At the end of their meal, Wendy says, “I am surprised to say, I have had a delightful time with you. I’ll make sure Bonnie contacts you at your hotel in two days. If you haven’t heard from her by then, call me, and I’ll find out what is going on and possibly bring her to meet with you.”
Ricardo thanks Wendy for a wonderful dinner and her willingness to help him restore an important business relationship, then excuses himself under the guise of much needed rest.
Ricardo returns to his hotel, places the ‘do not disturb’ placard on his door, and calls the front desk to request no room service tomorrow. He informs the clerk that he intends to sleep in late after his long trip.
The front desk clerk assures him he will not be disturbed in the morning and says, “Sleep well, Mr. Montes.”
“Thank you,” Ricardo replies, then watches television, makes a few short phone calls, and goes to sleep.
The next morning, the hotel staff doesn’t disturb him, as requested. He wakes up around noon, fatigued, and goes to the bathroom. He crawls back into bed, thinking he must be getting old because he has never experienced such extreme jet lag before. He awakens again around six in the evening with a dry mouth and stomach cramps, then rushes into the bathroom to vomit. Realizing he probably has the flu, he grabs some water and phones the front desk again to explain about the flu and asks not to be disturbed again.
“Of course, Mr. Montes. Is there anything you need?”
“No,” Ricardo replies rudely, “I just don’t want to be disturbed.”
Once again, she assures him he won’t be and Ricardo hangs up.
He awakens in the middle of the night having a little difficulty breathing. Taking some aspirin, he decides to go back to sleep. When he awakens yet again in the morning, he can’t even get out of bed to reach the telephone. Knowing he is in trouble, he hopes the cleaning lady will check on his room, but he forgets he requested to not be disturbed.
Ricardo falls back to sleep, simply unable to keep his eyes open. Having not heard from him well into the afternoon, the staff knocks on the door. When they don’t receive an answer, they go inside and find him having extreme difficulty breathing. They attempt to help and also discover he is almost completely unable to move. The staff immediately calls for medical attention, and one of the maids stays with him, waiting for the paramedics to arrive.
Ricardo grabs her arm and pulls her closer to him. Struggling immensely to find the breath, Ricardo whispers hoarsely, “I think I’m dying, and I need to tell someone. I hired… the killer.” He wheezes. “And I’m the one who—” His revelation is interrupted as the paramedics enter, and he is intubated and rushed to San Francisco General Hospital.
He arrives in severe respiratory distress with overwhelming sepsis. The staff immediately rushes to place him on a respirator, and then get him into intensive care. Blood cultures are taken, but Ricardo is now completely unresponsive. His liver and kidney functions begin failing and, within six hours, he dies from multi organ failure.
The hospital laboratory, concerned about some type of outbreak, continues testing the cultures and finally determines that Ricardo died from botulism. The hospital notifies public health officials, who focus on recent reports of food poisoning in San Francisco restaurants and, through the process of elimination, determine Ricardo contracted the botulism after eating at the Bistro on Union Street. Local news reporters broadcast the death, which prompts an onslaught of individuals reporting to local hospitals, claiming symptoms of botulism. Most of the reports are false, but a few disturbing cases test positive and confirm the place of origin.
That evening, Bonnie turns on the news and immediately calls Wendy, who had returned to San Diego after their brief visit.
“I just saw on the Channel 7 News that Ricardo just died at San Francisco General of botulism. I didn’t even know he was in San Francisco, did you?”
Wendy allows surprise to tinge her voice when she replies, “He what? Yes, I knew he was in San Francisco. I had dinner with him at his request. After some conversation, I told him I wasn’t in favor of you seeing him, and since he never tried to arrange a meeting himself, I didn’t mention it. Did you just say he’s dead?”
“Yes! Did you feel sick after eating with him?”
“No, I feel fine. I had a wonderful dinner.”
Bonnie sighs. “Well, it’s a good thing because several people have come forward with food poisoning. It’s all over the news.”
Wendy smiles to herself, feeling a perverse sort of pride that her plan has worked. As Bonnie continues to speak and explain everything she is seeing on the news, Wendy recognizes just how easy it is to commit a well-planned murder. Almost subconsciously, with a small, satisfied smile on her face, she begins to consider the possibilities.
A GLIMPSE OF: UNMERITED FAVOR: BOOK 2
Oh, the possibilities… Wendy thinks and wonders, throughout the new investigation and the horror the owner of the Bistro on Union Street in dealing with, if anyone will discover the restaurant owner is the former abusive husband of one of her clients.
Throughout the second book, the author has Wendy contemplating the ‘spin’ that has occurred because of her brother’s unconscionable abuse, and new events continue to feed her enthusiasm for the kill.
Meanwhile, Beauty Boutique Clothing opens in Brazil, with more success than Sean and Jessica could have ever dreamed. As their sexual attraction grows, so does the profitability of their relationship. With encouragement from Bonnie and Wendy, Jessica explores more than just Brazil with Sean.
Jerry Summers takes us deeper into romance and investigations, while Wendy contemplates her next merciful act. It was Sean who told her to “Take the money, condo, and stocks, and help other victims, like yourself,” but he has no idea the help Wendy intends to give. After all, isn’t ‘mercy’ the definition of Unmerited Favor?
Available at Amazon.com and on kindle.
Uncontrolled Spin: The Power and Danger of Spin ( Un missable Series Book 1) Page 24