“Man, we should do this for a living,” one of the guys said as he looked around the deserted foyer. “Only it should be a bank or someplace with something valuable.”
Molson reluctantly shook his head and lead the way to the elevator. At the top floor he used the key card and passcode supplied. They grinned at each other as the door opened. Molson motioned them to spread out to search the floor.
He followed Max’s map to Ted Searson’s office. As he neared, Molson could hear voices.
“What? You start the party without me?” Molson looked slightly affronted as he casually entered the office. The occupants gazed at him, startled.
He recognized Ted Searson from the photo that Max had thoughtfully provided. He also knew Bethany from the same source. There was a woman there, perched on the couch with Bethany that he didn’t know. There was also David Ramesly, sitting on the edge of the desk, obviously holding court.
“Who are you?” Ted stood up in alarm.
“None of your business. Sit down,” Molson ordered him as he crouched in front of Bethany. “What’d they do to you girl?”
Bethany was reclining against the couch, her eyes barely open, mouth slack as she labored to breath. Molson used a small flashlight to check her eyes, then took her pulse.
“I told you, she needs a hospital,” the woman glared at David. “She’s not reacting to the medications properly.”
“Whose fault might that be?” David said mildly as he watched Molson check Bethany. “Andrew must have sent you.”
“Now I know you just did not say that,” Molson looked around and spied the bag of prescription medications. He grabbed it, reading through some of the labels quickly. “Cuz if you did, that means you know all about Andrew. Which means you know about me. I gotta say, I’m upset you didn’t send no Christmas cards or nothing.”
“Why would I?” David said nonchalantly. “You’re not mine.”
“I got a DNA test that says otherwise,” Molson shook the bag of drugs at the woman on the couch. “You Dr. U? The one with the name all over these bottles?”
“When did you get my DNA?” David demanded.
“Yes,” Dr. Holly Urshman said shakily, trying to back away from the bag of pills he had shoved under her nose.
“What’d you give her?” Molson questioned non-too gently.
“Today? Nothing. Two days ago, I gave her a lorazepam to calm her down to help in a therapy session,” she replied defensively. “Nothing else. Nothing to make her like this.”
“I asked you a question boy!” David stood, glowering down at them.
“You think you’re the only one who can get things done?” Molson gave David a derisive look then tossed the bag of pills to one of his friends. He picked up Bethany, cradling her against him. “Come on Sugar, I’m gonna get you feeling better.”
“Wait!” Ted cried. “You can’t just take her.”
“Really?” Molson laughed. “In case you didn’t notice Ted, your daughter is suffering from an overdose. If she don’t get this junk out of her, she’s gonna die.”
“No,” Ted looked lost. “She’s not supposed to die.”
“Shut up Ted,” David growled.
“Lady, you coming?” Molson raised a pierced eyebrow at Dr. Urshman.
“Excuse me?” Holly questioned suspiciously at him. She looked very afraid.
“Wow, okay. Let me lay this out to you,” Molson said. “For some reason they got you all caught up in their scheme. Maybe it sounded good at first. Maybe there’s money involved. Whatever.
“Point is, after Bethany makes a full recovery and points the finger at you for prescribing all those pills, who do you think is gonna take the fall? Them?” Molson scoffed. “They got lawyers and cash to keep them out of jail. They’ll just say it was all you. You’re gonna rot in prison. Unless you roll on them first, before Miss Sunshine here gets well. You testify or you can take your chances with these two. They ain’t looking out for your interests.
“In fact, I’ll lay odds they might just do to you what they did to dear Sugar here.”
Molson headed out the door.
“This is unacceptable,” David strode out after him only to be blocked by one of Molson’s companions. “Who are you?”
