The Smuggler's Gambit (Moonglow Guardians Book 1)

by DK Cassidy

Grant speaks up then. “If Jupzi was so successful, why did Jennifer break up with him? And why did she take up with a different Jaxiolisan? Wouldn’t she just string Jupzi along if everything was all right?”

  “Yes, there are problems with your story, Lucien,” I say. “I believe what you’re telling us, but I think you’ve been duped. Either Jupzi is now playing double agent or he slipped somehow and made Jennifer suspicious. The problem now is she’s gone, and we have no idea where she is.”

  “I might have an idea,” Lucien says. “My corporate headquarters in New Chicago. If Jennifer is headed anywhere, my bet is she is going to her old office to gather the rest of her group’s research.”

  “Well, where the hell does that leave us?” I ask.

  He smiles. “Care for a trip to New Chicago?”

  After quickly getting dressed, Lucien calls to have his private space shuttle readied for departure. I have to admit, I’m impressed he has a shuttle. I don’t even have a car, and yet he can fly between the cities on the Moon whenever he wants. Maybe I’m in the wrong business.

  We take his hoverlimo to the airfield on the outskirts of New New York, at New LaGuardia. Before we get in, he introduces us to his driver, an android named James, and explains that James accompanies Lucien on all his flights, ready to drive him wherever he needs. I look around for a pilot, then realize Lucien will be flying the shuttle. Another impressive thing about this man.

  “You’re a pilot, too?” I ask with a sarcastic tone. “What can’t you do?”

  “Not much,” he says while prepping the shuttle. “My family let me learn whatever I wanted. I’ve always had a curious mind and a fortune that allowed me to explore.” He looks at me. “I know I’m fortunate. Don’t hate me for being rich. If you’ll give me a chance, you’ll find out I’m a nice guy. Just ask Grant. He can vouch for me. Seriously, ask him now.”

  Grant looks like he doesn’t want to be involved in the conversation, but I ask anyway. I’m curious what he’ll say about his friend and have a feeling he’ll tell me the truth.

  “Well? You heard him. Tell me how wonderful he is so we can get back to the case. We’re in a hurry.”

  “The thing is, Lily, he’s right. Lucien is a nice guy. I’ve never known him to do anything dishonest. Whenever he’s been in a relationship, he treats the woman wonderfully. In fact, the only time he’s ever lied to me is during this case.” He shrugs. “Some people are lucky, and he’s it. Money, looks, intelligence.”

  Lucien actually looks embarrassed while Grant is praising him.

  “Okay, enough of the hard sell. Let’s talk more about what the company researches.”

  “You’re all business, aren’t you, Lily?” says Lucien.

  “I’ll take that as a compliment.”

  He laughs. “Thanks for sticking up for me, Grant.”

  Lucien is silent as he finishes going through the predeparture checklist. I admire his dedication to getting it right, but I don’t tell him that. I’m sure he gets compliments all the time from his admirers. I’m determined not to be one. I have enough complications in my life without dating a corporate mogul.

  “Seat belts on, everyone. It’s time to take off.”

  When we reach cruising altitude, we take off our seat belts and settle in for a chat. The shuttle is on autopilot now, so Lucien can direct his attention to us. Just in case, though, he remains seated in the flight deck with the door open so he can hear us and chime in.

  We talk about the drugs made by PharmiCor, mainly treatments for cancers. Lucien tries to explain how the drugs work while Grant and I pretend to be interested. Finally, we talk about the search for Jennifer.

  “Once we land,” says Lucien, “I have a limo waiting to take us to headquarters. There we can look at a schematic of the building to figure out where Jennifer might be hiding. I can also give you a tour of the research facilities, so you can better understand what we do at PharmiCor.”

  “That sounds like a good plan,” I say. “But before we do all that, don’t you think we should go directly to her office? Maybe she isn’t as Machiavellian as you imagine. She might just go straight to her office and begin to download files.”

  Lucien looks embarrassed by my comment.

  “Well, I suppose that’s why you’re the private investigator and I’m the CEO. Good point, Lily. Simplicity first. But if we don’t find her in her office, we go back to mine. Then we can plan where to look next. It’s a huge building. If we don’t have a plan, we could be searching all evening. Agreed?”

  Grant and I nod.

  It’s almost time to land. I’m fascinated at the abrupt switch from jovial CEO to pilot. Once again, he focuses on a checklist. This one has the steps for landing the shuttle. Although I’m sure he’s landed numerous times, he still goes through each step as if it’s the first time he’s landed the craft. I feel secure. Lucien asks us to buckle our seat belts again, and we brace for what turns out to be a smooth landing at New O’Hare Airport. As promised, there is a limo waiting to take us to PharmiCor. With James at the wheel, we drive to Lucien’s company complex.

  Although I hope the rest of my night will go as smoothly as the landing, I have a gut feeling that is asking for too much.

  I have a feeling things are about to go to hell.

  Chapter Nine

  In the limo, after I ask why he is in the pharmaceutical business, Lucien tells us about the origins of his company. He’d already told me he grew up rich, so I was wondering why he chose to work rather than play all the time.

  “When I was a young boy, my mother died of breast cancer. As you can imagine, that event changed my life.”

  “Oh, I’m so sorry for your loss,” I say.

  “Thank you. Being raised by a grieving father and feeling the absence of my mother… It, uh… changed me.” Lucien’s eyes water, and he turns away while trying to compose himself. I’m a little surprised at his sudden show of emotion.

  “The day my mother told me she was dying, I was only ten years old,” he says. “She lied to me and said she wasn’t in pain, and it wasn’t until years later that I fully realized how much she had been suffering. As a young boy who adored his mother, I wanted to believe her, but I always suspected she wasn’t telling me. From that day, I spent every available moment with her, listening to her tell me about her childhood, watching her face for any hint that she was suffering. Toward the end, she had difficulty speaking to me. Although my dad wanted to shield me from it, I told him I needed to be next to my mother. On the final day, I crawled into bed with her and wrapped my arms around her shoulders. She was so thin. Anyway, I whispered into her ear. Told her how much I loved her. I don’t know if she heard me. She died that night.”

  Lucien has to stop for a few moments because he’s overcome with emotion. And I have to say I’m feeling very emotional as well. I had no idea of the depth of the man, and I’m starting to admire him. I’d assumed he was a cold, ruthless businessman.

  “The day after she died, I turned to my father and announced that I was going to figure out a way to keep anyone else from suffering like my mother did.”

  “And that’s why you started PharmiCor?”

  “Yes, Lily, that’s the reason. I was fortunate to have the money from my father to do so. I’m not a self-made man; if it weren’t for my father’s money, I don’t think I could have built the company. I’m eternally grateful to him.”

  He turns to look out the window and says nothing more the rest of the way.

  We arrive at PharmiCor at 4 a.m. The three of us are tired, but we have to keep going. On the main floor, a guard greets Lucien by his first name. At this time of night, there likely isn’t anyone else here other than the janitors.

  “Jerry, how’s it going?”

  “Just fine, Mr. McAvoy. What are you doing here in the middle of the night?”

  “Giving a tour to my friends. You remember Grant, don’t you? And this young lady is named Lily. Would you give them all-access door badges, please?
”

  “Sure can. Just give me a minute.” He moves over to a desk and begins typing at a computer.

  Lucien leans on the desk. “Anyone else working tonight?”

  Jerry looks up. “The last person to check in was Jennifer Spion at eight p.m. I know Jennifer doesn’t work here anymore, but she said you gave her permission to finish gathering her stuff. She hasn’t checked out, so I suppose she’s still up there.”

  My heart starts to race.

  Lucien smiles, giving us a look. “Thanks a lot, Jerry. Did you get those baseball tickets I sent you?”

  “Yes, and thanks, sir. My boy and I had a great time at the game!”

  We enter the elevator, trying to look casual. I don’t want to alarm the security guard. Once the doors close, Lucien turns to us.

  “I know we agreed to search for Jennifer immediately, but I want to check the surveillance cameras in my office.”

  Grant and I nod, and instead of rushing to find Jennifer, we go to check his cameras first. His office is on the top floor. It’s as beautiful as his apartment, with a 360-degree view of New Chicago. Turning my attention to the cameras, I see they are shut off. Jennifer is one step ahead of us again.

  “If Jennifer is still in the building,” says Lucien, “that would be a lucky break. But there are other exits from this property. She wouldn’t have to go through the front door and check out with the security guard. But let’s assume she’s still here. What do you two suggest for approaching her?”

  “We don’t know if she’s dangerous,” says Grant. “If she’s on the run, is she running to or from something? She might be scared. Or she might be desperate. Either way, we need to approach her with caution until we know the state of her mind and whether she’s carrying a weapon of some sort.”

  “I agree with Grant,” I say. “We need to be cautious. You know her best, Lucien. Have you ever known her to be violent?”

  “No. But I didn’t expect her to betray me and my company, either. Based on that, we need to assume the worst until we know better.”

  “Enough talk,” says Grant. “I say we go to her office now before she has a chance to escape.”

  Lucien and I agree.

  Her office is on the twelfth floor. We depart the elevator and sneak up to her door. There are no windows looking into her office, so we listen at the door for a few moments.

  I whisper to the other two, “She could be in there, so be careful. I’m going to open the door slowly. Grant, poke your head in and see if she’s inside.

  “Okay, but remember to keep low. If she’s got a gun, I’d wager she’ll be aiming higher,” warns Grant.

  I use my foot to swing the door open. Grant looks inside and shakes his head. She isn’t there. The three of us enter, disappointed she’s gotten away.

  “Let’s check the computer she used,” says Lucien.

  Lucien checks, and after a minute, he curses quietly.

  “What is it?” I ask.

  “She erased it. This whole drive is gone. I told HR not to deny her access yet, hoping she’d return. That was a bad decision on my part.”

  Her office has the same rifled-through look as her apartment. What else did she take with her?

  “Let me see if I can get some of the data back,” says Lucien.

  “Shouldn’t we be running after her?” asks Grant.

  I feel just as anxious as Grant and want to find Jennifer. I walk back and forth in front of her desk while Lucien works on her computer.

  “Can’t you do this later?” I say. “We have to go after her! I feel useless just pacing here.”

  “All right,” he says, standing up. “I can get a tech to work on this. Let’s start in the garage. We can check if her car is still here. It would be a waste of time to search if we can confirm she’s already fled.”

  “What if she didn’t drive her hovercar?” I ask.

  “If you were in a hurry and worried you were being followed, would you bother to call a cab? I don’t think so. Trust me on this. I know Jennifer, and I’m certain she’d drive her car here.”

  The garage is deserted except for a lone black sports car parked in Jennifer Spion’s spot. He was right. I suspect he’s right quite a lot.

  “Now we should search the labs,” says Lucien. “If I could get my security team to help, it would be easier, but I’m not sure she doesn’t have spies here, so it’s up to us. There’s probably no need to search most of the other floors. She has no reason to go to those. Jennifer has the information she needs from her computer.”

  “Well, then where the hell is she?” I say.

  Lucien’s thinking, then he snaps his fingers. “She’ll probably want to steal the rest of the current data from the lab computers. Let’s go!”

  Grant and I follow Lucien to the elevators. We get off on the eighth floor. All the lights are off in the hallway. It doesn’t look promising, but we proceed to the lab. The security door is ajar, as if someone left in a hurry. Another bad sign. Lucien peeks around the corner and confirms the lab is empty.

  “Damn. We missed her again!” says a frustrated Lucien.

  “We’d better take a look around in case she’s left behind any clues,” I say. “She’s been lucky so far, but everyone makes mistakes.”

  The three of us search the lab but come up empty. The only thing disturbed in there is the main computer. Once again, the hard drive has been erased.

  “Now what?” says Grant. “Where do you want us to go? Any ideas, Lily? Lucien?”

  “Let me call down to the front desk.”

  Lucien speaks with Jerry and confirms that no one has left the building since we arrived. None of the alerts on the other exits lit up and, she didn’t leave from the front door.

  “She’s still here somewhere. Maybe she’s planning on spending the night?”

  “Spending the night?” I ask.

  Lucien nods. “We’re a pharmaceutical company. My employees work long hours. The least I can do is provide them with accommodations in case they’re too tired to go home. Anyway, maybe she’s waiting until she’s sure she isn’t being followed. The best place for that would be the gym. There are massage tables in there. Let’s go.”

  The gym, like the other two places we searched, is empty. But this time Jennifer has left something behind. Her briefcase is leaning against one of the lockers. Are we finally catching a break?

  “Shh, she must be nearby,” says Lucien. “I don’t think she knows we’re here. Grant, grab the briefcase and look inside for a flash drive. Lily, follow me to the pool. Jennifer once told me she did her best thinking while swimming.”

  Disappointingly, the Olympic-size pool is empty. I follow Lucien into the women’s locker room. It’s still filled with steam from a recent shower. I put my finger to my lips to silence him and begin to search the bathroom stalls. No luck. I move on to the dressing rooms. I freeze when I spot a pair of pedicured feet under a door. I motion for Lucien to come over and then mouth the words, There she is!

  We both smile. Then the door blows apart from a gunshot. The bullet barely misses me, and the flying debris hits Lucien on the shoulder. Both of us are paralyzed by shock.

  Jennifer Spion runs past us, waving her gun in the air to discourage us from following her. We regain our composure and begin to run after her, yelling for her to stop.

  Jennifer turns and aims the gun at us. “I’ve already shown you I know how to use this gun, Lucien. Don’t come any closer. I have nothing to lose at this point, so I’ll gladly shoot both of you.”

  This is one of the rare times I wish I owned a gun. I know we’re in trouble and hope Grant will arrive in time to save the day. He had to have heard the shot.

  “You two get in here.” Jennifer motions toward a nearby janitor’s closet.

  “Let’s talk about this, Jennifer,” says Lucien. “Whatever trouble you’re in, I’ll help you. What can I do for you?”

  “Shut up and get in the closet. There’s no way you can help me now.”


  Jennifer points to the closet urgently while slipping on her shoes. There is no reasoning with her. I can see by the look on her face; she’s made up her mind to keep running. What I don’t know is why.

  “Please, Jennifer, be reasonable. I’m a powerful man. I can fix whatever this is.”

  She shakes her head and points the gun at me.

  “If you’re not in the closet in the next few seconds, I’m going to blow away your little girlfriend here.”

  We acquiesce and enter the closet. She slams and locks the door. There is no keycard slot on the inside of the door, so we’re trapped until someone finds us.

  Lucien is looking at me with a pained expression. “Lily, I’m sorry I got you involved in this case. This is dangerous, and you could get hurt. I never imagined Jennifer would have a gun.”

  Lucien holds his head in his hands. I want to reassure him with a hug but restrain myself. This is a business relationship, and I need to keep it that way. “Why are you apologizing? I’m a PI. Danger is in my job description. Don’t worry, Grant is bound to find us. Until then, we wait.”

  A few minutes later, we hear Grant calling our names.

  “In here! We’re locked in the janitor’s closet!”

  At first we’re not sure he’s heard us, but then he responds. Thank god we’re not spending the night in the closet. Grant uses his keycard to get us out. We tell him what just happened, and he looks disappointed.

  “Yeah, I heard her yelling at you but couldn’t get here in time. I’m sorry. I blew it.”

  “It’s not your fault,” says Lucien. “She’s a desperate woman. I’m not sure any of us would have been able to stop her.”

  We head back down to the garage, but her car is gone. Now we have to determine what to do next. But I, for one, am calling it a night.

  Disappointed and exhausted, we leave the building, determined to continue our search. But for now, Jennifer has won.

  Chapter Ten

  We spend the night in Lucien’s New Chicago apartment on Michigan Avenue. None of us wants to sleep; we’re too wound up by the case, but at last, exhaustion forces us to rest.