Murder by Prescription

by Breakell Richard

The past five days had been an absolute nightmare for Marty. The industry cruise could not have come at a worse time. Between training Nancy, completing research for Dr. Kenmore and Congressman Barnes, and helping Myra get ready, he felt like he was being torn apart. In addition, he now had learned that Pam was joining the cruise.

  Although this did not directly affect Marty, he could not help but wonder if she was there to report his actions to Tom Chiles.

  The news that Norm Arthur of COSM was also on the cruise had pleased Marty because it would give him a chance for some ‘one-on-one.’ He had toyed with the idea of having all the parties involved get together and cover the issues in one session, but had thought better of it. Divide and conquer was a better game plan. He would have to do some serious scheduling.

  They were two days away from their flight to Venice and Myra was in full panic mode. Marty, understandably, was of no help. She had been ‘ticking off’ the prep list but still was uncertain of the required attire, so she had ‘contingent packed’ for everything.

  His load in getting ready for the business end of the trip had eroded a lot of the excitement for her, but she did not begrudge him that, hoping it was not a precursor of the entire trip.

  Thanks to Nancy, Cooper Consulting was developing nicely. Interviews for three researchers were completed. After cursory discussions with applicants, Marty and Nancy deliberated. They agreed on two of the applicants and Marty foisted the hiring on to Nancy, with instructions for them to report on the day Marty returned. He and Nancy had agreed that she had more experience ‘in the market’ and, therefore, should negotiate the pay scale.

  He did explain to Nancy that he believed in slightly overpaying people for two reasons. One: it commanded loyalty, and two: it dissuaded poaching. Nancy smiled secretly, totally understanding Marty’s philosophy. He maybe ‘green,’ she thought, but he isn’t stupid.

  Nancy could not have been more pleased with her decision to join Cooper Consulting. She had sensed some attitude from Mrs. Cooper, but that was a customary reaction from women and particularly, wives.

  Mr. Cooper had given her the freedom she had so desired in her old position and she could demonstrate her abilities with unfettered execution.

  She studied Mr. Cooper’s research relentlessly and realized the opportunities that Derek had seen. The amalgamation of all the new social media sectors was a daunting undertaking that she could see could evolve into a propaganda giant.

  As her horizons widened, she now understood what Kelly had actualized… That anyone utilizing this new technology accorded themselves an incredible edge in media management and thus, public perception.

  The diabolical plan was brilliant. As the industry companies contract Cooper, Derek and Tom, with their covert espionage, would be privy to all participating companies’ information.

  Pam routinely was in and out of Tom’s office retrieving instructions. She noticed today he seemed distracted. As usual, she was conscious of his furtive glances, but this time, there was a subtle difference. Picking up a sheath of papers, she started to leave when he looked up from his desk.

  “Only two days to the cruise. Are you ready?” he ventured.

  “In what way?” she responded.

  What is it with her! Once again, he felt off-balance, “I meant… packed, and… whatever.”

  “Yes. I’m ready. Will there be anything else?”

  “Have you thought anymore about my request regarding Norm Arthur? You may not be aware, but the Council on Safe Medicine (COSM), ergo Norm Arthur, is one of our largest adversaries, so I hope you can find an appropriate time to speak with him.”

  She met his eyes, “I would assume the close confines of the ship would present some opportunities to meet him.”

  “…yes…well… I hope you will also meet and speak to Congressman Barnes.”

  “That would be nice,” she offered.

  “OK,” he muttered. In a feeble effort to retain some authority, he interrupted Pam as she turned to exit the office. “Pam. Are you contented here?”

  She turned, “I beg your pardon?”

  “Are you contented with your job?”

  “Have I done something wrong?” she said.

  “No… No… I just want to be sure we are on the same team.”

  “Of course, sir” she replied coolly as she exited. What the hell was that all about, she thought. In all the time she had been with Chiles, Arken, and Associates, she had not seen this level of apprehension. Something was up! She would have to keep her wits about her on the cruise.

  ***

  Derek had spent Friday night tossing and turning and now driving to the office, he weighed Tom’s comment about an incident on the cruise. Whatever he was meaning, his lack of knowledge would afford him some protection if there were consequences, but he wondered if he might be caught in a web of circumstances not of his making.

  His tenure with Tom, if nothing else, had revealed there was nothing that would deter Tom’s compulsion to attain his goals. Derek had previously seen Tom’s duplicitous methods executed with success and he was sure whatever was unfolding now would achieve the same end.

  Derek had certainly participated in some questionable events in the past which, as usual, were justified for ‘the sake of the children’ or ‘the means justifies the end,’ but those old platitudes, for him, were showing their age.

  He knew from experience it was useless to review the past, with its myriad of regrettable decisions. That would only lead to the usual banal recitations of ‘the ultimate good we are doing.’

  These ‘sleepless night qualms’ were invariably followed by recriminations. But it’s a little late for those, he thought.

  When his conscience had been breached, the power of the rewards metastasized the greed, and fear engulfed his psyche. Fear of loss, fear of shame, fear of discovery, fear of the law were now his constant companions. His only exit was to stay, feign compliance, complete the walk, and empty the pot at the end of the rainbow. Perhaps later there would be time to salvage himself.

  No sooner was Derek sitting at his desk than Kelly buzzed. “Yes, Kelly.”

  “Mr. Chiles would like to see you.”

  “Thank you.” Again, this reaction of foreboding! He walked up the staircase.

  “Mr. Chiles is waiting for you,” said Pam.

  Derek opened the door and was met with a big smile, “Derek… come in.” If nothing else, Tom was a master at ‘the off-balance opening.’

  “How are things going,” he queried.

  Derek nodded and warily responded, “Great… what’s up?”

  Tom covertly observed Derek. One of his principal assets was gauging human nature and his antenna was aquiver. They walked over to the den area in the office. Tom continued, “The other day, you suggested that we have a conversation directed toward our long-term goals.”

  “I did… I did,” responded Derek.

  “Was it something specific or were you just thinking generally?”

  Despite the years they had been together, and no matter how Derek steeled himself, Tom was always able to disarm whatever defense Derek erected. A discussion would begin on equal footing and immediately devolve to Teacher / Student.

  It was time to ‘grow a pair.’

  Derrek began, “First, let me again express my appreciation for what you have done for me over these years. I couldn’t be more grateful to you for mentoring me on this journey capped with the presidency. Having said that, it has been some time since we addressed the issue of additional stock options. The launch of Cooper and Associates, together with my shepherding through the FDA, the recent successes of Tamsitor, Saxitoxin, and now Sistophan, leads me to suggest the time has arrived.”

  Tom turned and stared into the fireplace. He didn’t dare look at Derek for fear he would reach out and grab his throat. The ungrateful bastard! A nobody, plucked out of the herd. A whelp, barely able to shave, brought from obscurity to be president of a Fortune 500 company earning in excess of fi
fteen million a year plus existing stock options… and he wanted more!

  He had a moment of compassion. At least Derek had the balls to ask. How he wanted to respond was, ‘don’t let the door hit you in the ass.’

  Instead, he gathered his senses. This was not the ‘hill to die on’ with Derek. That day would come, but with all that was developing, he needed him at peak performance. This required diplomacy, tact, and just plain old ‘bull shit.’ Tom stood up. “Follow me,” he said

  They both walked to Tom’s desk. Tom opened a door behind the desk and entered a code on the safe, pulled open the door, and pulled out a stack of files. Setting them on his desk, he culled through them and then handed Derek a bound file.

  “Read this.”

  Derek took the file and sat in one of the chairs at the desk. Opening the file, he saw the letterhead from a major accounting firm. The file was titled ‘Future Projections for Chiles, Arken, and Associates,’ containing, what looked like five pages, and marked ‘Top Secret.’ He started scanning the projections and his eyes widened. Tom stood by the window watching Derek’s reaction.

  “My God,” whispered Derek, “Tom, this is unbelievable…”

  “…but how does it relate to your question,” interrupted Tom, “…well, here’s how! First, let me address your comments. Yes, you did guide our recent products successfully through the FDA and you are moving forward with Marty’s project. But, Derek, to be perfectly blunt… you did what you were paid to do.”

  Derek leaned forward to speak.

  “Hold on, Derek. Don’t get all ‘knotted up.’ That is not a reflection on you or what you have achieved. It’s just the simple truth. But… what you have done is pave the way for what you just read. You can see that our plan for the aggregation of the media is solid gold.”

  “For either you or I to consider any major shift in our current situation would be foolish. You, above all, know the flack we currently are receiving for our remuneration. Any increase, at this time, would not be a good PR move. Further, you can see the stock projections in that brief. What are your current options going to look like when those projections reach fruition?”

  Derek leaned back. What Tom was saying was true. They were receiving considerable outrage over their compensation and a negative PR bump could affect both the current and future share price. Begrudgingly, he nodded his head, “With this new information, I have to concede that you make perfect sense.”

  Tom turned back to the window to hide the smirk. This was so easy. Now for the carrot.

  Spinning back, he said, “Now look… this in no way closes the window. We will all be able to improve our position when things have settled down.”

  He smiled, “It’s Friday. Let’s have a drink.” He buzzed for Pam

  “Yes, sir,” answered Pam.

  “Pam. We’d like to wish you ‘bon voyage.’ Will you join us for a drink?”

  She frowned, “Thank you. No. I have Kelly here. As you know, she is filling in for me next week and I need to bring her up to speed.”

  Derek’s head snapped up. In his anxiety, he had forgotten about sharing with Kelly. “Bring Kelly in here so we can all get up to speed” ordered Derek.

  “… uh …we were in the middle…” fumbled Pam.

  “Nonsense,” said Tom.

  Pam opened the door and waved at Kelly. As Kelly hesitantly walked in, Derek said, “Pam, I apologize. We should have had this session sooner.” Kelly looked at Derek and smiled awkwardly.

  Tom walked over with his hand outstretched, “Kelly, it’s nice to see you again. I understand we will be seeing a lot of you in the next week.”

  “Yes, sir,” nodded Kelly.

  “Great… looking forward to it. Pam, do you see any issues we need to cover right now?”

  Pam paused, “I have shown Kelly the basics for her to function. If you request something that she can’t manage she can always reach me on the ship. The only other thing I would ask both of you, is your patience if, on occasion, Kelly is at the other desk if you happen to call unexpectedly.”

  “I’m sure Derek and I can work that out,” laughed Tom, “you know, Kelly, we had talked about getting a temp in here, but Pam assured me that with your experience with our company and the industry, that it would be a waste of time. By the way, I understand you were instrumental in bringing Nancy Stone aboard with Marty Cooper.”

  A shiver went through her as his piercing blue eyes bored into hers. Does he know something? How is that possible? Did Nancy say something?

  “…uh …yes. Nancy and I have known each other for a few years and I happened to talk to her the day she resigned as executive assistant to Rod Arthur of Arthur and Associates. From what I had learned from Mr. Maurrel, I knew that Mr. Cooper was needing an executive assistant.”

  “Very insightful of you, Kelly.”

  Kelly couldn’t divine whether he was being sarcastic or complementary, but she did know she would not underestimate Mr. Chiles.

  It was going to be an interesting week.

  ***

  Saturday dawned with Marty and Myra already up and scrambling. It was going to be a day full of preparation for their flight in the morning. Periodically, Marty would pull out his cell and text a message to Nancy as new ideas would hit him. He smiled to himself. She was going to be tired of these by the end of the day.

  “Marty… Please. I need you to tell me what you want packed,” rebuked Myra.

  “OK… OK…” retorted Marty.

  They continued through the morning, trying to anticipate the requirements on the cruise. Finally, after a quick lunch, they were done around 3 o’clock and could take some time with their daughter, Cara, and get to the airport to pick up Myra’s mother, Dorothy.

  Dorothy had long ago worn out her welcome in the Cooper household. It had taken Myra years to purge herself of the feelings of inadequacy born from her mothers’ constant criticism. She still found it difficult to maintain boundaries in her life and so tried to keep Cara’s exposure to Dorothy at a minimum.

  Because of the short notice, Myra was forced to resort to her mother, which prompted Dorothy to bemoan that she hadn’t been asked sooner. Despite Myra’s explanation, Dorothy was convinced that she had been a last resort.

  They arrived at Terminal C with ten minutes to spare and they both tried to relax as Cara bounced around in the backseat.

  Marty started walking as he saw Dorothy come through the exit. Dorothy waved and then pointed at the luggage so as to remind him of his duty. He turned and raised his eyebrows at Myra and then waved back.

  Walking past the two cars in front, she leaned to look in the passenger window, “Too bad, you couldn’t have been car number one.”

  “Hello to you too, mother,” said Myra.

  Cara started squealing, “Grandma… Grandma!”

  “Hi, peanut,” Dorothy said, reaching through the window and giving her a big hug.

  As Marty loaded the luggage, Dorothy called, “Careful with those.” Marty winked at Myra, who was scowling in the mirror.

  “How are you, Dorothy?” asked Marty….Big mistake!

  “Well, I’m fine now… no thanks to the airline. Myra, isn’t there another airline you could have chosen for me. I swear, they might as well put us in pens like animals.”

  They headed away from the airport, navigating 635 East, with Myra almost amputating her tongue. The flood of memories was nauseating. Years of therapy was a thin defense when faced with the brutal, constant onslaught of Dorothy’s negativism.

  ***

  Having confirmed the payment, Monk had caught the overnight flight and then the train to Venice and arrived rested on Saturday morning.

  He checked into an out of the way Hostel close to the Cruise ship port and settled in to rehearse his plan again. Simplicity had always been his forte and this job was no exception.

  His five additional identities were secreted in the double lining of his valise. The other assets were disguised as medical needs.
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br />   The only problematic issue was the timing for the finish, but he knew that would be resolved as the event unfolded.

  Chapter 7

  Kelly and Pam agreed to meet at the office for a final check. Saturday morning traffic was light and Kelly arrived a little early. She set her purse down on her desk and turned to sit down when she heard the crash of glass from above.

  Puzzled, she slowly started up the winding stairs. Turning the corner, she could see straight into Tom’s office and there was Pam, down on her hands and knees, with blood dripping from her head.

  As Kelly was running toward the office, she heard the door at the end of the hall ‘whish’ closed.

  She reached Pam as she was rising from the floor. “Pam… What happened? …are you alright… Should I call an ambulance?”

  “No… I’m just a little woozy. He just missed me. Did you see him?”

  Kelly shook her head, “No, I just heard the door at the end of the hall close. What happened?”

  Pam grabbed a tissue and started dabbing the cut on her head. “I wish I knew. I came up here early to get set up for you and I noticed both the office door and the door to the safe were open. I heard a noise behind me and tuned just as this guy swung the glass globe at me. Fortunately, I ducked just in time and it only grazed me.”

  “Pam, he could have killed you. Did you see who it was?” Kelly asked breathlessly.

  “No.”

  Kelly pulled out her cell, “We better call the police.”

  Pam waved her hand, “No… Let me think for a minute.”

  They both deliberated. Finally, Pam spoke, “He must have been here when I arrived, but how did he get past security?” They both paused.

  “Unless he knew the codes,” theorized Kelly.

  “Which means we don’t want the police involved,” Pam pronounced.

  Kelly began to pick up the glass pieces while Pam finally staunched the bleeding. “I’m going to call Mr. Chiles,” declared Pam, “he will know what we should do.” Kelly shivered involuntarily. She hadn’t planned on any interaction with him this soon.