Chapter 3
She did what she was particularly good at. She jogged. Outside of her neighborhood there was a very large park erected and maintained by, ironically, Medtech, the very corporation she would be investigating.
It had been built in the last two years and was a state-of-the-art recreational area, complete with enough entertainment for kids and their parents. Slides, swings, and other equipment, she could not identify at a glance or did not care to.
There were several ponds with ducks floating in the clear water. A sign - ‘Do not feed the ducks!’ had not stopped sneaky children and adults from doing it.
The fact that the park was in a renovated area of downtown had not prevented a pervert or two from lurking. She had busted one who had his pants down and his private in plain view of the children playing. He had not expected her and had been surprised when she whipped out her badge and had him arrested.
Her badge and side piece were always with her. She was an expert at hand to hand, but she ran in the early hours of the morning. Being jumped from behind tends to take one by surprise, even for a seasoned cop like her.
And she was not going to stop enjoying communing with nature, just because perverts and criminal elements tend to do their best works at this hour of the morning. An unlucky bastard had tried to jump her with the intention of raping and robbing her one morning in the height of winter.
But had gotten the surprise of his life and blue balls and several cracked ribs for his effort. He had cried police brutality when she whipped out her badge, but that had gotten him nowhere.
The area was nice enough and the corporation had done a credible job of maintaining it. It was almost six in the morning on a weekday, and she was not the only one who thought of getting some exercise.
Her curious cop’s eyes took in the middle-aged man wheezing his way past her to stop at the fountain to gulp down water as if his very life depended on it.
And the woman, sleek and blonde wearing a bold red body suit who was barely breaking a sweat.
Probably out to pick up a mark, she thought cynically. She was too well dressed, her jogging suit too pretty and too new to be a serious runner. And she was wearing makeup for Crissakes. Just begging to be assaulted, she thought in disgust.
Stopping at one of the set of swings, she did her breathing technique and felt her blood pumping. Rivulets of water were running down her face and between her small breasts and making the clothing stick to her skin.
Dragging out the bottle attached to a contraption around her waist, she took a healthy swing and watched in amusement as the middle-aged man, she judged him to be about her age or a little older – watched as he staggered on and stopped, placing a hand over his chest.
A frown touched her brow as she continued to stare at him, wondering if she was going to have to call an ambulance. But before she could decide on that, he was met by the pretty brunette, who placed a hand across his shoulders and helped him towards one of the benches.
Good, that’s covered. She thought as she finished the bottle of water and tucked it back in place. Placing a foot on the bench, she did her stretches and felt her muscles protesting.
She had pushed too hard today, because she had been away from the whole scene for a long time. She would forego the usual weightlifting when she got home and go straight to doing some laundry. She has been home for three days and it felt like fricking weeks.
But they had been productive days. She had attacked the laundry that had piled up and attended to her gardening. Her rosemary plant had started dying. Brad had stopped by every now and then to air the place out and water the plants, but that had not been enough.
She had taken in a show at the theater and gone to one showing at the local gallery. She would put some shopping in the mix and go to visit her aunt. The woman had called and complained that she was back three days now and had not taken the time for a visit.
“I know you are doing important police business, but I need to see you.”
So, she had promised to be there today.”
“And spend the night. One night will not kill you, Margo. And it has been ages.”
So, she had resigned herself to spending the night.
Stretching some more, she resumed her run, only this time slowing it down to a jog.
*****
“You’re too thin.”
“Good day to you too,” she murmured wryly as she stepped up onto the porch. Aunt Sybil wore her age well and had lines crisscrossing her worn face.
She walked without the aid of a walker or a cane and had an erect bearing. She had told Margo that she been highly active and as a black woman in the early nineteen hundreds, had worked ridiculously hard indeed.
“What, they didn’t feed you wherever you were?”
“No.” She braced for the fierce hug and tried not to feel awkward about it. She was not accustomed to intimate touches, unless it was in the act of making love and even then, she only allowed certain things.
Patting her aunt’s back, she stepped back and allowed the scrutiny.
“It is good to see you. Come on in. I made lunch. Your favorite.”
Margo entered into the warm and cozy hallway and followed her aunt to the bright yellow and white kitchen with its yellow and green curtains fluttering in the slight breeze.
“Is that chili?” She asked in delight as she sniffed the air.
“What else? Sit.” Sybil gestured towards the comfortable and slightly worn dining table tucked under the large bay window.
“What can I do to help?”
The woman looked at her in surprise. “Why nothing. Just relax. I’m certain you must be tired.”
“I’m fine, actually.” Margo remarked but sat there watching as her aunt ladled out the delicious chili. “You didn’t have to go to this much trouble.”
“No trouble at all. I am just so happy to see you.” She beamed as she brought over the bowls and set homemade biscuits in the middle of the table. “I have iced tea with lemon wedges.”
“You’re officially spoiling me.”
“You deserve it.” Sybil bustled away to get the jug of juice and glasses. Taking a seat, across from her niece, she dipped her spoon in and started eating. “Will you be going on any more dangerous assignments?”
“It is kind of what I do. I happen to be a cop.”
“I know, honey, but I was thinking that it’s time you stopped and did something less dangerous.”
“Such as?”
“Riding a desk as you call it.”
Margo laughed and felt the discomfort and reluctance draining away.
“I will be considering that pretty soon. This is so good.”
“Isn’t it?” Sybil beamed. “I used to make it all the time for your mother.” She hesitated as her niece stiffened. “She was a good girl growing up.” She added quietly. “She lost both her parents at a very young age.”
“You already told me that.”
Sybil winced at the coldness of her tone but decided to plunge on anyway. “I’m not making excuses for her…”
“It seems as if you are.” Margo stabbed the spoon into the chili angrily. “If you’re going to discuss the woman who abandoned me and left me at the group home, I would rather not.”
“Okay, my dear,” her aunt said soothingly, “I don’t want to offend you and introduce a topic that makes you uncomfortable. Shall we talk about your relationship?”
Margo’s tapered brows lifted. “What relationship?”
“Precisely.” She gestured with her spoon. “You are a beautiful woman. I have lived alone for most of my life and do not recommend it. I could have gotten married when I was in my thirties and foolishly drove the man away. He was such a sweetheart,” Her eyes glimmered a little. “Solid and dependable.
But I wanted my independence and kept telling him to wait. Finally, he decided to go with someone else. Mary-Jo was just hovering in the background, waiting to scoop him up and she did.” She dug her spoon in and scooped up chili. “I lost my chance.”
“I am perfectly all right with my single status.”
Her aunt nodded. “That is because you have your job and a very demanding one at that. There will come a time when you do not and then what?”
“I will travel the world. I have always wanted to.”
“Without a man at your side.”
Margo laughed softly. “Aunt Sybil, I respect the idea of you trying to look out for me, but I am fine. Let’s talk about something else.”
*****
She studied the man. She wanted to know everything about Merrick Julian Pendergast going in. His photos gave her a bit of a pause as she stared at the sober face, the lines of pain that even the camera had not been able to hide. She knew that he had suffered a terrible loss at the peak of his career and that had set him back somewhat.
He did not look shady, but what the hell! That did not mean a damn thing. She had once busted a businessman who looked as squeaky clean as a whistle and was secretly transporting minors across state borders in his delivery trucks.
Looks don’t mean a damn.
He was fifty-five, she read in surprise. Yes, there were lines around his eyes, but his body was that of a younger man. She read that he was an expert in martial arts and had studied Krav Maga. He was also a marine.
Very interesting. He wasn’t just a pampered rich guy, but an active one. She felt a frisson of something as she stared into his gray eyes and found herself trying to decipher the exact shade. Simply gray did not cover it.
What on earth does one call that color? Smoky? Ash? Storm cloud? Slate? Shaking her head, she resumed reading his bio and found a twinge of sympathy when she got to the part about his fiancée and unborn son. He had been unable for comment, then and even now, not that she could not blame him.
The media had a way of feeding on peoples’ grief and making a damn livelihood out of it. Merrick Pendergast would be definite fodder for a story.
He was an extremely attractive man and incredibly successful. He was still single, and it appeared that he would remain as is. He must have loved her very much and she wondered what that was like.
Her conversation with Aunt Sybil had been nagging at her, much to her disgust. It wasn’t that she had chosen to be single at her age, but she had been loath to enter into any form of relationship.
Her past, the fact that she had been abandoned by her mother who had chosen drugs and the easy way out, had deterred her. Not to mention she had no idea who the hell her daddy was.
He could be a pimp for all she knew. So, she had decided long ago to stay clear of anything permanent. There had been suggestions, declarations of love, an emotion she did not believe in of course, but she had laughed them off.
Then her job had become so time-consuming that it left little time for anything else. And relationships take work and considerable time.
She was a cop, an undercover one at that and for months she was under. At times, she would not see her place for months. Who in the hell would want to put up with that? Another cop? The only person in her squad, she had been involved with briefly was Brad and that had not lasted long.
She was a female, trying to make it in a predominantly male world and people were watching. She had heard them talking about other female cops who slept around and stayed away from having that kind of talk about her. She wanted to be noticed for her work and what she brought to the table.
Not for spreading her legs to get where she was. The double standard was glaringly obvious. A man has no qualms about sleeping his way through the damn squad room and his reputation would remain intact. But that is the way it is.
Getting back to her reading, she picked up her wine and kicked back in her comfortably worn leather chair. Placing her feet on the desk, she continued reading. Surprisingly, Merrick Pendergast had taken a million-dollar company and turned it into a multi-billion-dollar enterprise.
They were not just into pharmaceuticals, but had diversified into real estate, oil and a charter airline that was doing exceptionally well.
“Jesus!” She muttered. “A fricking vineyard in Italy.” She stared at the pale amber liquid in her glass intently. She wasn’t drinking his vintage, that much she was sure of. She usually bought her wine and other liquors at the local Walmart. The most she ever paid for a bottle was less than sixty bucks.
She would not dream of trying to guess what one of his bottles go for and was probably served in some fancy restaurant. She stayed clear of those like the proverbial plague.
Not that she could afford to eat in places like Soho, Kelly’s or Kane’s and the others of course. Brad had suggested that they tried for a reservation at one of Kelly Takahashi’s restaurant and had been told by that lofty reservation clerk that they were booked up to six months and do not accept walk-ins.
She had laughed at the confounded look on his face.
“Serves you right. What sense does it make to blow a month or two salary to just have a meal?”
“It’s the ambiance,” he muttered.
“We have loads of ambiance at Bert’s and not to mention The Saddle Tramp.” She said referring to one of their usual haunts.
Shaking her head, she went back to her reading, her gaze sharpening as she reached the part about his family. A younger brother, Maurice Pendergast. They had similar coloring, but the brother looked like a pale carbon copy.
Similar gray eyes, but the older brother’s had an intensity to them that was unmistakable. And Merrick was several inches taller and more leanly built and certainly more attractive.
“Hmm, Interesting.” She murmured as she stared at the two men. The photo had been snapped at some movie premiere the company had sponsored. Maurice was all smiles, but Merrick had a sober look about him that clearly showed that he had not enjoyed having his pic taken.
And the reporter harped long and detailed on the fact that it was Merrick’s company, and his brother was just along for the ride. It was Merrick this or Merrick that. Maurice was just a footnote. That would not sit well with the brother. Maurice Pendergast was definitely in his brother’s shadow.
She read that the younger brother was married with two grown male children. Jason was twenty-eight and Michael was twenty-six. The two young Pendergasts had inherited the family coloring- dark hair and gray eyes as well as the lofty height. And they were also working at the company.
It was interesting to know that Jason Pendergast had a ‘sealed record’ and had gotten into some scrapes along the way. DUI, driving without a license, drunk and disorderly, while the brother was squeaky clean. He had gotten off with a slap on the wrist because of his family’s money and that pissed her right off.
No doubt they had judges and several law enforcement officials in their pockets. She strongly believed that if you do the crime, you should serve the time.
Allowing a person to get off with a hand slap was usually a big mistake. She had seen too many rich and entitled kids go down a destructive path because they were never forced to pay for their mistakes.
Shaking her head in disgust, she shoved her laptop back and took a sip of her wine. She was going to have to lay out her strategy to the commander and it was going to have to be a foolproof one.
Medtech had a slew of very expensive lawyers on retainer, and she certainly did not want to slip up and have them suing the entire goddamn city. She was going to have to come up with an ironclad plan.
Finishing her wine, she pushed back from the desk and walked to the window to stare out at the encroaching darkness. A few miserly stars had come out and the sliver of moon was a pale shimmer piercing the clouds, barely. The beginning of the fall season had started with rain, relieving the unending summer months and the cloying heat.
This was going to be her last undercover sting, and it had to count. She was going up against a giant and felt like bloody David in the Bible. But David had won in the end, hadn’t he? Ignoring the frisson of fear making itself known, she turned away from the window. It had to be done, and she was not going to allow fear to get inside her.
People were dying and rich company or not, if the investigation proves that the drugs were coming from their house, they were going down. And that’s that.
*****
“What have we got?”
“Overdose on what seems like the new strain of drugs.”
“How many fatalities?”
“Two so far. Others on their way to the ER to be pumped.”
“How old?” She snapped it out quickly, even though she already had an idea.”
“Male Vic- twenty and the female nineteen. The sweepers are already here.”
“I’m going to need a minute.”
“What the hell are you doing here?” Brad fell into step next to her as they walked into the almost empty club.
“I’m a cop.” She slid him a flat eyed look that warned him that she was already in the ‘cop mode’ and would not welcome an editorial. “And when the call came through, I hustled.”
“You are on vacation- “He held up a hand as her gaze sizzled. “Not my call.”
“Good, we have a crime scene to tend to.” Sealing up, she hunkered down where the two victims were lying side by side. “Same symptoms as the others, frothing at the mouth, bodily excretions and sores around the lips.” She frowned at that new addition.
“What the hell?”
“Something new.” Brad confirmed, checking with his own device. “It’s safe to assume that the drugs are stronger.”
“And therefore, more lethal.” She agreed. The girl was a beauty, with thick blonde hair and bottle green eyes that death had leached of life. The guy was tall and muscular, probably a jock. Even in death, there was a smile on his lips.
Lifting her head, she looked around the fancy club and it was fancy. With gold and white wallpaper, padded stools and the wide sweep of the bar. A quick glance at the labels showed pricey liquors.
“Who owns the joint?” Oh, never mind.” She muttered as the former lingerie model swept in, wearing a cloud of expensive jewelries and cashmere.
“Officers…,” she began.
“Detectives.” Margo tapped at her shield and already decided she did not like the woman.
“I apologize.” The smile came and green eyes zeroed in on Brad as she quickly assessed the situation. “I just want you to know that we have a ‘no drug policy’ here. Sensations is one of the leading clubs in the state and we run an exceptionally clean house.”
“I’m sure you would like to think so or have us believe it.” Margo did not allow the enraptured Brad to say anything. “These are rich kids and in my estimation, where there is a lot of money, there is going to be lots of illegals running around. We want to take a look at the cameras.”
“Oh, but…”
“Or we could come back with a warrant and if you make us go through the hassle of getting one, we’re going to tear the place up. Your choice.” She aimed a smile at the woman and had her bristling.
“I have nothing to hide.” She turned her limpid gaze at Brad as if seeking assistance. “I am Selena Dupre…”
“We know who you are, Ms. Dupre, and it does not make a hell of a difference to us. Now…” She rose. “Do we get the cameras or go for the warrant. Think fast.”
Selena Dupre sulked and then with a haughty toss of her gilded blonde head, she led the way to the office.