by Matt Lincoln
George came closer and inspected it. “And what is this, specifically?”
“I don’t know. I was hoping that you’d be able to test it or something and find out.” It had never occurred to me that he wouldn’t be able to. I was kind of betting the entire outcome on his privacy and ability.
“And where did it come from then, precisely?” George looked over at me with a wry and concerned grin at his mouth. He picked it up, checking the weight, I assumed. “Interesting. Compacted, possibly. Very dense for an item so small.”
“I noticed that too. And then there’s this.” I pulled out the second of the packages, the foot-long liquid container or pouch. I placed it next to the cube on the table. “I got them both at the same place, but I’d rather not say precisely where or how, though, not unless that becomes important.” He didn’t need to know. In fact, he was safer not knowing any of that.
“Everything about this has the potential to be important, Mr. Header,” George interjected. “For now, I will accept that they weren’t purchased at the market, nor did they fall off of a turnip truck, hmm?” He eyed me and shook his head. Next, he examined the liquid container with care. “This is most likely a type of medication. But I see no tag on it. Perhaps it wore off?”
I shook my head at him, remembering back to where I’d gotten them. I didn’t see any tags or IDs on either of them. Unmarked and nondescript. “No, this is how they came. Plain and sealed in an unmarked box, or pouch, in this case.”
“Contraband?” George asked, catching on. I wasn’t going to say a word either way, though.
Xavier now perked up and lifted his head from staring at the laptop screen. “You got your hands on pirated goods? Where from?” This, at last, got his attention. “Is that what you were doing last night?”
“In not so many words, yeah,” I replied. “I found these, and some others like them, and I wanted to know if they were linked to the other stuff going on around here.” So much for subtlety and keeping the intel quiet.
I noticed that George was handling the cubed item by turning it over and again in his hands. “Do you believe that it is safe to open it? Or should I provide a sterile containment structure?”
“Do you have one of those?” I asked inquisitively.
“Of course. In the lab.” He acted as if that were a silly thing to ask of him. And maybe it was. I surely didn’t know.
I nodded.
“Shall we then?” He picked up both items, placed them back into the cooler, and then carried that out of the room.
“I guess we’re going to the lab.” I snatched the notebook as I headed after him. Xavier got his computer and followed along.
George was already unlocking a door on the left of the corridor, one I didn’t think that we’d been to yet. He flipped on the lights, which flickered on and shone out into the hallway with intense strength. Xavier and I looked inside to see a stainless-steel room with that cold, sterile feel of a mad scientist’s laboratory. Of course, George would have something like this.
There were dozens of intricate machines lined up and covered with clear, protective sheets. The singular long table looked to be about eight feet long, with three feet of movement room all around. The door that we were standing in was the only entrance or exit. Metal counters and cabinets encircled most of the room and made it feel a little cramped, despite how large it actually was.
George walked over and placed the cooler on the table before he turned to the enormous transparent structure on the right side of the room. It appeared to have a sealing door, which he was trying to access. There was a keypad that would give him entry, and I was glad to see that he took security as profoundly as I did.
“Shall we test the cube sample first?” George was already getting the object ready as he asked. Xavier and I came all the way inside the room, and I closed the door behind us. Now it felt really cramped in here, like a big steel box.
George was busy setting everything up. Xavier walked gingerly around, looking at all the gadgets and devices that the place housed. He probably knew what most of them were, if not how they were used. I was just waiting to find out what my pilfered treasures were.
I watched as George did his thing. He narrated as he went. “I’m going to seal the containment unit, perform a level four decontamination on the substance, and then we’ll attempt to open it in the sterile field. There’s room enough for both of you to witness this if you like.” He smiled as he spoke. I think he liked showing off his toys to, well, anyone.
Xavier and I both got closer to where George was standing, and we could hear the whirring and humming of the instruments inside the containment unit. George guided two robotic arms with precision, as he must have many times before. From what I could tell, it was some kind of sterile containment mechanism, set into the counters and even the wall. It was about four feet tall, with a window that allowed him, and us now, to see everything that was going on inside.
“Ah, good,” he said as a green light flashed and a quiet beep sounded at the keypad, “no contaminates. We may proceed with the unwrapping.” His voice had a hint of joy in it that was fun to listen to.
I smiled, glad that at least he was enjoying all this so far. There wasn’t much to ask or say until we could see more, so I let him work in silence. The wrapping was removed, revealing the inner lining to be a dry cape. That’s what George called it, anyway.
“It absorbs all the moisture around it and keeps whatever is inside of it as dry as a bone.” He seemed impressed with it by the sound of his voice. “Therefore, this must be only valuable if kept from the elements and maintained in the packaged form. Hmm.”
“What does ‘hmm’ mean in this case? Good, bad, weird, what?” I inquired.
George was looking through a microscope that was mounted and fixed within the clear containment unit. “Perhaps all the above? Ah.” He’d found something. “It’s a powder. Highly condensed with trace components of various ingredients.”
I wasn’t sure if I had been expecting that or not once I heard it. “In other words, a lot of things have been mixed and superfused together.” I got that much, and I knew that would justify the density of the item, as well. “How long until you can figure out what they all are?” Identifying them would go a long way in knowing what the drug did or could do.
“Oh, that’s…” George rubbed his forehead, “I cannot give you an estimate at this time. I’m sorry. I’ll need to perform several tests to determine what each element is and in what ratio, and then whatever else there is to identify it all.” He could tell that I didn’t want to hear this part, so he avoided looking directly at me. “It might be a few days. But I will begin right away.”
Xavier was looking over his shoulder, watching every move that the robotic mechanisms made. “What about the other one? Won’t you have to unseal it to test that one?”
“Yes, I will. But for now,” George picked the other item up and placed it inside of a refrigeration unit, underneath the counters, “I only want to work on one thing at a time. Is that acceptable?” He addressed this to me, so I nodded. I didn’t have much choice, and I needed his help.
“Yeah, that’s fine,” I assured him. “Powdered substance first, then the liquid. But we are kind of on a strict timeline here, George. This stuff could be what’s killing people on the streets. Or your patient from earlier.” I didn’t want to give into too much speculation and theory until I knew what we were really dealing with. But even he had to see the possible connection.
George nodded. “I would say that this is a robust idea, at least on the surface. I’ll do everything that I can to speed up the process and get you the information as soon as it becomes available. I promise you that.”
“Thanks.” That’s all I could ask for.
18
Jake
I dropped Xavier back off at the marina with the notebook. I’d spent the drive over telling him how, why, and where I’d gotten it, and I was hoping that he’d be able to make better use o
f it than I had.
I parked and headed into the office to look around as he headed back to his yacht. The office was empty, but Lael had added the second coat of paint inside, and the place was starting to look good. I only needed to find the time to furnish it and interview for a front-office employee.
After this, I went out to the docks to find Lael and to see how he was doing. I found him working on the ramp at the north bay. Once he saw me, he waved and walked over.
“Hey,” he greeted. “Just keeping things up to specs. I wasn’t sure if you wanted me to start on the barn or the outside of the office next. Just let me know, and I’ll go after it.”
“Thanks, I appreciate it,” I assured him. “I guess you can finish up the office part. I've not decided what to do with the barn yet, but I’ll let you know soon. I think I’ll get it secured the way I want first and then worry about the outside.” I looked over at it. Ideas and plans were circulating inside my head every time I saw it. “It's been big and red this long, and until I have a proper name for the marina, it’s a good identification marker.” But that wasn’t the best thing for my needs.
“That is true.” He grinned and nodded acceptingly. “Speaking on that, I’ve had a few people wanting to board here, but there’s no paperwork or anything, so I’ve had to turn them away. Not to nag, but you’re probably going to need to see about that sooner rather than later.”
He wasn’t wrong. “Yeah, I know.” I certainly could have picked a better time to start a business, let me tell you. There was too much going on to focus entirely on any one thing. It felt as if all of them were going to begin to suffer from a lack of attention and detail. “You wouldn’t happen to know of anyone dependable that’s looking for a job, would you? I can get the office set up in a day, but without someone to run the day-to-day stuff…”
“I sure don’t,” he replied. “But I’ll ask around. It’s no use having office personnel without all the licenses and permits, though, Mr. Header. You need to address all of that first.” He cleared his throat and looked down at the ramp. “Not trying to tell you your business, please understand me, just trying to help.”
“Which is why I need you here, Lael.” I smiled to let him know that I wasn’t upset at him, nor was he out of line. “I’m out of my comfort zone here. I’m not quite sure how to juggle it all yet, so I’m learning as I go. But thanks for the advice. I’ll follow it as best that I can.”
I pulled my phone out of my pocket and started to make some calls. I needed a couple of people that I could trust to get this place up to code and ready for business. I simply didn’t have the time to deal with all of it. A few well-placed calls later, and I was back in my vehicle, heading over to LaShawn’s.
I’d offered to take Xavier with me, but he was having too much fun decoding that notebook or trying to, at least. His were the best hands that I could leave the thing in, anyhow. I knew that, and I trusted him to do what he could to figure it out.
LaShawn’s apartment complex parking lot was just about empty at this time of day, so I found a close place to park. It struck me that I probably should have brought him a get-well-soon card or something, but he’d just have to settle for a visit and news.
I knocked a few times before he answered the door. He was smiling when he saw me on the other side.
“Man, am I glad to see you!” He reached out, grabbed my forearm, and we shook all manly like and in jest. Now was not the time for one of our bro-hugs. Getting shot would have made that… uncomfortable. I’d leave it at that.
He welcomed me inside. “Come on in and tell me something good.” As I looked around his place, I could see dozens of cards, a few stuffed toys, balloons, books, and a few things I couldn’t understand that had been offered as get-well-soon presents. I guessed that everyone had very original ideas on that subject matter.
“Can I get you anything?” LaShawn pointed out an empty seat for me. He started to go to the kitchen area, probably to get drinks or something host-like as he used to.
“Come and sit down, you moron. I’ll get the goods.” I was over there quickly to replace him. I had to nudge him out of the way for him to give in and consent to go sit down. “You got shot, now go sit yourself down and unwind. I need you to get better and heal if we’re going to finish this OD business you got me into.”
I was teasing because that’s just how we did things. LaShawn sighed and accepted my help. He moved slowly over to the couch and laid down, knocking a plush duck onto the floor as he went.
“Oh no, not Mr. Quackers!” He laughed and picked it off the floor.
“You have been in here and alone too long, my friend.” I filled up two glasses with apple juice and ice and brought them over. I then pretended to spit in one and hand it to him. “For added flavor.” It was a gag he pulled at least once a week back during our training. I wanted to keep him in a good mood.
“That was gross, man.” He furrowed his brow at me for maybe a whole second before he smiled. “And that’s still my gag. No fair stealing it.” He took the glass, and I took a seat in the chair nearest him.
“So, I see that you’ve had plenty of admirers come by.” I was eyeing all the cards and gifts strewn about his living room. “Probably too late to ask if you need anything, huh?”
LaShawn nodded his head in agreement. “Nah, I’m doing good. I had to tell my sister to stay in St. Louis this time. I have plenty of people to look after me. I love her to death, but she’s needy.” He looked at me and grinned, taking a sip.
I was going to leave that one alone, as we both knew that was wrong, and I changed the subject. “Has Detective Musik been around to see you lately? Or did she finally realize what a drama king you are and wise up?”
“Oh no, she’s still around. She’s the one that brought me Mr. Quackers here.” He held up the green, fuzzy duck and then placed it on his chest. “She calls and texts a lot. Which, let me tell you, is kind of nice for a change.” I knew that he was thinking of his longtime ex, Loretta. She had been a handful, and never the good kind. A rabid honey badger would have been an improvement over her.
“Glad to hear it, man.” I wanted to bring up the fact that Cecily had left the mysterious notebook at my place and was ignoring all of my attempts to contact her about it, but it felt odd to mention it now. This would have to be eased into.
“So then, how is that going, with Cecily, I mean? You two picked out a china pattern yet?” I grinned to let him know this was all in good fun. I was actually happy for him.
“Jake, don’t you start on this crap again! Look, man,” he stated, “I’ve survived two cancer surgeries, and I’ve been shot in the stomach, sort of.” He was going for the theatrical effect. “If I want to rush into a relationship with a beautiful, sophisticated woman like Cecily, then I think I should be allowed to.” His voice was rising, but only in a comical way.
“I mean, I could die tomorrow!” Then he gestured at the tv as if to prove his overly dramatic point. “Like that guy here in Miami. The one with the sports show thing. He just up and died last night. Young, healthy, everything was going for him. And then, poof! All of it was gone. He and his girlfriend, just like that.”
That had to be the one George was being questioned about. “I don’t think that’s how it happened, LaShawn. I have it on good authority that he overdosed last night. So did his girlfriend. Only she’s still alive so far. But she lost their baby because of it.”
His smile left him, and his demeanor changed in an instant. “No way. Are you serious?” I nodded at him. “They said on the news that it was some kind of aneurysm or something. He was driving and lost control. That’s how she got hurt.” He shook his head, thinking about it. “That’s just…”
I gave him a minute to adjust to the news before I told him more. “George, that doctor guy I told you about, he knew the man that you mentioned. I guess that the media, or his agents, his PR people are trying to cover it up then. Because it was an overdose, and George and I think that it’s con
nected to the others.”
LaShawn sighed, shook his head, closed his eyes, and just listened to me talk.
I continued. “If it is, then it sounds like the trio and whoever is behind them have moved on from testing their stuff on the homeless and ex-junkies. It sounds like they’ve moved it on to actual customers now. Only this might set them back.” I hoped it would, but I couldn’t be sure about any of it. I wanted to be ready for whatever they tried next, though.
“The local news had stopped reporting on the deaths. They just stopped. Like it doesn’t matter.” LaShawn offered that, but I don’t think he was prepared for the reality of that other news. “So then, what are you thinking, Jake? What’s coming next?”
I wished that I had better answers for him. “I don’t know.” I wasn’t sure if I should mention the boat and the four dead men with the possible drugs. It was all still in a speculative phase, and I didn’t have answers for a lot of the questions that he’d have. Hell, that I had.
We sat for a few minutes before I decided to spill it. Maybe, just maybe, the more people that knew, the better the chances of figuring some of it out would become.
“There’s something else,” I began, “but before I tell you, I need you to understand that I don’t know what it is yet. I don’t know what it means or how it all fits together, alright? But the other night, I took my boat out, and I came across another boat in distress. I radioed the Coast Guard, and then I boarded it to see if I could offer aid.”
I took a second to recall it as I told it. “I found four dead guys, and there was a pretty good chance that they were smugglers. There was a refrigerant leak that I assumed poisoned them.” I took a deep breath and finished the story. I wanted this to be the right thing to do, even though I hated to burden and implicate him more. “On that boat, I found two separate substances. One turned out to be a powder mixture, and the other was some kind of liquid. I gave both of them to my doctor friend, George, and he’s going to try to figure out what exactly they are.”