The Orlando File (Book One) Read online

  Mrs. Calvert sat in the chair opposite him, cradling a large cup of coffee between her hands. She sat on the edge of her chair, her eyes studying Kerrin carefully. Kerrin could see that she had been crying before he arrived, and her eyes were still red and puffy from the tears.

  She was rather a plain woman, in her mid forties, and quite plump. Her shoulder length brown hair had lost its vitality, and she wore no makeup. Kerrin guessed that looking good was probably the last thing on her mind just now.

  "Thank you for seeing me at such short notice. As I explained to you on the phone, I'm a relative of Martin Nicolson, one of Tom's colleagues. Martin was my brother-in-law. I'd met Tom myself once or twice when we all played golf together."

  "How is Martin?" the woman asked him.

  "Dead. He was killed in a plane accident last week…"

  The woman stretched out and placed her cup on the coffee table in front. She rose to her feet and started pacing around the room. Tears began to flow from her eyes.

  "Not another one…it's the company. David bloody Sonderheim and his bloody genetic wonder drugs…mark my words, that was no accident…they killed him just like they killed my Tom!"

  Kerrin waited a while, letting the emotional wave roll over her. She stood at the end of the sofa, her arms wrapped across her stomach as if trying to comfort herself.

  "I'm sorry," she said. "I'll be okay in a minute or two."

  She walked out to the kitchen, returning with a fresh handkerchief, dabbing at her eyes.

  "I'm fine now…"

  "I think I should tell you that by profession I am a reporter with the Washington Post. My sister, Martin's wife, asked me to find out what is going on, and make sure whoever is responsible for these deaths is brought to justice. I promised her I would."

  "The Washington Post?" She looked worried…"I've got two children…I don't know…"

  "Mrs Calvert, I can assure you that if anything is written about this, then no danger will come to you or your family. At the moment, all I want to do is find out what's going on. And why Martin, …and Tom…died."

  "Okay…Okay…," she agreed nervously.

  "Now, what I would like to ask you is this: the police are convinced your husband committed suicide. What makes you think he didn't?"

  "Tom…suicide?" she laughed through her tears, coughing a few times as the two emotions collided. "Did the police tell you that Tom was a devout catholic? Catholics aren't allowed to commit suicide. It's against their religion. They believe they will go to hell if they do…Or did they mention, that at college he was on the Anti-Drug Crusade, and that three years ago he started a Big Brother Support Programme in a nearby suburb for people trying to kick drugs? Did they mention that? So, you can see how absurd it sounds when you're told that your husband just killed himself by taking a drug overdose?" she stood up again, and Kerrin was forced to look up at her as she spoke. She was red in the face, the anger boiling beneath her words.

  "Did they tell you that the week before he died he booked a vacation for us all to Europe? A treat for the kids, and an opportunity for him to start a new life with a fresh start. Tom was looking forward to it…Our first trip to Europe together!"

  "I hope you don't mind me asking, but did Tom have any financial problems that you were aware of?"

  "No. None. Fortunately, that’s one problem we've never had to face. Let's just say that he didn't have to work again…And besides, although I don't like to talk about it, I come from a very wealthy family. Money has never been an issue for me…or for Tom…we shared bank accounts. Tom was fiercely independent though, never wanted to touch my money. And recently, even though Tom was completely against the move of the company to California, financially, he did very well from it. What with his severance package, then the sale of his shares in the company. Do you know how much money he made in the past few months from the stock market? A lot!"

  "So, if he had no money problems, was he pleased to lose his job and get lots of free time?" Kerrin asked.

  "…No. I wouldn't say that. Actually, he was furious about it! Everything he had worked for in the past ten years was gone. Did you know that he was one of the first people that Sonderheim recruited?"

  "So why did he lose his job?"

  "Because he wouldn't move to California. Same as the rest. Most of the core team refused to go."

  "Why didn't he move?"

  "…Because we love it here. Life isn't just about money. We've got everything we need right here in Orlando. And the kids love their schools and their friends. Are you a parent Mr Graham?…Because if you were, you'd know that you wouldn't dream of dragging your teenage kids away from their lives and their friends…No, there was no way we were moving to California! No way!" She sat back down in her seat. The outburst seemed to be over for now.

  "Do you know what project your husband was working on before he left Gen8tyx?"

  "No. Sorry, I can't help you there. None of the scientists at Gen8tyx ever talked about their work outside the lab. They weren't allowed to, and even if they had, I would never have understood it. I could never understand science at college. Languages yes, science no."

  "Did he ever bring any notes or work home with him?"

  "No, …nothing. Nobody was ever allowed to take anything out of the office. They were very strict about that."

  "In the weeks leading up to his death, did you notice anything at all unusual about his behaviour?"

  "No. But that's not to say he wasn't stressed out. There was something going on at work, tension between him and Sonderheim, and the whole business about having to leave the company. That got to him, but he never came home and took it out on us. At first he was extremely angry that he was going to have to leave his work, but then after he got used to the idea, he was really looking forward to the opportunities that some time off would give him."

  "Can I ask you exactly how your husband died? The police are a bit reluctant to let me see the files." He decided not to tell her that they had all mysteriously disappeared.

  "The police found him in his office, sitting at his desk, with a syringe in his hand, and a tourniquet around his arm. He had injected himself with something. Apparently he died of an overdose. The police said he had left a note."

  "What did it say?"

  "I don't know. They wouldn't let me see it."

  "Excuse me? What do you mean they wouldn't let you see it?"

  "Just that. Said it was evidence and they couldn't release it."

  "You have rights…you're allowed to see it!"

  "Apparently not. I spoke to my lawyer, and he said that in cases where these types of drugs were involved, at this stage the new State law gives the police the right to protect any evidence, even withhold it from family and friends!"

  It had been five years since Kerrin had left the Miami police. He wasn't up on recent Florida law. Maybe she was right.

  "…But they did say it was a classic goodbye note. They did mention one line -it said 'say goodbye to my family…tell them I love them…'." She started to cry again.

  "You need to be allowed to see it, at least to be allowed to verify the writing on it!" Kerrin insisted.

  "The police said it was a printed letter, written on his computer at work. They knew it was his because he had signed it."

  Kerrin thought about what she had just said: unless the police had had the handwriting checked by experts, they couldn't prove it was Tom's signature or rule out the possibility that perhaps someone else had copied it. Kerrin would have to get hold of the letter… Then he realised that now the file had gone missing in the police station, without the letter, he couldn't check the signature and prove it wasn't suicide!

  After a few moments, Mrs Calvert spoke again, her voice soft and quiet.

  "Mr Graham, you need to know that I loved my husband. We lived together for over twenty years. Twenty years! He was part of me…I knew him inside out…and Tom and I had everything to live for. Everything. As his wife, friend, and lover, I am tell
ing you that my husband, Tom Charles Calvert, did not kill himself!"

  Kerrin believed her.

  Chapter 9

  Day Nine

  Mike Gilbert's House