by Matt Lincoln
That confirmed my suspicions, but I would have to get down into the cargo hold to be sure. So, I left these two and headed for the lower decks. I made it down the steep, narrow stairs, with my firearm and the flashlight working together to keep me prepared for whatever came next.
I found the small compartment of the modified storage bay full of some odd things. First of all, there were the two obviously dead bodies with blood and vomit amassed at their heads and on their clothing. Both of their faces looked still, as though the last few minutes of their lives had been spent in utter agony and fear. My skin started to tingle as the chill in the hold was drastic. But there was more to it. Something alien in the air had begun to make my exposed arms burn.
I hurried to the refrigeration and air unit to see several of the connectors frosted over. Yep, there was the perpetrator—a leak of the cooling chemical that was meant to keep only the cargo cold and safe. No wonder the air was toxic, and these men had died or were dying. The unit must have been housing something valuable, though, so I opened the door and began to look inside.
There was a red light flashing on the door above the handle, but there was no external audio alarm. It could have just been broken, and that could have been why they weren’t alerted to the leak until it was too late. I ducked my head in and saw dozens of stacked and separated containers. None of them were more than a foot wide or long. Some were cubed in sealed, covered boxes, and the rest laid in flat, malleable packaging. There were two distinct kinds, from what I could see.
I stepped a little closer, and my air monitor shook my whole arm. I needed to get out of there quickly. But not before I grabbed one of each of the items. The flat one turned out to be a thick kind of liquid substance, and the cubed one was unknown, but a little on the heavy side. I secured both of them under my arms and headed for the deck and to fresh air.
I felt the monitor stop to vibrate as I got closer to Wraith. By the time that I got back to the ladder that would allow me to get back on board, it was barely noticeable. I climbed back down, placed the two items at the back of the boat, and then went back for my ladder. I removed all my safety gear and tossed it into a container to be decontaminated later on. Next, I took off all of my clothing and then washed all of my bare skin with decontamination soap. Lastly, I changed into new, clean clothes from a spare set I kept for emergencies. Once that was all secured away, I eased Wraith away for the other boat and then sped off.
Me being there wasn’t going to help anyone now, and the Coast Guard would be getting there soon. Those men were probably beyond all help now, but at least whatever they were hauling might be stopped from reaching their destination. And that, I had a fairly good feeling that it had been headed to Miami.
17
Jake
I was able to get a few hours of sleep before the early morning sun streamed through the blinds of the windows and the glass door of my bedroom. I must have forgotten to tighten them for the blackout effect, but that was fine for this morning. I had too much to do, and I needed to get up and get started with the day.
I called LaShawn and left a voicemail, telling him that I was planning to come by to check on him after noon today. I figured that would give him plenty of time to let me know if that wasn’t a good time for him. I also didn’t want him to feel bombarded with guests and well-wishers. Getting out of the hospital was bound to get his co-workers and friends to rally around and go help him out. I just didn’t want to crowd him too much.
The next piece of business was to contact George and ask for his help in identifying the substances that I’d removed from the boat last night. I wasn’t about to try to figure those out on my own. And while he may not be able to tell me everything or exactly what they were, he’d still have a better idea than I did.
I also texted Xavier to let him know that I was on my way over to George’s and asked if he wanted me to swing by and pick him up. The answer came in while I was getting dressed.
If you don’t mind, yes. I would like to catch up on the facts of this drug situation. I have been going through all the information that you’ve sent, and I have some theories. I’ll be waiting at the office.
Seeing that I was on a schedule now, I hurried to finish up at the condo and head to the marina. My marina. That was taking some effort to get used to. But it was a necessary thing for the protection of Wraith and the secrecy of the team while in Miami.
There still was no response from George, but I was going to drop by anyway, whether he replied or not. I had the goods placed in a cold-storage icebox trunk with a locked clasp. I wasn’t taking any chances with them at all. I had also brought along the notebook from Detective Musik, and I was hoping that Xavier could shed some light on the more curious aspects of the details and notes.
I pulled into the parking lot of the marina and saw Xavier already headed for me. He had dressed in a tee and shorts, armed with his trusty laptop per the usual. His hair was wild and messy, with the brown, wavy locks going every which way. It looked to me that he was growing his hair out. Or maybe he just hadn’t found a barber that he could trust outside of Puerto Rico yet.
I had planned on stopping in and checking up on Lael and the place just in general, but I supposed that I would have to wait until later when I dropped Xavier back off. This morning’s plans seemed to be moving too fast to add more to the mix.
I greeted Xavier once he was within hearing distance. “How goes it this morning? You look, well, I want to say chipper, but…”
I was just messing with him. Xavier seldom looked sad or distraught. As he opened the door and slid inside of the Mercedes, he took the utmost care to position the laptop more carefully than himself. I glanced at it and recognized it was a newer machine. That explained it.
“Looks nice.” I nodded down at it.
“Thanks,” he replied, looking down at it. “It is. I spent a week getting it up to where I wanted it, with all the alterations and reprogramming. But it's perfect now.” That seemed to settle it, and I smiled to myself as he cradled it in his lap. Then he started on to something else. “Where did you go last night?”
So, my nighttime excursion hadn’t gone unnoticed. “That is one part of a long story.” I thought about the notebook in my bag, lying on the backseat behind us. As I drove to George’s place, I retold the events of the last few days to Xavier, leaving nothing out. When I got to the part about taking Wraith out the prior night, I had to stop. I’d pulled into George’s driveway, and we saw several unexpected vehicles lined up.
“Let’s just leave everything where it is for now. I don’t want to have to explain too much to… anybody else.” There was no telling who those cars belonged to. They could be clients, patients, or guests of George’s, and I hated awkward and invasive questions from strangers.
I checked my cell on the off chance that he’d gotten back to me while I’d been driving, but there was nothing from him. I had the slightest apprehension about knocking on his door, but that could have just been the paranoid streak that I seemed to be developing with this case. I didn’t want to overreact if there wasn't a real reason for concern.
We got out of the vehicle and walked toward the front door. Xavier chuckled as he saw the Caduceus door knocker and commented on it. “This has some style to it.”
I didn’t have anything to add, and instead, I only used it to get the attention of the man inside of the house. We waited and waited some more. I could hear voices on the other side of the door, but just in the vaguest sense. Then, as I was about to knock again, Verity opened the door for us.
I smiled when I saw her, and her eyes seemed to light up just a little. She reached out and gave me a quick, small hug and then started to speak in a very decisive manner.
“Jake, oh good, you’re here.” She called back over her shoulder, “Dad, it’s just Jake and Xavier. I’m going to take them into the kitchen while I finish getting ready.”
I didn’t know what was going on, but I knew a cover story when I heard one. X
avier and I exchanged looks, and I signed quickly at him to ‘play along.’ There were definite times when knowing and being fluent in ASL had certainly come in handy for this team. He clutched his laptop to his chest and nodded.
We walked through the foyer and hall, passing the sitting room where a quick, sideways scan showed George and three very professionally dressed people all standing and talking. I only got a brief glance, but that was all I needed as the three of us headed for the kitchen.
George had been looking a little worn, but not hassled. The first of the three strangers was a woman who had dressed in a smart type of navy-blue pants suit. The other two were men, one in a more casual sport coat and slacks combo and the other in a brown, fitted suit. He had glasses to match and a haircut that looked fancy and expensive.
If I had to guess, I’d tag them as officers, agents, or something of that manner. And I was very glad that I’d left the notebook and cold box back in the Mercedes for now. As it was, Xavier and I followed Verity in the kitchen and then through to the rest of the house.
We descended a set of stairs, and after a few minutes, I recognized that we were heading down to the subterranean part of George’s practice and complex. It wasn’t until then that she spoke up. “Sorry for all the cloak and dagger stuff up there, but some bad stuff has been going in this morning.” We were walking to that old familiar room with the giant fish aquarium, big sectional couch, and table with the six chairs that Xavier and I knew well.
“Tell us what’s going on. Anything that we can do to help out?” I knew that there probably wasn’t, but it was the only polite thing to offer at this point.
“No, but thank you.” Verity motioned for us both to have a seat, but she continued to stand. Xavier and I took places at the table so we could see the door from where we sat. I wanted to know the instant that George was able to join us.
Verity wasn’t looking too worried, so I took it that this wasn’t anything on her end for me to be concerned about.
“That situation upstairs looked serious,” I commented. “Is everything alright, though?”
“Yes and no.” She was trying to smile as she said this. “Apparently, one of dad’s regular patients, the high-end kind, overdosed, and died last night. The police and the guy’s private security were trying to piece it all together.”
My stomach lurched, and I got a very uneasy feeling about what I was going to hear coming up. I knew that it would only be a matter of time before the deaths would have to hit the mainstream news.
“I take it then that it wasn’t a prescription OD?” I asked. “Something a little more… tailored to a lifestyle befitting the rich and famous?”
Verity was looking at me questioningly and nodded. Maybe she didn’t think I had been following any of the city’s trends too closely. I liked surprising people.
“How did you…” she stuttered. “Nevermind, um, yes. They said, well, I overheard them say it was a cocktail of substances, but they were still awaiting their analysis to come back.”
I glanced over at Xavier, who was opening his computer and would be starting a search for something or other in a matter of seconds. I turned my attention back to Verity. “George isn’t being implicated in this, is he?”
“God, I hope not!” Fear flashed on her face before she shook it away. “I don’t think that he would be, no. He was only treating the man for, um, a personal matter.” Verity touched her throat a few times to hint to us, even though it wasn’t any of our business.
“Got it,” I nodded. “Well then, there shouldn’t be much for them to question your dad about. I mean, this is a party town. People like to enjoy themselves. He could have gotten anything off of anyone. Who knows what kind of dangerous crap is being peddled out there?” I was beginning to understand, but that was a rabbit hole I never wanted to fall into, even for investigative purposes.
Verity turned to look behind her. “That’s the door. Dad should be down here in a few moments, then.” She looked relieved at being able to say that out loud. “Can I get you gentlemen anything to drink?” I thought I caught a little wink or something, so I stood and followed her.
“If George’s guests left, I think I’ll go retrieve the items from the car. I’ll be right back, Xavier.” We probably didn’t need that obvious kind of excuse, but it was already done. He was busy on the laptop, anyway. He might not have even heard me.
Verity and I walked out of the room and down to where the garage was. It would give us the space and privacy that we wanted. Once I was out of eye and earshot, I grabbed her by the hand and whipped her around toward me. She flung herself into my arms and giggled.
“I like it when you do that sort of thing.” She reached up and in and kissed me with wanton abandon. I wasn’t entirely prepared for it, but it was nice, and I did my part. She was soft and warm and felt very good in my arms. She was the kind of distraction that every man yearned for from time to time. I would’ve bet that she kind of felt the same about me, at least the distraction part.
Once she broke from our kiss, she snuggled down into my arms and curled her head under my neck. I kissed the top of her head gently. “So, how’s work been?”
“Eh!” Verity tugged herself closer, if that was possible. “It is so insane! There have been requests and offers every day. And that’s good, but some of them are just so pedestrian and mediocre. I hate wasting my time on them, you know?”
“Not really,” I teased her. I let go of everything but her hand as I led her along. I did need to go get the notebook and cooler from the Mercedes. “Sorry that it’s not all that you wanted it to be. But the business is fairly new, right? Some things just take more time than others.” I sounded like an older brother giving advice, which was not a good sound.
I pressed on. “Maybe what you need is a night on the town, followed by a fantastic dinner or a game, or… what’s your pleasure?” I could tell by the look on her face that I wasn’t making this better. “Yeah, so maybe we have very different ideas of a good night on the town.” We’d reached the door to the garage. “What’s your best idea for stress relief?”
Verity laughed and shook her head. “You wouldn’t go for it, trust me.” We’d made our way to the gate that led outside, passing all the vehicles George kept down here. She let go of my hand long enough to push the button and then grasped it again.
The bright morning sun was beaming down and cast a warming gleam on the fence and walkway. We headed out toward the driveway where my vehicle was.
“Well, now I have to know. Let me guess…” I was totally going to mess with her. “Crafting your own flute out of kelp? Or maybe extracting shells from the bottom of the ocean floor to produce faster setting plaster?”
She smiled but wasn’t getting the joke. “Shells make a terrible plaster base. I could never grind them fine enough to keep with damaging my hands.” She saw that I was nodding at her, trying to keep a straight face while she answered. “Oh. Ha, ha, Jake.” She let go of my hand and pretended to pout. “See, I knew that you wouldn’t get it.”
“How can I if you don’t tell me what it really is?” I challenged her. I kept walking, as I did have a purpose here. If she wanted to continue, she’d have to follow me. I got to the Mercedes, grabbed the cooler and notebook, and then turned to head back in. The other vehicles and George’s suited guests had gone. The coast was clear. As I walked back, Verity was still standing there, waiting for me. She wasn’t looking as amused as when I’d left her.
“I’m not as boring as you think I am, Jake.” She crossed her arms, and she had the stance of a person waiting to protect themselves in a defensive pose. I got closer before I tried to defuse it.
“I have never once thought or said that you were boring, Verity.” I stopped in front of her and tried to gauge how best to continue. I watched her, keeping her eyes connected to mine. “I was teasing. I assumed that you knew that.” She wasn’t budging, but I had other stuff to do. “Okay, well, I need to go talk to your dad, so when you real
ize that I was playing with you, I’ll be inside. See you soon.” I didn’t like leaving her like that, but my morning was busy, and I needed some answers to what was in the cooler more than I needed to placate Verity’s ego.
I found Xavier hanging out in the main room where I’d left him, only now George was with him. As I walked in, I headed right for the table and placed the cooler upon it.
I nodded at the doctor. “Everything okay?”
“As well as it can be in such situations,” he sighed, sounding dismayed. “Thank you for asking after me. I’m afraid that I am unable to say more, really, yet you could find it thought-provoking that the peculiar drug that has been going around,” he winked at me as if this were in code or something, “has claimed its latest duo of victims.” He had to be a little cryptic to not reveal anything personal due to the nature of his profession. But it came off as more amusing than anything else.
“Wait, two? Were they both patients of yours?” It was out of line for me to ask, but I needed to know.
“One was, yes. The other was, well, I may tell you that the other victim was not directly linked to the overdose. That is…” He was having a hard time putting it into words. “The second death was as a result of indirect contact.” He grimaced, not wanting to violate his oaths or their confidentiality. “An unborn child. The mother injected herself with the drug, and the fetus paid for it with its life. My patient was the father.”
“Son of a…” I shook my head. “I’m sorry, George. I know that this can’t be an easy time, but I do have something, maybe, that might give us the answers we need to figure who is behind this.” I pointed to the cooler and moved to unclasp it.
I’d loaded it down with ice packs, which hadn’t even started to thaw. That’s how good this cooler was. I slid the lid open and pulled out the objects, one at a time. The first was the cubed one. I set it on the table, on the opposite side of the notebook which I had yet to address.