves himself at work and doesn’t have a girlfriend for his assistant?”

  “No, he’s very good at work. What he does away from work is his own business. Let’s go! You can drive.”

  “Then, I’m driving your Porsche.”

  I grabbed the keys from the hook and tossed them to her. Trust was not my strength back then. I kept thinking that paint and twisted metal was not important when compared to my daughter. She carefully backed my 1957 Porsche Speedster out of the garage. The $75,000 car was beautiful in the morning sunlight. The silver exterior contrasted well against the oxblood leather interior. The black ragtop was down, and Cindy looked like a movie star.

  “Kid, try not to total my baby. I’d ….”

  The engine roared to life, tires squealed, and my tires lost a lot of rubber as she raced down Logan Avenue. to Bienville Boulevard. Before I could get her attention, she slowed down and drove more responsibly.

  “Dad, if you could’ve seen your face. I’ll drive your baby in a much more responsible way. Thanks for trusting me.”

  My veins had been close to bursting, and my heart didn’t calm down for a while. “I knew you were screwing with me. Of course, I trust you.” My fingers were crossed, and my
butt cheeks clenched the red oxblood leather.

  Joe’s was just south of Highway 10 on Highway 193. The area had recently gone through a gentrification phase, and Joe’s was upscale for the area. It was the only nice restaurant that served breakfast in the area. We arrived at six forty, and Cindy wisely parked my baby away from the other cars. I pointed to the black SUV. “Mike and Beth are already here.”

  The maître d’ welcomed us, calling out my name. “Thank you, George. This is my daughter, Cindy, and we’re joining Mister Newburn.”

  “I have them in the red room. Mister Newburn asked for privacy for your meeting.”

  We entered the room, and Mike saw his goddaughter. “Well, dip me in crap! I didn’t know Cindy was in town.” He rushed over and gave her a bear hug, lifting her off the ground.

  Beth said, “ I hope you don’t get bored listening to our business.”

  I interrupted. “Beth, this is Cindy, my daughter, and assistant for this project. She has a Master’s Degree in Material Science and NanoEngineering from Rice and will be entering her doctorate program at Rice next semester. I lucked out and stole her for the summer. Cindy, Beth is our Chemical Operations Manager and Mike’s right arm lady on this project.”

  Beth extended her hand. “I was worried John would have trouble finding a qualified person with such short notice. You’ll do nicely.”

  Beth dragged Cindy off to the powder room to do who knows what while I brought Mike up on my decision to use Cindy. Mike kept nodding, and honestly, I expected him to nix the idea. That would make me look like crap to Cindy. “John, stop selling me on Cindy. I’ve followed my goddaughter’s college career and planned to make her an offer to join the company this summer. I hoped to have her work at our plant in Theodore, but this is better. I smell a rat at New Wave, and we need people watching them who we trust. I’d like to back out of our deal but have to stay, or we’re out a million bucks. Someone is sabotaging the operation.”

  Mike was like a firehose trying to drown me as he forced info into my little brain before they returned. “I don’t want to scare Cindy off, and I wouldn’t let you or Cindy work there if I thought there was any danger.”

  “I agree, and I think I’ll have a good idea what’s going on before I turn her loose. I would never let you put her in danger.”

  I stopped when the ladies returned. Beth then took over the meeting and went over most of the same information Mike covered. She did go into much more detail about the nanotechnology part of the operation, which piqued my interest.

  She droned on. “The actual process we’re helping them with is the manufacture of polymers to be used to produce Nanorobots that can be injected into the bloodstream and cure various diseases. The polymers have a molecular structure that enables them to be programmed to attack specified viruses or malignant cells. Well, that’s their goal.”

  Cindy was literally on the edge of her seat. “My understanding is the so-called robots are actually molecules designed to overwhelm the targeted cells by the sheer volume and don’t seek out the cell. Rather, when they bump into one, they react and kill the cell by attaching themselves to the target cell. We’re a long way from actual robots following a program at the microscopic level.”

  Beth frowned. “I think Brunner’s lab might be far more advanced over the rest of the world. You have just become our in-house expert. Teach your dad to look for any irregularities.”

  I felt like the dumb kid with the dunce’s cap. “I thought the process we were to watch over was purely a reaction producing a new kind of polymer to be used in the production of those robots. Is there something I need to know?”

  Mike jumped into the conversation again. “This is an abundance of caution. We’re looking at everything in the building. I want to know where the utilities and manpower are used. Brunner has several different operations. Our deal was a flat fee, then incentives based on a mutually agreed upon operation’s budget. It could only be Brunner trying not to pay our incentives, and the process actually works as planned.”

  The light bulb glowed brightly in my brain. “Thanks, now I understand the potential for non-process issues. I’m going to add another set of eyes to work with us. I’ll pay out of my earnings.”

  Mike’s eyes lit up, and a smile came over his face. “Tell me more.”

  “I have an ex-student that was the best I’ve ever taught who has a lot of real world experience. I think she could perhaps find non-process issues that the rest of us would miss. She spent three years in Military Intelligence and served as a detective for JAG her last year.”

  “We’ll cover her cost. The cost is negligible compared to the possible losses we could have,” Mike said before realizing he’d said it in front of Cindy.

  “I know what we’re paying you, but what are you paying, Cindy?”

  Beth tugged on Mike’s arm. He pushed her hand away. I replied, “Thirty per hour with fourteen days’ pay guaranteed.”

  “Good, I’ll bump your pay to you to cover taxes, etc.”

  Cindy gazed at me with a knowing look and thanked us all for trusting her to handle her part. Mike then turned to Beth and then Cindy. “Cindy, we’ve been following your college career and want to hire you into the company as a full-time research assistant. Since you’ll be going away to school, the pay will only be $30,000 per year until you get your doctorate. I know this is an odd situation, but we have a weakness in the nanotechnology field, and you could advise us from time to time while you finish your doctoral program. You won’t have to join us when you graduate, but I promise we’ll make a very competitive offer at that time.”

  Beth’s looks could kill Mike, but he was the owner, and Beth only had five percent of the company as I did. What Mike said goes.

  Chapter 11

  New Wave LLC – Mobile Aeroplex at Brookley

  I could tell Cindy was surprised by the offer. “I don’t know what to say, Uncle Mike. I’d be a resource for free when you need me. You don’t have to pay me.”

  “Yes, we do have to pay you because we’ll pass your salary on to the customer. I’m not trying to be nice. Think about it. I’d probably have to pay $150,000 or more for a person capable of steering us in the right direction. I get you and your university resources much cheaper. If you don’t know the answer, you can steer us to the correct professor to assist us. Money well spent. Then if you like our company in a couple of years, we start you on as a research scientist and let you decide your own career path.”

  I added my two cents. “Cindy, that is a great offer, but take some time and think it through before answering.”

  Cindy reached out for Mike’s hand. “I want to hear my responsibilities and duties but will tentatively accept. Will I be paid monthly?”

  Darn, the kid moves quickly. Sorry, now she’s her own woman and grown to boot. I feel old. My daughter was very sure of herself and conducted herself likewise. I was proud of her.

  Mike looked at me and then back to Cindy. “Well, that makes it easy. We’ll put something in writing, but the bottom line is during the school year, you only need to respond promptly to our needs for information. During the summer, you work full time for us. You’ll be paid monthly by direct deposit. I’ll introduce you to our office manager later today.”

  We left the diner, and Cindy followed Mike to the New Wave Lab. Cindy could barely keep her joy contained. “Dad, I’ll be making my own money and can tell Eric to kiss my ass. I know Uncle Mike will treat me right, but what do you know about Beth?”

  “Mike hired her about five years ago, and she seems competent.”

  “She started out warm and caring and then shifted to being quite the cold fish when Uncle Mike made the offer. Hey, is Uncle Mike bonking her?”

  My head snapped around, intending to be serious. I broke out in a grin. “They both say no, but their behavior says yes.”

  Cindy turned my Porsche into New Wave’s parking lot and parked. We hadn’t hit anything yet.

  Mike stopped at the doorwa
y. “I’ll make introductions and do most of the talking.”

  Dr. Brunner and a woman in a lab coat met us in the hallway. Beth moved so I could move forward in the small hall as Mike shook Brunner’s hand. Brunner extended his hand when Mike said my name and then made a strange face. “Cynthia Logan, I should have known you were related to the famous John Logan, sleuth, and chemistry professor. You were our number one choice to be one of our interns, but the boss’s nephew got the job. You are very impressive.”

  Brunner still had a puzzled look on his face when Mike said, “I brought Cindy and John Logan in to watch the process and help determine what’s hampering the effort to attain the promised production goal. John is a part owner in the business, and Cindy is our resident expert on nanotechnology and material science. Can you give John and Cindy a tour while we tag along?”

  “Doctor Logan, I’ve heard of you but didn’t know you were an expert in the manufacture of polymers for nanotechnology.”

  “I’m not. I’m just a chemistry professor and mainly grade papers. However, I’m an excellent observer and own part of the company. The most important thing is Mike trusts me.”

  Brunner frowned. “Of course. Follow me.”

  We started to leave the office for the floor when I saw a woman in an office with my student Jane Beam. They suddenly stood up, and Jane left with a frown on her face. I’d had a brief thought that maybe Jane could perform double duty. We needed all the intel on this lab we could get. I didn’t like the frown.

  Brunner gave the most detailed tour and explanation of the process that I had ever been forced to endure. Cindy and I’d spent a couple of hours the night before reviewing the chemical process and the equipment used to create the polymer, which would be the base for the microrobots. I had to admit the more extensive process was as close to duplicating the original small batch process as possible.