“Here’s a crazy thought,” Dupree said, her voice unsteady. “Why don’t you check out of your hotel and come stay with me until you leave? I could be your tour guide and show you the city.”
Ashley didn’t answer immediately. Instead she stared past Dupree with a peculiar look on her face. Was Dupree pushing too hard? Did her invitation place Ashley in an awkward situation?
“I’d love to, but are you sure that’s okay? I wouldn’t want to inconvenience you.”
Dupree let out a heavy breath of relief. “I’ve been searching for you for eighteen years, Sweetheart. Trust me, it’s not at all inconvenient.”
CHAPTER THIRTY-FOUR
To Dupree, driving Ashley to the airport proved far more painful than when she’d first given her up for adoption. As a confused teenager, what had Dupree known about love, family, or parenthood? But now, after years of emotional torture and profound guilt, having no idea when or if she’d ever see Ashley again, Dupree felt gripped with fear and apprehension. Although Ashley’s behavior during her visit suggested that she was thrilled to finally meet her biological mother, once back home in a familiar and safe environment, perhaps Ashley would conclude that she didn’t need her biological mother to be part of her life.
Dupree and Ashley exchanged few words; the mood in the car was oppressive. Dupree kept taking her eyes off the road and looking at her daughter’s pretty face. She wanted each glance to be like a photograph etched in her mind, a snapshot she could recall whenever she needed to fill the emptiness in her heart.
As expected, the time she had spent with Ashley seemed like a nanosecond. But Dupree couldn’t believe how much they’d crammed into such a short period.
“So,” Dupree said, mouth so dry she was unable to swallow, “tell me…what do you think of New York?”
“It’s awesome. I just love it!”
“Out of everything we did and the landmarks we visited, what was your favorite?”
“I loved the Statue of Liberty, the Guggenheim Museum, and of course the pizza.
But…” She paused and firmly held Dupree’s hand. “What I enjoyed most was getting to know you.”
Merging onto the entrance ramp for Interstate 678, Dupree wasn’t sure she could restrain herself much longer. In less than twenty minutes, she’d drop Ashley off at the terminal and her daughter would soon be on a plane back to LA. Dupree’s emotions were so bottled up inside that she just wanted to pull the car onto the shoulder, hold Ashley tight, and cry like she never cried before. She had no idea how she’d found the strength to hold it together as long as she had.
A burning question hung in the back of Dupree’s throat—a question she felt terrified to ask. But the terminal was just ahead and time was running short. “When do you think I’ll see you again, Ashley?”
“Once I start school, my schedule will likely be crazy-busy. I haven’t yet seen the school calendar—I guess they’ll go over that during the orientation on Wednesday. But I’m sure I’ll be home for Thanksgiving, Christmas, and of course, spring break. I doubt I’ll be able to visit you in New York until next summer. But you’re more than welcome to visit me in LA anytime—even during the school year. I might not have a lot of free time, but I’m sure I can juggle my schedule.”
Ashley sounded sincere and her open invitation eased Dupree’s angst. “You may just see me sooner than you think. I’m planning a vacation to San Diego to meet a friend, and maybe—”
“That’s fantastic! I didn’t expect to see you again so soon. No matter how busy I am with school, I’ll find a way to spend some time with you.”
Dupree pulled to the curb, turned on her hazard lights, and flipped the trunk release. She and Ashley met at the back of the car. She helped her daughter remove the luggage and closed the trunk lid.
“Well,” Dupree said. “I guess this is it.”
They held each other tightly, and Dupree kissed Ashley’s cheek and patted her back. “I love you, Ashley. I thank God for bringing you into my life.”
Ashley blinked several times, her eyes were wet with tears. She reached in her purse and removed a manila envelope. “This is for you.”
“What is it?”
“See for yourself.”
Dupree was about to tear open the envelope when an airport security guard waved his flashlight. “Let’s move it along. This is a drop-off-pick-up area only.”
Dupree thought about flashing her badge, but didn’t want to risk a confrontation in front of Ashley. Some TSA agents abused their authority and knew little about professional courtesy.
“Call me when you get to LA.”
“I will. And you can call me, text me, or send an e-mail anytime. We can even Skype.”
“I’ll keep in touch, Honey.”
“As soon as you confirm your trip to the west coast, let me know.”
“I will.”
Dupree watched her daughter enter the terminal. She didn’t think it was physically possible but felt certain her heart shivered. The annoying airport security guard again waved his flashlight.
“Okay. Okay. I’m leaving.”
Dupree hopped in her car and squealed her tires as she pulled away from the curb, her mind flooded with jumbled thoughts and inexplicable feelings. Just before she reached the airport exit, she pulled to the curb, tears streaming down her cheeks, blurring her vision. She picked up the manila envelope and tore it open. Inside she found a high school graduation photograph of Ashley. In the lower right hand corner, Ashley had signed the photo.
To Mom with love,
Ashley.
Dupree could no longer fight the inevitable. She covered her face with both hands and wept like a lost child.
When Dupree heard the gentle knock, she knew it was T.J. After she’d arrived home, long after there were no more tears to cry, she’d called him and asked him to come over.
She opened the door. Before he could even step inside, Dupree hugged him. “I owe you, T.J. Owe you big time.”
“All in a day’s work, partner.”
They sat next to each other on the sofa.
“How long have you been working on finding my daughter?”
“Ever since you told me your story.”
“How the hell did you do this?”
“I told you. I know people who know people. That’s all I can say.”
Dupree wanted to push it, but let it go. For now. “She’s only been gone for two hours and already my heart aches.”
“Did you both enjoy the weekend?”
“It was amazing, T.J. It didn’t feel like we’d just met. We immediately connected and I felt Ashley was completely at ease.” Dupree took in a deep, quivering breath.
“What is it,” T.J. asked.
“Ashley lives three-thousand-miles away.”
“So you think you’re rarely going to see her?”
“Logistically, it’s complicated. She’s starting her freshman year at UCLA, my time off is limited, and…”
T.J. reached for her hand and gently squeezed it.
“It isn’t like either of us can just hop in the car and pop over. You found my daughter, but I’m afraid I’m going to lose her again. And this time it’s going to be even more painful.”
“You haven’t taken even one day off since we became partners, so you must have quite a few vacation days in the bank.”
“Last time I checked, I had about thirty-two days.”
“So, that’s six weeks plus, right?”
She nodded.
“If my math is correct, that means you can visit Ashley for one week every other month.”
“Technically, yes. But you’re forgetting two things. First, you know how stingy Captain Jensen is when it comes to approving time off. You’d think that the money was coming out of his personal banking account. Second, Wells is retiring in a few weeks, which puts us a man short, so, needless to say—”
“It’s handled,” T.J. said.
“What’s handled?”
“Wells’
s replacement starts on Monday. Some hot shot kid from the 34th.”
“How come I wasn’t informed?”
“Officially, there hasn’t been a formal announcement.”
“How did you find out?”
“I know people who know people. Remember?”
Dupree thought about that for a minute. “That still doesn’t solve my problem with the captain.”
T.J. winked. “That’s handled, too.”
“You’ve lost me, T.J.”
“While Ashley and you were bonding this weekend, I had a long chat with Jensen.”
“And?”
“I anticipated that Ashley and you would have a problem trying to see each other as often as possible. I also figured that you would make more trips west than she would east. I told the captain about your situation and believe it or not, he was really touched—said he’d do whatever he could to accommodate your vacation requests. Maybe he’s not as much of a hard ass as we both thought.”
She looked at T.J. with tears in her eyes. “I…I don’t know what to say.” Her voice was quivering. “Thank you so much.”
“Hey, if the situation was reversed, I know you’d do the same for me.”
Neither spoke for a long time.
“I still can’t believe that the captain agreed to be flexible with me on my vacation time.”
“Well,” T.J. said. “There is one more minor factor. I guess you could call it a motivator.” He let out a laugh. “I told him that if he didn’t work with you I would tell his wife that he’s smoking two packs of Camel’s a day and that he keeps a stash of Twinkies and M & M’s in his bottom drawer.”
Dupree laughed. She wasn’t sure about the last part of the story, but really didn’t care. As long as she could see Ashley as often as possible, nothing else mattered. “I think what you did is called blackmail.”
“Actually, it’s called salesmanship.”
Neither uttered a sound, but their eyes met. Dupree saw a look on his face that she’d never seen before. His eyes seemed to sparkle with a profound intensity.
He moved toward her.
Dupree didn’t quite know how to react; she sat frozen, studying him closely.
T.J. closed his eyes and tenderly kissed her lips. It was not a passionate or lustful kiss. It was brief but gentle. Dupree didn’t respond to his gesture, but she also did nothing to stop him.
She felt paralyzed, her mind plagued with confusion and disbelief.
“I am so sorry, Amaris,” T.J. said. “That was so inappropriate of me. I deeply apologize. I just don’t know what came over me. I guess it was just…the moment. My emotions are a little unstable right now. Please forgive me. I promise it’ll never happen again.”
Dupree didn’t know what to think. She glanced at T.J. but his head was turned away from her, as if he was too embarrassed to look at her. Her mind was overwhelmed with conflicting thoughts. She wasn’t sure what she felt.
“T.J.”
He turned his head.
When she looked into his eyes, they told her everything she needed to know. No more confusion. No more doubts. “What if I want it to happen again?”
EPILOGUE
August 1
This was Dr. Mason’s third trip to David Taylor’s mansion on the isle of Anguilla. The CEO of Ritter-Stone Pharmaceuticals and Dr. Mason met in Taylor’s private den, both enjoying an espresso.
“It surprised me when I found out about Adelman, Gallo, and Hansen.” Taylor said. “Who knew they would be so careless?”
“It sure shocked me,” Mason said. “But it did create quite an opportunity for you.”
“As the cliché goes, ‘Their loss is my gain’.”
“You’ll be happy to know,” Mason said, “that my brilliant attorneys found a loophole around the price cap in Horizon’s operating charter.” He grinned. “I don’t quite understand all the legal technicalities, but basically, all we have to do is inflate our expenses and limit production and we can charge whatever we damn-well-want for the drugs and treatments.”
“That’s great news, Ed. I’ve always been fonder of the word, ‘billion’, than ‘million’.”
“I know that verbally we’ve worked out the details of the partnership,” Mason said. “But when will the contracts be ready?”
Taylor slid a manila folder across the table. “You’ll probably want your attorneys to review these documents.” Taylor winked. “Except for the matter of the incentive we agreed upon, which of course can’t be in writing, everything should be in order.”
“I’ll let my legal counsel scrutinize the fine print. All I want to know is when do I get the ten million?”
“As soon as everything is approved by the FDA,” Taylor said, “and we begin production and distribution.”
“And how long might that be?”
“That depends on how long it takes for us to complete all the research and submit the application to the FDA. Educated guess? About a year. Crawford will be a tough act to follow. And without Gallo, it will present a few challenges. But my team has meticulously studied the data and we feel confident that soon we’re going to make the cover of Journal of the American Medical Association.”
“So, just in the spirit of goodwill, do I get an advance?”
“Afraid not, Ed. Not a penny until we’re up and running. And you’d better hope that nobody applies to the FDA before we do.”
“Trust me. No one’s even close.”
Mason picked up the folder. “I’ll have these contracts back to you by the end of the week.”
Just as Mason was about to open the door and leave, Taylor said, “I do have one question, Ed. Why didn’t Adelman, Gallo, or Hansen implicate you to get lighter sentences?”
“We thought it best to keep Hansen in the dark. Although she served her purpose, she was high-strung and unpredictable, so we led her to believe that I was as pure as the driven snow.”
“But what about Gallo and Adelman? Why didn’t they finger you?”
Mason’s facial expression hardened. “I guess they kept their mouths shut because they love their families and wouldn’t want anything terrible to happen to them.”
February 21
Utterly shocked, Dr. Edward Mason watched the CNN special report, his hands moist and clammy, and his heart pounding out of his chest.
“Breaking News from CNN’s Chief Medical Correspondent, Sanjay Gupta. This may be the most astounding announcement in medical history. Century Nutritional Clinic located in Tijuana, Mexico, in partnership with Summit Laboratories, the third largest pharmaceutical company in the world, have just announced that the FDA has tentatively approved a revolutionary new treatment for cancer, rumored to be nothing short of miraculous. Pending a series of routine tests, none of which are expected to jeopardize the approval, they project that the drugs and treatments will be made available worldwide by the end of the year.
Many of you may remember Dr. Lauren Crawford, the brilliant research scientist who pioneered the research but tragically was murdered…”
Mason turned off the TV, and slammed the remote against the wall.
“Even from the grave, you got the best of me, Lauren.”
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
As is the case with almost every book ever written, there are a lot of people behind the scenes who transform an idea from vision to reality. In many cases, readers give the credit to the author, but there are many others to recognize. I would like to thank the following people for their invaluable contribution to Hypocrisy.
Jennifer Ann Chasser, Anthony Annechino, Paula Brandes, and Steve Auguston for their insightful editorial comments and advice. Charlotte Herscher, the best content and line editor on the planet. Her critical evaluation and discriminating appraisal transformed a good book into a much better one. Taryn Fagerness for her efforts in marketing this book to foreign publishers. A special thank you to Penny Sansevieri, CEO of Author Marketing Experts, Inc. (AME) and her entire staff for their well-crafted marketing plan. I
am also grateful to Russell Douglas of Create Space and Stacy Shabalin of Amazon KDP for holding my hand through the entire publishing process. They made a daunting task a walk in the park. Last, but certainly not least, kudos to Jen Talty for her technical wizardry in designing the cover, and a gazillion other things, including a boatload of advice. She’s a dear friend and a hell of a writer herself.
I would also like to thank my family and friends for their encouragement and support. And of course, an author’s most valuable asset is his or her readers. Many thanks to all of you.
A WORD FROM
D.M. ANNECHINO
I truly hope you enjoyed, Hypocrisy, my fourth novel. I have a few questions for you. Did you find the book engaging—did it make you want to turn pages? Were Dupree and T.J. fully developed? Who was your favorite character? What did you think of the plot? Was the story plausible, original? Did any plot twists surprise you? Overall, what did you like and dislike about Hypocrisy? Please post your questions and comments on my website. The address is: www.dmannechino.wordpress.com I’ll do my very best to respond to each and every comment.
I would also like to ask you for a favor. If you liked Hypocrisy, I would greatly appreciate it if you took a few minutes to write a review. Positive reader reviews have a strong influence on prospective readers searching for a new book. If you’d be kind enough to write a review, it would really make my day! Please go to www.amazon.com Search for Hypocrisy, and at the top of the page just click on “Customer Reviews” and then click on “Create your own Review”. I thank you in advance for helping me out.
One last thing. Hypocrisy, like my other three novels, delves into murky waters. We all have theories about everything from religion to politics to medicine, and my novels have explored all three topics. My books are controversial by design. For a novel to be compelling and engaging, it needs to make the reader think, and in many cases, feel a bit uncomfortable. If a novelist doesn’t evoke emotions in his or her readers, then he or she has failed as a writer.
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