by Alex Barclay
Ren opened her letter first:
Dear Ren,
Yes – you were correct. Mark Whaley was about to blow the whistle on MeesterBrandt, but he started to worry that they were on to him. He hired me to find that out. I did. The night he went to Breckenridge, he was supposed to be meeting me. He must have gotten cold feet or decided it could wait until after the weekend. That same night I heard that Shep Collier was about to offer his resignation because of a scandal – it hadn’t been announced yet what that was. But I knew right away that this was not good. Especially after what I had discovered about MeesterBrandt. Mark had a second cell phone for us to communicate on, I tried to get a hold of him on that, but I couldn’t. You know the rest.
The people hired by Nolan Carr to destroy Shep Collier and Mark Whaley (and probably more) are, effectively, private investigators whose specialty is smear campaigns. Tina Bowers identified one of them from a photograph. And it’s not just rummaging around your garbage that these people do. It is the total destruction of everything – their target’s family life, career, everything. And they will stop at nothing. They employ ex-law enforcement, ex-military, ex-disgruntled anyone, mercenaries to carry out their dirty work. And they will only take on jobs if they have the license to do whatever they want. If they can’t find anything on their target, unlikely as that is, they will go after spouses, siblings, children. And that is the hornet’s nest that Mark Whaley took a stick to. They did some of their finest work on Mark Whaley. And some poor little Breckenridge babysitter got caught up in it all.
Here’s what I got – do your worst.
TG.
Ren opened the package that Mark Whaley had sent to Taber Grace.
Holy shit.
She spent the next hour reading through all the evidence that Mark Whaley had gathered that would bring down MeesterBrandt and Nolan Carr.
There were memos from the late 1990s on Lang Pharmaceuticals headed notepaper, signed by Nolan Carr, detailing Lang’s marketing campaigns, with directives to pay physicians for prescribing Cerxus to children, and for a range of conditions it wasn’t approved for. There were emails to the lab directing them to re-word or bury negative findings. There were reports about suicides in the children who took Cerxus, and it was clear that Nolan Carr had known all along. There were emails between Nolan Carr and one of his lobbyists in Washington about the rumors that Shep Collier was talking to the action group trying to introduce tighter regulation of the pharmaceutical industry.
There was one final set of documents.
‘Jesus,’ said Ren, spreading out more papers. ‘Taber Grace hacked Bradley Temple’s patient files.’
He is better than Grabien.
There were print-outs of Temple’s files. Ren scanned through the list. She came to details of an Ellerol trial from two years previously.
Her anger spiked again.
There were eight drop-outs during the trial – no reason was documented. There was a second note from Taber Grace saying that five of Dr Temple’s patients died during the time frame of the trial, although there was no evidence linking the deaths to the trial. Yet, all of the patients were teens/young adults who had been treated at one point for schizophrenia.
Then there was the most recent trial: a combination drug trial for Cerxus/Ellerol.
Then there were the two patients whose names she knew.
Cameron Temple. And Joshua Merritt.
65
Cathy Merritt broke down when Ren confronted her about Joshua and the clinical trial.
‘It’s too late, Dale,’ said Cathy. ‘It’s too late. I cannot lie any more.’
‘I told Jonathan about Joshua’s behavioral problems,’ said Cathy. ‘They were causing huge issues in my relationship with Dale, and with Laurie. The tension in the house …’ She took a breath. ‘Jonathan told me that they’d started trialing Ellerol and Cerxus together for use in teens to treat a first psychotic episode … and he suggested that Joshua try it.’
‘And when did Joshua have this first psychotic episode?’ said Ren.
‘After the incident at Mrs Ronson’s house …’ said Cathy, ‘what we grounded him for …’
‘That he denied doing,’ said Ren.
‘Well, yes, he would,’ said Cathy.
‘But, accepting that he had done it, who diagnosed it as a psychotic episode?’
‘Dr Temple,’ said Cathy.
‘Joshua didn’t see a psychiatrist?’ said Ren.
‘No,’ said Cathy.
‘Had you tried anything else to help him with his anger before what happened at the Ronson place?’ said Ren.
‘Other antidepressants and antipsychotics …’ said Cathy.
Holy shit. A junk-food-eating, video-game-obsessed kid and you don’t think there’s a better solution than drugs?
‘I was furious at Jonathan when we got the call from Joshua in Breck,’ said Cathy. ‘Jonathan had assured me that the drug combination was safe …’
‘And Joshua had never been violent toward anyone before …’ said Ren.
‘He would get angry, just over the last year or so,’ said Cathy. ‘But, he was a good kid … he’d get a little unruly, talk back … but, no … he was never violent.’
‘Was he suffering from delusions?’ said Ren.
‘No.’
‘Hallucinations?’ said Ren.
‘No.’
And the ambiguity in the name antipsychotic is …?
‘Jonathan was trying to help us,’ said Cathy.
You just don’t get it. You just do not get that Joshua was slotted into a trial for money and for favorable statistics.
‘Jonathan Meester was trying to save his own ass,’ said Ren.
‘That’s not true,’ said Cathy. ‘Jonathan’s like family to us.’
‘Do you remember standing in the hospital hallway, wondering out loud why your ex-husband wanted the overnight visit with Laurie, asking me was that how twisted and sick he was?’
‘That still stands,’ said Cathy. ‘Look what happened with the sitter!’
You have no clue. ‘Cathy, do you really think Mark raped and murdered Shelby Royce? Really?’
‘Yes!’ said Cathy. ‘Yes. Don’t you? Aren’t you the people who solved the case?’
‘Didn’t you know what was going on with Mark? With MeesterBrandt, with Nolan Carr?’
Cathy looked shocked. ‘What do you mean?’
‘Mark was about to blow the whistle on Nolan Carr, MeesterBrandt and Lang Pharmaceuticals,’ said Ren. ‘He had been working on it all year. That’s what he was doing and they knew it. They had already taken Shep Collier down. Mark was next. Nolan Carr tried setting Mark up in Boston – they tried to do what they’d done to Shep Collier.’
Cathy looked confused. ‘But … Jonathan would never have let that happen … Jonathan would never—’
‘Jonathan knew,’ said Ren. ‘He knew damn well what was going on. He was part of the whole thing. And you and your husband gave Jonathan Meester and Nolan Carr the perfect opportunity to cover up the side effects of their drug, as well as taking Mark out of the picture.’ She took out a piece of paper and handed it to Cathy. ‘This is a print-out of your home phone bill that I just received. We had never checked it, because it had never needed to be. And Jonathan Meester knew that. Look at that number circled. The call was placed from the house at five after ten on Saturday night, November 14. The call was made to Nolan Carr. He was tipping him off about Joshua, and the opportunity that had opened up to frame Mark.’
Cathy stared at the page.
‘And here,’ said Ren, handing her photos. ‘These are from traffic cams in Breckenridge. This is Jonathan Meester’s car in Breckenridge on Monday, November 16. The day Mark went missing. Mark called Jonathan, asked for his help, and of course, Jonathan was happy to oblige …’
Cathy was crying quietly.
‘Nolan Carr had already brought in the same firm who arranged the Shep Collier set-up. Their scumbag investigators followe
d Jared Labati and found Shelby Royce in the house where Jared had allowed her to hide.
‘Jonathan arranged to meet Mark, but, while he waited, as insurance, Mark had mailed all the evidence he had on Nolan Carr to Taber Grace. His only mistake was thinking that Jonathan Meester was innocent. Instead of Jonathan, this dirtbag hired by Nolan Carr turned up to meet Mark, and told Mark that he had Laurie – and he had a photo to prove that she was alive. Of course, this photo had been taken by Meester before he left Denver. And Mark was allowed to speak with Laurie on the phone, a call easily set up, again, by Meester. This man forced Mark to shoot Shelby Royce. And to kill himself. Or Laurie wouldn’t be released.’
‘But … I thought …’ Cathy broke down. ‘Oh, dear God. Oh, dear God.’
‘Do you know why Laurie was found at Kennington?’ said Ren.
‘No,’ said Cathy. ‘I … Jonathan said he would drop her somewhere nearby, I didn’t think it would be there. I would never have done that. He watched her from the car until she flagged someone down, I know that much.’
Well, good for him. ‘Erica told me that you had warned Laurie about the rapist that was out there,’ said Ren. ‘I’m guessing Jonathan was aware you had too.’
Cathy stared at the ground. She could barely nod.
‘So,’ said Ren, ‘he wasn’t just trying to give the cops something to think about, trying to make them waste time looking for a link between the abduction and the rapes that were happening in Denver. He knew that what he was doing would scare the crap out of Laurie. He was showing her how much control he had over her. I know it would have scared the hell out of me when I was eleven. I’d pretty much go along with anything anyone said to me after that.’
How could you let this happen to your child?
‘What did you think happened?’ said Ren.
‘I thought … I thought … Jonathan was on our side. Oh my God. What have we done? I thought Jonathan was on our side.’
‘No,’ said Ren. ‘Mark was set up by Nolan Carr and Jonathan Meester, Cathy. Not only that, but they knew that the side effects of Ellerol and Cerxus taken together had likely caused Joshua Merritt to attack his sister, and Cameron Temple to have violent, psychotic episodes, that led to three rapes. Jonathan Meester was involved every step of the way. That’s what a wonderful godfather he was. That’s the man you thought loved your daughter. And the man who really did love her, killed for her, and died for her.’
66
Ren arrived into the office – an email had come in from Taber Grace. The subject was ‘Nolan Carr talking to Sales rep’.
It had an audio file attached. Ren played it. Nolan Carr was speaking.
‘… the missing link for us is not having an ADD drug. But obviously, we can at least step in after that. So, a kid’s diagnosed with ADD/ADHD, given whatever stimulant, which brings on manic symptoms, which more than likely is going to lead to a bipolar diagnosis next time he visits the doctor – he’s bouncing off the walls.’
Laughter.
‘Now,’ said Carr, ‘we’re talking – with bipolar on the table – down the road, the kid’s in line for an antidepressant, for an antipsychotic … so they’re coming our way. Cerxus and Ellerol. If you could see Cerxus and Ellerol as, you know, a duo, a Laurel & Hardy, a Ben & Jerry …’
Laughter.
‘Every child diagnosed with bipolar disorder,’ said Carr, ‘that’s $5,000 per annum. Multiply that …’
The pre-cursor to the combined pill.
Ren’s phone rang.
‘Thank you for giving me the great pleasure of watching Nolan Carr in handcuffs. Congratulations, Agent Bryce.’
‘Thank you very much,’ said Ren. ‘Thank you for everything you did.’
‘It was a risk worth half-taking.’
Ren laughed. ‘I saw your interview on CNN. I’m so happy that you had the chance to clear your name.’
‘I can’t tell you my relief.’
‘I can imagine.’ She paused. ‘Can I ask what happened in Boston?’
‘One of Nolan Carr’s lobbyists in Washington had tipped him off that I was liaising with the action group that were trying to introduce tighter regulation of the pharmaceutical industry. As you know, that’s not exactly my party’s traditional stance. When I was in Boston, I got a phone call from a man, he didn’t identify himself – he said that he wanted to arrange a meeting, so I agreed to see him that evening.’
‘Why did you agree to meet with a man who didn’t identify himself?’ said Ren.
‘Well, because he identified me: he had information about me, and about my family, that only I knew. This man told me to “quietly resign”. Obviously, I refused.’
‘He was threatening to reveal this information?’ said Ren.
‘No – he used it to prove the extent to which they could invade my life, and find things out, and that he’d do the same thing to my wife, my kids … he told me I could choose what way I bowed out. I had to pick my poison: child porn discovered on my computer, or I slept with a hooker. I told him he was insane and I left. He fired a warning shot that night: when I connected to the internet, a pornographic image of a child appeared on my computer screen …’ He paused. ‘I’ve never seen anything like it.’
Just like the teen girls on Mark Whaley’s computer.
‘Could you not have gone to the police with it?’ said Ren.
‘I was afraid to,’ said Collier. ‘It was as simple as that. I was afraid what would happen to me, to my family.’
‘What exactly happened at The Crawford that night?’ said Ren.
‘The night Tina Bowers showed up at my door, I was sitting on my bed in the hotel room, polishing my shoes. My wife called and I put her on speaker. She heard the knock on the door, I told her to stay on the line, that I wasn’t expecting anyone.’
‘And what happened?’ said Ren.
‘I opened the door, and Tina Bowers started to walk in. I asked her who she was, she told me that I knew “damn well” who she was. She tried to push me back into the room. She was very forceful. She was saying that she knew that this was what I wanted, and that …’ He paused. ‘She was speaking … in graphic terms,’ he said. ‘I told her that she was mistaken, that she had to leave, but that appeared to encourage her more. I had to physically remove her from the doorway, which is why my hands were on her arms in the photo. I had to almost push her into the hallway … which was terrible, I know, but she was very determined.’
‘Did she say anything after that?’ said Ren.
‘She just looked confused,’ said Collier. ‘I closed the door when I got the chance, but when I looked out of the spyhole, she was looking at the number on the opposite door like she was checking whether she had gotten the right room … and then I could see her sort of moving quickly back down the hallway.’ He let out a breath. ‘The whole thing was very unnerving.’
‘What was your reaction?’ said Ren.
‘I … I assumed she did get the wrong room, and that she thought my reluctance was part of a game, role-playing … I went back to my call with Marie. She didn’t hear exactly what happened, but she was aware that there were raised voices. I told her that someone had come to the wrong room. I didn’t tell her that it was a call-girl – that wouldn’t look good, no matter what.
‘So Marie knew when she saw the date-stamped photos that she had been on the phone with me before and after they were taken, for a total of forty-five minutes, so I couldn’t have had sex with Tina Bowers at that time. If you look closely at the photograph, you can see a dark patch on my shirt – polish, which is why I put Marie on speaker – I wanted to polish and talk at the same time. Because of the black mark, I had started to take off the shirt when Tina Bowers called. I assumed it was a room service guy. That’s why I looked a little rumpled, I opened the door just as I was, without thinking.’
‘What reason did you give your wife for confessing to something that didn’t happen?’ said Ren.
‘I did tell her that I was the victi
m of a smear campaign, but I told her it was to do with financial irregularities related to a hedge fund I was involved in. I told her that I could go to jail. She had seen what happened to the Madoffs …’
‘And she would do anything to stop that,’ said Ren.
Collier nodded. ‘I admitted to a hooker because the other option was child porn.’ He paused. ‘MeesterBrandt knew it was in trouble. If Mark Whaley’s evidence got out, Nolan Carr was about to saddle the company with a massive lawsuit over Cerxus and off-label marketing at the very least. There was a serious possibility that Cerxus could have been withdrawn from the market – it was clear that the benefits were negligible and the side effects were catastrophic. It got approved in the first place by all kinds of string-pulling. And Ellerol, it now seems, is not the wonder drug it claims to be …’
And the combination pill they were so banking on clearly isn’t either.
‘It seems to me that Jonathan Meester hired Nolan Carr because he had managed to avoid any lawsuits with Cerxus, and had helped make billions of dollars for Lang,’ said Collier. ‘By getting hold of Cerxus, MeesterBrandt made billions more. Meester also got Nolan Carr in time for him to work his magic on Ellerol, especially as Meester knew there were issues with the drug’s claims.’
‘Jesus,’ said Ren.
‘This action group I was listening to is pushing for new legislation: that all clinical trial data, positive and negative, is available to the FDA and to the public, that more research is carried out on polypharmacy, that placebos are used in blind drug trials, etc., etc. And, with Mark Whaley’s evidence, MeesterBrandt would have been the poster child for all that was wrong in the industry. And there was no doubt it would have gone under.
‘I liked Mark Whaley a lot,’ said Collier. ‘He was a very modest man. He described himself to me as a “forty percenter” – it was an expression he and his family used: there are people out there who earn their degree or their post-grad by coming top of their class. But, you can still get a degree by scraping forty percent. So, if you’re in the hospital, for example, you want to hope that the doctor treating you isn’t a “forty percenter”.’