by K C Gillis
Jordan stuck to her plan to write three stories.
Jordan wrote the fireworks explosion story right away. It was time sensitive, so she didn’t have much choice. It was published the day after she got back to Boston and generated a ton of traffic for the Courant’s website.
She left out that she’d been kidnapped. Twice. On the same day. That would have taken away from the real story and put too much attention on her. The GenPhage experience had proved she didn’t like the spotlight.
While her editor didn’t allow her to make the kind of connection to the Vitalis that she wanted, it was a matter of public record that Nicky and Tony were arrested and that Nicky worked for the Vitalis. She hoped readers would be smart enough to make the small leap required to figure out who was really behind the explosion. She included that Chief Foster had also been charged as a result of events at the marina. But there was no publishable link between him and the Vitalis.
Jordan’s second story was the one that had brought her to Copper Lake in the first place. The fish kill. Charlie provided the description of what had killed the fish and made sure to use language most people could understand. Readers would know the fish had died from a combination of synthetic chemicals they had been exposed to. They just wouldn’t get to know the source of those chemicals.
The closest Jordan could get to tying the fish deaths to NeuSterone was to report that she had contacted them for a statement about possible unauthorized animal testing but that they had refused to comment. An appearance of guilt, but nothing many would remember.
Jordan’s third story was a profile piece on Senator Chisholm. She positioned it as information voters would need to know with an election coming in the fall. Her focus was on the shady-looking business connections that existed within the joint business and political community and how the system was rigged to cut corners. She couldn’t come out and accuse him of breaking any laws, but she tied the senator and his chief of staff to the small holding company that managed the lease for NeuSterone. The story also revealed the senator’s personal stake in NeuSterone.
Had Jordan’s editor agreed to publish the story, there was a good chance people would have made the connection between Senator Chisholm and the Copper Lake fish kill. In the end, the Courant wasn’t willing to take the risk of being sued. Jordan disagreed, but she lost the battle.
In the week after getting back from Copper Lake, Jordan spent part of every day with Travis. She had needed his input on the events she wrote about, but he was also her rock. He always had been. And while Jordan handled stress as well as anyone, Travis had experienced many of the Copper Lake events right along with her. It seemed to reconnect them in a way that reminded her of when they were in college. A slightly more mature iteration of that connection.
Sitting with Travis in his office as he installed yet more security software she knew nothing about, Jordan allowed her mind to consider the possibility of starting their relationship over. The fact that the core of Travis’s devotion had changed little in the years since she had broken off their engagement told her all she needed to know about how he’d react to the possibility of a rekindling.
But did she really want it? Or was it the humanly simplistic sense of security and comfort that she needed? Something that was horribly absent in her life.
Travis must have noticed that her mind had wandered off.
“Are you there? I said the installation is done. Your laptop is good to go.”
“What? Oh, thanks. I guess I zoned out.”
“Thinking about anything in particular? Or just the culmination of the last two weeks and knowing the Copper Lake situation is over?”
Jordan wasn’t ready to voice any aspect of what had just been on her mind.
“The latter. I think I need a vacation. But not like my last one.”
“Right. Next time I get a tip right before you have a few days off, I’ll keep it to myself.”
“You better.”
“Have you talked to Mike lately? Have things quieted down?”
“Actually, I talked to him this morning. He said the NeuSterone site looked deserted. The gate was chained, and he heard that utilities at the site had been shut off. I guess that’s good news, but maybe they found a new home for their testing.”
“Anything on Malone?”
“Nothing. It’s like he just disappeared. I’m sure Nicky killed him.”
“After seeing what Vitali and his crew were willing to do, killing Malone doesn’t seem like a stretch.”
“That’s what I thought once it looked like Malone was missing.”
“Maybe no one will die while you’re researching your next story.” Travis seemed to realize that was the wrong thing to say as soon as he said the words.
“Nice, Travis. Real nice.”
“Wait, that’s not—”
Jordan’s new phone ringing interrupted him.
She did a double take when she saw who was calling.
Oh shit. Why the hell is he calling me?
“Jordan,” Travis said. “Are you all right? Who’s calling?”
“It’s Robbie Vitali.”
“Don’t answer it. Leave him to the cops.”
Jordan looked from Travis to her phone. He was right. She should ignore the call.
“Sorry. I need to know why he’s calling.” She answered the call. “This is Jordan,” she said. She saw Travis shake his head.
“Jordan. I’m glad you answered. Did you know it was me calling?”
“I did. Why the call?”
“You promised to tell me when you published your story on the dead fish, but I never heard from you. I checked for myself but was disappointed to see Senator Chisholm escape mention in the story.”
“You can blame your Copper Lake accomplice for that. The chief destroyed the chemical samples I had. Without those, I wasn’t able to connect NeuSterone to the dead fish and Senator Chisholm.”
“I didn’t know he did that. When did that happen?”
“When he was supposed to be taking me to you. He detoured so he could take the samples and destroy them.”
“I guess that tells me where his loyalties lie. If he had just done as I’d told him, he might have gotten away before the state police got there.”
“You just can’t trust a criminal.”
“So you say. But even so-called criminals have some sense of loyalty. By the way, do you know who called the police? They got there much faster than I expected.”
“It doesn’t matter now, does it?”
“Not really. But I’d like to know. If you tell me, I’ll answer a question for you.”
“Any question?”
“Sure.”
“Deal. They told me it was Mike’s daughter, Kasey. She called as soon as fireworks started exploding. My turn.”
“Go ahead.”
“Why weren’t you in the Escalade that Nicky brought me to?”
“I was. But the police coming earlier than expected forced my hand. I left on foot.”
“Really? How did you get to wherever you went?”
“You had your one question.”
“Come on, it’s part of the same question.”
“I’ll be nice. Let’s just say that I was made aware the state police had been called to Copper Lake and that I shouldn’t be there when they arrived. Someone picked me up once I got off the property.”
Jordan thought about the implications of this. There was only one explanation for Vitali getting notified so quickly. “Someone from the state police told you?”
“Sorry, but that’s all you get.”
“Fine. How about you tell me if you’re being charged with anything?”
“Our legal system is complicated. There has to be some combination of evidence and testimony for charges to stick. There’s not much of either.”
“I’m not surprised Nicky and that big guy will keep quiet. But the chief must be willing to testify?”
“He’s in an interesting position,
owing me so much money. But I can be forgiving under the right circumstances. So we came to an understanding.”
“How lucky for you. Was the real reason for your call just to gloat?”
“That’s part of it. The other was to reinforce our mutual understanding. The fact that I’m not actually being held in jail right now tells me that either you kept your word regarding that sneaky video you took of the meeting with Mike, or the video wasn’t salvageable. The result for me is the same, so let’s assume you played fair. Similarly, as long as the alleged recording of Malone stays buried, your sister and her family will be safe. At least from the Vitalis.”
Jordan felt some relief at this confirmation. She had made the deal with Nicky, so there was always some risk that Vitali wouldn’t honor it. That appeared not to be an issue.
“I appreciate that.”
“I thought you might.” There was a pause before Vitali continued. “There’s one more thing.”
Jordan tensed. “What’s that?”
“I think the deal is a little unbalanced. I mean, your sister has got to mean the world to you, right? I think most people would value a life more than anything. So I’m not sure my side of the equation is fair.”
Jordan chose her words carefully, not speaking as her natural reaction would have dictated.
“There’s not much I can do about that now. Both sides agreed based on what we knew at the time. I would say that your freedom, which looks to be the end result of all of this, is pretty good.”
“Yes. But it’s not worth a life.”
“What are you getting at?”
“I see a debt owed from your end. Not huge. But something tangible and useful. I don’t know specifics yet on how to balance the debt, but one day I will. And when that day comes, I’ll call you again.”
The hairs on the back of Jordan’s neck stood on end.
“And then what? I’ll have to do what you ask?”
“Something like that.”
Jordan could swear she could feel Vitali smiling. “That’s a shitty thing to do. It’s one reason why people like you have such bad reputations.”
“Careful. Don’t make me ask for something you can’t deliver.”
Jordan gritted her teeth. “Fine. So when can I expect this request?”
“I really can’t say. But don’t lose any sleep over it. When the time is right, I’ll reach out.”
“So I shouldn’t wait by the phone for your call?”
“Definitely not. I think I’ll make the request in person. Pacific Street, right?”
Great. He knows where I fucking live.
“Is this how you intimidate people?”
“It’s one way. Don’t worry. If I was going to hurt you, I’d have done it already. We’ll talk again soon.”
The call ended before Jordan had a chance to say anything else.
Jordan set down the phone, her hands trembling.
“That was really Robbie Vitali?”
“Yep.”
“Was he asking you to help him with something?”
“Nothing specific. But I don’t think I’ve heard the last of him.”
“Promise me you’ll stay away from him, Jordan?”
“I promise.”
Jordan could honestly make that promise. She just wasn’t sure Robbie Vitali would cooperate.
Join the Gillis Clan
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Members of the Gillis Clan will get the Jordan Reed novella Mercury Shock for free. It will only available to those who join the Gillis Clan.
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Acknowledgements
I must give tremendous credit to an extended team of professionals, without whom this novel never would have made it to publication. A special thanks to my editors Aja, Michelle and Kate. I truly enjoyed working with them on this novel and would have nothing worth publishing with them.
Every book has a cover, and Jerry developed a superb cover for my second Jordan Reed novel. I hope it caught your eye!
I would also be remiss not acknowledging other professionals from Reedsy, Findaway Voices, BookFunnel, and IngramSpark. Each one played an important role in moving from manuscript to completed novel in a variety of formats.
Let me also thank you for choosing to invest your time getting to know Jordan Reed. I hope you enjoyed her first story as much as I enjoyed writing it.
Jordan Reed will return!
About the Author
K.C. (Kevin) Gillis is the author of the Jordan Reed mystery series. Despite being a lifelong lover of stories and books, writing took a distant back seat as his professional career travelled through the Canadian Air Force, a decade as a chemist, followed by a long and continuing run in corporate America. With writing no longer in the back seat (but not quite yet in the front seat), Kevin now has the Jordan Reed series well under way. His personal interests focus on endurance and water sports. Having grown up in the Canadian Maritimes, he now lives in the US northeast.
Kevin can be found online at www.kcgillis.com. You can connect with Kevin on Twitter at @kcgilliswriter, on Facebook at www.facebook.com/kcgilliswriter, and you can email him directly at [email protected].
Information on all of his books can be found at kcgillis.com.
Also by K.C. Gillis
Toxic Deception
Strange symptoms. Bloody secrets. Can one reporter solve a medical mystery before she ends up in a body bag?
Jordan Reed put her world on hold to hunt down corruption. So when the gutsy journalist gets tipped off about blood money changing hands at a pharmaceutical company, she dives into the story. With an otherwise healthy worker dropping dead of multiple organ failure, Jordan suspects something far more sinister than a simple accident…
Daring to go up against big pharma, she gains an ally on the inside and recruits two friends to join the investigation. But after a string of false leads and tight-lipped witnesses, she ties her case to disturbingly similar evidence in a medical trial on the other side of the globe. And if she doesn’t expose the lethal conspiracy soon, Jordan is terrified she and her team could be the next victims of the lethal cover-up.
Can Jordan take down a greedy corporation before they sacrifice more lives in the drive for profit?
Toxic Deception is the first book in the gripping Jordan Reed thriller series. If you like tenacious heroines, underdog stories, and edge-of-your-seat action, then you’ll love K.C. Gillis’s page-turning tale.
Mercury Shock
A Jordan Reed novella that takes a glimpse into her backstory. Learn how Jordan earned her job at the Boston Courant while dealing with more than one personal challenge. Experience her first real taste of corruption and greed and how it nearly killed an in
nocent teen. This book is available for free for those who join the Gillis Clan, the virtual community that will be the first to hear about all things Jordan Reed, not to mention having exclusive access to the “Story of the Story” that will accompany each new Jordan Reed mystery.
Jordan Reed Mystery #3
Coming in summer 2020!! Stay tuned for preorder details.