Lake Effect

by K C Gillis

“Damn right I listened. What was I supposed to do? They outnumbered me, and this Nicky guy sounded like he’d done this before.”

  “So where did you go?”

  Emberly pointed toward the parking lot. “To a maintenance shed.”

  “How long ago?”

  “Twenty minutes. Maybe more.”

  “Then what?”

  Emberly shared the rest of the details on the scene in the maintenance shed, right up until they allowed him to leave.

  “So Jordan Reed now has enough to expose your little company, along with you and Chris?”

  “It looks that way.”

  “And Vitali will make sure Mike knows all this, taking Chisholm out of the equation to buy the marina.”

  “That would be the smart play.”

  “Where the hell is Chris?”

  As if on cue, Emberly’s phone rang. It was Chisholm.

  Emberly told the senator that he and the chief were by the boat launch and he needed to get there ASAP.

  “Where was he?” the chief asked after Emberly had hung up.

  Emberly hesitated before answering. “I’m not sure. But he’s on his way now, so it doesn’t matter.”

  The two men looked toward the main building, keeping an eye out for the senator. After a minute, he came into view, hurrying toward them.

  “Brian,” he said, extending his hand. “Sorry I didn’t get to see you earlier.”

  “Have you been here long?”

  The senator looked mildly flustered. “Not too long. I was just catching up with a few people. What happened?”

  Francis took the senator through the action of the last hour. By the end of the five-minute recap, the senator’s face was gray. He looked like he was going to throw up.

  “I can’t believe this is happening. How did Vitali even know about NeuSterone in the first place?”

  “It was Jordan Reed,” the chief said. “Vitali probably didn’t know much until today.” The chief knew for a fact that Vitali knew practically nothing about NeuSterone before today. If Jordan Reed wasn’t such a pain in his ass, she might have impressed him with how she got what she needed. Fortunately, her luck had run out on tying anyone specifically to the marina accidents. Unless she got to Malone again. Which reminded the chief that he hadn’t seen Malone yet.

  “About that. Why did this Nicky guy have Jordan Reed tied up, again?”

  “She had a recording on her phone he wanted,” Emberly said. “I don’t know what was on it, but it had to incriminate Vitali for something. It doesn’t matter now. Nicky deleted it and destroyed her phone.”

  “We’re currently screwed. This story going public will end all of our careers. And once Mike learns the details, there’s no way in hell he’d consider selling me the marina. Hell, he might even be more inclined to sell to Vitali as an opportunity to walk away from all the craziness. I know Alice wants him to sell.”

  That caught the chief by surprise. “Really? Alice wants him to sell? How do you know?”

  The senator’s eyes flickered ever so slightly, a sign he said something unintended. He recovered in a heartbeat. “We keep in touch. I actually had asked her a while back if Mike would ever consider selling. She said it had never come up, but I think she’s been pushing him to consider it since then.”

  The chief didn’t buy the senator’s easy explanation. If there weren’t more pressing issues, he’d probe more.

  Francis Emberly brought the two men back to the more important topic. “We need to figure out how to deal with Jordan Reed. If she gets those samples tested, they’ll match what they found in the fish. NeuSterone doesn’t have the resources to fight through the fallout of this kind of exposure. Hell, there might even be criminal charges. If not for the testing, then for how NeuSterone got prime state land for practically nothing.”

  “Right,” the senator said. “Brian, what can we do?”

  “Legally? Nothing comes to mind. She sure as hell won’t do us a favor if we ask. We could offer her a bribe, but I already got a sense she’s not that type.”

  “Is there anything less legal we could do?”

  “We could do what Nicky did. Grab her and force her to hand over the samples. But if she’s smart, she won’t let herself get into a situation like that again.”

  “You couldn’t haul her in as police chief and take the samples? They’re stolen property.”

  “I’m already way out on a limb here. Don’t forget that I have Drew MacGregor in a cell for no valid reason. If I do the same with Jordan Reed, how do you think her employer will react? They’ll send a team of lawyers to get her out. Then we’re definitely done. And I can’t just grab her at gunpoint.”

  “All I’ve got is money,” Chisholm said. “I’ll make her an offer she hopefully can’t refuse. Where can I find her?”

  “I’ll get Derek to find her. Stay close.”

  The chief had a few calls to make after meeting with Chris.

  First up, he called Derek and told him to find Jordan Reed and tell her Senator Chisholm wanted to meet with her. The chief also told Derek that he had some serious explaining to do once things settled down.

  Next, he called Alice. Despite their history, she had never refused to take his calls or talk to him. He told her that Chris and Emberly had invested in a company that was breaking the law and that it could take them down. He skipped the part about Chris planning to bribe Jordan Reed. No need to give her any hope that Chris could get out of his jam. The chief emphasized that the Vitali offer was the only viable one in play. If she really wanted Mike to sell, it would have to be to the Vitalis. Alice said she’d consider supporting it.

  The last call was to Punch Malone. His absence worried the chief, and the convergence of every player at the marina only raised the stakes. Malone didn’t answer. The chief didn’t have time to physically track him down. He wondered if Malone had skipped town. He’d have to get pretty far to escape the Vitalis. Then the chief’s mind went back to his last conversation with Nicky regarding Malone. According to Nicky, Malone was no longer the chief’s problem. The chief thought he may have seen the last of Punch Malone.

  Chief Foster took a moment to reassess his own situation. The NeuSterone mess would be bad for him because of what he’d helped to cover up. But he might be able to get through the fallout with disciplinary action and maybe a fine. Not great, but he might save his job. The Vitali situation was more precarious. If Mike didn’t sell to Vitali, the chief was out of luck. He had no ability to pay off his debt, and he’d be at Robbie’s mercy. Casinos didn’t stay in business because debtors escaped their debts.

  Mike had to sell Vitali the marina.

  47

  Jordan joined Travis, Rachel, and Mike in his office at 4:30. It was time to make sure everything was ready. And share some bad news.

  Travis was about to demonstrate his remote control of the newly positioned flat-screen TV.

  “There’s been a change in plans,” Jordan said.

  Mike looked at her. “What kind?”

  “I don’t have the confession from Punch Malone. And I tried to reach him to get him to repeat what he’d told me, but he’s not answering.”

  Travis reacted first. “Oh shit. I’m almost afraid to ask what happened.”

  “The short version is that Nicky somehow knew I had it. He kind of forced me to delete it and make sure there were no copies anywhere else. We also made a deal that prevents any backed-up copies from ever seeing the light of day.”

  “Why would you agree to that?”

  Jordan hated that Rachel had been in danger. Travis would have an opinion on the subject that Jordan wouldn’t like. “All you need to know is that destroying the backups of that recording will keep people safe. But I got something in return.”

  “What? A free pass at the casino?”

  “Better. I convinced Nicky that getting me the samples of the chemical from the NeuSterone site that the chief intercepted would be bad for the senator, which would be good for the Vit
alis.”

  “And he agreed?”

  “He did. I really think he did it because he enjoys intimidating people.”

  Mike looked more nervous than before and brought the discussion back to the meeting with Vitali. “What does all this mean for my meeting with Vitali?”

  “You won’t have the leverage the Malone recording provided. We still know Vitali was responsible, but without the proof. You’ll have to call him out on that directly.”

  “Shit, I can’t do that. I don’t have it in me. He’ll just deny it anyway.”

  “Sure he will. But it will establish your belief he’s not playing fair.”

  “How does that help? It’s my word against his.”

  “Remember, the surest way out of this situation is to get him to incriminate himself. You need to goad him into admitting he was behind the accidents.”

  “I hope you know how to do that.”

  “I have an idea. Do you think you can get Alice to be here when you meet Vitali?”

  “I’m sure I could.”

  “Perfect.” Jordan walked Mike through her approach. One that would prime Vitali to explode when he didn’t get his way.

  “You’re expecting a lot from me,” Mike said. “I was a shitty actor in school. If you had seen me in West Side Story, you’d never ask me to do this.”

  “It’s for your marina. You can do it.”

  “Where will you be?”

  “I’ll be with Travis and Rachel. When you need me, just say so, and I’ll come to your office.”

  “So that’s it, then?”

  “It is. We’re ready.”

  Travis had a concern. “What about Nicky? He’s bound to be around, and we already know he’s dangerous.”

  “What’s he going to do? We’re in the main building, and there are hundreds of people around. As long as no one is alone, we’ll be all right.”

  “That’s pretty optimistic for someone Nicky had tied up not too long ago.”

  “That’s how I know.”

  “Just be careful.”

  “Aren’t I always?”

  Travis scoffed, not bothering to honor the question with an answer.

  Jordan left the main building and almost ran straight into Derek.

  “Whoa, sorry. I wasn’t paying attention.”

  “It’s all right. I was looking for you.”

  “I’m not going with you to any maintenance buildings.”

  “I’m really sorry about that. Once I agreed to help Mr. Vitali, I learned I pretty much have to do what he and his guys tell me to do. I didn’t really think it through before agreeing to help. But if Mike sells him the marina, it should get better.”

  “That’s a nice thought, but when you get hooked up with guys like Vitali, it never really gets better.”

  “We’ll see. But I was actually looking for you. Senator Chisholm asked to talk to you.”

  “For real? This isn’t a trick?”

  “No trick. He’s down at the dock. He’s the guy in the white golf shirt at the far end.”

  “I see him. Any idea what this is about?”

  “I don’t know. But it’s just him, so there won’t be any trouble.”

  “I’ll be fine. If he tries anything, I’ll put him in the lake.”

  It was getting close to five p.m., the time of the meeting between Robbie Vitali and Mike. Jordan didn’t want to meet with Senator Chisholm, but she recognized a chance to use him.

  Jordan walked down to where he stood. He was looking out over the lake and didn’t see her approach.

  “Senator Chisholm?” Jordan said as she reached him.

  He turned around. “Ah. You must be Jordan Reed. It’s a shame we didn’t get to meet sooner.”

  “I’d agree with that. I’d still like to get you on the record about NeuSterone before I expose it.”

  “You sure don’t beat around the bush. Right to the meat of the subject.”

  “I don’t like to waste time. What can I do for you?”

  “It’s quite simple, really. You seem to have some information that leads you to conclude that this company, NeuSterone, is doing something illegal. I’d like to talk about getting it back.”

  Jordan reflexively touched the pocket of her shorts where the samples were. “Not ‘seem to have’ some information. I have enough to prove that chemicals not approved for testing were used on animals, specifically fish, but likely other species as well, and that they were deadly. And let’s not forget that it’s a safe bet that the company is flushing these chemicals out into the local environment. So it’s pretty clear from my point of view.”

  “Let’s set that aside for a minute and look at the bigger picture. Do you have any idea the kind of pressure our food supply infrastructure will be under in the coming years?”

  “I have to say I don’t think much about it.”

  “Well, I do. And so do a lot of others. Continued population growth, combined with the planet’s challenge to produce enough food, is putting us on a dangerous path. Companies like NeuSterone are trying to develop approaches to increase agriculture yields to prepare for the future.”

  “Am I supposed to believe that your motivation is to save people and not to make a small fortune?”

  “Can’t the two go hand in hand?”

  “Sure. But if you really wanted to help save the world, you wouldn’t do it with secrecy and you wouldn’t break the law. That tells me money comes first.”

  “Yes, I’m a capitalist. But we set NeuSterone up to meet a very real need. Don’t you care?”

  “I care when people and companies are reckless and dangerous and ignore the law. You’re definitely harming animals. Some might call it torture. Who knows what will happen to people who get exposed to the chemicals. They’re probably in the lake already. If NeuSterone had done things the right way, we wouldn’t need to have this discussion.”

  “Fair enough. But let me make a proposition. If I guarantee that NeuSterone will clean up its operations, will you put your story on the shelf?”

  “Name one reporter who would do that.”

  “I could name several. Except that we have agreements to maintain confidentiality. It’s more common than you think.”

  “Then they’re not doing their job. Tell me, did they ‘cooperate’ with you out of a belief in your good intentions, or did you provide some financial incentives to smooth things out?”

  “I see you’re not completely naïve. There’s always some exchange. Sometimes it’s financial. Sometimes it’s access to privileged information. There’s always something. What would you like?”

  “Nothing. I won’t fail to report what I know to be the reckless and illegal behavior of your company. A company that seems to have worked pretty hard to keep its presence on state land in Copper Lake a secret.”

  “So that’s it? You don’t even want to hear my offer?”

  “I’ve walked away from pretty generous bribes in the past. It’s not as hard as you think. But if NeuSterone manages to make it through whatever happens next, I’d be more than happy to tell the story of how they turned themselves around so they could feed humanity.”

  “You’re making a mistake. Creating enemies is never a good strategy for long-term success.”

  “It won’t matter if they’re in jail.” Jordan looked at her watch: 4:50.

  “Senator, I have a question for you.”

  “What is it?”

  “Do you still have an interest in buying the marina?”

  “Yes. But I’m sure Mike won’t sell to my investor group with your NeuSterone story coming.”

  “Honestly, he doesn’t want to sell at all. But if he sells it to Vitali, then you’re out of the picture.”

  “Your point?”

  “Mike is meeting with Robbie Vitali in minutes. Seeing you nearby would definitely make Vitali wonder who Mike would sell the marina to.”

  “You think I can help Mike fend off Vitali?”

  “Yes. Mike is pretty clear on
not wanting to sell. But there’s more. We know Vitali is responsible for the accidents at the marina. He might be willing to go further, maybe far enough that Mike feels like he has no choice but to sell. That’s why we want to corner him and expose his actions. Making it known, with witnesses, should force him to back off. Anything that puts him off-balance will help. Like seeing you.”

  Jordan watched Chisholm’s face as he appeared to have connected several bits of information for the first time.

  “Let me guess. The chief is helping him?”

  “How did you know?”

  “Something the chief said before. He recommended I float some information that the Vitalis would pick up, suggesting he was trying to extort Mike through vandalism. Now I see it wasn’t just a play. He knew exactly. That son of a bitch.”

  “You can do what you want, Senator. But this is your chance to help make sure Vitali doesn’t get the marina. With a little luck, both he and the chief may get taken down for the marina accidents.”

  “I’ll think about it. If I do, will you reconsider your position on NeuSterone?”

  “Not a chance. But think fast. I need to get back to Mike.”

  “Fine. It’ll be worth it to prevent someone else from getting the marina.”

  48

  Jordan and Senator Chisholm headed back up to the main building. Nearing the entrance, they saw Robbie Vitali and a very large man approaching. Jordan and the senator paused at the entrance.

  “Jordan Reed,” Vitali said. “We meet again.”

  “We do. It’s definitely better not being trapped.” Jordan turned toward Chisholm. “Mr. Vitali, I’m not sure if you’ve met Senator Chisholm before.”

  “I don’t believe I have.”

  Jordan was sure Chisholm saw the smirk on Vitali’s face.

  Chisholm extended his hand. “Pleased to meet you, Mr. Vitali. It looks like we both like marinas.”

  “Who doesn’t? Maybe when I buy it, I’ll give you a special membership offer. You know, one just for politicians.”

  “That’s interesting. I was pretty sure Mike hadn’t planned on selling. The marina has been in his family since we were kids. Before, even. It would take something special to make him sell it. Especially to a stranger.”