by K C Gillis
As the probable outcome of the current scenario played out in Jordan’s mind, an interesting option occurred to her. One that would definitely benefit her, but also the Vitalis. At least indirectly. Jordan gave herself five seconds to talk herself out of the idea. When she couldn’t, she voiced it.
“How about we make a trade?”
Nicky laughed at that. “You don’t seem to appreciate the situation,” he said, smirking. “I don’t need to make a deal. Eventually, you’ll give me what I need nicely, or I’ll be forced to take it. Ideally, we can accomplish that without a lot of issues.”
“I’m not just going to roll over. If you want to hurt me, or worse, then do it now. Take my phone and wait and see if another copy surfaces. I bet your boss would like more certainty than that.”
“You’re right. He would. I have a plan to guarantee certainty. But since I’ve got some time before Mr. Vitali gets here, I’ll humor you. What’s your proposition?”
“It’s simple. I have something you want. And there’s a person at the marina who has something I want. I saw him earlier. And like your situation, this person definitely doesn’t want to give me what I want.”
“And what? You want me to take it from him and give it to you? And in exchange, you’ll guarantee that I get all copies of the recording you have of Punch Malone?”
“Exactly. See how simple it is?”
“Except I don’t really give a shit what you want.”
Jordan flashed Nicky a mischievous smile. “Are you sure?”
“Tell me why I should care.”
“You know there’s someone else trying to buy the marina?”
“Yes. That senator. Chisholm.”
“Right. Well, it turns out he and his chief of staff, a guy named Francis Emberly, invested in a company that’s doing illegal testing on animals. I have a lot of evidence of what this company is doing, but I need samples of the chemicals they’re using. I had someone acquire them for me, but he was intercepted before I got them. They’re now with this Emberly guy.”
“Wait. You’re telling me that you have dirt on the senator who’s trying to buy the marina? The kind of dirt that could get him into legal trouble?”
“That’s exactly what I’m saying. I know for a fact that Emberly has the samples I need.” Jordan knew that wasn’t exactly true, but she’d bet Emberly had them. She left out the chief’s involvement, since it wouldn’t help her at the moment. It might later, but not now.
“Even if I agree, Mr. Vitali needs more certainty. He can’t just take you at your word.” Jordan saw Nicky look toward the door and smile. “As I said, I have a plan for that.”
“What do—” Jordan stopped when she saw Rachel enter the maintenance shed, followed by Derek.
Jordan pulled against her restraint. “What the hell is she doing here? You better not hurt her.”
“Relax,” Nicky said. “The plan isn’t for anyone to get hurt. We just need to come to an understanding.”
“Jordan,” Rachel said. “What’s going on? Why did Derek bring me here?”
“It’s kind of a long story. But Derek is helping the Vitalis, and this guy here, Nicky, wants a recording I have. I’m guessing you’re his leverage.”
“Not bad,” Nicky said. “You reporters are great with words.”
“Whatever. What exactly is your plan?”
“It’s simple. First, let me say that I agree to your trade request. After all, it could help Mr. Vitali. If I can get what you need, it’s yours. But as I said, your word isn’t good enough to guarantee the recording never sees the light of day. Your sister’s safety, and that of your nephew or niece, is something you’d keep your word for. Am I right?”
Jordan didn’t know how Nicky knew Rachel was pregnant. He must have overheard them talking. Rachel now looked more worried than when Derek had brought her in. Not that Jordan was any kind of expert with the criminal element, but her experience in the area trumped Rachel’s.
“Yes, you’re right,” Jordan said. “How about you spell out exactly how this will work?”
“As I said, it’s simple. You’ll delete the copy of the recording you have on your phone, plus any file-sharing locations your phone can access. That will put the recording out of reach, at least for now.”
“And my sister?”
“Yes. The insurance policy. Also simple. No harm will come to her or her family as long as the recording you made stays locked away. If it ever emerges, the safety of your sister and her family is—what’s the word? Forfeit. And in case you were wondering, I take these things seriously.”
Jordan didn’t doubt Nicky. Not in the least.
“Under the circumstances, I guess I can live with that. Can my sister leave?”
“Hang on a minute. Tell me what this Emberly guy looks like.”
Jordan turned to Derek. “Derek, do you remember that guy I pretended to interview the other day?”
“Yeah, I remember.”
“Would you be able to pick him out?”
“I think so.”
Jordan addressed Nicky. “Take Derek with you. He’ll identify Emberly, and you can persuade him to come with you. It won’t take more than five minutes. You can tie me to the pipe running along the wall.”
“Sounds like a plan,” Nicky said. He then spoke to Rachel. “Are you clear with where everything stands? You know, keeping things quiet, people not getting hurt?”
Rachel spoke more calmly than Jordan had expected. “Yes. Perfectly.”
“Good. Then you can go back to wherever you were when Derek got you. And not a word. Jordan’s safety is in your hands.”
“I understand.”
Jordan moved to the wall, and Nicky used duct tape to secure her hands to the pipe.
“We’ll be right back,” Nicky said.
Nicky and Derek returned in five minutes. And they weren’t alone.
Francis Emberly looked disoriented as he entered the building. When he saw Jordan secured to a pipe on the wall, he seemed even more confused.
“Will someone tell me what the hell is going on?” he said.
“I’ll let her tell you,” Nicky said.
“It’s simple,” Jordan said. “I made a deal with Nicky here. In exchange for me giving him something he wants, he’s going to make sure I get something from you.”
Emberly’s confusion disappeared. “No. You’re not getting the samples.”
“That’s not up to you anymore,” Jordan said. “Is it, Nicky?”
“No, it isn’t.”
“What are you going to do?” Emberly asked. “Beat me until I hand them over?”
“I could. But I don’t need you to hand them over. I’m just going to take them,” Nicky said.
To Jordan, Francis Emberly didn’t look like the type to be able to move quickly. It wasn’t that he looked fat or out of shape. He just gave the impression that he’d rather not exert a lot of physical effort. His bolting for the door was completely unexpected. For a brief moment, it looked like he might even make it.
But Nicky’s instant reaction matched Emberly’s initiative. Nicky may not have expected Emberly to make a run for it, but he didn’t hesitate when Emberly made his move for the door. Emberly was slightly closer to the door and reached it first, getting his right hand on the door handle. But before he could push down on the handle to release the door, Nicky chopped down hard with his left arm onto Emberly’s right arm. The blow dislodged Emberly’s hand from the door handle. Before Emberly had time to do anything else, Nicky swept his left leg across Emberly’s feet, sending him falling on his back.
“Stay down,” Nicky said. “Or my next one will do some real damage.”
Emberly put his hands up in surrender. “Fine. You’ve made your point.”
“Glad to hear it. Now hand over these samples the reporter wants.”
“If I do, what happens to me?”
“Nothing. You’ll get to leave in one piece.”
Emberly pulled out the ziplock
bag containing the two samples from the NeuSterone test site and handed them to Nicky. “I won’t take a beating over these.”
“Wise move,” Nicky said as he grabbed the ziplock bag and walked over to Jordan.
“Derek, free Ms. Reed.”
Derek cut the duct tape holding her to the pipe and then cut the zip tie.
Jordan rubbed her wrists. The zip tie had been tight and had started to cut into her skin.
“Can I have them?”
“Where’s your phone?” Nicky asked.
“In a pocket. I’ll show you once I have the samples.”
“Don’t pull any funny shit.” Nicky looked down at Emberly. “I’m all warmed up, and you won’t stand a chance.”
Nicky tossed her the ziplock bag, and Jordan put it in her pocket.
“Let me show you the recording.” Jordan took out her phone and opened the voice recording app she had used, selecting the audio file with the Punch Malone conversation. “Here it is,” she said, holding the phone out to Nicky.
He took the phone and played the recording. He didn’t listen past the halfway point.
Nicky deleted the recording. Jordan’s heart sank just a little.
“Now show me your email, social media accounts, and Dropbox folder. All that shit.”
Jordan complied. Dropbox was the only location accessible from her phone where there was a copy to delete. The specific backups that Travis had set up couldn’t be accessed directly from her phone. They spent about ten minutes searching her phone for copies, and the exercise satisfied Nicky.
“That’s that,” he said. “Was that so bad?”
“That depends on your point of view. Being held captive usually isn’t a good thing. Can I have my phone back?”
Nicky walked over to a workbench, set the phone down, and grabbed a hammer. Jordan watched in shock as he smashed the phone well past the point of any hope it would ever work again.
“You don’t really need a phone for the rest of your visit here. Plus, you and your phone cause too many problems.”
“That’s really nice. Phones aren’t cheap, you know.”
“Then you should pick your stories more carefully.”
“Can we go now?” Emberly asked.
Nicky looked to Emberly. “You can go. I’m sure you need to tell your boss that trying to buy the marina is the least of his worries now.”
Francis Emberly stood up and left the maintenance shed without saying another word.
“What about me?” Jordan said.
“Mr. Vitali wants to meet you. Just hang tight for a few minutes while I see if he’s here yet.”
When Nicky left, Jordan turned to Derek. “You’ve got to know you picked the wrong people to get involved with, right?”
Derek’s face betrayed there was more to the situation than Jordan knew.
“Derek, is there something I’m missing here? You say you’re helping the Vitalis, but it sure as hell doesn’t seem like you’re enjoying it.”
Derek took a moment before responding. “What I said before was true. Mr. Vitali promised me a promotion over my current job for helping him with his plans for the marina.”
“But there’s something else.”
Derek sighed. “Mr. Vitali told me about my dad’s gambling problem and what it meant.”
“Your dad gambles?”
“He always liked to play the ponies, and once or twice a year, he’d do a casino weekend with some buddies. But since my mom left, he started gambling a lot. Almost every weekend. And most of it was at the Vitalis’ casino near Stamford.”
“The one Robbie Vitali manages.”
“Yes. He said my dad has over two hundred and fifty thousand in debt to that casino alone. They know he can’t pay it off, so he’s been working it off by getting some of the big landowners to sell the Vitalis their land. Ones that have no connection to the marina. But I had no idea about the accidents until Punch mentioned it.”
“So how does that affect you? I assume your dad doesn’t know you’re involved?”
“Mr. Vitali said if I agree to help him, it will go a long way with how he deals with my dad. I may not like how they do things, but helping my dad and getting a better job make it bearable.”
“What about Mike? Hell, what about Kasey?”
“They’ll probably both hate me. But Kasey and her brother don’t want to inherit this place anyway, so Mike selling it for a good price is actually better for them. I’ll try to convince Kasey of that.”
“Good luck with that. It’s not going to be easy.”
They were interrupted by the door opening. Nicky and a man who must have been Robbie Vitali entered the maintenance shed. Robbie was taller than Nicky, but still not six feet tall. Except for the absence of a formal jacket, he looked like he was heading to an important meeting. Jordan thought she saw a third figure, but only two came inside.
The new face stepped forward. “You must be Jordan Reed,” he said. “According to my associate, you’ve had quite the busy week.”
“You must be the one and only Robbie Vitali, the guy pulling everyone’s strings,” Jordan said.
“That’s me.”
“I guess you’re here to try to convince Mike to sell the marina? I could have sworn he said no.”
“That was to my lawyer. It would have been a bit disappointing for him to accept right out of the gate. I like a good scrap. My offer is well above the market value of the property. Mike would be a fool not to accept.”
“There’s more to selling than money.”
“Like leaving something for your family? You have to know Mike’s kids have no interest in this place. Do they, Derek?”
“That’s what they’ve always said.”
“I’m giving Mike the chance to set up his family for the rest of their lives.”
“And what’s your reason for all this?” Jordan said. “It can’t just be the great boating.”
“You’re from a big city. You must see the potential in the property up here. With the lake and marina as a centerpiece, I can turn Copper Lake into a prime vacation destination.”
“Does that mean a casino?”
“A well-run casino would be a financial godsend to this town. Adding more businesses, restaurants, and hotels will make Copper Lake a premiere retreat for the Tri-State and New England.”
“You think that’s what people around here want? People come here because it’s relaxing. A casino is a lot of things, but relaxing isn’t one of them. Especially if it comes with vandalism and violence. But I’m sure you know nothing about that?”
Vitali smiled. “I heard there have been a few strange accidents at the marina recently. That’s really bad luck. One of the risks of owning a business is that bad things can happen. Mike has an easy path away from the pressure and stress of being a business owner. I have no doubt that a change in ownership will bring an end to these accidents.”
“Lucky for Mike there’s a buyer like you ready to step in.”
“That’s right. But I’m not here to talk about me. I want to know what you have on Senator Chisholm.”
“Didn’t Nicky tell you?”
“Not really. He told me you had some information on an investment that’s breaking some laws.”
“That’s basically it. He and his chief of staff, the guy Nicky brought in here, have some kind of ownership in an agriculture biotech company. Somehow, this company got a site on state land in Copper Lake and have been testing chemicals that make animals grow larger and faster. None of the testing is approved. Plus, they look like they’re running their wastewater directly underground, and it’s affecting local animals.”
“And you can prove this?”
Jordan pulled out the ziplock bag and held it up. “I can with these. Your man Nicky helped me get these chemical samples in exchange for the recording I had of one of your conspirators.”
“Do you plan to publish a story on this company?”
“As soon as I get out of this t
own.”
“I look forward to reading it.”
Robbie took out what looked like a business card and wrote something on the back. He gestured to the smashed phone on the workbench. “I see you’re without a phone at the moment, so take this.” He handed Jordan the business card. “Don’t lose it.”
Jordan took the card and flipped it over to look at the back. There was a handwritten phone number. “What’s this?”
“It’s my personal mobile number. Very few people have it. I trust your journalist integrity in keeping it confidential.”
Nicky’s face mirrored the surprise Jordan felt. Robbie Vitali really must not give his number out very often.
“Thanks, I guess. But I can’t think of a reason why I need your number.”
“Maybe not now. But one day you might.” Robbie turned to leave but paused. “Don’t forget the deal you made. Regarding your sister. I’d hate for there to have to be another intervention.”
Robbie opened the door and left, trailed by Nicky, a self-congratulating grin having replaced his earlier look of surprise.
I wonder what intervention he was referring to?
46
The chief drove to the boat launch. Francis Emberly was standing there waiting for him.
“What the hell happened?” the chief said.
“I was sitting at a table, at the back of the patio, waiting for the senator. I noticed two guys walk through the patio, but I didn’t really look at them or think much of it. Next thing I knew, they were at my table. One of them was your kid.”
That made no sense to the chief at all. “Wait. My kid? Derek?”
“Yes, your kid. I’ve seen him around the marina and knew he was your son.”
“The other guy, did you know him?”
“No. But I learned pretty quickly he worked for the Vitalis. One of them—the son, Robbie—is trying to buy the marina.”
“That’s the casino family, right?”
“That’s right.”
“Fuck. What happened next?”
“The Vitali guy leaned in to me and said I needed to come with him. Or I’d be at the bottom of the lake before the end of the day.”
“And you listened?”