by John Charles
The two men ate in silence until Aaron said, "I think by now, you know that I am not the type of master or dom you want. Am I right in assuming that?"
Barry put his fork down, looked Aaron in the eyes and said, "I realized that after you held me the other night. When I talked to Clint and Tom about you, they both said you were more like Tom than Clint. They said the term is alpha male."
Aaron laughed at the way Barry explained his understanding. "I'm not laughing at you, Barry. It took me years to realize what I am not. And in two minutes you clearly explain what I am. What are you going to do now?"
"First and foremost I want to continue to be your friend. I may have overstepped by asking you to be my dom, but now I know better. Tom suggested I ask you for direction."
Again Aaron laughed. "Tom has more knowledge about this community that you want to join, in his little finger than I have in my entire brain. Yet he suggested you ask me for direction?"
Barry laughed at the situation then said, "I trust you Aaron. How would you suggest I proceed?"
After finishing their dinners, Aaron said, "I guess if I were in your shoes, I'd talk to Tom and his boy for guidance. The guidance I'm suggesting is geared toward the type of clubs that cater to the master / slave relationship. You know; things like that. Then I'd go to Clint and ask him if he would be willing to help you find a master. Just remember that you have a career that would be destroyed if you submit to the wrong master."
Barry reached across the table, took Aaron's hand in his and said, "Thank you. I knew that contacting you was right, even if you are not the master I want."
"It's been a very busy week and I have to be at work tomorrow morning, so I'm going home to get some sleep."
Barry tried to pay for dinner, but Aaron stopped him, "Let me do this again. There will be a time when I need your help." Aaron took a cab home, changed and slept like a baby.
Chapter 20
Aaron woke with a smile on his face. His dinner talk with Barry gave closure on a significant chapter in his life. His walk to Andrews felt light and pleasant. He was in a remarkably good mood, considering he was going in to work on a Saturday again.
"You look cheery today," said Natalie as Aaron poured his first cup of the day. "I gather dinner went well, then?"
After a long awaited sip, he said, "Last night was good in a number of ways. Too much to explain now, so let's just say I had a good night followed by an especially good sleep. You ready for our guests?"
"I wonder what Fachan will tell us. It seems that Taylor's secrets are all starting to blow up in his face."
Aaron laid out the pastries he bought on his way to Andrews and took the plate to the conference room. He also prepared a carafe of coffee and hot water for tea for his guests. They would meet in conference room B since it had the best accommodations for this type of meeting.
Shaun arrived at half past nine with two agents in tow. "I hope this meeting gives us a break. The police and my boss are all over me to get this resolved. Apparently, Taylor has been making waves. Remedcon has a major board meeting next week and he wants this behind them before then."
About thirty minutes later Ian and Claire Fachan and Darcey Taylor were shown into the conference room. Preliminaries completed, Aaron said, "How can we help you today?", then sat back, and waited for the response.
What they got was nothing less than the Cliff Notes of a mystery novel called Remedcon. They heard about the lies, cover-ups, deception, and mistreatment of employees. Darcey told them about her husband's insistence that she not know anything about the operations of the company.
Ian said, "I had it when Gillert indirectly accused me of blowing up my own home. I quit under the threat of personal harm."
"Do you want protection?" asked Shaun. "I can arrange for you to be placed in a safe house."
Ian and Claire looked extremely stressed. "Although I resigned, I am required to show up to the office for 30 days and attend the next board meeting to officially resign. So a safe house would not really help us right now," said Ian as he held his wife's hand.
Darcey Taylor said, "I am concerned for my two children. If Gillert ever found out that I came here, I'm not sure what he would do."
"Where are your children right now?" asked Aaron.
"They are at an activity program at the country club we belong to. I will have to leave soon to pick them up. We go to one of their favorite lunch spots when they finish their morning fun. It's all part of our Saturday routine," said Darcey as she looked at her watch.
Shaun made a point of saying, "No one in this room will divulge that you were here Mrs. Taylor."
Turning again to Ian Fachan, Aaron asked, "Why did you pay off the subjects in the vaccine trials?"
"That was Gil's idea. He was furious that it all fell apart and didn't want anything hitting the press. The real problem was that everyone on the research team warned him that it was too soon to begin human trials. If any of the researchers went to the police, Gillert and most of the directors would have more than bad publicity to deal with," said Ian. "Shaun, am I in real trouble?"
Shaun took a minute before he replied. "If the deaths of the trial subjects can be construed as manslaughter, then yes you are. You would be considered a coconspirator. However if you and the other members of the board were to become state witnesses, I think a plea bargain might be afforded you."
Claire was horrified. "What will happen to him, will he go to jail?" she asked as she held his arm in a death grip. "Please don't let him go to jail," she cried.
Aaron wanting to change the suddenly sour mood, opened a folder he had on the table and brought out pictures of the man who left the carryall in the Remedcon lobby. "Do you know this man?" he said, pushing the picture to Ian.
After studying the picture for several minutes he said, "That's not a man. I do remember that face and I think she is one of the researchers, but I'm not totally sure."
Aaron saw the shocked look on both Natalie's and Shaun's faces. "Are you sure it's a woman?" asked Aaron. "The MI5 face recognition program supports that it might be a man, but had no matches in the database."
"I'm good at remembering faces. Name sometimes elude me, but I always remember a face. That woman worked at Remedcon. And I do believe she worked on one of the many trials we had running."
"Will you excuse us for a minute please," said Aaron as he gathered his papers and signaled Shaun and Natalie to follow. Once behind the closed door of his lab, Aaron said, "Do you have Shelly and her kids in a safe house right now?"
"Not a safe house. We are providing 24-hour protection for her and the children. Why do you ask?" said Shaun with a concerned look on his face.
"She was a researcher. She may be able to identify this woman," he said pointing to the picture. "Does she or do one of your men have a mobile with face time capability?"
Shaun called the agent in charge of their protection detail and asked about a visual conference. As suspected, the agent did have a phone that would allow a video call. A few minutes passed when Shaun's mobile rang. The agent had Shelly on video.
"Good morning Shelly," said Aaron. "We have a very important question to ask you," he said as he moved the picture in front of the phone's camera. "Do you recognize the person in this photo?"
Shelly studied it for a seemingly long time, then said, "There were so many researchers on various projects, but I think this might be Ereka. Ereka Ibbison," she said.
"Do you know if she still works at Remedcon?" asked Shaun.
"I lost track of many of the researchers after I left, so I can't say for sure. Why are you asking about her?"
"We think she might be involved in one of the bombings, so anything you can remember is vital. Please get back to Shaun, or me if you remember anything," said Aaron as he handed the phone to Shaun.
Back in the conference room, Aaron placed the picture in front of Ian again and said, "Does the name Ereka Ibbison ring a bell?"
Ian looked at the person in the pi
cture and then said, "Yes, that name sounds familiar to me. As I said before, we have several hundred employees as well as hundreds of test subjects in the building during the year so I'm not certain about the name. But I am certain about the face."
"What happens now?" asked Darcey. "Will you arrest Gil on murder charges?"
Shaun leaned forward on the table, looked at Darcey and said, "Mrs. Taylor, based on the information we've gathered so far, there is a strong possibility that your husband is responsible for the deaths of at least twelve people. We have enough evidence to ask for a subpoena, right now. Doing so, however, would not bring us any closer to finding this woman and stopping her from causing more harm. What I want to know is do you want protection for you and your children, considering what you now know?"
Claire held Darcey's hand as she looked at her close friend losing control. "I never questioned Gil about the business until all this started happening. When I heard those people talking about Gil as if he were a tyrant, I got scared. Then Claire and Ian filled me in on the other stuff." Darcey stopped talking, put her hands to her face and sobbed.
"Mrs. Taylor, do you think you would be able to hold it together and stay in your home. Or would your actions tip off Gillert that you know more than he thinks?" asked Shaun.
Drying her eyes with the handkerchief given her by Claire, she looked at Shaun and said, "I am stronger than it appears. I've met presidents of corporations and leaders of countries I couldn't stand and did it with grace. Yes, it's heart wrenching to hear that my husband may be a murderer, but I'm sure I can handle myself, for now."
"Considering what we now know, I'd like to get as much as possible on Ereka Ibbison. So we need your people to dig into her background and get us everything they can," Aaron said to Shaun. To Natalie he said, "Would you please continue your efforts to contact other trial subjects. I will try to make contact with more researchers."
Aaron stopped for a minute's thought, then turned to Ian and said, "Is that board meeting open to the public?"
"Not this one. We have one open meeting a year but remember this is a privately held corporation so there is no need to have an open stockholders meeting."
"I'd like you to slip some information about next week's meeting. I have an idea that might bring this case to a quick resolution. Do you have a way to get the meeting date and location to the press without tipping Gillert?"
Ian thought for a minute then said, "I have a friend who can do it for me. She has handled some of our PR in the past including some very touchy stuff."
"Will she keep her mouth shut about you?" asked Shaun.
"She hates Gil," said Ian. "So yeah, if I ask, she will keep this between the two of us." Looking at Aaron, he said, "Please let me help you. I know I may be facing charges, but I never wanted what happened."
Aaron and Shaun told Ian they would keep him in the loop.
Darcey stood saying she had to get her kids. Shaun thanked her and the Fachans. "We learned enough this morning to move the case forward." He shook everyone's hand as they left Andrews.
Natalie escorted Darcey and the Fachans to the front door and then returned to the conference room. "Okay what are you planning, Aaron?" she asked.
Aaron smiled as he talked about his idea, an idea he thought would bring closure to the case.
Chapter 21
Aaron said, "Shaun, we need to find this Ereka person? If she is indeed the woman in this photo, she may be responsible for the other two bombings."
Shaun was already on his mobile talking to Joanne. "Yeah, that's right, Ereka Ibbison. She either works at Remedcon or used to work there according to Fachan and Shelly. See what you can find." He put his phone on the table and took the folder from Aaron. As he looked at the various pictures, he mentioned, "You are setting a dangerous trap, you know. By advertising the meeting you open the entire board up to this monster, whoever it is."
"Do you have a better idea, then?" asked Aaron leaning on the conference table.
"Not really. I would like to find her before the meeting though. If not, we have a huge responsibility to safeguard the board members."
As they talked, Shaun's mobile rang. He put his mobile on speaker so the three of them could hear her. Joanne had found Ereka in the Remedcon employee list. She had worked there during the vaccine trials, but on a different project. "After the vaccine project failed and Taylor fired the researchers, the other project came under severe scrutiny by the ministers of the health department. Two similar trials were shut down due to improper reporting procedures. Ereka was a researcher on one of those projects," said Joanne.
"Did she quit or was she let go?" asked Aaron.
"According to the information I have, she was let go, but without the same severance the vaccine people received."
Natalie looked at Aaron and Shaun and asked, "Could this be revenge or is she bitter about what happened to the trial subjects?"
"According to the notes found at each bombing, she is saying the truth has to come out, so I am guessing she is both bitter about being let go, angry that Taylor received no punishment for the deaths of so many people, and further angry that Remedcon is still a thriving company, said Joanne."
"Is she working now?" asked Shaun.
"The records show that she was only off work for a couple of weeks. She took a similar job at one of Remedcon's competitors."
"Give us her address. We need to pay her a visit," said Shaun.
Shaun drove Aaron and Natalie while the two agents he brought to Andrews followed. The address given by Joanne brought them to an apartment building in a middle class neighborhood of East London. The building looked well kept, had parking facilities, and several stores on the ground floor. The lobby was manned by an older woman.
Shaun identified himself to the woman and asked her to allow them to go up to Ereka's flat without being announced. She appeared nervous as she said, "Is something wrong officer? Ereka and Liz are wonderful people."
"We just need to speak with Ereka. Nothing to worry about, but we don't want to be announced."
The woman nodded with trepidation as Shaun, Aaron, Natalie, and the two agents entered the elevator. "Ereka's flat is on the fifth floor," said Natalie. "What is your plan?"
"Simple. We knock on the door and ask to speak with her. If she refuses, we bring her in for further questioning. Standard procedure," said Shaun. "Stay away from the door until we gain access to her flat," he said to Natalie and Aaron.
Flanked by the two agents, Shaun knocked on the door saying nothing as he did. A minute later, the door opened. There stood a woman who looked to be around forty years old. In a polite yet questioning voice she said, "May I help you?"
Shaun showed her his ID badge and asked if she was Ereka.
"Oh no, I'm Elizabeth. Ereka and I share this flat." Suddenly frightened she asked, "Is something wrong? Why are you here?"
Shaun said, "I'd rather not talk in the corridor. May we come in?"
Hesitant at first, Elizabeth opened the door allowing the five people to enter her flat. "Now tell me why you are here," she said as everyone stood in the entranceway.
"We have to speak with Ereka. It's extremely important. When will she be home?" said Aaron after identifying himself.
"I'm not sure. She said she might be gone for a while," said Elizabeth in a guarded voice. "You still haven't told me why you want to talk with her."
"Are you familiar with Remedcon?" asked Natalie
"Yes, that’s where Ereka worked. But she hasn't worked there in years. What's this all about?"
"As you probably have read, Remedcon directors have been the target of a bomber. We are talking with employees to see if we can find out why and who is responsible," said Aaron.
"Do you go by Elizabeth or Liz?" asked Natalie in an attempt to quell her nerves.
"Most people call me Liz," she said.
"You have a lovely place here, Liz. Have you and Ereka lived here long?"
"Yes, we've lived here for over
ten years. It’s a great neighborhood, easy transit to both of our jobs, and nice people in the building. In fact the building has such a great reputation there is a waiting list for flats."
"Do you have a way to contact Ereka?" asked Aaron.
"She usually keeps her mobile off when she doesn't want to be interrupted by her workmates. Her job is stressful without being called on weekends, too."
Aaron took his mobile from his pocket and said, "What is your mobile number?"
Without questioning his intent, Liz gave it to him at which point he hit the send button. Her mobile rang seconds later. "Good. Now you have my number. Please call me when you reach Ereka. We do need to speak with her."
Shaun and his two agent followed Aaron and Natalie out of the flat. In the elevator, Shaun said, "That was interesting. They are more than roommates."
"Indeed they are. I'd bet money they are partners and she is calling Ereka as we speak," said Aaron then he called Joanne. After giving her Liz's mobile number he asked her to put a trace on the phone, including all calls and texts. "Does she have GPS turned on?"
The elevator reached the ground floor without a reply from Joanne. Leaving the building, Natalie thanked the woman at the desk.
"She does have GPS and it is on," said Joanne. "I also have a list of her recent calls and texts. I'll send it to your email."
A minute later Aaron's mobile beeped the incoming email message. "She makes a lot of calls but one number is prevalent. I bet that's Ereka's number." He called Joanne and said, "You see the same thing I see? Put a trace on that line and find out where she is right now."
They made it back to the Andrews facility when Aaron's phone rang again. Joanne said, "That phone is sitting on a farm about an hour north of you. I sent the GPS location to your phone and a link to the Satellite map as well."
