But the Children Survived (58 page)

Jacob knew exactly what James was referring to, the purple potion of Helmut March.  He’d used it himself when Emily was pregnant with Andrew.  She’d had a miscarriage with their first baby. 

Jacob’s father had had a safe full of the purple potion at his beach house in Mantoloking. His father had it sent from New Mexico right after Helmut March's promotion to partner.  When Jacob told him about Emily's situation, Matthew Wilmer had given Jacob a tube of the spores and told him how to use it. 

Jacob took some himself just to test it.  He’d been having a little trouble in the bedroom and the purple potion enabled him to plant the seed necessary to create Andrew.  He’d given Emily the rest of it when they found out she was indeed pregnant.  His father had told him to arrange a home birth and without asking why, he did.  When Andrew emerged with skin the color of a lavender sky, he understood why. 

Emily was besotted with Andrew and didn't seem to mind his color, but Jacob was very disturbed.  He was relieved when, three days later, the color faded away.  But he never forgot his son's little purple face. 

There was a picture of Andrew with the purple face in the hat box.  He didn't know Emily had photographed him that way.  It was a Polaroid that one of the servants must have taken.  He put it in his suit pocket.  Then, thinking Emily might miss it, he put it back.

When Matthew Wilmer died, they’d closed up the beach house.  Jacob had the purple spores transferred to his house.  He’d built a special temperature-controlled safe to store them in.  He mixed a dose of the purple potion whenever he visited his mistress in Manhattan. 

Jacob thought about Russo using the same potion to actually treat women.  Russo called it a supplement.  But where was Russo?  James' letter didn't mention where he was living.  Was he treating women in Italy? 

Jacob decided to have Simon look into his whereabouts and find out just how much money he was making on this purple “supplement.”  He’d always thought his father had misjudged the usefulness of Helmut's potion.  Matthew Wilmer had always maintained that it would nullify his other patented drugs.  Matthew was making too much money on those drugs and didn't want to harm his bottom line.  The purple potion, he said, was just too damn good.  Now Russo was selling the stuff, Wilmer's purple potion, and Jacob didn't like anybody stepping on his toes.

There was a copy of James’ will in the box.  The will specified that Andrew was to inherit James' Florence apartment and his money.  Emily was to have the vineyard but must allow Alfredo to live there for the rest of his life, and Alfredo would keep any monies made from the sale of the wine the vineyard produced.  When James’ sent the will, he’d enclosed a picture of himself and Alfredo.  There was also a letter.  The letter was dated some months before James’ death.

When he finished reading, Jacob carefully placed the items back into the hat box and replaced it on the top shelf of Emily's closet.  He looked at his watch.  Three o'clock.  He opened the door and looked around.  He didn't see anyone lurking about so he went down the stairs and into his study unnoticed.  When he got to his desk, he picked up the phone and telephoned Simon.

Chapter 73

Simon found Russo fairly quickly.  He called in some favors from an old pal of his who worked as a private detective.  The guy found Russo working for Wilmer and March Pharmaceuticals. 

Simon laughed to himself when he realized that the man had been an employee of Jacob's all along.  That made his sales of the purple potion even more interesting.  The little goomba had big balls to be selling the boss's own product right under his nose.  How did he think he was gonna get away with it? 

Simon asked a lawyer who’d gotten him out of a spot of trouble recently to find out if Russo had ever applied for a patent on the Mortevida.  The lawyer told him Russo had and had been given one.  He had named the plant the Dono di Russo. 

Simon then asked if Wilmer's had ever applied for a patent and the lawyer came up empty.  The old man had never patented the plant.  What an idiot.  What had he planned to do if the government had contracted the weapon?  He would have had a real mess on his hands then.  Without proof of ownership, Uncle Sam would have snatched it right out of old Matthew’s hands. 

When Simon told Jacob this, Jacob was livid.  His respect for his father plummeted.  How could he make such an error in judgment?  He had nothing to use against Russo.  Simon then told him that Russo was an employee of Wilmer and March.  Jacob decided Russo would have to be fired.  He was making a fool out of Jacob and nobody got away with that. 

“That may cause problems,” Simon said. 

“How?” Jacob asked.

“He could go public, you know, saying things like Wilmer's could have had it but they blew it.  Make the whole company look bad, like your judgment sucks.  The board wouldn't like that, Jake.” 

Jacob hated it when Simon called him Jake.  Only one person had been allowed to call him that.  Simon knew how much he hated it and got a kick out of pissing Jacob off. 

Jacob thought about what Simon was saying.  Since he'd taken over the company, he’d been struggling to keep full control.  He was getting older now, and Andrew had no interest in taking over.  Andrew only wanted to work with his damn computers.  This could work against Jacob in a big way.  Russo could gain publicity for his purple potion and make millions. 

“Maybe we could blow the FDA whistle on him.  If he ‘d put the stuff through trials, we would have heard about it.” 

“He and some doctor are selling it as a supplement.  No FDA required.”  Simon sat looking at Jacob.  Simon was a hard read.  He never gave anything away.  Jacob hated that about him.

“Where is he right now?”

“Tampa,” Simon answered. 

“Keep digging and see what else you can find.” 

Simon flew to Tampa and followed Russo around for a few days, reporting his comings and goings.  He told Jacob about the doctor Russo was doing business with, some guy named Tomlinson, and how it seemed they’d had a falling out. 

Simon had hired a woman to make an appointment with the doctor.  He told her to try to find out how many women he’d treated with the purple potion.  She found out Tomlinson had treated over 300 women.  She also found out that the treatment cost $10,000 and that the doctor called the purple potion Fetura. 

Simon used his detective buddy again to check into Russo's bank accounts and credit cards.  The guy found out Russo was going to be staying at a resort in Orlando in a few days.

When Jacob did the math, he was beside himself with rage.  That little nobody had hauled in over $300,000 of Jacob's money.  Simon asked Jacob if he wanted Russo taken care of. 

Jacob understood what Simon was asking, but he needed more time to think.  He’d never ordered a hit on anyone.  He couldn't take it lightly.  As he sat at his desk, he took out a little notebook he wrote in to clear his head.  Sometimes he drew in it, sometimes he would jot down ideas for new drugs, etc. 

He opened it to a blank page and wrote the date of the first day Russo would be in Orlando.  Under it he wrote, “Orlando.  Send Simon.”  He knew what he was writing.  Seeing it in black and white made him feel both powerful and nauseated.  Simon was right though.  Russo could ruin Matthew Wilmer's reputation and by doing so ruin Jacob's, too.  He was too old to rebuild it.  His brother James had done this.  Jacob could see that now.

James had always been a thorn in his side.  There was no reason for him to be born.  Jacob should have been enough.  Jacob hated James more now than when he was alive.  He balled up his fists and banged the table repeatedly.  His body shook violently from his desire to physically murder James with his bare hands.  But James was dead.  He had even taken that away from Jacob.

Jacob forced himself to breathe.  He had to calm down.  So, James had tried to get Jacob by giving Russo the plants.  Well, Jacob would have the last laugh. 

He picked up the phone and called Simon.  He told him to go through Russo's house and get any plants that might be there.  He also told him to look for any scientific research associated with the Dono di Russo.  He didn't want Russo's family to keep the formula for Fetura.  Simon said he would call when he’d taken care of things. 

Simon booked a room in the Russos' resort.  He followed them for a day.  He sat behind them when they ate at a restaurant and overheard their plans for the next day.  They were going to the water park. 

The next day, Simon watched Antonio and his son come down the water slides.  He waited for Russo to go to a bathroom, or some other location where he would be alone.  After a while, he saw Russo's wife send him to the lockers. 

As Russo was opening a locker, Simon came up behind him with a knife in his hand.  He grabbed Russo and thrust the knife straight up through his ribs and into his heart.  Then he let Russo go and walked on as though nothing had happened. 

He had checked out of his room before going to the water park, so Simon drove straight to St. Petersburg.  He broke into the Russo house and searched for the plants and the formula.  He found neither.  He caught a plane from Tampa to New Jersey after calling Jacob with the report.

Jacob hung up the phone and sat motionless behind his desk.  He was responsible for the death of another human being and he didn't know quite how to handle it.  He’d never been in a war, or had to defend himself.  But even though he hated doing it, it gave him an instant feeling of relief.  Russo would never hurt Wilmer and March.

Chapter 74

Emily Wilmer's mother had been a resident of the Blaine Residence in upstate New York for many years.  She had been mentally ill for most of her adult life and had died while still a patient at Blaine's. 

Emily had begun to show signs of the same mental illness when Andrew was a young boy.  Andrew was the only one who could calm her down or keep her focused.   As he grew older and made a life for himself, Emily had many bad days. 

Jacob had taken her to Palm Beach to hide her from her constantly inquiring friends.  He’d bought a home on the beach, and it seemed to help Emily.  But there was one aspect of her illness that Jacob had a hard time dealing with. 

Emily was a hoarder.  Her illness took the form of hoarding one particular item - twelve-inch fashion dolls.  At first she bought collector dolls that were issued once or twice a year.  As her passion for them grew, so did her collection.  In 2003, her son introduced her to the Internet, and she was able to order them online and have them delivered to her house. 

Jacob had been unaware of his wife's fascination with the dolls until they began staying at Palm Beach for months at a time.  Emily had to replicate her collection for Palm Beach.

In New Jersey, Jacob hadn’t entered Emily's bedroom since 2001.  He had no idea what it looked like now.  When he accidentally opened the door of her Palm Beach bedroom looking for her, he was taken aback by what he saw.

From the floor to the ceiling, still in boxes, were stacks of dolls.  The only empty spot in the room was the path from the bed to the bathroom and to bedroom door.  Jacob was afraid to confront her for fear of making her sick.  She’d been doing so well at Palm Beach.  He decided to just ignore her room as long as the dolls stayed in there.  Emily seemed to need her secret, and Jacob needed her to be sane. 

When they came back to New Jersey, he peeked into her bedroom and it looked just like the one in Palm Beach.  He asked Ethel to come to his study again, and this time he asked her about the dolls.

He asked if she’d known about them and she said yes.  He asked her how long her bedroom had been that way, and Ethel looked down at the floor.

“It's okay, Ethel.  You're not in trouble.”

“I know, sir, I just don't know how to tell you.”  Ethel looked up at Jacob.  “I guess she started putting them in the bedroom when the basement got full.” 

Jacob's eyebrows rose.  “The basement?” 

“Yes, sir.  She filled it up and had to put them somewhere else.” 

Jacob rose from his chair and walked to the kitchen with Ethel following close behind.  As Jacob descended the steps into the basement, he couldn't believe the sight he beheld.  From one end of his 4000-square-foot basement to the other were fashion dolls, lined up on stands, with wild big curls on their heads.  In one corner, stacked to the ceiling, was a pile of dolls with hideous frizzed hair. 

“When they don't come out good, she throws them over there.”  Ethel pointed to the pile.  “And over there is where she does the perms.” 

She pointed to a small part of the basement where there was a comfortable chair with a small table.  Ethel led Jacob over to the small opening.  She showed him the little rollers Emily used to wrap the dolls' hair.  She showed him the wrapping papers and styling gel.  She then showed him the hot plate she boiled the water on. 

“My God, it's a miracle she didn't burn the house down.  How long has she been doing this?”  Jacob was still in a state of shock.

“Since Andrew was little. She does it when she gets upset or sad.  She sits here rolling up the hair, and she looks so happy.  Sometimes I have to go out for the gel and papers.  She runs out quick.”

“Where is Mrs. Wilmer?” Jacob asked.

“She's at a charity auction today.  She was good this morning.  But sir, she’s having fewer and fewer good days.”  Ethel was very concerned about Emily's mental state.  “There was another delivery today, sir.  There's no room in her bedroom.  Where should we put them?"

“Have John take the boxes to the garage.  We'll have to decide what to do with them later.”  Jacob looked at Ethel.  She had a look of deep sympathy in her eyes.  “Thank you for…helping Mrs. Wilmer, Ethel.  I'm sure you understand that this…this news must never leave this house.”