Firuzeh snorted…and then lost control again and erupted in laughter as tears ran down her face.
Gabriel smiled. “Told you so.” He left to speak to the pilot. Moments later everyone felt the jet engines spin up, pushing the aircraft to its fastest cruising speed of 606 mph as it raced north.
Chapter 95
It didn’t take long for the threesome to track down the right phone number for Dr. Katiakan. She had several offices, but it became clear that almost no one was around on a Sunday. Raimy suspected the famous research doctor, juggling multiple high-profile positions, was likely in her lab doing the research work she loved. He was correct.
Dr. Katiakan was at her lab late Sunday afternoon, but the receptionist, who was a research assistant pulling double duty on the weekend, refused to put a call through to her famous, busy boss.
Firuzeh refused to give up…or give in.
“Young lady, I appreciate how well you are doing your job – protecting Dr. Katiakan from distractions. So, let me give you an option. Do you have a pen?” asked Firuzeh from her smartphone that was tapped into the jet’s Wi-Fi.
“I do, but…”
Firuzeh spoke over her. “This is Firuzeh Patel. My husband is Asrani Patel. You have my number already, correct?”
“Yes, but…”
“You will give the following message to Dr. Katiakan and I’ll wait a few minutes for her to return my call. Here is the message, are you ready?”
“Please, I can’t just…”
“You can…and you will. Here it is. Make sure you get this right. Dr. Katiakan, Asrani Patel is my husband. I have 101 million reasons to talk to you. Please call me immediately…or you will lose out on all 101 million reasons. Did you get that?”
“Yes, Mrs. Patel…but…”
“Please read it back,” Firuzeh insisted, and the postdoc did so. “Good. Thank you. Now, unless you want Dr. Katiakan’s lab, and your job, to vanish from the face of the earth, I strongly suggest you pass that message along right now. I promise you, your precious doctor, will not hold it against you. Got it?”
“Yes, Mrs. Patel. I understand.” The postdoc hung up and folded the message in half and thought, Fucking rich pushy asshole bitch.
Firuzeh clicked off the call and looked at the two men in the Learjet cabin. “I hope that works.”
“All we can do is wait. We better start planning. If all goes well, we’ll be face-to-face with the famous researcher in just a few hours,” Gabriel said.
“If she’s in on this then aren’t we putting ourselves in danger?” Raimy asked.
“Yes. We’ll be walking into a trap,” she looked at Gabriel and asked, “You have your firearm, right?”
Gabriel nodded.
“Oh, right. So, you’re gonna shoot her? Jesus, Mary, and Joseph. What if she’s clueless about all this?” Raimy asked.
Firuzeh answered. “It’s possible. Dr. Katiakan may just be the beneficiary of Asrani’s bank heist. Totally innocent. But she could also be in on it…just not all the way.”
“Whaddya mean?” Raimy asked.
“She could be in on it…a pivotal player, you know…for the research and the money part…but not someone dishing out kill orders,” Firuzeh said.
“What’s your plan if she is innocent?” Raimy asked, and Gabriel looked up, too.
“I’m inclined to walk away. I avenged Asrani. I don’t care to implicate Pilgrim Trust or myself. On top of that, you both know I can’t have kids, right? If this research can reverse infertility, then it should go forward...and not just for the rich and powerful. But it has to start somewhere. I realize that sounds self-serving, but that’s where I stand. The money should be returned, though. I don’t know how…but it’s blood money. What about you two? We cannot be divided. This must be unanimous.”
“If Dr. Katiakan is innocent then I’ll walk away, too. Pablo’s killer got his…I blame both Paolucci and Forbes for that. I’m pretty sure Keeler’s dead…or close to it. They got what they deserved. If the money is returned won’t Asrani and Pilgrim Trust be implicated?”
“Maybe. Probably. I don’t know…but it’s the right thing to do,” Firuzeh said.
Gabriel and Firuzeh looked at Raimy.
He was pacing up and down the short jet aisle. “My career in pathology is probably over…at least in Massachusetts. But I can take Tanzler down with me. I’ve got video of him planting evidence. The people who tried to kill me are all dead.”
Gabriel could tell there was something more on Raimy’s mind. “Okay…but?”
“But, I guess, it’s my turn to be self-serving…”
“What do you mean?” asked Firuzeh.
“I discovered that chemical anomaly…no one else did…I can’t help feel like I deserve some credit for that.”
Firuzeh let out a long sigh. “Raimy, think! Gabriel runs a PR firm. He can get your discovery published and promote it…without delving into this conspiracy mess.”
“Son of gun!” Raimy said.
“The penny finally drops,” Gabriel muttered, grinning.
“So, are we united? If Katiakan is a bystander, then we’re done. Return the money…and walk away. Agreed?”
Both men nodded.
“What if she’s just as complicit as Asrani or Forbes? Then what?” asked Gabriel.
Firuzeh’s facial muscles tightened. “Then we take her down.”
“Wait. Take her down? Murder?” Raimy asked.
Firuzeh answered quickly. “That’s not my first choice.”
Gabriel cut in. “Let’s cross that bridge if we come to it. We have to see how she reacts to us.”
Firuzeh’s smartphone trilled and vibrated, shivering across the jet’s cabin table. Everyone stared at it for a moment before Firuzeh picked it up and answered.
“Hello? This is Firuzeh Patel. Who’s calling?”
“Good evening, Mrs. Patel. It’s Dr. Katiakan. I received your message. I understand you’re Asrani’s…excuse me…Mr. Patel’s wife. Is that correct?”
“Yes, yes, it is, Dr. Katiakan. Thank you for calling me back. It is very important that we meet. As soon as possible.”
Chapter 96 – Teaneck, NJ
Inside the Katiakan Research Lab the internationally famous fertility scientist slammed down the phone in her private, fortified lab, two levels below ground.
Goddammit!
She quickly replaced a rack of test tubes containing embryos into one of the many cryopreservation tanks. She walked to the other end of the crowded room and checked the life support systems for twelve incubation pods.
You have been born anew...you are our salvation.
She walked to the door and looked over the room.
I don’t know what this Patel bitch is up to. I’ve got to call Smeets.
She cut the lights, swiped her security key, punched in the exit code, and waited for the reinforced door to open before stepping out of the ultra-secure research room. She paused to make certain it closed securely before stripping out of her scrubs and taking the pass card-protected elevator up to her office.
Nia marched passed the reception area and snapped at her postdoc. “You can go. I need to be alone.”
“Am I fired?” The newly graduated PhD was practically crying, thinking she never should have interrupted her boss.
“What?” Nia could see the fear on the young woman’s face. “Oh, for fuck’s sake. Grow a backbone. Just go home. Thanks for covering the phones on your day off. I’ll see you tomorrow.”
Nia stepped into her office and impatiently sat at her desk, listening for the automatic front door locks to engage and then watching her researcher scurry across the parking lot and drive off. Only then did Nia make the next call.
“I don’t know what she wants. I don’t even take calls when I’m in the lab, but she left a very cryptic message. Lucien, I had to call her back.”
“What did the message say?” Smeets was icy-cool, but his voice was little more than a whispery rasp.
“Pull yourself together. What else?”
“She said Asrani is dead! Is he?”
“That was unavoidable.”
“Unavoidable? He was one of us…how could you do that?”
“It was a necessary sacrifice. I don’t like that it happened. There’s nothing to do about it. So, snap out of it and tell me what happened when you talked to her?”
“Go to hell, you aging fucker…I’m not like you people. I’m a bloody scientist. This cloak-and-dagger shit is your department. Did your people kill him? Answer me. NOW!”
“Nia, you’ll have to trust me. Yes. We did it. But it had to be done. He made a mistake that risked everything. There. Now you know.”
“Oh my god. He was one of us. I can’t believe it.” Nia was choking up.
“He meant a lot to you. You were friends. I know. But we’re close…too close…to let anything or anyone stop us. Now tell me. What did the Patel woman say?”
“She said she had to talk to me…in-person…tonight…she said Asrani was dead. She said it was urgent…very important. I tried to put her off…but she insisted on meeting tonight. Right here…in New Jersey…she’s coming here.”
“Then what?”
“I told her we could meet at my house. After 10 tonight. That’s when she’ll be here. After 10.”
“You invited her to your home?”
“Well, I couldn’t very well invite her to the lab. And I didn’t want to meet in public.” Nia’s grief quickly turned to anger. “God, you’re an ass. I’m doing my job…you cack-handed your job so don’t get all goddamned high-and-mighty with me. Try to be useful and tell me what the hell to do.”
“Okay…get a grip on yourself. I’ll consult with the others and get back to you. Keep your phone close.”
“Keep my phone close? God, you really are a jerk. Maybe you should never reproduce. Damned idiots.” Nia slammed the handset down, ending the call.
Chapter 97 – Ridgewood, NJ
The threesome cleared customs quickly at the Toronto Pearson airport and shortly after landed at the Teterboro Airport in New Jersey. It was just after 10 pm. The charter company provided a Lincoln Continental for them and, again, skipped using the chauffer.
Gabriel tapped Dr. Katiakan’s address into the GPS app and sped off with Raimy in the passenger seat and Firuzeh in the back.
Firuzeh was nervous. “Gabriel, you’ve got your handgun, right?”
“Yes. I just hope we don’t need it.”
The trio made their way to Dr. Katiakan’s home, a million-dollar colonial-style nestled in the sought-after Woodside Historic District in Ridgewood, New Jersey – about 9 miles from the Teterboro Airport.
Gabriel pulled into the doctor’s entryway and parked at the apex of the horseshoe driveway near the front door. He quickly moved out of the elegant, dark blue car and walked around the back of the vehicle to open the door for Firuzeh.
Gabriel stole a quick look at the building’s windows. “She’s watching us.”
“I noticed. Remember our plan.”
“Good luck.”
Firuzeh walked up onto the spacious wrap-around porch and knocked on the heavy wooden door. It opened almost immediately.
“Mrs. Patel? You made it. Were the directions suitable? So many people get lost in these small communities. Please come in,” said Dr. Katiakan, whose black-rimmed glasses were framed by shoulder-length salt-and-pepper hair.
Firuzeh shook her hand. “Yes. Thank you so much, Dr. Katiakan. The directions were perfect.”
“I’m glad. Please come inside. We can talk in the living room. Would you like a drink? Wine, tea...?”
“A glass of white wine sounds delightful. Thank you. You’re having one, too, I hope.”
“Absolutely,” Nia responded. Fucking Smeets! Your plan better work. I’m a scientist not a goddamned actress.
The two professional women sat down on the sofa next to the rough-hewn, dark wood coffee table. The doctor poured two glasses full.
“Mrs. Patel, I was shocked…and very dismayed…by the news of Mr. Patel’s passing. He meant a lot to me and the success of my research lab. You have my most sincere condolences.”
“That’s very thoughtful of you, doctor. Thank you for seeing me tonight.”
“Think nothing of it. Asrani…Mr. Patel…is…was…a remarkable and committed man. He spoke of you often…it was obvious he cared deeply about you. Now, how can I help?”
“I’ll get right to it, Nia. Following my husband’s death, I discovered he was instrumental in facilitating a contribution to your research lab in the amount of $101 million, correct?”
“Yes. I’m surprised you didn’t know about it,” Nia said and thought, Good to know Asrani kept his mouth shut. Why the hell did Smeets have him killed?
Nia continued. “The funds were distributed to my lab through several foundations and private donors…but it was orchestrated by Asrani. As I’m certain you know, he had a personal interest in the success of my work because of his infertility.”
Firuzeh nodded. “Yes. Neither of us were able to have children.”
“You’d be surprised how many people are like us.”
“Us?”
“Oh yes. I’m infertile, too. It’s how I got interested in the field.”
“No, I didn’t know. To be honest, though, I didn’t know Asrani wanted a biological child so badly. He knew I couldn’t have children well before we even contemplated marriage, so I found it odd that he felt so strongly about children.”
“I guess I can understand that. But Firuzeh, he adored you.” Nia leaned forward, genuinely earnest. “It was clear to me that he never considered passing up on the love of his life for children. Remember, he knew he couldn’t have children so his relationship with you wasn’t contingent on that.”
“So, what changed his mind? Why the sudden interest in having biological children?”
Nia hesitated, then smiled. “Frankly, I think it was the looming success of my work. Asrani’s interest sparked when I made a breakthrough. He saw the potential and, well, ever since then he’d been deeply committed to helping me succeed. I think he hoped my lab’s success would occur in time for him to have a biological child.”
“I see. So, you believe your work can reverse infertility?”
Nia took a deep breath, her mind racing. Jesus, I hope this shit works. Fucking Smeets. You owe me an Oscar if I pull this off.
“Mrs. Patel, it’s more than a belief. I’m very close. I don’t know if this matters to you…I mean…um, I don’t mean to be indelicate…but if you want children yourself…biological children with your DNA…with your bloodline…the way nature intended…then you should know the work my lab is doing is within a year or so of success.”
Firuzeh stared at her. “Really? I’m mean…my plumbing just won’t work…how can you reverse that?”
“Trust me. We’re about to do it. And the money Asrani raised will provide the funding to complete my work. If this is something that interests you then you should know you would be a priority.”
“You mean to say that you would reverse my infertility…take Asrani’s spot on the docket as it were.”
“Yes.” Holy crap. She’s taking the bait. “It’s the least I can do…and it would be an appropriate way for me to honor Asrani’s commitment.”
My own baby? Firuzeh was stunned.
Chapter 98
Firuzeh pressed on. “I don’t know what to say, Nia. You work is…remarkable…but…a baby…for me?”
Nia nodded. “The honor would be mine.”
“I’m floored. And that makes what I’m about to say all the more difficult.” Firuzeh took a deep breath. “Nia, I don’t know how to say this, so I’ll just s
ay it. I’m absolutely certain that Asrani did not obtain all that money from wealthy friends and colleagues. He stole it.”
“What?” Nia put down her wine glass so sharply the wine sloshed over the rim.
“He planned and executed an ingenious scheme to tunnel under a rival bank, breach its vault, and remove about $110 million. The money he directed to your lab was stolen from the Beacon Hill Bank.”
“Oh my god! That can’t be true!” Nia was thunder struck. The color drained from her face. She leaned back in her chair and took a long drink of wine. Shit…shit…shit. I was hoping she didn’t know. Fuck it all.
“I have proof. It’s true.”
The doorbell rang and the doctor nearly jumped out of her skin.
Perfect timing, Mr. Sweeney, thought Firuzeh.
“Who in the world…?” Nia was still reeling from the news as she walked to the front door, with Firuzeh following her.
“That’s probably my driver. I asked him to join me. He has information you’ll want to hear,” Firuzeh said, and watched as a confused Nia opened the door and let Gabriel in.
“Good evening, you must be Dr. Katiakan,” he said, flashing his most charming smile. “I’m Gabriel…Gabriel Sweeney.”
Nia’s mind was reeling. “Um, hi…Mr. Sweeney. Please come…”
Gabriel had already moved across the threshold toward Firuzeh. “Did you tell her about the money?”
“Yes. Just before you rang the doorbell. I think she’s in shock.”
“I’m sorry…I need to sit down.” Nia walked past them, took her seat on the couch in the living room, and refilled her wine glass. Think, woman, think! Smeets didn’t plan for this. I’m on my own. Dammit!
“Dr. Katiakan, what Mrs. Patel is telling you is true. Take a look.” He handed her a folder with most of the damning evidence inside.
Nia stared at the pages. She pretended to absorb the information, but she already knew what it revealed. Instead, she used the time to plan.
Gabriel poured himself a drink and told Nia how Asrani hired him for PR work at Pilgrim Trust, and then had to identify the CEO at the morgue. He left out the hacking information, and the discovery of the hidden files on the memory chip.
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