“Here’s the key to the Rover, old man. You probably won’t like my music so you might want to bring your own sounds. Also, if you find yourself in any sort of trouble, the windows are bulletproof, and under the console is a separate compartment. To access it, push the button on the left side of the driver’s seat. The console has to be open when you push the button for the compartment to open. In the compartment, you’ll find a registered revolver, with registration, and some cash.”
“Thanks for the FYI,” Charlie said, looking dismayed. “I can’t wait to hear this story. Wow,” he added, with continued amazement. “You have a gun and a custom-made console in a bulletproof Rover? Unbelievable.”
“Just be careful, Charlie,” Blake said sincerely. “I would hate it if anything happened to you.”
“I will, son.” Charlie looked at Blake as if he really were his own flesh and blood. “I will, and you be careful, too.”
It had been several weeks since Teddy had talked to Lauren and she was ready for one of their uplifting conversations. Basil and Lance seemed to be getting past their issues and were now completely invested in understanding Isabella’s research. But, ever since speaking with Blake, Teddy had felt anxious. She didn’t know why, other than the fact that Blake had known Isabella.
Not to mention the fact that it was an eerie feeling knowing that right before her death, Isabella had identified the cast of characters in her murder-conspiracy story line, and now — eight years later — they were all together and assuming their characters’ roles. Just when Teddy had thought she had her team together, Isabella had risen from the dead and told her to add one more character. So much had transpired in so little time, it was almost too much for Teddy to comprehend.
With the meeting with Blake set, Teddy had to find out as much as she could about him, as fast as she could. Researching Jones took her deep into the evening. Teddy found everything she could and read it all. Much to her surprise, Jones was a strikingly handsome man, and according to Crain’s, one of the best businessmen in the country. Even Warren Buffett was on record saying that Jones represented the new Wall Street. He was bright, educated, a fiscal conservative, and bound by the ethical belief that giving was what made businesses prosper. According to all accounts, Blake Jones believed in taking care of the little people. One article had him saying that “capitalism was the antithesis of spiritual giving.” He had gone on to support his argument:
If you give because you want to give, then the value of the gift will inevitably change.
No longer should we put value on the type of gift we give. Rather, it’s the giving that requires the appraisal. And giving can only be measured if you can measure the intent behind the gift.
Regardless of what Teddy wanted to think, she couldn’t find anything wrong with Jones to warrant her lack of trust. In fact, in a strange sort of way, she found herself attracted to him. Something, of course, she would never say out loud.
It was now very late and Teddy still had not called Lauren and she didn’t want another day to go by without talking to her. She knew that when that voice inside her spoke, she needed to listen; and when it instructed her to do something, she did it.
“Hello, Lauren. Are you there? If so, pick up the phone. It’s me, Teddy. Lauren, are you there? Anyway, call me. It’s midnight here, and I should be up for at least another hour. I miss you!”
“Hey, girl! I thought I heard the phone ring. I was in the shower. Anyway, how you doing? You still holding the Lord’s hand?”
“Of course I am,” Teddy replied. “In fact, it was Him telling me to call you. I had been meaning to call you all week, but I let other things get in the way.”
“Trust me,” Lauren said, “I understand. He was telling me the same thing, but I’ve been practicing every night for the last week. We got an offer to be the opening act for the Black Eyed Peas at the United Center and — it goes without saying — we’re excited!”
“That’s great, Lauren!”
“Hey, let me finish getting dressed,” Lauren said. “And if it’s not too late, I’ll call you back. I have to meet a promoter at some club, but it shouldn’t take too long. Okay?”
“Do what you have to do, Lauren,” Teddy said. “We can talk tomorrow.”
“Are you sure?”
“Yeah, I’m sure. But, tomorrow, we need to talk. I’m looking forward to hearing about the Black Eyed Peas!”
“And I can’t wait to tell you.”
“Good night, Lauren, and be safe,” Teddy said. “I love you.”
“I love you more,” Lauren replied. “And remember, the Lord loves you, too.”
Teddy smiled. She was so happy Lauren was back in her life, and she was grateful, an emotion that until not too long ago, had evaded her.
Lord, I want to thank you for my friend. I love that she is clean and sober, and I really love that she is doing what she has always wanted to do. Please continue to protect her and watch over her. Also, Lord, I want you to know that even though I don’t know where you are leading me, I’m not afraid. I trust you with everything. Tomorrow I will meet Blake Jones, and I can only assume you put him in my life, too. Thank you, Lord! And thank you for dying for me. I don’t know what I did to deserve all that you do for me, but I do know that I am grateful. Amen!
Chapter 16
AS EXPECTED, BLAKE could see Teddy waiting for him as he began to land his Cessna and even with the distance, he could tell she was as beautiful as everyone had described.
Blake stayed in the plane longer than necessary, using the time to take in her beauty. She waited patiently, unaware of his scrutiny. He could see she possessed both style and grace, characteristics some women are born with and refine over the years. As he continued to do little odd things in the cabin, Blake appreciated her silhouette. The summer wind lightly brushed the scarf that covered her head and as the wind changed, he could see that, like him, she was of equal blend. Her African and Asian composition were well represented. And even from where he sat, he could see that her eyes were the mirror of a tortured soul. As he exited the plane, Blake knew that Teddy Alexander was the one.
“Hi. You must be Teddy Alexander,” Blake said as he held out his hand.
“Yes,” she replied, while extending her hand in a complementary gesture. “And you must be Blake Jones.”
“That I am.”
Blake couldn’t help but marvel at her natural beauty. With or without makeup, Teddy was flawless. Her skin radiated like the sweet nectar of honey as the early sun found its way to expose her genuine hue. Without trying, she was breathtaking.
“Nice plane,” she said, in an effort to escape his penetrating gaze. “I must admit, I wasn’t expecting to see you flying it. I thought for sure that a man of your stature would have a pilot. So, how long have you been flying?”
“I took it up in college. I was an awkward shy kid and I didn’t really party or hang out. And I got bored easily, but flying took away my boredom. To me, the sky represented a sense of freedom and I wanted to experience that freedom. What about you? Do you fly?”
“No.” She briefly glanced in his direction. “But I wouldn’t mind trying someday. In fact, I have several things on my list that I want to do before God sends me home.”
“I see,” Blake said attentively. “Maybe when all this is over, you can tell me what’s on your list and I can tell you what’s on mine.”
Teddy looked at him but didn’t acknowledge his inquiry. He was too friendly, too soon, and she didn’t know how to take it. Her mind was somewhere else. Here she was at a landing strip standing in front of a total stranger — a stranger introduced to her by her dead lover.
He was taller than she had expected and better built — a good 210 pounds of solid muscle — and a man with a commanding disposition. Not to mention the fact that he had green eyes that turned hazel when the light hit them. For a man, he was absolutely beautiful and to make matters worse, he smelled good.
“I see that you came alone,” Bla
ke said. “For some reason I was expecting to see Dr. Rhodes with you this morning.”
“He wanted to come, but I told him not to,” Teddy replied. “His work is too important to be interrupted, so we decided I would meet with you first. And if I liked what you brought to the table, I would take you to the safe house so you could meet him and Lance. I hope you understand our cautiousness.”
“Absolutely,” Blake said, seeing the hardness drop from her demeanor. “In fact, if I were in your shoes, I would do the same thing. No way would I jeopardize my operations without making sure I could trust you.”
Again, Teddy remained silent. There was no need for her to concur with his assessment; this was business.
“I thought we would head to the park,” Teddy said gesturing toward her car. “That way we can talk freely without any interruptions.”
“Sounds great. Is that your car?”
“Yes, it is. Are you a fan of the classics?”
“Yes, I am.” He rubbed his hand over the passenger-side door panel. “I don’t own one, but when I was a kid, I built a track in my basement for Matchbox cars my neighbor would steal. After he died, I continued to collect them. I have a room in my house dedicated to every Matchbox muscle car there is, including this baby.”
“I’m impressed,” she said as she got into her GTO. “It’s not a Matchbox car,” she added, laughing, as she turned on the engine. “But it will surely do.”
For the next three hours, Blake shared with Teddy everything he knew about his “friend,” and his belief that his friend had been murdered despite all records suggesting he had committed suicide. He also told her he believed the person responsible for his friend’s death was an elected official connected to an underground network of assassins called the Velvet Mafia.
After Teddy listened to what Blake had to say, she began to share with him what she knew. “Your story is very interesting,” she said. “And I’m sorry to hear about your friend. I know what it’s like to be searching for the truth. It’s been rumored that the Velvet Mafia has people in high places, so it’s plausible that this official you speak of is connected. What’s so amazing about all this is how we were all brought together.”
“What do you mean?”
“Basically, Blake, this six degrees of separation we all seem connected to started when Isabella and Lance were recruited to participate in a government program called Future Scientists of America. As members of the program, they were charged with developing a biological weapon and tracking any changes made to the weapon once it entered a person’s body. Once the weapon was inside its host, they were asked to document any changes to the weapon’s DNA structure once an accelerant was added.”
“An accelerant?” Blake asked. “I don’t follow. What do you mean?
“You know: drugs. Like cocaine or crack or heroin.”
“I see,” Blake replied. “I get it now.”
“Are you sure?” Teddy said, mockingly. “I can slow down if you need me to. It took me a minute to comprehend all this stuff, too.”
“No, Teddy,” Blake replied with a small hint of amusement. “I’m fine. Go on with your story.”
“Okay. Anyway, they followed the instructions they were given, but because of their task, they agreed, unbeknownst to the program leadership, to also develop an antidote.”
“How interesting,” Blake said.
“If you think that’s interesting, wait. I have more.”
Teddy went on to tell Blake that based on their research, every scientist who had worked on the FSA project was now dead, except for Lance, and that the biological weapon Isabella and Lance had developed was, in fact, AIDS. She then told him about the connection between the scientific community and the attack on Basil and why Isabella had changed her position.
“That must be where I come in,” Blake said. “I must have met her right when she began to have her suspicions.”
“You’re probably right,” Teddy replied, slowly acknowledging his familiarity with Isabella. Standing up now, Teddy started to walk back and forth. She was consumed with emotion and the last thing she wanted Blake to see was her vulnerability.
“Now, let me bring you to where we are today and explain why we are having this conversation. Several months ago, Basil and Lance started to reconstruct Isabella’s work. We figured out that the reason Lance was still alive was because he was needed to finish what Isabella couldn’t. For most of the time, we felt we were on course, reconstructing both the weapon and the antidote. But, then, yesterday Lance found a message encrypted in one of Isabella’s formulas. That’s when we corroborated their role in the conspiracy. In the message, she confirmed that the weapon they created was AIDS. Isabella also had discovered that the weapon, under the right circumstances, could mutate and possibly become airborne.”
“What? You’re kidding me, right?” “I wish I were,” Teddy replied.
“So that’s why Lance is still alive. They need him to stop the virus’s mutation process.”
“Yes,” Teddy said eagerly. “They knew they needed an antidote to neutralize the weapon and the only one who could make it had to be someone who could recreate the weapon based on firsthand knowledge.”
“So, who do you think is behind this charade?” Blake asked, now fully engaged.
“This is where it gets complicated,” she replied.
“Complicated!” Blake stood up from the bench and faced her. “Well, what do you call everything else we’ve discussed? So, tell me, who is the great Oz?”
With Blake now towering over her, Teddy casually got up from the bench and started to walk away. Blake could tell he may have spooked her.
“Listen, Teddy, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to react the way I did. It’s just that this story is unbelievable.”
“I know it is,” she said, turning to face him. “That’s how I felt when all the pieces started to come together. I believe that AIDS was created as a population control mechanism and the culprit behind this madness is the Illuminati.”
“The Illuminati?” Blake asked. “You actually believe they exist?”
“Yes!” she said. “In fact, I know they do. The Illuminati knew what the weapon could do. Look at the world’s infection rate. They also knew that, once Isabella figured it out, they would no longer be able to control her. She had already showed signs of acting out against the establishment and what she did at the AIDS benefit was the final straw. She must have known then her life was in jeopardy, and she spent her remaining days putting the pieces together so that when we did come together, we would know what we were up against and what we needed to do. She knew Lance would have to develop an antidote — an antidote that would protect the noninfected if the weapon mutated. Without the antidote to protect the noninfected from the weapon’s infection capabilities, the entire world would be in jeopardy.”
Teddy paused, then started again thoughtfully. “Now here is the catch. If the Illuminati had the antidote needed to eradicate the disease and prevent possible airborne exposure, they would use it in a way that controlled who would receive the antidote. Thus, they would still have their novus ordo seclonum.”
“New world order,” Blake said, somewhat surprised that she knew Latin. “How do you know all this? Especially about the virus’s capabilities?”
“Isabella’s research showed that the formula had the DNA structure similar to other lethal viruses.”
Blake’s shock showed.
“Now, here’s the sinister part,” she said as she sat down next to him, obviously exhausted by the sheer magnitude of her own thoughts. “I believe my role in all this was also orchestrated by the Illuminati.”
“What?” Blake replied, totally taken aback by the mere suggestion.
“It’s true,” Teddy said, now barely looking at him. “When Isabella was murdered, I lost it. In fact, I was so depressed and guilt ridden that I basically stopped all my investigative work, including my TV consultant gig, and went underground. Isabella’s death changed me. I
wanted to know who I was and why I was put on this earth. So I stayed underground for about six years. Then, out of nowhere, all these high-profile murders started happening and I got hooked again. I thought, if I got back in the game, I could regain my balance. Then, as I started working each case, I started to realize all the murders were connected. At first, I couldn’t put things together. Then, at every crime scene, I became aware that there was something that didn’t belong. They were all clues to another case, a case I was very intimate with — Cold Case Number 11091959: Isabella Cardosa. In fact, it wasn’t until Mayor Whitherspoon was killed that I finally put it all together.”
“Come on, Teddy,” Blake said. “Are you sitting here telling me that the death of Dr. Cardosa is linked to the death of Mayor Whitherspoon?”
“I wish I were kidding, Blake, but yes, Isabella’s and Whitherspoon’s deaths are connected. The night the mayor was killed, I was one of the first agents on the scene. Every branch of the force was on site, from the District police to the FBI, CIA, and even the Secret Service. The clues were very subtle and if you didn’t know what you were looking for, you would miss them. By the time I figured all this out, everything seemed suspect to me, including my relationship with Kennedy.”
“Kennedy?” asked Blake. “Who is Kennedy and what does this Kennedy have to do with everything you’ve told me so far?”
Teddy paused. She knew the story she had just told was like a web being formed to catch its prey.
“Kennedy is Lance’s wife and a woman I had been seeing,” she said sheepishly. “The day Whitherspoon was murdered, Kennedy was kidnapped. And like Isabella, I’m afraid she is also doomed.”
Blake didn’t know what to say. He definitely hadn’t expected to hear all he had heard. And now he found himself in a net of entangled relationships and engulfed in suspense, intrigue, and unadulterated evil.
Velvet Mafia Page 36
