Echoes of the Past (32 page)

He laughed, and the sound grated on her frayed
nerves.

“Michelle. I not only will get away with it, I
have. I’m a businessman, plain and simple. I have a product to sell. They have
a need and a market. The more money I have, the more respect I garner, and I
like it that way.”

“But you’re killing the lake; thousands of people
may die.”

“No, that won’t happen. The leaky barrel was an
accident, and the man responsible has been dealt with. Actually, you’ll meet
him soon. He’s waiting for you. Now, sit.” He indicated the chair. “I have a
few questions for the professor.”

“I don’t have answers for you.” Tony’s voice was
firm.

Michelle gasped when she looked behind her. His
beautiful face was covered in blood. His left eye was almost swollen shut. He
smiled that endearing crooked smile she loved and winked his right eye.

“Don’t worry about me, baby. You should see the
other guy.”

“Still a cocky bastard, I see.” Ron laughed. “Not
for much longer.”

Michelle stared at the two men flanking Tony. Although
each had a few facial bruises, none of them looked as bad as he did. Ron walked
over to him and slammed him hard in the ribs with the butt of the rifle he
carried. Tony gasped and fell forward.

“You’ve been a thorn in my side for the past three
months. Finally getting rid of you is a pleasure I didn’t anticipate. I don’t
know how the evidence I had planted on that body disappeared. I suspect the
good doctor lied to me and didn’t do his job. No matter. It’s been taken care
of now. I’d have been happy to have you leave the island, but seeing you dead
will provide even more satisfaction. ”

“Killing one more person shouldn’t bother you.” Blood
trickled out the side of Tony’s mouth.

“For the record, Professor, I haven’t killed
anyone. Your students just happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time.
Did you know they actually drove down the service road, parked their car, and
walked here with their sample jars completely oblivious to the fact that we
were loading barrels to be sunk? Jerome, tell the professor what happened.”

The man in his late twenties or early thirties was
one of the men who’d fought with Tony. He smiled showing a mouthful of rotten
teeth. Obviously the man enjoyed the profits of his job.

“We didn’t kill anyone. We didn’t have to.” The
man’s voice was heavily accented. “Mendez wanted to get laid later and had some
zombie dust on him. Ugly as he is, he needs an edge.” He laughed, but Michelle
noticed Mendez didn’t seem to appreciate the joke.

“We saw the lights coming toward us, so we shut
off everything. He stopped the car about thirty feet from the edge of the
marsh. We thought it was a cop. We knew if he got out of the car and walked
down any closer he’d see us, so we were waiting.”

He laughed, and the stench of his breath almost
made her gag.

“They got out of the car, but they didn’t have a
clue we were there. The girl tripped over a root. The guy helped her up and tried
to find her shoe. He told her to wait, and he’d get the sample. He walked
toward us and the minute he saw the pontoon boat, we knew we were done. Jose
blew the powder in his face. Like a good little zombie, he did everything we
told him to do. When we went back into the freezer to take them out onto the
lake, we found them bundled like that. They were unconscious. We put them on
the wagon, then onto the boat. They weighed a ton. Once we were out on the
lake, we threw them in. They sunk. I still don’t understand how the bodies
ended up on the beach that morning. I figured the boss would rip me a new one.”

Ron
laughed,
the sound
cold and unpleasant. “I would’ve if I hadn’t wanted Rodriguez to rip me one
too. He wouldn’t take kindly to losing his right-hand man. So you see, Doctor
Thomas, it was an accident.
Wrong place, wrong time.”

Now, Professor Steele,” he turned to Tony, and
Michelle shivered. Anger and hatred filled his voice. “I want to know who you
told about the chemicals in the lake. No matter how many times I warned you to
keep your mouth shut, you wouldn’t. I happen to know your last water tests
showed no toxins in the lake. I really thought you were smart enough to leave
it alone.”

Tears crawled down Michelle’s cheeks as she stared
at the man she loved. His beautiful face was badly battered. His breathing was
labored, and she wondered if Ron had broken one of the man’s ribs with the
rifle butt. Tony answered through swollen lips. His words were slurred and
difficult to understand.

“You’re wrong. The samples were elevated near the
far marsh. My students won’t give up.”

Ron laughed unpleasantly. “It doesn’t matter. The
samples tested at the crime lab came out clean no matter what your results
showed, and those are the results that matter. As of two hours ago, I got your
research grant suspended. Now, professor, I want to know from you, who else you
told. I know the doctor here knows,
who
else did you tell
?” He kicked Tony to punctuate each his last five words.

Michelle realized Ron wasn’t aware of the
independent lab tests done in
Kingston,
the ones now
in the hands of the RCMP task force. No matter what happened to them, he
wouldn’t get away with this, and she gleaned some satisfaction from that, but
her heart ached for Tony. How much more could he take?

“Not talking?
Fine.
Mendez, if you please? This might hurt a bit. Mendez isn’t a trained nurse.”

The man grabbed Tony’s arm, and raised the sleeves
on his jacket and sweater. He jabbed the needle into Tony’s arm and depressed
the plunger. He tossed Tony back on the floor. Michelle winced.

“What did you give him, you bastard?”

Ron backhanded her across the mouth. The copper
taste of blood filled her.

“Don’t make me angry, Doctor. You wouldn’t like me
angry.
As to your question, just a little scopolamine.
I need answers, and I don’t think the professor will be forthcoming on his
own.”

“Aren’t you afraid I told someone?”

“No, because you were too
wrapped up in your theory about Lindsay not drowning.
Don’t
looked
surprised. Both George and Milo kept me apprised of
what was going on. You kept going on and on about a freezer. How many times did
you send those cross sections to the lab? Milo made sure they never made it.”

“Why? What hold do you have over them?”

“Money.
The good doctor
likes to gamble. He’s had a very large streak of bad luck lately. Desperate men
will do anything. Did you know he’s not going to show up for work tomorrow? He
had an accident just outside of
Gananoque
. I gave him
one job to do, and he blew it. No one crosses me and survives. It’s a bad strip
of highway. Now, where was I?”

Horror filled Michelle. Was she responsible for
the coroner’s death? She’d removed the planted evidence. Before she could dwell
on the matter, she gasped as the men dragged Tony into a sitting position. Ron
approached him, the rifle held loosely in his hand.

“Okay, Professor Steele, with whom did you share
your findings?”

“I told you—my students, and Michelle.” She could
hear his raspy breathing.

“Why were you here tonight?”

“Michelle said Lindsay had died in hypothermic
coma. She had to have been in a cold place. I thought of a meat locker.”

“Thank you.” He hit Tony on the side of the head
with the rifle butt, and Michelle screamed. Tony collapsed wordlessly to the
floor.

“What are you going to do with us?” Michelle
whispered trembling. Tears rolled down her cheeks.

She saw Ron standing beside a meat-cutting table. He
followed her eyes and laughed.

“Don’t worry. Cutting you up isn’t on the docket.
We have meat inspectors in here on a regular basis. George needed to be put out
of his misery, and his failure to obey my orders this time simply made it
sooner rather than later. You can’t trust a gambler, especially one who’s as
fond of booze as he was. There was always a chance he’d grow a conscience and
talk. I’d have taken him out of the equation sooner or later. The man was a
liability. Unfortunately, two car accidents on such a clear night might be
suspicious. You know, you shouldn’t gamble, Michelle. You don’t have the voice
for it. That’s how I knew you were lying to me today. I’m actually doing you a
favor. You and the professor are going to meet the spirits—what does Smoke call
them? Ah yes.
The Three Sisters.”
He turned to the man
who’d just entered the room.

“Meet my partner Jim Henderson, Milo’s step-father.
Jim, the good doctor and the professor need some cooling off. Hose them down
and toss them in the cooler. When you’re ready for the last load, take them
with you. Don’t screw it up this time.”

Ron laughed, and Michelle wondered why she’d ever considered
the man attractive. He moved over to her and lifted her chin.

“I almost regret this. We could have been good
together, but I don’t do sloppy seconds for anyone.” He captured her lips in a
cruel, punishing kiss, made more painful by the split lip he’d given her.

Michelle wrenched her mouth away from his.

“You won’t get away with this. The bodies are
still there. My boss won’t let this go.”

Ron laughed, and the sound chilled her.

“Did you forget you released the bodies and signed
the death certificates? Milo caught the guy who collected the body and handed
him a request from you. It was a note saying the bodies had decayed and posed a
health hazard. They were to be cremated immediately, and only the ashes
forwarded to the families. Constable Singer, my eyes and ears on the force,
followed them to the crematorium, saw them unload the bodies, and drive off
again. Those parents are going to be very angry with you, but look at the
bright
side,
they’ll never find either of you.”

Hope filled her. Ron didn’t know who’d collected
the bodies. No doubt they’d realized they’d been followed and had left a false
trail. When she didn’t show up tomorrow as planned, regardless of what the
false note said, Colin would know the truth, and so would Stevens. They’d pull out
all the stops and get this bastard. The thought comforted her.

“My lake will remain as mysterious as ever, and I’ll
make sure each drum is sealed properly. Goodbye, my sweet.” He gave her another
punishing kiss before walking away, his laughter echoing throughout the
slaughterhouse.

Jim and Jerome manhandled Tony to his feet. Mendez
gripped Michelle by the arm and dragged her across the room. The men dumped
Tony unceremoniously on the floor near a large drain and Mendez tossed her down
beside him. Jim pulled down a hose suspended from the ceiling, and a jet of icy
water blasted at them, soaking her hair and lower body in seconds.

Michelle’s teeth chattered, and she shivered uncontrollably.
Jim opened the heavy, wooden, meat locker door and Jerome and Mendez manhandled
them into the chamber. A number of animal carcasses were strung up inside. The
cooler had to be at least fifty years old, its metal walls and wooden floors
testifying to years of use. She could see her breath in every shivering gasp
she exhaled. The temperature was well below thirty degrees.

Mendez tossed her in the far corner beside a stack
of crates. Her head hit the metal wall, and she saw stars. Through blurry eyes,
she watched Jerome drag Tony in, lift his still body up, and hang him by his
bound hands from a meat hook.

“Enjoy your last few hours, doctor. It’s nothing
personal, but no one crosses Rodriguez. If we were forced to shut down the lab,
we’d be the ones sleeping with the fish and The Three Sisters. With you and the
professor out of the picture, we’ll be able to continue business as usual.
Adios.”

He walked away, and Michelle heard him close and
slam the door. The light went out.

“Tony?” Her voice echoed in the blackness of the
small room, but there was no response.

The locker was cold, not as cold as a regular
freezer would be, but wet as they were, it was certainly cold enough to cause
hypothermia. She stood, grateful she hadn’t been strung up like a side of beef.

“Tony,” she called softly. “Talk to me so I can
find you.” Her body slapped against the animal carcasses blocking her route.

If we get
out of this alive, I may never eat meat again.

“I’m over here.” His voice was weak, but she
focused on it. “This wasn’t the way I’d planned for this night to end.”

She could hear his chattering teeth as he spoke. Her
eyes adjusted to the dark, and she moved gingerly through the dangling
obstacles to get to his side.

“I think we found the right cooler.” She attempted
to inject a note of humor into her voice, but failed.

Tony groaned. “Never let it be said I don’t know
how to show a lady a good time. Did he hurt you?”

Michelle heard the concern in his voice. “I’m
fine. You’re the one they used as a punching bag.”

“I’m a little sore. Hurts like hell to breathe,
and my arms are killing me.”

“I need to get you down from there.” Michelle knelt
on the floor. “You’re only about six inches off the ground. If I can find
something for you to stand on, you’ll be able to unhook yourself. There are
crates in the corner. Let me undo my hands, and I’ll get one.”

She lifted her hands to her mouth, well aware of
the pain in her wet digits. Extremities felt the cold first. She began to gnaw
on the plastic ties, the kind used to attach the vines to the strings and poles
in the vineyard. The process seemed endless. She lowered her hands and tried to
pull them apart. The plastic dug into her wrist and then snapped. Her hands
were free.

“I’ll be right back.” She raised her hand to touch
his cheek. It was warmer than her stiff fingers. “Don’t go anywhere.”