by A. L. Jambor
When Mindy went home to Baby Girl, she was greeted by a very annoyed little terrier. She immediately took Baby Girl outside. Before she went to bed, she put the meat she had saved for Baby Girl in the fridge for the dog’s breakfast the next day.
When Mindy hit the pillow that night, she prayed to God that this place was okay. She wanted to feel safe. She was sick of being afraid, and as Baby Girl snuggled next to her, Mindy relaxed and drifted off to sleep.
CHRISTINA BLAIR
Chapter 6
Wilmer and March Pharmaceuticals recruited Christina Blair during her senior year at Princeton. Christie had created a fertilizer that not only produced hardy plants, but also repelled the pests that liked to destroy them.
When Christie graduated, Wilmer and March paid Princeton for the rights to Christie’s discovery, gave Christie a research position in their Tampa, Florida research facility, and also took care of Christie’s student loans as payment for her part in the creation of their newfound gold mine. At 22, Christie was on her way.
Christie bought a townhouse in Tampa’s Carrollwood section. She also spoiled herself with a new car, a Lexus, and bought clothing she could only dream of as a student working at Starbucks. Now she had a six-figure salary with benefits and stock options.
Christie’s parents were beaming as they told everyone they knew that it was their Christie who had created that wonderful fertilizer, the fertilizer that would change the world!
Wilmer and March had built a state-of-the-art laboratory on a piece of property they’d acquired in a rural area north of Tampa. The lab was like a playground to Christie. They had spared no expense, and Christie was free to experiment to her heart’s content. She knew that eventually she would have to produce something viable, but for now she would continue to coast on the success of the creation that had given her this great life.
Christie met Neil Cramer at a New Year’s Eve party thrown by one of her colleagues. He was tall, with great big blue eyes and brown hair. They fell in love quicly and married the following June.
Neil was a struggling criminal attorney in Tampa. He had a small office with two rooms, one for him and one for his legal assistant. He barely broke even as his clients more often than not were destitute, and his natural compassion led him to go above and beyond to help them. This left little time for developing a more stable client base. Christie’s income allowed him to pursue his passion for the underdog.
Christie believed that someday Neil would tire of the ingratitude of the masses, and join a firm that would pay him a regular salary. Despite Neil’s blind spot regarding drug addicts and alcoholics, Christie truly loved him. She could see herself with Neil forever. He truly was her soul mate.
The following June, Christie learned she was pregnant. As a scientist, the whole process of gestation was fascinating to her. Neil tried to share her enthusiasm, but the best he could do was rub her back and feet while pretending to listen.
Neil was prepping for a trial at the Hillsborough County Courthouse. The client was amazingly guilty, and just how Neil would keep this guy out of jail was occupying his mind as Christie talked about her pregnancy.
Their baby girl was born on Valentine’s Day. She was a blonde, blue-eyed wonder they named Haley. Christie and Neil were both smitten with their little baby. After Christie went back to work six weeks later, Neil took charge of picking up little Haley from daycare.
When Haley was six months old, Neil picked her up from daycare during a terrible downpour. Neil was sideswiped by a drunk driver and forced off the road. He couldn’t stop the car and couldn’t see where he was going. The car went down an embankment and rolled over several times.
Haley’s baby seat strap came loose, and the infant was slammed between the floor and the roof of the car over and over again. When the car landed upside down, Neil’s head was crushed by the roof of the car. Haley died a short time later from extreme head trauma and internal injuries.
Christie thought it was the rain that was keeping Neil, so she didn't call 911 right away. She thought he might have pulled off the road until it let up, but when she tried to reach his cell, it went to voicemail. She tried to keep her thoughts positive. By eight o’clock that evening, she began to feel panic rising in her chest. She hadn’t heard from Neil and she still couldn’t raise him on the phone. She called 911.
The rain impeded the search for Neil and Haley. When the police came to the door four hours later, Christie knew the news was bad. The officer’s grim expressions said it all. She maintained her composure until they asked her to come down to the hospital to identify the bodies. That was all Christie heard as she fell to the floor and passed out.
In the months after the funerals, Christie worked only sporadically. She had no interest in research and even less in money. When they had married, she and Neil had purchased a life insurance policy worth $500,000. With the payout from the life insurance policy and the money from the equity in their home, Christie could live comfortably for a long time in less pricey digs.
She gave Wilmer and March her emailed resignation and drove to the Keys, where she bought a tiny cottage big enough for one. For weeks she spent her days in a folding lounge chair nursing a watered down margarita and avoiding eye contact with her neighbors.
Christie started to feel restless as time went by. She was a pragmatic soul - she was a scientist after all - and she knew that work, any type of work, would distract her from her misery. She applied at the local Starbucks and was hired immediately. She was working the bar one afternoon when Jacob Wilmer walked through the door and ordered a double espresso.
Christie recognized Jacob. Once a year he would appear at the company Christmas party. He was older, but it was definitely him. He looked at her and smiled.
Jacob told her he’d been looking for her. He said he had a special project that needed a scientist, especially a scientist with her background. Jacob wanted her to work the on project for him.
Christie eyed him suspiciously. She had to admit she was curious, but she didn’t know if she was ready to go back to that kind of high-pressure environment. Jacob gave her his card and asked her to call him when she was ready to learn more.
Two weeks later, Christie found herself in Jacob’s beach house Palm Beach.
“What I’m going to tell you must be held in strictest confidence.” Jacob told her, as he handed her a confidentiality agreement. He made her sign it before he would disclose the details of his offer.
It seemed that Jacob Wilmer was a bit of an eccentric; an eccentric with unlimited funds. He had a large, extended family in New Jersey and New York. There were 200 members to be exact. He believed that a holocaust of some kind was on the horizon, and he was determined to protect his line.
Jacob owned a large piece of land in Palm Harbor. The property was a few miles south of Tampa. He told Christie that he was building an underground city, a place where his family could live in safety on that property. The city would have everything they needed.
The main floor of the facility would have small houses for each family member and a communal dining room. He would stock it with food and supplies, clothing, furniture, or anything else they might need for the immediate and distant future. There would be a farm with animals and large tract of land for farming. Christie couldn’t fathom the size of this “city.”
Jacob offered her the job of supervising the building of the vegetable farm. He said her expertise with fertilizer, coupled with the fact that she had no apparent family ties made the match ideal. When asked why he mentioned her family ties, Jacob said she would have to live in the city while she was working. She would be unable to communicate with anyone in her family while underground. Christie said she did have parents, and Jacob offered to compensate them if it would help her make a decision.
When Christie went home that day, she called her parents, Toni and Don. Her parents listened to Christie say that she had been offered a great opportunity to work in her field, but she wouldn't be able t
o communicate with them for a while. She lied and told them she would be entering a biosphere in Hawaii.
Toni and Don were thrilled for Christie. They hadn't heard their daughter sound so alive in months. They said they understood and gave her their blessing.
Three days later Christie met with an attorney to sign a will and durable power of attorney naming her parents as beneficiaries. She gave her attorney, Michael Crane, a key to her house and asked him to look after it for her.
As her legal counsel and so sworn to uphold confidentiality, she told him where she would be and whom she was working for. Michael cautioned her against doing it as it sounded a little too weird to him, but Christie was firm in her decision. She thanked him, handed him a $25,000 retainer, and left.
GERALD TODD
Chapter 7
Gerald Todd had been a researcher at Wilmer and March in New Jersey for 10 years. He was a tall, lean man with a receding hairline and horn-rimmed glasses. When they opened their new Tampa facility, he was invited to go to Florida.
Gerald had been hired as a research assistant when he graduated from Monmouth University. He had developed an interest in animal sciences while working for Wilmer and March Pharmaceuticals.
Gerald studied for his veterinary degree nights and worked days. He envisioned himself a warrior of science, eschewing sleep, driving himself to work harder and longer than anyone else in the lab. When he got his second degree, he approached his supervisor about consideration for a promotion. When a position opened up in the animal labs, Gerald received his promotion.
While working in the animal labs, Gerald established himself as an arrogant taskmaster, alienating his fellow researchers, and causing general disharmony within the lab. No one liked him. Even the animals seemed to back away when Gerald walked by their cages.
Gerald ate alone in the cafeteria, stood alone at company parties, and in general had no social interaction with anyone at Wilmer and March. Gerald Todd was a very lonely man.
One year the company held a party to celebrate the fiftieth anniversary of the company. Gerald arrived on time and took up his usual spot by the elevator door. He knew if things went the way they usually did, after an hour he could board the elevator and go home, having made the requisite appearance. Then he noticed a woman across the room – a beautiful blond talking animatedly to a man who seemed to hang on her every word.
The woman had a glass of wine in one hand and a cigarette in the other. Gerald screwed up the courage to go over to her. He awkwardly gained her attention by tapping her shoulder. She turned and smiled at him.
Her name was Arlene and she had a small sweet Southern accent. Gerald was hooked the minute she opened her mouth. Not having much experience with women, Gerald stammered on about his work with animals and his research in general. When he noticed that Arlene’s attention was flagging, he offered to take her to his lab. For reasons he couldn’t fathom, she agreed to go with him, but first she would need a refill.
When Arlene, saw Gerald’s lab she assumed he was the supervisor. She did the math in her head and decided he might be worth her time. He was cute in an ordinary way, and he obviously had a little money because he wore good shoes. Arlene flirted a little with Gerald. She could see him blush, which spurred her on. She touched his arm and she felt him shudder.
Arlene knew the effect she had on men, and she used it to her advantage regularly, but this guy was different. He was no kid, but he seemed totally inexperienced with women. She took Gerald’s hands and placed them on her waist. She then put her arms around his neck and drew him to her. She kissed him lightly at first, then harder. Gerald wrapped his arms around her and held her tightly.
After a few minutes, Arlene pulled away and asked Gerald for a pen and his business card. She wrote her phone number on the back and left Gerald standing in the lab. He was hooked, and she knew it. In time he would call and she would answer.
Gerald had purchased a home in Oldsmar, Florida. The house was a one-story stucco ranch with a bedroom on each side of the house and two full bathrooms. It had a living room in the front and a kitchen in the back. Gerald lived a frugal life. His shoes and one good suit were his only indulgences. As such, he had made the final payment on his mortgage just before he met Arlene.
Gerald felt he was financially secure enough to marry. That, coupled with his feelings for Arlene sent him to the jeweler’s the following day. It was the most impulsive thing he’d ever done, but he really liked Arlene and even though he had only known her for two months, he wanted to marry her. He wanted her to belong to him. He wanted someone for himself so that he wouldn’t be alone anymore.
Gerald brought Arlene to his house a week later. He was ready to make a commitment. He’d arranged for dinner at Arlene’s favorite restaurant. When he brought out the ring, Arlene feigned surprise and said yes. She hugged him close and played her part well. She drank a bit more than she usually did in front of Gerald, but this was a celebration, after all.
Arlene was a bank manager. She specialized in schmoozing customers over three-martini lunches. She convinced Gerald that she could handle their finances. Gerald had no reason to distrust her.
At first Gerald didn’t check the bank statements. He took an allowance with each paycheck as he always had and believed that Arlene was paying the bills. With their combined incomes, they should have a nice nest egg put aside within a couple of years.
Gerald had been working for Wilmer and March for fifteen years. His last promotion was ten years before. He enjoyed his life and his position. No one was breathing down his neck or pushing him to produce. But Arlene kept “encouraging” him to ask for a raise, but Gerald knew that he hadn’t produced anything relevant since he’d taken over the animal sciences lab and he didn’t feel it would be prudent to ask for more money right now. When he mentioned this to Arlene, she would look away and head for the kitchen. He could hear the refrigerator door open and wine pouring into a glass.
On a Wednesday afternoon, Gerald knocked on his supervisor’s door. He had finally given in to Arlene and was going to ask for a raise, if for no other reason than his 15 years of dedicated service. His boss Jake Rawlings, told him to come in. He was a short, angry looking man with bushy eyebrows and a five o’clock shadow.
Jake was sitting at his desk, looking at his computer. He spoke with a heavy North Jersey accent and liked to carry around little bottles of rum. He motioned for Gerald to sit.
Jake asked Gerald what he could do for him and Gerald said he would like a raise. He told Jake he’d been there for 15 years, how he always came in under budget, how clean his lab was, how well cared for his animals were. Jake studied Gerald for a moment before speaking.
He told Gerald that he was aware of Gerald’s dedicated service. He had recently been going over Gerald’s files. Jake told Gerald that his file had been pulled because they were looking to downsize the department and since Gerald hadn’t produced one damn thing in the last 10 years, he was being considered for termination. The only thing that kept him on was his length of service.
Jake went on to say that they had wanted to give him a large severance pay and find a replacement willing to take Gerald’s current salary, but it was proving problematic. It seemed the young people coming out of college expected quite a bit more than his current $80,000 salary. Young vets with college loans were looking to start at at least 100K. Jake suggested that Gerald go back to his lab and think over his request. Jake even suggested he take the afternoon off.
Gerald listened to Jake’s suggestion and left the building. He went to Shorty's, a local tavern in his neighborhood, and drank five vodka martinis. Gerald wasn’t used to drinking and didn’t realize just how far along he was. All he wanted was to go home and be with Arlene, who should be home from work by now. He got up from the bar and took his keys out of his pocket.
Gerald dropped his keys twice while walking towards the door. The girl at the door asked if he wanted her to call a cab for him. Gerald politely declined. He
got into his car and started the engine.
As he drove, his car seemed to be going to the left all the time. He would jerk the steering wheel to right it. About a mile from Shorty's, Gerald saw the cruiser lights in his rearview mirror. Gerald pulled to the right and stopped the car.
The officer came alongside and asked him for his license and insurance. He asked Gerald to get out of the car and to walk a straight line. The cop cuffed Gerald and booked him into the Hillsborough County Jail.
Gerald called Arlene to pick him up and he used his triple A card to post his $250 bail. Arlene sounded annoyed but she met him at the jail door and took him home. When they got into the house, Gerald noticed dishes in the sink and the house in disarray.
He asked Arlene what had happened and she told him she’d been off that day and hadn’t had a chance to clean up before he got home. The booze was wearing off, and Gerald was feeling tired. It was just after two in the morning. He said they would discuss it in the morning.
Gerald woke up the next day with a splitting headache. He wanted to call out of work, but after yesterday he didn’t dare. Arlene was still in bed.
He looked at the clock. It was well past 7:30. Gerald was usually in the lab by this time, so he didn’t know when Arlene usually left the house. He assumed she had to be at work by 8 a.m. He shook her to wake her, and she pushed his hand away. He yelled her name and she told him to shut up. Gerald didn’t know what to do. Arlene had never been this way before.
Finally, Gerald got out of bed. He had to steady himself from the throbbing in his head. He walked over to Arlene’s side of the bed, shook her, and lifted her up into a sitting position. Arlene balled up her fist and punched Gerald in the eye.