‘How do you know my name? Who’s told you about what we are researching?’
‘Cut the questions. Never you mind, but you can’t deny it, can you?’
RB was now standing menacingly close to Dan and during the course of the conversation, he’d been steered off the main pathway around to the service entrance behind the building. RB was aided by another heavy whose name hadn’t yet been mentioned.
‘No, but what do you want it for? It’s no use as a street drug.’ Dan was struggling to believe the exchange taking place. Was he really standing here in the dark discussing his research with a known drug dealer? He paused and thought for a minute. ‘Are you going to sell it to another company? I don’t understand?
‘You don’t have to understand, you have to do as you are told.’
‘And if I refuse?’
‘Well, think of it as a three-course meal,’ said RB, producing a knife and releasing the blade. Dan frowned. RB brought the knife close up to Dan’s face and the tip pierced the skin on his cheek. ‘That was the starter.’
Dan struggled but he was held in a firm grip on both arms by Lee.
‘The main course will be that we will tell the university that they have a coke head working in their laboratories. I think you might find not many labs will want to employ you after that.’
Dan started to protest at this latest threat but he was cut off before he could get any words out.
‘Oh, and for dessert,’ and he laughed, ‘this is the best bit, the sort of “pièce de resistance,” as the French say,’ and he reached into his pocket for another envelope. ‘Open it,’ he said menacingly.
Dan ripped it open and RB used the torch on his mobile to illuminate it. Dan’s mouth sagged open. There was a long curly lock of auburn hair and entwined within was a gold chain with a small heart attached. He felt down to his knees. ‘No! No!’ he screamed and fought with Lee to escape his grasp so that he could punch Lee. It was fruitless. The two men were used to keeping physical control over their victims.
‘Your girlfriend is fine. She’s having a little holiday courtesy of us.’
‘You bastard,’ shouted Dan, ‘leave her alone. If anything happens to her...’
‘Oh, yes? You’ll do what?’ asked RB. ‘I’ll tell you what you’ll do. You’ll do as you are told. Read the instructions on the slip of paper I gave you and meet us here tomorrow. Same time, same place.’
Dan ripped open the envelope and tried to read what was on the paper. He couldn’t believe this was happening. Was he dreaming? Had he snorted so much that he was hallucinating?
‘Oh, and don’t think of being clever and give us something else instead,’ said RB grasping Dan round the throat. ‘We can test it you know, any funny business and Jessica will be dead meat. That’s after we’ve had our bit of fun with her!’
They walked away briskly, laughing cruelly between themselves. Dan was left alone. He had no choice. He could not put Jessica at risk.
**
Cole was pleased to get a message to say that Step One had been executed satisfactorily by Lee. By tomorrow evening they should have the material in hand. So it would be time to put Step Two into action. He’d just had a message from his other employees to say that Jessica was behaving herself and everything was under control. A sensible girl he thought to himself. If only everyone he came into contact with was so obedient. He didn’t like to have to waste time with people who felt they were cleverer and chose to question his judgement, that just wasted everyone’s time.
He relaxed back in his chair. He was expecting a visit from Godfrey Clancy this evening. He hoped he would show the same level of compliance, he usually did. Their history went back a long way and had been a symbiotic relationship. Godfrey would need to find someone else to take over his patients on Wednesday as he would be ministering to a private patient. He hoped he had done his homework. Surely he would have. Godfrey was weak and spineless and would jump if someone said boo to him. Cole poured himself a generous measure of single malt, fired up his laptop and waited for his visitor.
Chapter 25
Dan abandoned his five-a-side football and didn’t even contact his team to say he wouldn’t be playing. He drove erratically home. He was a complete mix of emotions. Angry, shocked, fearful, a whole gamut of feelings coursing through his veins. He needed a fix as well and he was relieved to see that along with the instructions there were a couple of packets of coke. He was desperate to do a line when he got in, even though it would make him more hyperactive and agitated. The cravings from his body were taking control and his concentration was beginning to lapse even more. Images of his lovely Jessica flashed before his eyes. He couldn’t bear the thought of her being harmed. She was completely innocent and he’d got them into this mess with his stupid coke habit. He slapped the steering wheel in frustration accidentally catching the horn which gave a loud beep making him jump out of his skin.
He stopped at some traffic lights and tried to slow his breathing. His palms were sweaty and he wiped them down his jeans. He just couldn’t understand how drug dealers had found out about the front-runner compound or equally what they could possibly want with it. It was a few months since the news had broken that they were working on a possible cure for cancer. Why was there now suddenly all this interest from underworld characters? It didn’t make sense.
His thought processes were interrupted by more horns beeping, this time directed at him. The lights had changed to green and he was still sitting there. He quickly engaged first gear and the car pulled away hopping slightly as he’d released the clutch too quickly. He couldn’t wait to get home. He needed to concentrate as he was in danger of causing an accident or running someone over. After what seemed ages he reached the road where they lived and found a parking space. He had to parallel park and in his current state made a complete hash of it. He had to pull out several times and repeat the process and after three attempts decided it was good enough even though he was at least a foot from the kerb. It would just have to do. He grabbed his bag and sprinted up the front steps towards their flat which was on the second floor of a converted terraced house. Their neighbour Ruth was leaving so he didn’t have to use his key and so he just rushed inside shouting a cursory “evening” in greeting and entered the sanctity of his flat.
He got out his packet of coke and made a line on the glass-topped coffee table with his credit card. Using a ten-pound note he snorted the line up his right nostril and collapsed back on the sofa. He closed his eyes for a few minutes as he felt the drug suffuse through his body. He leaned forward to put his head in his hands. It was going to be a long wait until he could go into the laboratory and package up the sample of the front-runner compound. He just hoped there would be enough. It would have to be enough. If not, he would have to mix it with something else, a white powder to bulk it out, like they did with drugs. They were often cut with something like baking soda or talc.
How was he going to sleep tonight? He simply couldn’t. His guts were churning but there was no way he could eat any solid food. He opened a bottle of beer and downed half of it in one go. This wasn’t going to be enough though. He found a half-full bottle of vodka and started on some shots of that. He simply had to have something to numb the pain and anxiety.
Exhausted, he took the bottle over to the sofa and switched on the TV. Although he couldn’t concentrate the noise and moving images might provide some comfort. He seriously hoped so.
**
Jessica had resigned herself to the fact that she was going to be incarcerated all night. On the plus side, she’d not been assaulted or raped. She had no idea what time it was as they had removed her watch and the room had no windows. There was now hardly any light filtering through under the door so it must be evening. She realised that she would soon be plunged into total darkness when night fell. At some point, the door opened and a voice told her to pass out the bucket and they gave her an empty one in return. They also gave her a tray with some water and a packet of c
heese sandwiches. Her appetite had gone but she somehow managed to force it down as she knew she needed to keep her strength up. She could hear muffled voices and vehicles coming and going from time to time but the location seemed quite isolated. She couldn’t hear any noise of fast-moving traffic on a main road, or any noise from trains. At one point she thought she heard an owl hoot so they must be outside the town or in the countryside.
She lay down inside the sleeping bag. She was still fully clothed, wearing her raincoat. Her tights were ripped and filthy but at least her feet had dried now. The adrenaline coursing through her all day had left her physically and mentally drained. Her eyes closed and she drifted off into a light sleep.
**
‘Can I offer you a drink, Godfrey?’
‘Oh, yes, whisky please, just a small one as I’m driving.’
Cole poured some into his glass first and then a smaller measure for the doctor.
‘Right, well, just a quick chat,’ said Cole, taking a gulp of his drink.
He handed Godfrey a folded paper. ‘Here’s your homework.’
Godfrey glanced at it briefly and nodded.
‘Have you got the necessary equipment ready for tomorrow evening?’
‘Yes, although it’s not been easy. I had to call in a few favours.’
‘That’s what life is all about my dear boy.’
Godfrey remained impassive.
‘The day after tomorrow will be the trial run on a figurative guinea pig. We should have enough material and if we don’t, then someone is going to get a good seeing to.’
‘But shouldn’t we be sure we have the correct material? Get it tested?’
‘And how long do you think that will take?’
‘I’ve no idea, we can hardly walk into the university and ask them to test it can we? I’m sure there are firms who would do it for us though.’
‘There isn’t time. We have made it clear to the chemist who took the material that any attempt to deceive us will be..., and he paused, ‘will not be in his best interest.’ Cole stared at Godfrey menacingly. ‘Understand?’
Godfrey nodded.
‘Then we will schedule the real treatment for later in the week so make sure your diary is clear, understood?’
‘I understand completely,’ and he finished his drink. ‘You’ve not commented on my bit of work at the weekend. I hope you were satisfied?’
‘Oh, yes, you did well. So well in fact that I think we could have repeat performance very soon, what do you say?’
‘Cole, I’ve told you, we have to be careful. We don’t want to do it too often, do we, otherwise, people will be suspicious.’
‘That’s true,’ and Cole nodded. ‘But they will be suspicious of you and not me, won’t they?’
**
Nick went to bed early that night. Fortunately, his headache hadn’t worsened, he was looking forward to the day ahead and hoping he would begin to make an impact on the project. Seth had some material at the penultimate stage in the synthesis, so Nick was going to use some of that and check out the final step, hoping to improve the yield. It would also mean he should be able to get a feel for the properties of the final product. Luckily there was still some sample around so he would have a marker to follow his reaction. He must have fallen asleep for an hour or so and then sensed Polly getting into bed next to him. Sleepily he reached for her and snuggled up against her comforting form. He soon fell back to sleep and didn’t wake until his alarm the next morning.
**
Dan awoke at 3 a.m. in the morning still on the sofa with a nearly empty bottle of vodka next to him. The TV was still playing and he had no idea what he’d been watching before the alcohol took effect. His head was pounding and his throat parched. For a moment his senses were dulled and he couldn’t work out why he wasn’t in bed. Suddenly the full horror of the previous day’s events came flooding back and he felt hideously sick. He stumbled to the bathroom and heaved up his stomach contents over the toilet. He hadn’t eaten any solid food for over twelve hours so there was hardly anything to bring up. He spat a small amount of vile smelling liquid into the pan and stood up slowly. He rinsed his mouth at the basin and was suddenly overcome with another bout of nausea. His stomach ached as it was now completely empty. He had to drink something and went to the kitchen to get some water and paracetamol.
He sat down at the kitchen table in close proximity to the sink in case his nausea returned. Holding his head in his hands he tried to think logically. He still couldn’t fathom how the drug gang knew about their front-runner UP-627-TK. What use would it be? What had changed in the research environment? They must have got his name from Wayne. He thought back to the evening in the pub when his security pass fell on the floor and Wayne picked it up.
Suddenly his senses awoke. Could it be Nick Thomas who had caused all this? He was the new person. Was he secretly a drug user? After all, he’d had time off work and he’d had an accident when he was assaulted. Had he resorted to drug use to help him through a difficult period? It was possible, but was it probable? Then there were the two business consultants, Matt Pearson and Brett Chandler. Was it possible that they weren’t who they seemed? Surely not, they must be wealthy and have lots of opportunities ahead of them. Somehow he couldn’t see them being involved in anything so nefarious.
Whatever or whoever Dan felt was behind all this, one thing remained. He had been dropped in the shit and he had to get out of it. Not just for his sake but for Jessica’s. Just the thought of her made his eyes fill with tears and he put his head down on the table and cried copiously. This was the worst episode of his life. He just hoped and prayed that it wouldn’t get any worse.
Chapter 26
Jessica did manage to get a few hours sleep. She awoke feeling stiff and sore as the sleeping bag afforded hardly any cushioning against the hard cold floor. She lay in the dark straining her ears for any sounds but the silence was deafening. She was used to hearing some sounds in the middle of the night. Some muffled noises from the flats above and below. A few cars out in the street. The occasional dog barking or people passing by who had drunk too much on a night out. Here there was nothing. She felt totally alone. She’d not drunk all the water as she didn’t know when the next supply would arrive, so she reached for it and took a few mouthfuls. She lay awake until morning, trying to make sense of what was happening and trying to formulate a plan.
**
At 5 a.m. Dan went to have a shower and changed into some clean clothes. He needed to get into the laboratory before anyone else arrived and package up the requested supply of the front-runner compound. The building was open from 7 a.m. in the morning and he planned to be first through the door. It wouldn’t be regarded as strange as scientists were often keen to get in and check their reactions. None of the rest of his team usually arrived before 8 a.m. at the earliest so he calculated that he should have ample time. He would leave for the university at 6.30 a.m. and would be easily there by seven. In twelve hours time, this should all be over and Jessica would be released and back with him. They would be the longest twelve hours of his life. He had no idea how he was going to get through them.
**
Scott also had an anxious and busy day ahead because Lee had just been in contact to say that they needed a van for this evening’s work. He was also under instructions to swap the plates on it with that of another car. Traffic cameras were everywhere now and as the van might well be reported stolen they needed to throw the police off the scent. Scott had been due to do some casual work delivering some items of questionable provenance to some retail outlets that evening, so he’d had to feign sickness with his employer. This had not been received kindly but when Scott suggested a reliable replacement he seemed to be let off the hook. Scott knew that success in this venture with Lee could provide a much more lucrative future than being a delivery boy of stolen goods. He had all day to pass before he planned to steal the van in the evening, he just hoped it would still be in position. He needed to a
cquire some other number plates before then so that would be his activity for this morning.
**
Dan arrived at the university before 7 a.m. and parked in his usual car park. At five minutes to the hour, he headed off to the chemistry department and arrived at the main entrance just as the door was being unlocked. He said good morning to a security guard whom he’d not seen before who was patrolling in front of the building. He bounded up the stairs and along the corridor to his desk. The building had an eerie feel to it as he was the only occupant. He shrugged off his jacket and threw down his bag. Flicking on the light switch in the laboratory he grabbed his lab coat and headed over to the bench where the project intermediates were stored. He put on some disposable gloves and found the flask he wanted. This was the remaining batch UP-627-TK synthesised by Thierry. Dan could feel his heart pounding in his chest as though it were about to break through. His gloves were becoming sweaty inside and he felt his face was flushed. He was hoping there was enough material. He took the flask and weighed it, then subtracted the weight of the flask which was written on the side. There was approximately five and a half grams, the slip of paper he’d been given stipulated four grams. He headed over to the weighing station and started to tip out the white crystalline powder on to a piece of filter paper and then he poured it into a small plastic bag. He replaced the flask back on the bench. He hoped that nobody would notice that the amount it contained had reduced considerably. He was in the clear. Thank you, thank you, Thierry he whispered.
He put the compound in several bags and sealed it with tape. He then found a brown envelope in the office area and wrapped it in that before stowing it safely in his bag. He had done what was required and it was still only quarter past seven. When the rest of the team arrived he would be casually sitting at his desk writing up his laboratory notebook. He was just glad that he’d not had to remove all the material otherwise people would wonder what had happened to the flask. With this scenario he could always argue that the weight on the flask was wrong or that Thierry had mistakenly recorded the wrong yield of material. He looked around the laboratory to check he’d not left anything out to incriminate himself. But then he reminded himself this was a laboratory not a scene of a burglary. He’d only used what was normal in that environment. The stress of it all was making him paranoid.
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