Fatal Dose

by K. J. Janssen

  “My name isn’t important. I’ve got proof that one of your agents is selling information about FBI activities. I’ve got it on film.”

  “Well, then bring it in to our office. Ask for me at the front desk.”

  “I can’t do that. I know him personally. He may spot me. Can’t we meet somewhere else?”

  “I guess so. Do you know where the Langfield Mall is?”

  “Yes.”

  “There’s a storefront office there called Paradigm, Inc. Meet me there in a half-hour. I’ll come alone.”

  “Okay, I’ll be there.”

  As Milt was opening the office, a man, probably in his thirties, walked up to the door. He wore a hat down over his eyes and a pair of dark sunglasses. “Are you Inspector Bagnold?”

  “I am. Please come in”

  They walked back to the office and Milt took the chair behind the desk. “What can I do for you Mister…?”

  “No names. I just want to turn this stuff over to you and I don’t want to be involved in any way. Agreed?”

  “Agreed, but just for now. I want to see what you have before I make any final decisions,” Milt replied.

  “It all started four years ago when my friends and I attended a national convention of our fraternity that was celebrating its seventy-fifth anniversary. The five of us went to different colleges and we each have different majors, but we became instant friends during our three days together. We made a pact that every year we would have a reunion on the weekend closest to the anniversary of our first meeting. We meet at a cabin that my uncle left to me.

  “The reunions started as beer-drinking, card-playing, pot-smoking and porn-watching orgies. We are all very successful in our job specialties, but when we get together all pretense of professionalism seems to go out the window. We are like frat guys again and nothing is out of bounds for us.

  Things changed, however, during our third year together. I rented an especially hot flick and we were all sitting around in our briefs, smoking joints and guzzling beer. I could see that all the guys were sporting woodies. The sight of all those throbbing male organs turned me on as well providing a perfect cover. Just for the record, I’m gay, but none of the guys know it.”

  Milt interrupted the man “I don’t see what any of this has to do with why we’re here.”

  “Hold on, I’m getting to that. When the film ended we all took leave to release the built up sexual tension and then met again in the den to talk about the film. The group was now clothed in Bermudas or swimming trunks and t-shirts. The conversation quickly led to the frustrations that the four of them were having with their wives or girlfriends over sex. It seems that their women have a list of taboos when it comes to what they were willing to do to with their partner’s body and what they were willing to be done to their own.

  “We decided to make a list, which I volunteered to write down on a yellow pad. Anal sex headed the list, followed by the use of sex toys, dressing up and acting out, ménage a trios of any gender, sex with the lights on and sadomasochism in any form. One even said his girlfriend refused to have sex unless it was on a bed.

  “One of the guys, commenting on our list, suggested that instead of coming up to the cabin to drink booze, smoke pot, hash or cigars, play poker, watch porn and have jack-off and cum contests, maybe we should hire some professionals that would facilitate acting out our fantasies.

  “I realized that such a group adventure might expose my sexual leanings, which I had miraculously hidden from them all these years so I moved immediately to quash the idea with what I thought was a brilliantly conceived alternative. I offered to make the cabin available to each of them, one at a time, for weekends. They could go there and do their thing in private. I agreed to stock the place with booze, food and whatever else they might need and to supply the men or women they required. They agreed to chip in two thousand dollars for the weekend and I pledged to cover the rest. We decided to try this idea out for the next two years and to have our regular reunion on the third year to discuss what it was like.

  “We set up a schedule by using our birthdays as the priority the oldest, which was John, down to the youngest which turned out to be me.”

  Milt interrupted, “I still don’t see what any of this has to do with a spy at the FBI.”

  “I’m getting to that. Stay with me.”

  Milt let out a sigh and sat back as the man continued. “Once I had their agreements and a rough schedule for their visits to the cabin, I installed motion-activated monitors in the den and each of the bedrooms. After all, I needed to protect my property. That’s how I found out about your spy.” He opened his gym bag and took out a laptop.

  As he was setting things up, he continued, “I got a complaint from one of the ladies that I contracted with, that one of my friends was especially rough with her. She wanted more money or else she would go to the local sheriff’s department and expose what was going on at the cabin. I retrieved the digital file for that weekend to see if she had a legitimate complaint, but as it turned out, her time there wasn’t the only important thing that I uncovered.”

  He inserted a disc, adjusted the sound and turned the laptop around for Milt to see. There on the screen, seated in two chairs having a drink together, were Marco Vennuti and Chuck Wesson. The sound wasn’t very clear, but Milt could make out Vennuti bragging to Chuck about getting rid of Brice Bennett and his family. Chuck then told Vennuti about a drug distributor that the FBI was planning to raid.

  “I checked the Cleveland papers from around that time and read about what happened to the Bennett family and then I realized that Chuck was supplying information to the other guy, who was probably connected to the mob.”

  “You’re right. That other guy is Marco Vennuti. He was killed about an hour ago by his girlfriend, however this recording is the missing link in my investigation into leaks at the FBI’s Cleveland office. I don’t know your name, but you’ve done your country a great service coming forward with this information. I don’t know how to thank you enough”

  “I’ll give you whatever additional information you need, but if it’s possible for you to keep me out of this, I will be grateful. Of course, if it becomes vital that I testify against Chuck, I’ll do it, but only as a last resort. Okay?”

  “You have my word that I’ll protect your identity as best I can. It’s possible that, confronted with this evidence, Chuck will confess to everything, but I can’t say that for certain.”

  “I sure hope he does.”

  CHAPTER FIFTY-TWO

  Milt was on the phone with Wendy. “How’s he doing?”

  “He’s good, Milt. He has a concussion, a badly bruised kidney and a broken radius bone in his arm. They already set the bone and they have him sedated right now. I was able to speak with him for about five minutes before he went off. His spirits are good, although he feels awful about Marcia and thinks he failed me. Speaking of Marcia, how did it go with Dennis?”

  “That’s what I wanted to discuss with you. When he came back from Atronen, Dennis was in great spirits. I told him about what happened at the All Sports Club with Vennuti, you and Mark, but when I got to Marcia death, he broke down. He insisted that I leave him alone and against my better judgment I did.

  “Ten minutes later I heard a shot. I knew instantly what happened. When I opened his door I found Dennis face down on his desk with a hole in the right side of his head. I checked for a pulse, but he was definitely dead. On a note, half covered in blood, he wrote ‘WHAT’S THE USE?’ If only I had stayed with him, maybe I could have gotten him through his grief. I’ll never forgive myself.”

  “You can’t beat yourself up over this, Milt. Dennis has been under a lot of pressure for quite a long time. He really took the deaths of the Bennetts, Joan and the others to heart. If it hadn’t been for Marcia, he would have cracked a long time ago. With her gone, I guess he didn’t see any reason to go on. Don’t forget that I was party to this, too. If I hadn’t let Marco overpower me, maybe I could
have saved Marcia. I’ve learned that in this business, you can only do the best you can. Sometime it just isn’t good enough.”

  “I suppose you’re right, Wendy. Well, there is some good news to report. We found our spy. I’ll spare you all the details for now, but it was Chuck Wesson. Can you believe that? He’s confessed everything. We know both he and Vennuti were working for somebody. Unfortunately the identity of the mastermind behind this whole operation is still unknown If we could uncover his identity we’d have a direct line to the drug cartel, but it looks like we’ve just won a few battles in a war that rages on.

  “Oh, by the way, the Director asked me to stay on as an interim SAC until they complete their investigation.”

  “That’s great, Milt. Hold on, it looks like Mark is beginning to stir.”

  “Well then, you go back to him. I’ll stop by the hospital when I get out of here later.”

  “I’ll see you then.”

  “Goodbye for now.”

  CHAPTER FIFTY-THREE

  “Do you have a minute?”

  “Sure. Come on in, Mark. How’s that wrist coming along?”

  Marks reply was brief. “It’s okay.”

  Mark closed the door behind him.

  “Uh-Oh, I don’t like the look of this. What’s up?”

  “Milt, I’ve had a lot of time to think during my recuperation. During the past two months I’ve been considering what is ahead for me. This past year has taken a heavy toll on me physically, including a few near death situations. I just don’t see this job as being in my future any longer. I’m resigning, effective in two weeks. Whatever arrangements the Bureau wants to make regarding their investment in my business, I’m prepared to negotiate.” He handed Milt a folder.

  “This just isn’t what I signed on for. I didn’t expect nine to five, but on the other hand, I couldn’t even have imagined going through the hell that I’ve experienced during the last four months alone.”

  Milt was stunned, but he could understand where Mark was coming from. He knew how he must be feeling. He had been there himself more than once in his long career with the Bureau.

  “This takes me completely by surprise, Mark. Why didn’t you say something? How does Wendy feel about your decision?”

  “That’s another thing. We’re not a couple any longer. What Wendy experienced had a deep effect on her. She’s even more dedicated than ever as far as her career with the Bureau goes. She wants no part of marriage or settling down. We decided that under the circumstances it was best for us to call it quits.”

  “I’m really sorry to hear that, Mark I thought you two were especially well suited for each other.”

  “I thought so too, but that’s the way things go sometimes. What’s going on here is nightmare that won’t be resolved, any time soon. It’s best I do this now.”

  “Is there any way that you and Wendy can work things out, either here or away from the FBI?”

  Mark replied “I’m afraid not. Near death has a way of changing people, Milt. Wendy and I just reacted to what happened in a different way. We will always have special feelings for each other, but our plans for the future just do not include one another.”

  “You want to go back to Centerville and your old company?”

  “Yes, that’s about it.”

  “Aren’t you at least willing to discuss this?”

  “Well, I guess I owe you that much.”

  “Hear me out and give what I’m going to propose some thought, before you say no. As you know, I’ve spent a lot of time in Washington. I’ve learned that there are many activities going on that ninety-nine percent of Americans know nothing about. There are covert agencies and groups, both civilian and military that perform special services for the administration, from the cabinet right up to the president. Susan Harrigan worked for one of those when she worked in Washington and after she moved to California. She performed a real service to her country.

  “What I’m suggesting is that I inquire about opportunities that may exist at one of these agencies, an assignment that would utilize your investigative skills and give you a chance to continue serving your country. You have so much invested. It would be a real shame for the country to lose these skills. You would be working in an entirely different environment than we have around here; one that would allow you to have a normal life while continuing to fight for the ideals that are near and dear to you. Would you at least allow me to make some inquiries?”

  “Okay, go ahead and make your inquiries, but don’t make any commitments. I’m not likely to change my mind about that resignation. You’ve got two weeks.”