The Runaway Reporter (A Police Procedural Mystery Series of Crime and Suspense, Hyder Ali #3)

by Thomas Fincham

  “What about the messages between the members? Can you go through them?” Hyder asked.

  “There could be thousands of them. They are like e-mail messages. I’d have to hack each member’s account and read them individually. That could take a lot of time.”

  “We don’t have that much time,” Hyder replied.

  “I don’t know what else I can do to help you, bro,” Lester said.

  Hyder didn’t know either.

  NINETY-THREE

  When Hyder had gone through the entire file, he couldn’t believe what he had discovered. Francine had uncovered a bombshell of a story.

  He could see why someone would’ve wanted her dead, and it all started twenty years ago with a person named Byron Smith.

  Smith lived a quiet and peaceful life in a small town in Pennsylvania. He was a medical doctor with a thriving family practice not far from where he lived. Smith was married with no children, but both he and his wife were looking forward to expanding their family in the immediate future.

  He had a career he very much enjoyed. He had money in the bank from his practice and a woman he deeply cared for. Life looked great and promising for Smith.

  This changed the day a woman came into his office.

  She was six months pregnant, but she was complaining about extreme fatigue. He assured her everything was fine. It was the baby that was tiring her out. He advised her to take some time off work and get some rest.

  She came back a week later looking even more tired than before. He checked her blood sugar levels. They were abnormally high. He diagnosed her as having gestational diabetes.

  What he should have done was put her on a special meal plan, plus an exercise regime so that her body could burn excess sugar. If that didn’t help, then insulin was the next option. Instead, Smith put her on a new medication that was being touted as a breakthrough for these types of symptoms.

  He had ulterior motives for putting her on this new drug, though. For every patient he prescribed the medication for, he received funding for a research project he was privately working on. He hoped this new research would save countless lives. He was devoted to his project.

  Smith, however, was not blind in recommending this new drug. He had attended a seminar sponsored by the creators of the drug. They had provided all the data he needed to satisfy his professional concerns. Plus, the FDA had approved the drug as being safe for use.

  This was a win-win situation in his opinion. The patient received access to the most innovative drug available and he received support for his personal cause.

  After prescribing the medication, the woman began to feel severe abdominal pains. She kept coming back to him and he kept reassuring her it was just part of the pregnancy. Then one day the pain became so intense and unbearable, she was forced to go to the hospital. Two days later, her water broke.

  The doctors did everything to save the baby, but it was still too premature to be delivered. They had to let it die inside of her before they could pull it out.

  Soon after, the woman killed herself from the shock and trauma of losing the baby.

  Smith was devastated. Even though he knew a large percentage of pregnancies ended up in miscarriages, he strongly believed this woman’s baby had a chance.

  When he dug deeper into the drug, he found the drug had a strong probability of triggering miscarriages. This information was in the report he had been given at the seminar, but it was hidden under a variety of other reactions a patient may or may not incur.

  Smith knew, had this information been clear and up front, and not buried in the text, he would have never prescribed it to the woman.

  He went after the makers of the drug.

  But what Smith failed to realize was that he was one man with limited resources, whereas the maker of the drug was a billion dollar corporation with unlimited funds.

  Their lawyers attacked Smith for his misjudgement in diagnosing the woman. It was not the drug that caused her to lose her child, it was his incompetence as a medical practitioner that did it, they claimed.

  He was to blame and not them.

  They even brought out an old case against him from the time he was a new resident at a hospital. He had just completed a twenty-four hour shift at the ER when a man came in for medical attention. Smith prescribed him antibiotics, which resulted in him having severe reactions. In his exhausted state, Smith had missed checking the box where it clearly mentioned the man was allergic to that very medication.

  The man and the hospital quietly settled the case and Smith was allowed to continue with his career.

  But with this stain on his record, the lawyers were able to dismiss the case against their client.

  The trial destroyed Smith’s reputation as a practitioner. He lost all his money in the process, and eventually his marriage crumbled from the strain.

  He soon disappeared off the map.

  Then one day, a man appeared out of nowhere, proclaiming he was enlightened and could help people through holistic techniques. This man spoke strongly against modern medicine and eventually turned himself into an industry.

  That man was… J. Robert Munn.

  The makers of the drug that killed that woman’s baby… Devon Pharma.

  Hyder leaned back in his chair.

  Munn was Smith, which meant Munn was now doing everything to destroy the company that destroyed his life.

  Francine had discovered who Munn really was. She had wanted to confront him and ultimately expose him.

  Munn had Francine murdered to protect his identity. Then how did Felix become part of all this?

  Before Hyder could further analyze it, DeShawn and Dante burst through the door.

  “The police are here,” DeShawn said. “We just saw them when we were coming back.”

  “How did they find us?” Hyder said.

  DeShawn shook his head. “I don’t know, but they’re outside.”

  Hyder went over to the window and peeked. Near the entrance of the apartment building he spotted three police cruisers. Next to one of them, he saw a red Ferrari. A man came out and Hyder immediately recognized him.

  It was Detective Angelo Pascale.

  DeShawn said, “There is an exit from the back. Dante will take you out from there.”

  “What about you guys?” Hyder asked.

  “Don’t worry about us. They’ve got nothing on us. We’ll buy you some time.”

  Hyder walked over to him. “Thank you for everything you’ve done for me.”

  “You saved my little sister’s life, it’s the least I could do.”

  Hyder shook his hand.

  He turned to Tiny to shake his when Tiny gave him a big bear hug.

  “I’m gonna miss you,” Tiny said.

  DeShawn said, “Just go before they get here.”

  Hyder grabbed the file and he and Lester ran out of the apartment.

  NINETY-FOUR

  Pascale waved the uniformed officers over. He then handed each of them a photo of Ali.

  “He’s our target, remember the face,” Pascale aid. “His name is Hyder Ali and he is a suspect in the shooting of Detective Tom Nolan. He could be armed and dangerous, so take all necessary precautions. If he engages you in open fire, you are permitted to respond back. Any questions?”

  They shook their heads.

  “Cover all exits and don’t let anyone out until I say so,” Pascale said. “Advise all tenants to stay inside their apartments. Got it?”

  They nodded.

  “Now go!” Pascale ordered.

  The officers quickly began surrounding the building.

  Pascale grinned at how far he had come. He had kept an eye on Ali’s friend from the Daily Times. He knew Ali was alone and isolated, so he would make contact with his family and friends. A cruiser was stationed outside his home and another outside his workplace. But he, Pascale, went a step further. He personally monitored the whereabouts of Ali’s friends.

  When his friend rushed out and came here, he
knew something was up. This apartment building was in a rough part of the city and his friend clearly looked uncomfortable being there.

  The only reason he came was to meet Ali, Pascale was certain of this.

  It took time to co-ordinate this operation or else he would’ve been up here by now.

  He wanted to do this by the book so that there was no blowback on him in case something went bad.

  If it came down to it, he would shoot Ali without any hesitation, but he knew Lopez would then make his life completely and utterly miserable. He didn’t want to be on the end of her wrath. He still wasn’t sure why she wanted to protect him. He’d shot and nearly killed her boyfriend. But it was not his place to come up with explanations.

  If you asked him, though, the death of Tom Nolan wouldn’t have been all that bad. He was more trouble than he was worth. It was harsh to think that way, but Nolan was a selfish prick.

  He was an ass who took pleasure in irritating people. There were too many times to count where Nolan had gone out of his way to make a fool of him. Pascale kept those moments drilled into his brain, so that he could use them against him when the time came.

  This was his time, he reminded himself. This was where he would show everyone, including those on the Police Board, that he was the right man for the job.

  He deserved a promotion. He would relish the opportunity to become the next sergeant.

  All he had to do was get Hyder Ali.

  NINETY-FIVE

  Dante took Hyder and Lester down the back stairs. Lester was huffing and puffing as they moved passed each floor. Hyder could see Lester was perspiring from the effort.

  At one point, Hyder grabbed him by the arm and helped him go further.

  Lester said between breaths, “After this, I’m going on a diet.”

  “I’m joining you,” Hyder replied.

  When they reached the bottom, Hyder had to hold Lester up from collapsing.

  When they moved through a set of doors, Hyder realized they were in the building’s underground parking lot.

  Dante said, “I’m going to take the SUV and go out the front in a hurry. The cops will think you’re in the car and they’ll come after me. You go through the side exit. There you will find a trail that will take you straight to the train tracks. Near the tracks you’ll find a blue Chevy parked in the corner.” He then pulled out a set of keys. “You take it and you get out of here.”

  “Are you sure you’ll be okay?” Hyder asked.

  Dante shrugged. “Running away from cops is second nature to me.”

  “Thanks, Dante.”

  “No problem, man,” he said with a grin.

  Hyder and Lester left through the back.

  NINETY-SIX

  Pascale took the stairs up. He already had an officer stationed by the elevators, so he wasn’t too worried about anyone getting away through there. He knew if Ali tried to escape, he would do so through the stairs, and when he did, Pascale would be waiting for him.

  He moved up the floors when he heard a commotion. It was coming from outside. He looked through the window when he saw an SUV burst out from the underground parking lot. It drove away in a hurry.

  Officers quickly jumped into their cruisers and drove after it.

  Pascale didn’t like what he saw. It was too brazen. A chase would inevitably lead to an arrest. There was no way the SUV would get away with three cruisers in pursuit.

  He had a feeling it was a diversion.

  NINETY-SEVEN

  Hyder saw the cruisers leave in a hurry. This was their chance, he thought.

  They took the exit and then raced down the trail Dante had told them about.

  Lester was laboring even more, but Hyder assured him they were getting closer.

  He saw the train tracks up ahead. He knew they would reach it in a matter of minutes.

  When they were almost there, Hyder screeched to a halt.

  “Why are you stopping, bro?” Lester said.

  “I have to go back.”

  “Are you crazy?” Lester said. “The police will be waiting for us.”

  “I dropped the file,” Hyder said. It must have slipped out of his hands when he was helping Lester in the stairwell. “I have to get it.”

  “Leave it.”

  “I can’t,” Hyder said, looking back the way he just came. “It has everything Francine had on Munn. I can’t lose it now.”

  Lester came over and put his hands on his shoulder. “Hyder, you can’t help anyone if you’re in jail. Let’s get out of here, bro.”

  Hyder nodded. They continued down the trail.

  They spotted the blue Chevy and quickly got in. Hyder turned the key and to his relief, the car started.

  He put the car in gear and then accelerated. Up ahead was an opening and he turned into it. He raced down the narrow road when he saw someone standing in the distance.

  He braked hard when he realized it was Pascale.

  He was blocking their path and he had a gun aimed at them.

  “Come out with your hands up!” he yelled.

  Hyder thought about reversing and going back, but it would only lead to a dead end.

  There was nowhere else to go. They were cornered.

  “What do we do now, bro?” Lester said.

  “It’s time we split up, Lester.”

  “What’re you talking about?” Lester was concerned.

  “I have to do this on my own.”

  “You can’t give up now,” Lester said.

  “I’m not giving up. You will help me get out.”

  “How?”

  “Find a way to read the messages from the forum.” Hyder then rolled down his window and yelled in Pascale’s direction, “Detective, you are after me, not my friend. You let him go and I’ll come peacefully. He had nothing to do with it.”

  “No deal!” Pascale yelled back.

  “Then I’ll accelerate and you’ll have to shoot us.”

  He could tell Pascale was thinking this over. He didn’t want any bloodshed.

  “Fine, it’s a deal.”

  Hyder turned to Lester. “The moment he takes me in, you get out of here as fast as you can.”

  There were tears in Lester’s eyes. “You take care of yourself, bro.”

  “Thanks for being my friend, Lester.”

  Hyder got out. With his arms above his head, he slowly walked over to Pascale.

  NINETY-EIGHT

  Lopez followed the courier van as it moved in and out of the city. She kept at a distance, just enough for her to keep an eye on him, but not far for her to lose him.

  She wanted to see which house he dropped the package off to. So far, though, he had not stopped once

  She found this odd. By her calculations, he should’ve made the delivery a long time ago.

  What was he doing?

  He drove around some more. Then at a traffic stop he suddenly accelerated. He raced down the road and abruptly turned right.

  Lopez kept pace, but when she turned right, he was nowhere to be found.

  They were in a residential neighborhood. Cars of all shapes and sizes lined both sides of the street.

  She slowly drove by the parked cars to see if any one of them was the courier van.

  When she was at the end of the street, she decided to double-back. She reversed, and then realized there was a narrow road that cut right through the one she was on. She kicked herself for missing it before.

  She drove into it and found herself staring at the back of the houses.

  Did he live in one of them? She quickly shook the thought away. If he knew he was being followed, he would never bring her here.

  If he was trying to lose her, he had succeeded.

  She would return to the department, and, after getting his home address, she would assemble a team to go to his house. She would get him, one way or another.

  She exited the narrow road.

  She spotted the courier van at a stop sign half a block away.

  S
he didn’t rush up to it. Instead, she vowed she would not lose him again.

  For the next half hour, she followed him wherever he went.

  He kept a steady pace, one she could easily keep up with.

  He then drove up to a building and parked in front of the entrance.

  She stayed back and watched as he got out and went inside.

  From the outside, the building looked decrepit. The walls were grimy and stained black. The windows were cracked or broken and also black. The doors were barely held up by their hinges, and they too had a shade of black on them.

  After waiting for what felt like an eternity, she decided to go and check it out.

  She approached the front with her gun drawn and ready. She wasn’t about to take any chances. If this was a trap, she was going to be ready for it.

  When she got near she understood what all the black was. It was burnt residue. The building had been through a massive fire.

  Using her foot, she slid the door ajar and then peeked inside. The smell confirmed what she had already deduced. The burnt stench was thick and pungent, and it hung in the air.

  She had control to herself from coughing. She inhaled some fresh air and went in.

  The interior was in worse shape than the exterior. The walls and everything else inside was either charred or black as coal.

  There was still some visibility. She went further in. The building was open and spacious. In front of her were machines with conveyor belts on them. They hadn’t fared well from the fire, but she could still decipher what their purpose was. They were used to move goods all over the building.

  She squinted. It looked like a distribution center.

  It then dawned on her. She knew who owned this building before.

  It was the same courier company Luiz worked for. No wonder he brought her here, she realized.

  Two years ago, one of the machines had caught on fire. It spread so fast that by the time the fire trucks arrived, the entire building was up in flames. When they managed to subdue the flames, the building was no longer in any shape to function for its intended use. The owners decided to move rather than rebuild.