by John Charles
When Aaron, Tom and his boy came closer, Clint said, "Barry has done better than many others that I have witnessed. Though he didn't go through the full ritual, I feel he would have done so and pleased any master with his ability to withstand the pain being inflicted."
Aaron looked into the eyes of the exhausted man and said, "Are you sure you want this life?"
Barry nodded and said, "Yes I am, Aaron. I don't know why, but it definitely is the life I want."
"It's time for Barry to get cleaned up. My boy and I are taking him to our home for the evening. Once there we will continue to help him learn about our type of relationship. You're welcome to join us," Clint said to Aaron, Tom, and his boy.
"I have an early morning," said Aaron. He turned to Tom and his boy and said, "Thank you for this; it was an experience that I will always remember. I have to get a move on or I'll never manage what tomorrow brings."
He moaned as he left the room, realizing it was past three in the morning.
Chapter 16
His hot coffee mug held in both hands, Aaron leaned against the worktable staring at what he now called The Situation Board. He looked from one picture to the next ending at the section with the intimate pictures of the directors and their families. How did you get these? What do you want?
He was so engrossed in thought he didn't hear Akerheart walk into his lab. When a hand fell on his shoulder, Aaron jumped, squealed like a frightened little boy, and almost dropped his coffee. "Damn, you don't sneak up on someone like that," he shouted and punched Akerheart in the arm after seeing the man laughing at his expense.
"You're in early even for you, Aaron."
"Yeah, way too much on my mind. Couldn't sleep, so I got dressed and came in. I've been going over the information we have on the Taylor case and I keep coming up with more questions than answers."
"Want to join me in the gym? That usually helps calm my mind enough to see the bigger picture."
"I'll join you, but I won't be up to my normal. Not much sleep last night."
They made their way to the gym in relative quiet. Aaron found himself exhausted when he completed a simpler routine than his normal one. "I have to stop going clubbing mid week. It will be the death of me," said Aaron as he and Akerheart sat in the sauna.
"What got you to go clubbing? I thought you only went on weekends?"
Aaron trusted Akerheart. After the Tameron case, they bonded in a special way only a straight man and gay man could. Akerheart and his wife were into limited BDSM and had friends who were into the leather scene. He taught Aaron some of the intricacies of both worlds. During several of their clandestine visits to the clubs while working the Tameron case, Akerheart witnessed Aaron in leather as well as being naked on one extremely interesting night. His mentorship helped Aaron feel a bit more comfortable in the clubs as he investigated the kidnapping of Ethan Tameron.
Knowing he could trust Akerheart, Aaron opened up about Barry, his desire to be a sub, and his request for Aaron to be his dom. He gave Akerheart the details of the initiation ritual that he witnessed the prior night and that Barry wanted more.
"And you are not sure you want what he wants?" asked Akerheart as they walked from the sauna to the showers.
"It's more like I know I don't want what he wants. I just don't know what I do want and it has me totally confused right now."
As Aaron walked into his lab, Akerheart said, "You know I'm very open minded. Anytime you want to talk," he paused, "about anything, come find me. Got it?"
Aaron nodded. "Thanks, you might regret that offer," he said as he slid his cardkey into the sensor next to his lab door. Just as the lock clicked, he heard his name called from down the hall.
Natalie received the list of researchers and clients from the first Remedcon vaccine trial. She found most unwilling to talk about their experience while in the program. After several phone calls, she found two who would talk to her. "Taylor's people are very convincing with their threats. Remedcon paid the participants to maintain total silence about the vaccine trial program. Everyone seems to be afraid of the potential repercussions if they talk to me," she said as she and Aaron walked into his lab. "We have appointments with two people who said they would talk if their names remained anonymous. Get yourself together and meet me at the front desk."
This was the first break in the case and Aaron was anxious to talk with these people. He closed and locked the lab door and met Natalie near the dispatcher's desk. Maya took one look at Aaron and said, "Wow, you look like you haven't slept in days. Was he that good?"
Natalie laughed at her comment, looked at Aaron and waited for his response. To her surprise Aaron was not the shy one this time. He looked at both of them and said, "I spent several hours in the dungeon at The Underground last night. A friend of mine was going through the initiation ritual. Didn't get home until half past three. So yeah, I'm beat. Anymore questions?"
Both women were in shock. Aaron had never openly talked about his private life in the office. To hear this the first time was a bit unsettling. Maya, however, regained her self-control faster than Natalie and said, "Why bother going home at all? If I'd been in your shoes, I'd have just continued with my sub all night."
"Couldn't. The club has to close every night or the cops will shut it down. Last night was an exception to the rule. They closed the club to the public at one this morning. Only members were allowed to stay after that. But even then, they are required to close at three thirty." Turning to the stunned Natalie, he said, "You ready?"
Natalie drove in silence to the first appointment. They pulled up to a nicely kept row house in south London. "Looks clean enough. Hope we are not on a wild goose chase," said Aaron as he got out of the car.
Mr. and Mrs. Randall were nervous when Natalie and Aaron arrived. "I understand from speaking with Natalie, that you are under a nondisclosure agreement," said Aaron as he sipped the tea that Mrs. Randall provided.
Husband and wife looked at each other and then Mr. Randall said, "They paid us a handsome sum to keep quiet. If they find out we spoke with you they have the right to request all of it back with interest."
"So why talk at all?" asked Natalie.
"Because we can't stay quiet any longer," said Mrs. Randall. "We watched the news broadcast on Channel 1 about what is happening to the people at Remedcon and knew we had to say something."
"Thank you both," said Aaron. "What can you tell us about the trials? I promise your names and the information you share with us will not be revealed."
"We're getting older and have had some health issues. So we felt the vaccine might be a good thing for us, knowing that pneumonia kills quite a few older folks. I was accepted for the trials," said Mr. Randall. "They had a bottle that looked just like those nasal sprays you take when you get the flu. A lab technician sprayed the vaccine into each of my nostrils as I breathed in. That was it. It didn't seem to be much of a trial at all."
"What happened after you took the vaccine?" asked Aaron as he looked to each of the scared couple.
"We had to report back the following day for a check-up. I felt fine, but several others did not. It looked like they had severe colds. They were taken into a different area for more testing. I was given a second dose of the vaccine and told to report back five days later."
"Did you get sick, Mr. Randall," asked Natalie.
"No, I felt fine, but I heard that about half of the people in the trial got very sick after the second dose." He looked at his wife. Aaron noticed a slight nod. "I heard that five people ended up in hospital with severe cases of pneumonia and that two had died from complications. I refused the third dose and left Remedcon."
"What did you do after you left?" asked Aaron.
"I went to my regular doctor and told him what happened. He gave me a full checkup and said I was fine. My wife and I think I was lucky."
"You never got sick then. Do you know what happened to the trial after you left Remedcon that day?" asked Aaron as he watched a very nervo
us gentleman sip his tea.
"About a month later, two men dressed in expensive suits knocked at our door," said Mrs. Randall. "They had a check and a document with them. If we signed the document promising to keep quiet, we would get the check."
"You took the check then?" asked Natalie.
"Yes we did. I was on a fixed pension and felt the money would help. I didn't get sick and was not going to talk about the trials anyway, so why not get paid to keep quiet," said Mr. Randall.
"May I ask how much they gave you for your silence?" asked Aaron.
Mrs. Randal didn't want to divulge the amount but her husband said, "It doesn’t matter anymore. If they find out we talked to these nice people they'll be after us anyway." He turned to Aaron and said, "The check was for one hundred thousand pounds."
Natalie and Aaron both tried to hide their shock at the revelation of the amount. After a few minutes of general discussion about the trial, Natalie and Aaron stood, thanked the Randall's for their hospitality, and left.
The information given to them, by the Randall's, was confirmed at their next appointment, with one difference. Mrs. Genouski was one of the people who caught pneumonia from the vaccine. She had spent four weeks in and out of hospital. Remedcon had paid all of her medical bills, compensated her for travel expenses and paid two hundred thousand pounds for her silence. In addition, Remedcon agreed to annual checkups to make sure Mrs. Genouski didn't have a relapse.
"Wow, remind me to stay clear of drug trials," said Natalie as she drove back to Andrews. "Now I know why Remedcon kept this quiet. If the press found out, it would not only shut them down, but I bet they'd be charged with a list of crimes, too."
Aaron looked as if he received an electrical shock. He turned in his seat and said, "I bet whoever is doing this is the spouse of one of the people who died."
"But why now? It's been five years since the trials were shut down."
"Not sure how to answer that," said Aaron. "But I know that people mourn in different ways. Maybe he finally had enough of being quiet about his wife's tragic death."
They arrived at Andrews to find Shaun and Joanne waiting for them in the conference room. As soon as they entered, Shaun stood, closed the door and told Joanne to give them an update.
Chapter 17
After Natalie and Aaron sat at the conference table, Joanne explained, "I was doing some more digging into Remedcon's background when I discovered some startling information," she said as she looked at Shaun for confirmation to continue. "It appears that the vaccine delivery system was not the only problem with the trial. They were using a live virus in the vaccine. While many vaccines use live viruses, they are not inhaled directly into the region that the vaccine is supposed to protect."
"We just returned from two trial subjects. One remained healthy, the other got extremely ill. She was in and out of hospital for four weeks," said Aaron. "In fact we've been told, under a promise of secrecy that they know of at least two deaths from the trials. Did your research discover similar findings?"
"There were more than two," said Joanne. "So far I've discovered at least ten deaths directly associated with the Remedcon trials."
"How did they cover it up for so long?" asked Natalie as she sat forward in her chair. "Isn't that supposed to be public knowledge?"
"That's why we are here," said Shaun. "We think those deaths and these bombings are directly related."
"So do I," said Aaron. "I think one of the husbands has had enough time to mourn and is getting his revenge. Do you have the names of the people who died?"
"I have the ten names, but all of them are men," said Joanne as she passed the list to Aaron. "I wonder if it's one of their sons who is doing this."
Aaron and Natalie looked over the list of subjects. The names were not on Natalie's initial list. "Do you think any of their spouses or families would talk with us?"
"It's worth a try," said Aaron. "I wonder if there are more than these."
"I also have a list of all the researchers who worked on the trial," said Joanne. "You may want to start with them first. They may be able to give you more information than I've dug up."
"There is nothing like a person scorned," said Natalie. "I wonder how much they were paid for their silence."
Aaron took the list of researchers and handed Natalie the list of trial subjects. "Let's make some calls and see if we can arrange meetings for tomorrow," he said as he stood and walked to the door. "You want to join us on any of these visits?" he said looking at Shaun.
"You do the initial visit. They might open up to you easier than if they knew MI5 was sitting in the room. If you have a hot situation, I or one of my agents can join you for a follow-up," said Shaun as he and Joanne packed up to leave.
Natalie was able to make contact with three people from the ten names on the list. The wife of the man listed said she was not allowed to talk about the trials. She seemed quite upset that Natalie was even asking her questions. When Natalie told her she was trying to get information that might help with the bombings at Remedcon, the woman said, "I hope whoever is doing it kills them all," then abruptly hung up.
The other two people were non-committal when she told them she was researching the trials. The remaining names on her list had moved, changed their phone numbers to non-published, or simply disconnected the numbers without forwarding. She was at another dead end. She made a call to Joanne with the results and asked if it was possible for her to dig up more names and to find better numbers for the people on this list.
As she walked into Aaron's lab, she heard the end of one of his calls. Aaron turned to her and said, "They are scared to talk. Apparently, Taylor promised them more than financial harm if they did. I found one person who said she would talk with us, but there is a catch."
Natalie sat on his side chair and waited. "The woman said she would talk with us if she and her two children were put into a witness protection program. I was just about to call Shaun as you walked in."
Aaron explained the conversation to Shaun and asked for guidance. "Under these circumstances, I would like to be there with you. I can have special agents on detail to protect her if she does have incriminating evidence against Taylor. But if her story is just hearsay, there is not much I can do."
Aaron called the woman, explained what Shaun said, and was surprised to hear her say she had more than hearsay. She agreed to a meeting the following day.
"It's late and I'm so tired I can't think at all right now," said Aaron. "I'm going to get some dinner and go home. Hopefully I can sleep tonight."
"What no clubbing?" teased Natalie.
"Never again on a weeknight. My mother used to scold us if we stayed out late on a school night. Back then, I brushed her comments off as nothing. Right now, though, I totally agree with her."
They locked their offices and walked to the front door to find the evening dispatcher having a heated phone discussion. Aaron became alert when he heard the dispatcher mention the caller's name. He moved in front of her and mouthed, "I'll take that call. Put it through to the lobby phone."
He identified himself and asked the irritated caller how he could help. "You can find the person who called my home and interrogated my wife, that's how," said the caller.
"That person was probably me. I am investigating the bombings of the Remedcon directors," said Aaron as he signaled the dispatcher for something to write on.
"Why are you calling my home?" asked the upset caller.
"We are trying to discover who might be doing the bombings. Any information you might have would be very helpful. Did you work on the vaccine trials?"
"Listen, I am not willing to put my life on the line for you or anyone else. If you call here again, I will take immediate actions against you. Do not call here again," he said as he slammed the phone to the cradle.
"Wow that was wild. Whatever Taylor did, he has these people scared of their own shadows," said Aaron. "Now I really want to talk with that woman tomorrow."
&nbs
p; As Aaron was leaving he asked Natalie for a ride to his bedsit. "I am too tired to walk, don't want to wait for a cab, and couldn't stomach the tube right now. Do you mind?"
They drove in silence, each in his own mind. "See you tomorrow," said Natalie as Aaron got out of her car. "Get some sleep, you need it."
Aaron made a call for take-out as he climbed to his floor. He would take a hot shower after he ate, and go directly to bed.
Before he got to his door, he felt his mobile vibrate indicating a text. He looked at his phone while unlocking the door to his bedsit. The text read; Can we talk? It was from Barry. Aaron put his head on his door, sighed heavily and whispered, "Why did I get up today?"
He texted back that he was too tired to talk and asked Barry if it was an emergency. Barry said it was not and agreed to postpone the call until the following day.
He was hungrier than he first thought. The food was good, soothed his inner feelings of doubt, and gave him comfort. The shower did the rest. Calmer than he felt all day, Aaron fell into a deep sleep as soon as his head hit the pillow.
Chapter 18
Once again, Natalie found Aaron staring at his situation board. "What are you thinking? Are you putting the pieces to this puzzle together?" she asked as she entered his lab.
He had added pictures of Mr. and Mrs. Randall and Mrs. Genouski to the board below the Remedcon directors. Below those, he had written the name Shelly Jollenta. "We know that Taylor had paid the trial subjects to keep their mouths shut. We know of at least two people who died from the vaccine. Joanne told us that at least ten additional people died," he said, as he went to the board.
Under Shelly's name, he wrote Victims. Below the word victims, he wrote 12 men - no women.
"Shelly says she has more than just hearsay evidence against Taylor," he said as his eyes stayed on the board. "My first thoughts were that one of the husbands might be responsible for the bombings, but we now know that all the subjects that died were men, so at this point that rules out husbands." He leaned back against his worktable waiting for inspiration.
