Harper's Submission [Golden Dolphin 2] (Siren Publishing Classic) (22 page)

BOOK: Harper's Submission [Golden Dolphin 2] (Siren Publishing Classic)
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An old
Money
magazine gave her the first clue. It contained an interview with Morgan’s father about the history of the company. In it he mentioned a feud between his grandfather and another gentleman. Ignatius Court and a man named Stanley Brewster had cofounded the company. From there she pulled up more articles about Court and Brewster as well.

The two old patent medicine salesmen had had a falling out and had split the company’s assets, including the patents on several medications. Each had formed their own new companies and gone their separate ways back in the 1920s. The stock market crash and Great Depression had almost destroyed both new companies. Court Industries had emerged from the crash and depression in fairly strong condition, while Brewster Pharmacy Corporation, despite having the patents on several tonics and over-the-counter-type medications, had not done as well. The men had never spoken again, and the feud continued into the next generations. The Brewster contingent felt that the Court contingent had defrauded them of the more valuable patents. But that was ancient history, wasn’t it? She would ask Morgan about this when she spoke with him next. She was still a little miffed and thought she just might make herself a little scarce for a while. Was she being childish? It was hard to say. Feelings were feelings after all.

 

* * * *

 

Cassandra Wright enjoyed her position in the security division of Court Industries. When John McGregor told her she had the opportunity to participate in a clandestine operation at Eastern Shore Research Laboratory, she was delighted. Actually, she was thrilled to have the opportunity to go undercover. This would make a great story when it was all over.
Corporate espionage. Wow!

At twenty-eight she looked a good deal younger than she actually was, and her four years of military service, including one tour in Iraq, had made her a lot tougher than she looked as well. She had pulled her dark-brown hair back into a ponytail, gotten a pair of readers, and ditched all of her makeup. Her cover story was that she was a college student who had to work an evening shift to make extra money for books. The job gave her the perfect reason to move around the facility at night when not many people were about. She had worn a pair of faded blue jeans and an older graphic T-shirt under a black hoodie and a pair of running shoes for her first evening shift. A young man with long hair, wearing ripped jeans and a lab coat, showed her the ropes. His name was Steve Costa. He was several years younger than her and a good deal less experienced, which she hoped to use to her advantage.

Her duties at Eastern Shore were to include helping him clean the animal cages, restock drug supplies, help with shipping, and possibly do some filing and other simple office tasks when time permitted. The cage cleaning was not going to be one of her favorite parts of the job, but she was looking forward to the opportunity to see what happened when the drug supplies were restocked. The chance to poke around the supply room, not to mention the opportunity to snoop around the office, could prove very interesting.

She had started on Tuesday night. The first night, Steve had shown her around the facility, and then Cassie found out more than she ever wanted to know about cleaning rat and monkey cages. The critters were actually cute, but she knew she had to be careful not to be bitten. By the time she was done, her lab coat was stained, and she had gone through a few pairs of rubber gloves.
Ah, undercover work is so glamorous
. She had to laugh at herself. She wasn’t going to include this part in her dramatic telling of the story of her dangerous undercover job.

On Thursday night, she was sitting in the employee lounge and sipping a cup of coffee while she waited for Steve to join her for his break. They were the only employees still in the building. She was a little nervous, and she desperately wanted to get some results. She needed to form a connection with Steve so she could start panning for information. She understood that a lot was on the line for Court Industries and that she might be the one to solve the mystery. That was exciting. When Steve joined her, she took the opportunity to flatter him into telling her how things worked around Eastern Shore.

“I’m usually the one who restocks the pharmaceuticals in the storage room, and I usually package them for shipping after the office staff prepares the mailing labels and shipping instructions. I also feed the animals in the lab and clean the cages. You’ll help me with that.”

“Okay. I’d like to learn how to do the shipping and stocking, too. That way I can help you out more, like if you have to be out or something. I could cover for you.” She smiled an innocent smile at him and flashed her dimples. “That would be so cool.”

“That might be good. I’m going on a skiing trip to Vermont in January. It would be good if you were up to speed on everything by then.”

Cassie hoped to be up to speed a whole lot sooner than that. She wanted to find out what she could and get out of there. She didn’t plan to make a career of cleaning animal cages. She was hoping to move up at Court Industries, and doing a good job on this assignment would go a long way in that direction.

“I have to get some shipments ready to go out in the morning, so if you’re done with the cages, you can help me in the mail room.”

This might be it. This was what she was waiting for. “That would be great. I want to learn everything.”

Steve showed her how to assemble the mailing containers, what to do with the mailing labels, and how to fill in the drug log. The mailing she helped Steve with was for another company, and she was disappointed that she didn’t get an opportunity to snoop around the Maxprotem containers, but she did see where they were kept. Before the evening shift was over, she was very handy at assembling boxes, stuffing them with packing material, and inserting drugs and shipping documents. Steve appeared to be delighted. She could see his wheels turning. He thought he had gotten a willing slave who was going to make his life a lot easier. She would let him go on thinking that—until she got what she wanted, or until John McGregor pulled her off this assignment.

The night shift passed without incident, much to Cassie’s disappointment, but she could feel Steve watching her with interest. She smiled to herself. If he thought innocent little Cassie was cute, he should get a look at Cassandra will full makeup, wearing a short dress and four-inch heels. That wasn’t going to happen here. Hopefully, she would find out what she needed to know and make a clean getaway.

Chapter Thirty

 

Office of the Assistant Federal Prosecutor, Federal Office Building, New York City, Thursday, November 28, 2013, 12:30 p.m.

 

Stanley Brewster Phillips, Assistant Federal Prosecutor for the Southern District of New York, leaned back in his chair and ran his free hand through his short, blond hair as he called his cousin, Preston Brewster, on his cell phone. It wouldn’t do to have calls to Brewster Pharmacy Corporation appearing on his call log at the office. His shares in the family business were held in a trust, and no one at the office knew he had a conflict of interest.

“Hey, Press. Stan here. Did you see the AP this morning? I don’t know who that Harmon Burke guy is, but he did us an enormous favor, until he retracted his article and all the papers and
Pharma
followed suit.”

“I saw that. Very disappointing, and he admitted to stealing the material? What an idiot. Maybe you should prosecute him for terminal stupidity, Stan.”

“There you go. That’s an idea. It looks like Court Industries hasn’t copped to the fact that they have a real problem with their latest clinical trials, with more to come. I’ve hated that bastard Morgan Court since prep school—the ‘golden boy.’ Oh, no, that was me. He was the dark knight. Funny, he doesn’t seem to know about the family feud. He never knew I was a Brewster and hated his guts. I don’t think he remembered me from school during the trial either. Of course, I’m no longer a kid, and I have filled out some.”

“That’s just as well for our purposes. I don’t think you can instigate another investigation of Court Industries just yet. It’s too soon. It would look like harassment, and I’m sure their attorney, the delicious Harper Cameron, wouldn’t miss it. You’ll need a good reason. Maybe we should get in touch with this Harmon Burke guy and see what he knows.”

“Good idea. Why don’t I see about that? Maybe talk to him. I don’t know if I’ll play the fed card or not. Sometimes that loosens lips, and sometimes it clams them up.”

“Let me know what you find out, cuz. Want to play some squash at the Midtown Club after work?”

“Sounds good. See you there.”

 

* * * *

 

Harmon Burke sat across from Maurie Cullen in an uncomfortable chair in the editor’s office. Nothing good ever happened in this office.

“Burke, what were you thinking? Did you have a freak attack of conscience? You should have contacted me before you posted that retraction.”

“Sir, I…”

“Nevermind, Burke. It’s clear to me you have no future in journalism. You’re fired! I’m putting someone else on the Court story.”

Journalism? Ha! This is journalism?
Well, good luck to him, whoever he is.
This was not journalism by any standards he had learned in “J” School at NYU. He had killed himself getting through school, and he was still paying off his college loans. He was living in godforsaken-bumfuck-Brooklyn and driving an old piece-of-shit car. The red welts on his butt were still stinging and reminded him that he had gotten what he deserved at Le Club the night before. He had done some soul-searching while tossing and turning sleeplessly in his bed last night. He was lucky that was all that had happened at the fetish club. He’d had no earthly idea what he was walking into. It served him right for plain old stupidity, nevermind everything else he had done. He had decided that he could stay pissed and jealous and let it eat at him, or he could go in another direction. Maybe it was time to move out of the city, get a real job, and turn his life around. His close brush with a prison career had scared him shitless. The thought of a few years in Attica was terrifying.

“Maurie, you’re probably right. I don’t have a future at this paper.” He got up from his chair and walked out the door while Maurie stuttered around his unlit cigar.

Chapter Thirty-One

 

Morgan Court’s Office at Court Industries, New York City, Thursday, November 28, 2013, 3:30 p.m.

 

Morgan had skipped lunch as he reviewed a new protocol at his desk and wondered what had happened to Harper. He had not seen or heard from her since that morning at his apartment. He still had a slight nagging feeling in his gut that something was not right there.
Maybe I’m just hungry
.

He sighed with relief when his assistant buzzed him and said, “Ms. Cameron is on line two, sir.”

“I’ll take it, Katie.” He punched line two and said, “Where have you been? I’ve been worried.”

“And hello to you, too. I’ve been working at my office. I have some material I’d like to show you and get your opinion. I don’t know if it has any bearing on the current situation, but it could be something. I’m going to take a cab over. I haven’t eaten yet, so I’ll stop and pick up deli. Do you want anything?”

“Pastrami on rye with mustard would be good. Does this mean you’re talking to me again?”

“I guess it does.”

He pulled the phone away from his ear as Harper hung up the phone with authority.

 

* * * *

 

Harper stopped at a deli near her office on Wall Street before she hailed a cab to Morgan’s office on Madison Avenue. She had time to think as the cab made its treacherous way uptown as bicycle messengers and pedestrians took their lives in their hands to cross traffic.

She had heard the anxiety in his voice, and the memory of it made her smile, but then she felt guilty. He had been nothing but supportive of her, and she was feeling a little childish…and selfish…and stupid. She didn’t know why he was suddenly annoying her. Well, she did know. He had said he loved her, and that scared her senseless, although she knew she loved him and had for a while. That knowledge only made her more nervous. She really hated to feel vulnerable, but if there was anyone worthy of her complete trust and confidence, it was Morgan Court. He had proved it over and over again, and she knew he would continue to be there for her. Maybe it was time to grow up and get a life—a life with Morgan Court. There were worse things. Of the many worse things, the worst of all would be continuing to live the half life, or partial existence, she had been living until she had connected with Morgan and decided to trust him. She didn’t want to lose ground now. She had to press ahead. She wasn’t going to sabotage her own happiness any longer. She was going to kick emotional ass.

When she stepped into his office, she saw his expression change as he looked up and smiled at her. She felt her heart give a little skip and jump in her chest. He was just so incredibly beautiful. But that wasn’t really it. He was good, mostly, and kind, mostly, and incredibly smart and business savvy. No one was perfect, as she well knew, least of all herself with her ton of childhood baggage. But he wasn’t deterred by that and had jumped right in to see if he couldn’t make it better for her. And he had made it a lot better. She knew she had to do the rest of the heavy lifting herself. She was determined that she was going to get past all of that old baggage so she could start a new life.

BOOK: Harper's Submission [Golden Dolphin 2] (Siren Publishing Classic)
6.07Mb size Format: txt, pdf, ePub
ads

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