Fatal Dose (21 page)

“Very little. They often take advantage of my contracts with over-the-road carriers so they can get the benefit from our volume freight discounts. All the documentation comes through my Traffic Department. That accounts for about two-thirds of their production. The balance is picked up by unmarked panel trucks and an occasional semi. They’ve got their own crew of loaders and drivers for that, too. Past that, I don’t ask any questions. If any of my people inquire about what is going on, I make up excuses to mollify them.”

Dennis sat back in his chair and mulled over Paul’s story. After a few minutes he said, “It occurs to me that they may have made a major mistake in using the same carriers in order to get the volume discount on the freight shipments. That should make it easy for you to track the origins and destinations of the illicit shipments. Is that correct?”

Paul hesitated for a minute before responding, “Yes, you’re absolutely right. That would be easy to do and wouldn’t be noticed by anyone.”

Dennis looked him in the eye and said resolutely, “Paul, from now on you’re going to be our eyes and ears. I don’t mind telling you that the Justice Department is going to bring Atronen down. I can guarantee you immunity from prosecution as long as you cooperate with us. You won’t have to testify or go into hiding or anything, but, unfortunately, you will end up being one of the hundreds of innocent victims of a greedy corporation knee-deep in illegal activities that will be out of work. Actually, you will be one of the lucky ones. You have advance information about the demise of Atronen. You can even do some preliminary job hunting if you want to, but I can’t give any timetable. Sometimes the Justice Department takes their time building a case. It may be weeks or it may take months. Either way, no matter how good a new opportunity may look, you will have to remain on the job until we’re ready to make our move. Do I make myself clear?”

“Yes, I understand perfectly. You don’t have to worry about me. I appreciate getting a heads-up. I would never have seen this coming. You both know that I need my job. I’ve got a son in college and three more in high school.”

Dennis interrupted him “I know your situation, but I have very little sympathy for the hole you’ve dug for yourself. We won’t throw a monkey wrench into your job hunting, but you don’t go anywhere until we say it’s okay and don’t do anything to get fired, either. You’re in this for the duration of our probe. You mess up and I’ll nail your ass to the wall. Understood?”

Paul looked down and said, “I said I understood.” There was a hint of annoyance in his voice. He seemed irritated by the reminder of the mess he had made of his life. He was already living the hell on a daily basis. There would be no easy way out for him.

“Don’t talk to anyone about this, especially your wife or wives. And don’t get any ideas of disappearing. We’ll be watching you around the clock until this is over.”

“You have my word. I’ll shoot straight with you guys.”

Dennis looked at Mark as they both measured the value they placed on Paul Snyder’s “word.”

“All right, then, let’s get into the details.”

They spent the next hour outlining what they expected to receive from Paul, when they expected it and how he would communicate with them. He would do some snooping around to find out which drugs were being “thinned” Inventories of drug labels needed to be checked every Friday afternoon and Monday morning to determine which drugs and how many were used for the production runs. He was expected to check for gaps in the range of serial numbers on the pill bottles and he would need to check shipping manifests to ascertain where the drugs were transported.

As part of the plan, Justice had already approved the formation of an eight-man team to work a special shift on Friday nights to perform surveillance on the panel trucks and semis that carried the drugs to their destinations.

Paul’s mood improved slightly as they wrapped up the meeting. “At least my wife and children will be happy when I tell her that I didn’t get the job,” he said with a half smile.

“How’s that?” Mark asked.

“They got very upset with me when I told them that we would have to move. Now if I do eventually have to relocate, it won’t be because it was my choice.”

Dennis quipped, “Life has a strange way of working things out.” He added, sarcastically, “I’m so happy for you.”

They shook hands on the deal and Mark stepped back to let Paul out of the office. They stopped at Wendy’s desk so Mark could introduce her.

“Special Agent Farrell will be your contact for the balance of the week in case something unexpected comes up. After that, she will be my backup until this case is closed.”

“I understand,” he said as he accepted her card.

Paul opened the front door, but before he left, in what can only be described as comic relief, he turned, got a big smile on his face and asked, “Does this mean I don’t get the job?”

That said, he turned away and left the building, leaving three stunned agents in his wake.

Wendy locked the front door and joined Mark and Dennis in the office. “Can you believe that guy?”

Mark answered, “Beats me. That’s a first.”

“How did it go with the meeting? I thought I would hear some shouting, weeping, gnashing of teeth or something.”

“He took it well, under the circumstances. I think he realized right away how lucky he was. I’m confident that he’ll be diligent in his snooping. He wants us out of his hair as quickly as possible. Actually, for a few minutes I was actually feeling sorry the guy. He just wanted to go on with his life after the second marriage didn’t work out. He’s been a stand-up guy as far as child support goes. It’s just that his second wife’s religious beliefs stand in the way of a divorce.”

“Careful, Mister Softie,” Wendy said with a smile.

“Very funny. Are you two saying you don’t feel even the slightest bit sorry for his situation?”

Dennis spoke first, “Setting aside the marital issue for a moment, I have no sympathy for him at all. Let’s not forget that he’s found it convenient to look the other way while illicit operations are going on right under his nose. That smart-ass remark when he left didn’t endear him to me, either.”

Mark replied, “From what we’ve seen so far, crossing Marco Vennuti is an invitation to be pushing up daisies. Let’s hope that Paul stays alive long enough to get us the evidence we need to shut those guys down. I’m glad we’ll be keeping an eye on him.”

“Well I don’t sympathize with him in the slightest,” Wendy chimed in, “He obviously isn’t a straight shooter. I didn’t hear everything he said, but what assurances do we have that he will play by our rules?”

Dennis interjected, “I think he appreciates the deal we cut for him. He knows we will come down hard on him if he messes up. One wrong move and he’s history. Now let’s wrap it up here and get back to the office. What time will you be leaving for Centerville, Mark?”

“Around one o’clock. I already spoke with Inspector Bagnold, so I’m good to go. I prefer driving in daylight and besides, the traffic flow will be good. If you don’t mind, Dennis, I’ll ride back to the office with Wendy.”

“Not a problem. You two go ahead, I’ll close up here. It went well today, Mark. I will admit that I was a bit skeptical about your little subterfuge, but it went off better than I could have imagined. Thanks!”

“You’re certainly welcome, Dennis. We were all spot-on, weren’t we?”

“Oh, by the way, do you know anything more about that Chinese company that’s trying to set up distribution here?”

“No, I don’t, but it’s number one on my list to cover with Bruce. As soon as I know anything at all, I’ll pass it along.”

“Good. Now get going.”

Wendy gathered up her laptop and her sling-pak and they left the office. On the way to her car she turned to him and said, “I’m glad we have this time together. If you hadn’t said something, I was going to. I’m really going to miss you while you’re down in Centerville.”

The ride back to the office was filled with a number of wishes from Wendy, “I wish you didn’t have to go, I wish I could go with you and I wish it wasn’t today,”

Mark could only reply with a bunch of “Me too’s” and finally, “Wendy, I’ll be back on Saturday. We can spend the rest of the weekend together.”

“I’d love that.”

Mark left the office at twelve forty-five and headed to the house to finish packing and pick up some water and snacks for the trip. A part of him the practical businessman part was glad to be returning to Centerville even if only for a few days. The past few weeks had taken a toll on his nervous system. The carnage alone was enough to rattle the strongest man. Mark was confident that the change of pace would do him good.

CHAPTER THIRTY-TWO

“Come on in, Milt. Please close the door.”

Dennis started things off. “I prefer that we keep any additional information about Special Agent Paschal between ourselves until all the facts are in. As you can see it is a sensitive issue around here especially with the female agents who were her friends.”

“It’s quite normal for my probes to stir up emotions. I have no problem with keeping things low-key, except for the reports I have to send to OPR. Since I spoke to you last, there have been some significant developments in my investigation.”

“You mean with that sports club?”

“Yes. I was able to link Agent Paschal to a group of four women who formed a club called BAM. They met regularly at The All Sports Club. I found some receipts for use of a private room there. At first I didn’t realize the significance of the name of their group, and then it struck me. As you know, Agent Paschal was once a marine. She was stationed at Quantico. That’s where she made her initial contact with the Bureau. In the old days, maybe even today, BAM was a euphemism for ‘bare ass marine’ or in other words, a female marine. I guess under the circumstances the name is a double entendre for the type of activities they engaged in. It didn’t take too long to link the lash marks that the ME found with the ‘bare ass’ concept and the probability that the four of them were involved in some sort of a private bondage club or something of the sort. Of course, I’m just speculating on the last part.”

“That’s incredible. Vennuti could have found about what she was mixed up in and blackmailed her into spying for him?”

“That would be my guess, too, but it isn’t enough just linking him to the Club, which we did. He works out a lot and may even be a member of the gymnasium. Of course, a lot of people are, including most members of the Town Council, but I think that our first step is going to be to link this BAM group to The All Sports Club. Would you like to join me on a visit there?”

“I’d love to. Do you know who we have to see?”

“Yeah. The place is operated by David Hartman. On the surface The All Sports Club is a four season tennis club, gymnasium and social club, complete with a bar and dining room, but the blueprints on file at the license Bureau show that they have some private rooms in the back of the building that have been soundproofed and are pretty much off-limits to the majority of members. That area has its own entrance. I think that’s where we want to start. I asked Marcia to run a check on David Hartman. Let’s stop by her desk on the way out to see if she’s gotten anything that might be helpful.”

Dennis and Milton picked up the report on David Hartman. They returned to Dennis’s office to scan through it before they visited the club.

Milt summed up their findings “It seems that The All Sports Club has been the subject of quite a few police investigations over the years. Our friend Mister Hartman has owned and operated the place from the opening. The tennis and gym activity seem to be legit; many of the area’s wealthiest citizens are members, as well a good many politicians. Most of their problems involve the private rooms. Over the years there have been raids for illegal gambling, with hefty fines leveled against the club. Twice, Hartman was found guilty and given a suspended sentence for those activities. It appears that he has a few political friends that usually intervene on his behalf. During one raid, a dungeon type room was discovered with chains, stocks and other devices, including cameras. They couldn’t locate any films, so no charges were brought against the club for anything illegal. There is no other evidence of any wrongdoing.”

“It looks like we’ve hit pay dirt with that special room. It sounds like it would be the perfect meeting place for BAM.”

“That’s what I’m thinking, too.”

“Let’s pay Mister Hartman a surprise visit.”

They arrived at The All Sports Club facility around 3pm. It was larger than they were expecting, taking up an entire city block. They hatched a plan on the way over; one that they were certain would unearth the truth about Agent Paschal’s private life. Dennis planned to take the lead.

The receptionist greeted them, “Welcome to The All Sports Club. Is this your first visit to the facility?”

“Yes it is. Actually, we’re here on private business. We would like to see David Hartman,” Dennis responded.

“Is he expecting you?”

“No he isn’t, but he was recommended to us.”

“I’ll check to see if he can see you.” She spoke with someone for a minute and hung up the phone. “You are in luck. He’s not only in and he will see you.” She gestured down the hall. “He’s the first door on the left.”

When Dennis and Milton arrived at the door, it suddenly opened and a pudgy bald man in his fifties thrust out his hand. “I’m David Hartman. I own and operate the club. Please come in.” He shook hands with both of them and stepped aside to allow them entry into his office, which was heavily decorated with sports equipment, trophies and photos of sporting events. He sat behind his desk and gestured for them to sit in the overstuffed chairs reserved for visitors.