Parker: A Reed Security Romance

by Giulia Lagomarsino

  “Any idea what it is?”

  He shrugged. “They don’t say. This is all just data on the trials, dosages and outcomes. It could be a vaccine for something or a cure for cancer for all we know.”

  “And you think this is what the senator is interested in?” Knight asked Becky.

  “I’m pretty damn sure. So, I checked the accounts that the senator used to make these donations and I tracked the dollar amounts. The same donation amounts are transferred into the funding budget for this section of the research lab. Now, that doesn’t necessarily mean that the funding is for this particular thing, but it’s the only unknown in this section of the lab. I mean, there were a bunch of other funding transfers also, so who knows why exactly all that money was headed there.”

  “How far back does the research date?” Knight asked.

  “Um…about a year, maybe just over.”

  “That fits the timeline,” Knight said, pulling out a file. He opened it and flipped through some papers, finally pulling one out. “This particular email is attached to the senator’s account. It’s very vague, but it states that the plan is ready and will go into effect next year, and it’s dated eleven months ago.”

  “So, the senator is involved in something to do with the research lab and this…whatever this is…for what purpose?”

  “It could be anything,” Cap said in frustration. “Maybe a gimmick for one of the candidates. They could say that they’re working with a lab to create a cure for cancer. Becky, does this research facility have anything to do with the bioengineering company that Jamie Hanson owns?”

  “Who’s Jamie Hanson?” I asked curiously as Becky got back to work.

  “He’s a client that we’ve worked with. He told Florrie, Alec, and Craig that he had bought this company because of the nanotech they were using in medical research. He said that they could eventually use this research to cure cancer and other diseases.”

  “No connection,” Becky answered.

  “Could you imagine how it would look to be running for President and to walk out, saying that you had partnered with a company that was making the latest advancements in curing diseases?” Cap asked.

  “Or that you had a vaccine for HIV or AIDS?” Hunter added.

  “Wait, I thought that they had treatment for those?” I asked.

  “They have treatments, but no cures or vaccines. Same with Malaria or RSV. Cap’s right. People are looking for cures, and with big pharma charging more and more for drugs, something like this could be life-altering. If this research facility comes out with anything that could save millions of lives, the person connected with them stands to gain a lot of power.”

  Knight scrubbed a hand over his face, shaking his head slightly. “I don’t like it.”

  “Why? Because they would be doing something good?” Hunter asked.

  “Because it seems too clean, and if I know anything about senators, they are never clean.”

  “I think you might be letting your past interfere with your judgement on this one,” Cap said quietly. “I’m not seeing a smoking gun here.”

  “Well, maybe this will help,” Becky said, pulling up another file. “This is a list of names. Now, it’s not attached to anything in particular. I found the file under this particular lab, but I can’t figure out why they have all these people listed. However, they also have all their vital statistics listed, along with known medical issues.”

  “What does this have to do with anything?” I asked, confused why this would change our minds.

  “Because when I found this list, but couldn’t find out what the names were associated with, I dug into each person, and guess what I found?” She paused for effect with a big grin. “Some of these people are listed as missing. Others are people that literally just dropped off the face of the earth.”

  I stood and walked over to the screen on the wall so I could read all the information. “They’re not listed as missing?”

  “Nope,” Becky grinned. “They just don’t have family or friends that seem to care. I can’t find current employment or even an address for any of them. They’re just gone.”

  Cap sighed and ran a hand over his jaw. “God, this sounds an awful lot like that trafficking ring.”

  “But why would a trafficking ring have anything to do with a testing facility?” Hunter questioned.

  Knight pulled something out of a file folder and tossed it across the table to him. “Maybe it has something to do with this.”

  “What is this?” Parker asked, picking up the paper. The rest of us crowded around him, trying to read what was written.

  “That is a paper that I found among the senator’s things in his safe. The senator had all this blackmail information in his safe, along with that paper. And the only thing people use as blackmail is something that can hurt another person. I couldn’t figure out what it was.”

  “This is a list of testing results. It doesn’t give names though.”

  “What does this mean?” I asked, pointing to the different columns.

  “This one is symptoms that developed. This one is how long the patient lived. This one is date of death,” Hunter said, studying the paper.

  “What are we looking at?” Cap asked. “Human trials?”

  “It appears that way. Becky, are there any trials that would line up with anything like this?”

  “I can sort through the database again, but anything they were trialing is also listed with the CDC or the WHO. None of these names appeared on any trials.”

  “But they don’t give out names when they conduct trials,” I pointed out.

  “No, but they would have an intake list and they would be attached to a certain trial. The patient’s results wouldn’t be listed by name in the results, but they would still be in the system. I’m telling you, none of these people appear to be connected with anything, but they’re listed in this company’s system still.”

  “So, someone’s conducting trials, but they don’t want anyone to find out about it,” Hunter surmised. “The question is, what are they running trials for?”

  “I want Blake and Parker to go back in. There have to be more files on whatever that thing is. I want to know everything we can so that we’re prepared for whatever’s coming our way.”

  “Like a cancer treatment?” Hunter laughed. “Yeah, let’s get prepared to save thousands of lives.”

  “He’s right,” Parker said. “Something’s off with it. It’s too secretive. If this was legitimate, wouldn’t there be more information in the system about it? What are they hiding?”

  “The dead bodies,” Becky answered. “If the list of people that I found is connected to the results that Knight found, then people are dying, but no one is listing them as deceased. And if they’re not listing them as deceased, it’s because they don’t want people to have access to those bodies. Or, they don’t want anyone to find out that they were conducting illegal trials.”

  “Or those two lists have nothing to do with each other,” Hunter pointed out. “You have no way of knowing that the people on one list are on the other, or that the list Knight has even has anything to do with this company. It’s all speculation right now.”

  “What if this has nothing to do with missing people or trials being conducted without CDC approval?” I asked, playing devil’s advocate. “What if this is more about the lab finding something that they think could be a major breakthrough, but they’re worried about the information being stolen and used by a competitor. So, they’re keeping it all secretive, letting only those that need to know in on what’s really going on? It wouldn’t be the first time that a competing company sent someone in to snatch research.”

  “Then let’s get in there before someone else does,” Knight argued.

  “If we send them back in, you’re talking about getting them into the actual lab,” Cap pointed out. “They’re not going to find anything else by hacking into the system, so you’re talking about going into the lab and getting physical copies
of notes. How do you plan on getting them in there?”

  “We already have access to the system,” Becky said cheerily. “We hack in and get into their camera system. If one of you can get an access card, we can do the rest from here. And when you’re working in a lab with diseases, viruses, and antibiotics, there are safety protocols that should keep your face mostly hidden. They’ll see you on camera, but as long as you don’t look directly at it, they won’t see your face.”

  “Won’t it look suspicious that we’re sifting through notes?” I asked. “I mean, if we take the notes, someone will be alerted that we broke in when they see them missing. But if we stand there and look through all of them, that will alert them also.”

  “You’ll have to play it by ear. If you can get pictures, take them. If not, just grab what you can quickly and get out,” Knight said. “But remember that once we do this, they’ll tighten security, so this is our only shot.”

  I nodded and glanced at Parker. He looked renewed in his effort to help out and I was curious as to why that was. We spent a few more minutes going over the schematics of the building and making sure we knew exactly where we were headed. Parker and I then watched the video feed from the cameras we had placed in the hallways, watching how much foot traffic was in the area of the lab. It looked relatively deserted, which could be either a good thing or a bad thing. With not many people around, there wouldn’t be as many people to notice that we didn’t work there. On the other hand, it might look more suspicious that we were there.

  “Are you ready for this?” Parker asked as we headed for the SUV.

  “It’s now or never.”

  He turned and grabbed my arm, stopping me in my tracks. “What are you going to do if we don’t get what we need?”

  “I don’t know. I didn’t think we would get as far as we have, so I guess I haven’t really thought about it.”

  His jaw clenched and he glanced back toward the building. “Maybe you should sit this one out. I could go in alone and you could wait in the SUV for me.”

  “Why?”

  “Because you could get in a lot of trouble.”

  “I’m already in a lot of trouble. Parker, I stole information from the FBI, and they know it. There is no way that I’m walking away from this with a slap on the wrist.”

  “I’m just saying, I can take it from here. Trust me, I’ve already been through a court-martial. I’ve been to prison while I was waiting for my trial. I know what I’m risking and what will happen to me if I get caught. You could stay away and possibly still escape with a lighter sentence. You might even get off.”

  “So, it’s okay for you to take the risk, but not me?”

  He gripped both of my arms, almost shaking me as he spoke. “I’m telling you to fucking walk away before you can’t get out of this mess. I’m taking the risk because it’s worth it for me. There’s nothing that you’ll get by doing this, other than the truth, and you can let me take all the risk.”

  I didn’t get it. Why would he take all the risk just to make sure that I was safe? “Why? Explain to me why this is so important to you.”

  “You’re…” He sighed and stepped back, obviously frustrated. “You’re one of the only people that knows what happened to me and believed me without needing proof. And when this falls apart, when all this shit falls down around me, I’d like to know that there’s someone out there that knows what’s really happened to me. I’d like to know that I didn’t drag you down with me so that I could clear my name.”

  “What does this have to do with clearing your name?” He turned to go, but I stopped him, grabbing onto his arm. “No, either you tell me or this all stops now.”

  He glanced back at the building again and then grabbed my arm, dragging me to the SUV. Once we were inside, he turned to me and laid it out. “Knight is working to get my name cleared. If this is as big as we think, if we can stop it, that might put me in the position to get my case reviewed. But I have to figure out what this is.”

  My jaw dropped. “Are you serious? Parker, do you realize how unrealistic that is? You don’t even know what we’re looking for. I mean, it could be exactly what Hunter was saying. This could all be about a cure for cancer or something. There’s no way to know for sure that whatever is going on could help you in any way.”

  “Don’t you think I fucking know that?” he shouted. He ran his hand through his hair and swore, turning away from me. I wasn’t sure what he thought would happen. Did he really think that we were going to find some massive conspiracy and bring down all the players, and then he would get pardoned? That just wasn’t realistic.

  “Parker, I’m telling you this as someone that has seen investigations first hand. Nothing ever turns out like you hope. Believe me, I’ve seen some investigations that look rock solid, and then it goes through bureau channels and you never hear a fucking thing about it again. It’s swept under the rug to protect someone or the charges are dropped because there’s a big payday involved. Even if what you and Knight suspect is true, the likelihood that you’ll not only uncover the truth, but also make those in the wrong pay is highly unlikely. You’re going to get yourself sent to prison if you chase this on a dream. And frankly, with your dishonorable discharge, you’re going to sink with the ship. This will hit the media and all they’ll look at is your past. They’re not going to care if it’s true or not. They’re not going to investigate any of this. They’re going to take one look at you and assume that anything that’s written about you is true. Trust me on this.”

  “I have to take that chance. If I don’t, they win. I may go to prison, but at least I’ll go down fighting.”

  “But this isn’t even related to you!”

  “It’s my one chance, Blake. Look at what we’ve already uncovered. You can’t tell me that you think anything that’s going on in that lab is right. If I can just get in there and get any notes available, maybe we can find what we need.”

  “And then what?”

  “Then we find someone that’s not a total douchebag and we make sure that this gets out there.”

  “Parker, you’re not listening to me. There aren’t many good people left out there. This will only go so far before it’s snuffed out.”

  “I can’t believe that,” he said fiercely. “I can’t believe that our government has been overrun by those that would take what they stand to profit over doing what’s right. There have to be people out there still willing to fight back against corruption. Otherwise what the fuck was I fighting for when I served?”

  I could see I wasn’t going to change his mind. I took his hand in mine and gave it a squeeze. “Alright, then we do this together. I’m already in this too deep to walk away. Trust me, whether or not I get caught sneaking into this facility, I’m fucked when they catch me. I might as well try and do some good before then.”

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  Parker

  We were dressed differently this time. We weren’t going in as a suburban family trying to have a baby. This time, our only mission was getting into that lab. We dressed like everyone else in the facility that worked there, and quickly found the research lab that we needed to sneak into. Down the hall was a lounge where I was hoping that we could snatch a badge from one of the employees. It was around lunch time, so I was betting that people were going on their lunch break and we could slip in and get what we needed without being noticed.

  “Up ahead,” Blake whispered.

  I glanced up ahead and saw a group of three people going into the lounge. I would have to be quick, and it would look suspicious if both Blake and I entered and then left just as quickly.

  “You go to the restroom. I’ll grab what we need and meet you back out here in three minutes.”

  “Are you sure you can get it?”

  “It’ll be fine,” I said with more assurance than I felt. She veered off to the right, down a second hallway, and headed for the women’s restroom. I continued on to the lounge and walked in like the new employee. I was b
anking on the awkwardness of the first day to sell my part.

  I quickly spotted a man sitting in a chair, his jacket draped over the back of his chair. His badge hung off his jacket. I walked over there, trying my best not to do anything to draw attention, but also not to seem suspicious. I needed to be noticed, but not memorable in any way.

  The man stood and walked over to the fridge and I took my chance. Everyone was facing away from the chair. I quickly snatched the badge and slipped it into my pocket, then walked over to the counter to grab a cup of coffee. After pouring myself a cup, I turned and almost walked right into another guy.

  “Sorry about that, man.”

  “No problem,” I grinned. “Good thing we didn’t bump into each other. I didn’t bring a spare shirt today.”

  “Yeah, you wouldn’t want to mess with the dress code,” he chuckled.

  I laughed and headed for the door, sipping my coffee on the way. Once in the hall, I pulled out the badge and looked it over. He was a higher level researcher, if I was reading his badge correctly.

  “Did you get it?” Blake asked, joining me further down the hall.

  “Got it.”

  “Is it for the right lab?”

  “I guess we’re about to find out.”

  “If those alarms go off, we’re going to be screwed.”

  “Cross your fingers,” I said, turning down the hall for the lab we needed to get to. I counted off the office numbers, then the lab numbers as we walked down the long hallway. We were almost there when a larger man that reeked of authority came toward us. I hesitated in swiping the card, but Blake nudged me. I couldn’t just stand out in the hallway. That would definitely be suspicious. Blake moved on down the hall, so it didn’t look like she was there for no reason. I swiped the card, relieved when a green light flashed.

  “Aren’t you supposed to be on lunch?” the man asked.

  “Just forgot my wallet in there,” I gestured to the lab.

  He glanced inside and then looked back at me questioningly. “You know you’re not supposed to bring anything inside.”