CHAPTER 62 Laboratory


    I usually s kip Saturday morning breakfast with my father to get more sleep, but there was something I


    had to do that couldn’t wait.


    When I sat down beside my father at our dining table to have breakfast, even he couldn’t keep his


    surprise to himself.


    “Whatever you have to do or whoever you have to see must be really important for you to be out of bed


    so early on a Saturday morning,” my father sald, looking away from his digital newspaper to gaze at me


    from over his eyesses.


    “I need to speak to Dan,’ I said while pouring some vyrup on the te of french toast ir just ced


    in front of me


    “I thought you were going to help out with your little girlfriends nonsense,” he scoffed while fixing his


    sses and focusing his attention hack to whatever he was reading


    allowing a slice of french toast Miss


    “It’s actually not nonsense, Dad,” 1’argund after North Dakota hacked out of being this year’s Miss


    Honey Bee for our spring parade Vittur and Chip are at least helping our town find one from among


    ones to be the star of this year’s parade


    immat


    “I didn’t know Miss North Dakota wasn’t going to grace the year’s parade he mumbled, the usual


    disapproving to present whenever he w uninformed Well dont forget your other responsibilities. I want


    the delivery to arrive riche


    “About the delivery tonight, Capo B astone wants hall, I mentioned casually


    “Half? Why does that nitwit want half I knew my father wouldn’t like the ne


    arrangement. I took a sip of my coffer and pond at him an | exined


    “I agreed to let him have half of the money, so he could stop him abducting women in this


    town,” I told my father. I think he doesn’t care he rainsy chances as a reelectionist


    be ?


    I crossed my fingers and hoped my father would intervene on my behalf. To my utter relief, I saw my


    father shake his head with a scowl on his face.


    “He promised the Sheriff he would refrain from any noticeable criminal activity after the Joan Summers


    fasca ofst year until elections were over, he growled, cing his tablet on


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    the table and taking out his smartphone. “I will call his mother and tell her to put a leash on that


    psychopath she calls a son. Excuse me.”


    My father stood up from the table and went into our study to have some privacy. I smirked as I quietly


    sipped my coffee, grateful my father could still pull some strings. Unfortunately, I didn’t have a close


    working rtionship with Cynthia McDowell, but my father did. If there was anyone who Pete would


    listen to, it was his mother.


    I asked ire for another cup and waited for my father toe out of our study. I was halfway done


    with my refill when my father finally appeared with a look of concern on his face.


    What is it this time?


    “I was told to dispense with the arrangement her son has asked of you and continue honoring the


    previous arrangement,” my father said, sitting down in his chair. “However, there is an issue that is


    troubling. Theboratory personnel could not get any DNA on the sses, utensils and tes your


    guests usedst Saturday when I was away.”


    “What?!” I angrily nced at ire whose face had turned red from her evident betrayal. She coughed


    and quickly left the dining room, heading back to the kitchen.


    The punishment for betrayal is death, ire.


    “You don’t think I wouldn’t know about your little dinner date with Virtue Sullivan and that insect


    everyone calls Chip?” My father’s gray eyes had a wicked glint in them.


    “Dad, I don’t know what the problem is. She is a beautiful woman who I would like to date-“


    “Yes, all of them are beautiful, until she has a knife at your throat. Theodore Cohen never minced


    words. He didn’t trust Virtue. “ording to theboratory specialist, all he found was


    H202.”


    “Maybe ire identally ced the dirty dishes and utensils in the dishwasher,” I reasoned, hoping


    my simple exnation would remove any doubt my father had.


    “Hydrogen peroxide, Liam. H2O2 is hydrogen peroxide, not water. ording to theb


    specialist, hydrogen peroxide imposes oxidative stress on cells, leading to cell death,” my father


    exined. “I’m impressed someone as beautiful as Virtue Sullivan is careful, but it makes me wonder


    what she’s hiding.”


    I tried to remember if I saw Virtue with anything in her hands. I did notice she used moist


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    CHAPTER 62 Laboratory


    towelettes. Maybe it had hydrogen peroxide in them.


    But that wasn’t the issue here…


    “I recall Virtue used moist towelettes when she had dinner here, but Chip didnt, Dad,” I said, snarling as


    I said the word dad. ‘It seems strange that yourboratory specialist couldn’t find DNA from the both of


    them. Maybe you should ask ire if she handled their used tes and utensils properly. Then again,


    that isn’t the issue here. What did Virtue Sullivan do to you that has made you so suspicious of her? I


    understand if you don’t like her, but you are putting way too much effort in discrediting her.” I looked at


    my watch. “I have to go.” I stood up from my chair and was about to leave when I remembered


    something. “Before I forget, Abigail’s parents have been asking for you. They’re wondering why you


    haven’t gone to visit their daughter who is currently in aa at the hospital. Good day, Father.”


    my disdain on thest word I uttered before turning to leave the mansion. I haven’t for an hour and


    already the day was turning into a horror movie.


    deal with ireter, right now I needed to negotiate terms regarding Dan’s smuggling


    operation.


    I drove out of the estate and headed towards Hillcrest. I didn’t mind if the day started crummy… All I


    cared is getting my delivery safely into Cohen mansion and delivering Capo


    B astone’s cut without dy.


    I parked in front of the clubhouse of the residential area and hurriedly walked inside. Outside, it looked


    like any clubhouse, but inside, it was guarded like a fort. It was through the basement of the clubhouse


    where you could find the entrance and passageway to the methboratory underneath the church.


    After walking through a long tunnel towards the ss doors of theboratory, the guards redirected me


    to Dan’s office. Through the clear ss walls, I saw numerous Hillcrest residents in hazmat suits,


    goggles, masks, and gloves cooking meth. I covered my nose and mouth with a handkerchief as I


    walked by, not wanting to inhale the rotten egg smell emanating through the ss walls.


    As I approached, the frosted ss door of Dan’s office swung open. A guard appeared and


    ushered me inside.


    Dan was seated behind arge wooden desk covered with bricks and sachets of crystal


    meth… all ready for distribution.


    “To what do I owe the pleasure of your visit, Mayor Cohen? Dan said as his eyes met mine,


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    gesturing for me to take a seat in one the chairs in front of his desk. I usually didn’t visit theb during


    the day, but it was the only ce I knew where I could find him.


    “I heard of your smuggling operation, Dan,” I said. “Does Capo B astone know about this?”


    His smile quickly changed into a frown. “Nicole told you. I knew I couldn’t trust her to keep quiet. I bet


    you’re here for a piece of the pie. He opened a drawer, took out a couple of w ads of cash and threw it


    on the desk in front of me.


    “No, I don’t want your money. What I want is your cooperation, Dan. Whatever Capo Bas tone wants


    done, any pertinent information, it goes through me first, I negotiated. He stared at me, shocked.


    “Does this have something to do with Virtue?”


    “That and among other things. I don’t want women going missing so near the elections…. especially


    Virtue,” I answered.


    So you’re taking my advice and wooing her to be your wife?” Dan asked. I nodded my head. He rubbedThis is from N?velDrama.Org.


    his chin and squinted his eyes, obviously thinking. “Through her business, we can smuggle more meth


    andunder more money. Imagine, Liam, we use her boutique as a front, putting up branches all of


    over the state. It would be perfect for business. With all that money, you could run for governor or


    senator and have a beautiful wife beside you when you campaign. Just imagine, Liam. The possibilities


    are endless.”


    It was my dream…


    “I’ve spoken with Capo B astone and all he asks is to keep the cash flowing. He’ll set aside his, uhm,


    carnal urges and y nice,” I said.


    “Well, I doubt Capo Ba stone will keep his word while he ys alongside Cris. I’ve been telling you,


    Liam, you need to keep Cris on a tight leash. You never know… his sh it may just blow up in your face,”


    Dan warned. I scratched my head. There was something going on.


    “What do you know?” I asked him.


    “They have a girl locked up at Bismarck again. She was abducted justst night at Mandan,” Dan


    answered, leaning back in his chair. “The police has CCTV footage of the abduction. For all we know,


    Cris may be identified as a suspect… soon.”


    F uck!


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    “He’s judging tonight at the Miss Honey Bee pageant. I’ll talk to him then, Dan.”


    Dan rolled his eyes at me. “Liam, out of the four of us, Cris is the weakest link. He always demands for


    a lion’s share of our take without any of the risk. Honestly, I’d rather give Jack his share, Dan said. “Cris


    is a liability. We need to get rid of him.”


    I stared at Dan, shocked he would stab his friend in the back. Unfortunately, he was right. Kidnapping,


    raping and killing girls left and right was something that maye back and bite us in the a ss. Cris


    needed to be dealt with ordingly.


    However, I couldn’t kill my friend.


    “I can’t kill him, Dan, and I won’t. I can’t betray him like that. Can you?”


    “You’re right, I can’t either,” he answered, lowering his eyes, regretting his words. “But there is another


    way to get rid of him without killing him…”


    “We’ll give him a taste of his own medicine.”


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