Fatal Dose

by K. J. Janssen

  Mark’s case appeared to be collapsing before his eyes, but then he hit pay dirt. Family three, it turned out, was a valid marriage between Paul and Daphne Snyder, with three teenage children thrown in. That meant that Mark needed to downgrade his trigamist to a bigamist. There was plenty to work on with two simultaneous marriages. Paul Snyder would not welcome any notoriety about being married to two women at the same time since only one was a viable union; especially with his second family’s position in the community.

  Paul and Daphne Snyder lived openly in Hudson, Ohio, an area very familiar to Mark. In fact they resided only three blocks from the condominium where Susan had lived. Both were very active in the community. This was a life that Paul would want to protect at all costs.

  Mark’s first step was to do a double check on the legal status of both the marriages, and for good measure, he rechecked that number one actually ended with an annulment. He obtained copies of marriage certificates, birth certificates, mortgage and property tax records. The documents went into a folder. An hour later he picked up the file and went looking for Dennis.

  He found him in the hall on his way to his office. Mark took five minutes to show Dennis everything he had so far. Dennis was pleased with Mark’s findings, even if the trigamist had been downgraded to bigamist. “It looks like you got enough to make Paul Snyder squirm. Even if his other wife knows about his current family, he’s still in violation of the law and has a lot to lose if any of this becomes public. There could even be possible tax implications too. I think there is a good chance that he will cooperate based on what you have here. He has more to gain than to lose by cooperating. You’ve got my blessing to go forward with an initial meeting with Mister Paul Snyder.”

  Mark couldn’t wait until the meeting with Snyder on Wednesday.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO

  The pharmacist in the pharmacy section of the Lucky Food Mart had a routine visit from two men posing as salesmen from a local wholesale drug supplier.

  “I can’t take any more pills from you guys. A lady died last week and it could have been from pills you supplied me. The bottle of pills the cops found had no labels, but the woman who bought them for her is scared that they might link the pills to her. She says if they do, she’ll give me up. This stuff you’re supplying is clearly inferior. You told me that the quality would be the same as the original formulas. That’s the only reason I agreed to buy from you. Ethically I can’t do this anymore; it’s just too risky.”

  One of the men stepped behind the counter and got into the pharmacist’s face.

  “I’m not offering you options, George. You’ll buy the pills we agreed on. If you don’t, you’ll be walking around your little platform here on a pair of crutches; that’s if you’re lucky. Catch my drift?”

  Fear quickly replaced George’s bravado. “All right, give me the usual two boxes.”

  “Hold on! You’re not getting off that easy. I don’t much like the way you just talked to me. The man looked around the store to see if anyone was looking his way. Satisfied that he was not being observed, he turned and punched the pharmacist in the stomach. As George doubled up the man delivered a knee to his head. George crumbled to the ground, gasping for air and holding the side of his head.

  “Stop! Please don’t hit me again. I’ll do whatever you want.”

  “You bet you will shithead. I’m leaving three boxes today, prime stuff. You won’t have any problems with this batch, I guarantee it. They’re all original pills, they’ve just been repackaged. That’ll be three hundred dollars.”

  George raised himself up and moved over to the cash drawer. He removed the money and handed it to the man.

  “I’m sorry for before. I didn’t mean what I said.”

  The man smiled and took the money. He thought, The little shit thinks I’m gonna off him. He better be sorry, or maybe I will. He signaled his companion to put the three boxes on the counter. “We’ll see you next week, George. We should have some new stuff for you then.”

  As they headed out of the store, George Simpson walked into the storage room behind the pharmacy and removed the tape from the security camera. He thought to himself, There’s going to be a real big surprise for you guys next week. I never should have gotten involved in this. I may be responsible for Adele’s death. What a fool I’ve been.

  Around four that afternoon, George Simpson handed his card to the receptionist at the FBI building. “I need to see someone about counterfeit drugs.”

  “Just a minute, Mister Simpson, someone will be right with you.”

  Within five minutes he was walking with Special Agent Charles Wesson to an interview room.

  “Have a seat, Mister Simpson. Tell me what this is all about.”

  Over the next thirty minutes, George related how he was approached six months by two men who claimed to represent a division of one of the largest wholesale pharmaceutical companies in the country. They offered him a steady supply of the top name brand drugs at forty percent off the wholesale price on a strictly cash basis. They told him that the medicines were manufacturing overruns that they were told to dispose of with no paperwork and no questions asked. George succumbed to the temptation for two reasons. One was the quick profits he could make, the other was his chance to help the less fortunate people in his neighborhood buy drugs at discount prices, even lower than what the big-box stores were charging. He viewed it as a win-win situation where nobody would get hurt. He now knew that that wasn’t going to be the case.

  George had a ready-made customer base with neighborhood families needing medicine, but who were not able to afford them. Some customers purchased meds for friends and relatives. It never occurred to him that his compassionate drug selling to the sick in the neighborhood was illegal and potentially dangerous; not until he heard about Adelle Manning’s death. Her friend June Abbot purchased Adelle’s medicine from him because her Medicare “D” plan reached the “donut hole” Adelle couldn’t afford to pay the full price for her medicine and readily agreed to buy them through June. Now June threatened to go to the police even though she was personally involved.

  “After Mrs. Manning died I knew I had to stop distributing those drugs. I told the two men, but they beat me and threatened worse if I didn’t keep buying from them. I have it all on this security tape.”

  He handed the tape to Charles. They watched the five minute segment.

  Chuck was shocked “I never imagined that anything like this was going on. Those are very clear pictures. We should have no difficulty apprehending and prosecuting those men. I wonder how many more pharmacists they are dealing with.”

  Wesson sat down and looked directly into George’s eyes. “I’m going to have to involve the Cleveland Police in this. You realize that your involvement in this operation is illegal at both the city and federal levels. You’re looking at several federal violations, alone. It’s good that you came in on your own. The courts will look favorably on that, but you are in some very big trouble.”

  “I know, but I can’t go on like this. Are you going to hold me?”

  “I’m not sure. I’ll get someone in here to take down your statement. While you’re doing that, I’ll talk to my SAC. We’ll see what he says. It’s possible that we will want you to go about your business as usual. Next Tuesday we’ll have a sting set up and when these men show up, we will apprehend them.”

  Dennis was overjoyed at the news. He turned on the monitor on his desk and watched George as he told his story. “Chuck, this is a real break. Chief Jacobsen will be overjoyed. Did George agree to participate in a sting?”

  “Oh, he’s agreeable alright. He knows that he is facing some pretty stiff charges, so he’s willing to cooperate in any way he can. It’s unfortunate that he got tied up in this at all. He seems like a good man. He just didn’t think of possible repercussions from the favors he was doing people. If he could prove that he was threatened with bodily harm or that there were threats against his family for not going along, he might ge
t through this virtually unscathed.”

  Dennis scoffed, “Even if he doesn’t do any time, his career as a pharmacist is finished. No drug store will ever hire him. What a waste of all that education. And for what, a few hundred dollars a week? I don’t buy that ‘helping out his neighbors’ stuff. I believe that it was mostly greed that motivated George Simpson. I have no sympathy for him at all.”

  “You may be right, sir. It’s a very slippery slope he chose.”

  “I know I’m right. The only reason he came in was fear for his own neck. That woman’s death was the real motivator. Oh well, that’s why we have a justice system. Let’s set up around-the-clock surveillance on Mister Simpson. I don’t want to lose him. In the meantime, I’ll check with Chief Jacobsen and headquarters to figure out our next step. Hold George until I get through to both.”

  An hour passed before Chuck heard from Dennis. “Tell Mister Simpson that we will set up a sting for next Tuesday. He is to go ahead and buy whatever they bring to him. We will get it all on tape. Chief Jacobsen’s men will apprehend the men as they leave the store. We will interrogate them once they get them down to police headquarters. This is a major breakthrough. I can feel it in my bones.”

  CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE

  Mark showed up at the hotel about fifteen minutes early to assure that he would get a table in their restaurant that would give him the privacy he needed. He hadn’t been on a one-on-one background check in a few years. His work at the FBI didn’t normally require it. At International Investigation Specialists, he has Bruce Crandall to handle that side of the business. Mark felt confident, however, that Paul would be interested in the job offering as he intended to pitch it. That’s all that counted. The Position Requisition that he prepared listed about seventy-five percent of Paul’s qualifications; an acceptable percentage for most high-level openings. Most companies prefer at least a twenty-five percent “stretch” for an applicant. That gives the individual room to grow into their new job and absorb any new requirements that may come along. The salary offer was thirty thousand dollars above his current salary plus a performance bonus and stock option plan. Mark had no doubt that the package would pique Paul’s interest.

  The personal cover he used during this phase of the investigation was that of Peter Samuelson, a freelance recruiter for Fortune 500 companies. Mark used a West coast address where phone calls and mail would be received and forwarded.

  Paul Snyder arrived five minutes early. He wore a blue suit with a light blue shirt and a red/white/blue-striped tie. He had the look of an executive candidate. Mark waved him over to the table.

  “Mister Samuelson?”

  “Mister Snyder, I’m so glad you could come, especially on such short notice. I’m sure you will find it well worth your while.”

  As he slid into the booth, he said, “I want to say up front that I was really intrigued by your phone call the other day. The position you are recruiting for sounds like a dream job. I’m not necessarily looking for a change, but I’m certainly willing to listen to what you have to offer.”

  “I’m glad to hear that. That’s all I can ask of you. I’ve had a tough time finding enough qualified candidates to present to my client. You came highly recommended.”

  “That’s good to hear. I’m curious. How did you come by my name?”

  “When I get a search like this, I usually start with business directories. I contact people that occupy similar positions at comparable companies. Usually they are not interested in the job, but it gives me an opportunity to inquire if they might know someone who might be interested. You would be surprised how willing people are to recommend business acquaintances. That’s why it’s so important for businessmen to join organizations and attend seminars and conferences. You need to meet as many people as you can, even if you only swap business cards. Networking, especially the use of the social media is the name of the game today.

  “Needless to say, that’s how I heard about you. I can’t give you specific names, but I can tell you that you have several enthusiastic supporters whose opinions I value highly.”

  Paul looked a bit nervous. “You will have to excuse me. I’m new at this recruiting thing. Every position I ever filled in the past came from an ad in the paper or by word of mouth. I’ve never talked with a recruiter before. Will you run me through the process, Mister Samuelson?”

  “I’ll get to that in a minute. May I call you Paul?”

  “Please do, sir.”

  “Please call me Peter. Before we start, can I interest you in some breakfast or a sweet roll and coffee?”

  “The latter sounds good, Peter.”

  Mark gestured for the waitress. “We’ll both have coffee and some sweet rolls, please.”

  He waited until they were served. Then he handed Paul the job specification sheet. “Look this over and let me know what you think.”

  Paul read the spec sheet slowly. His head nodded as he read each qualification. A smile was forming on his face as he reached the bottom of the list. He returned the form to Mark and added some milk to his coffee.

  Mark asked, “Well, what do you think?”

  “I think your client must have seen my job description,” he said, smiling. “I brought you a copy.” He handed him a two page document.

  Mark took a minute to scan it. “I see what you mean, Paul. It’s apparent that while you are uniquely qualified for this job, there is also enough stretch in there to make it interesting for you and for my client. Especially with the succession plan they have in place. That’s always important. It looks like my sources were right about you.”

  Paul looked slightly embarrassed, but recovered sufficiently to ask, “What can you tell me about the company, Peter?”

  “Well, as you probably have figured out by now, they are one of the big international pharmaceutical companies. The position of Assistant Vice President of Manufacturing is new, so they are flexible regarding the actual job description. They want the candidate to help define the parameters of the position. The Vice President of Manufacturing is five years away from retirement and they will expect that the assistant be groomed by that time to assume his responsibilities. I don’t have to tell you what that can mean.”

  Mark hesitated for a second before asking, “How does this sound to you, so far?” He knew what the answer would be. He could see the excitement growing in Paul’s eyes and demeanor.

  “It sounds great. What more can you tell me?”

  “The job will require that you move to a major western city. I can’t say which one without divulging the company’s name. They are prepared to have a transfer company buy your home so that you and your family can move quickly. They will store your furniture and put you up in a luxury condo for up to four months, all expenses paid, while you find suitable housing. I’ve worked with the company in the past. I can tell you that my client operates first-class. From what you have heard, are you interested in going forward with this?”

  “Absolutely. I’d be foolish not to consider it. What’s the next step?”

  “Well, I need a bit more personal information. I have an application I need you to complete. I took the liberty of filling in the basic information, so you just have a few more blanks to fill in. If you find any errors, just correct them. Don’t worry how it looks; the form I send to my client will be transcribed to email. They will want to know your salary requirements and will need at least three personal references. There’s a place for that information on the last page.” Mark handed him the application and busied himself with buttering a sweet roll.

  Paul took out a pen and went to work on the form. It took him about ten minutes. He scratched his signature on the bottom, dated it and handed it back to Mark. “You’re sure this will be kept confidential?”

  “You have my word. I will have to contact your references, however. You should let them know that you gave me their names. I suggest that you tell them that it’s for a business deal you’re considering. Rest assured that I won’t give any
indication of what it’s really about.”

  “Great. I wouldn’t want anything getting back to Atronen. I’d be out on my ass if they found out.”

  “You have nothing to worry about in that regard, Paul. Do you have any other questions?”

  “Well, where do we go from here?”

  “I will send your application out today. Tomorrow’s is a holiday, so they won’t be able to review it until Friday. They have only two other applicants to consider. They will most likely want to fly you out to their home office within two weeks for the first of what is usually three interviews. How it goes from there will depend entirely on how well you handle yourself. From what I see, your work history is mostly in the pharmaceutical industry and you have a good professional appearance. It’s no slam dunk, but you should do just fine.”

  “I appreciate your candor, Peter.”

  They shook hands and he left. Mark gathered up the paperwork, finished a last sweet roll and set out for the office to complete his report while everything was fresh in his mind. He was uncomfortable being so deceptive; setting someone up like that. Paul seemed like a nice enough guy and he was doing the right thing by his two families, but then Mark reminded himself of what the stakes were. The remorse vanished at once.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR

  On Friday, the day after Thanksgiving, Mark gave Wendy a call. He figured that it was time to find out if she wanted to try another date.

  “Wendy, this is Mark.”

  “Oh, hello, Mark. Where are you?”

  “I’m in my cubicle, catching up on some paperwork. I called to see if you might be free tonight.”

  “What did you have in mind?”

  “I thought we might have an early dinner and catch a movie.”

  “I don’t much feel like going out, but I’ll tell you what. If you would like a home cooked meal, we could have dinner and watch a movie at my place. I have quite an extensive DVD collection. I’m sure we could find something we would both enjoy watching. What do you think?”