“Yes, sir.” Mia nodded. “The drug trials. I’ve found a similar pattern within medical practices throughout Louisiana. They managed to escape unnoticed because they hit small physician groups, and the big thing: they changed diseases. Different types of cancers, heart disease, Crohn’s, lupus, diabetes and so on. From what I can decipher, the group would approach a practice with a particular trial med to help their patients. The practice was paid per patient enrolled for Phase 2. Phase 1 was faked.
“With most drugs, there is a placebo effect. Also, administering the med to healthy people, patients appeared to get ‘better.’ They’d say they lost their funding and began taking major contributions. After their Phase 2 data came back as unclear, they’d move on. Patients on a drug trial agree to take a risk.
“Unfortunately, in the case of Ovarix, it appears they colluded with Gabriel Matin, who thought they had something that might work. And when it killed people, Adelaide felt guilty about taking the money with blood on her hands. Harper refused to compromise her belief system. And you, Boss, you got involved,” Mia said.
“Do we have any leads on who is funding this operation?” Tobey asked.
“I’m pinpointing practices and tracking money. I got my information from clusters of deaths. Now I need to find families and doctors and nurses, though that requires boots on the ground, and we are at capacity with the condition of the state,” she said.
“Josh, get on the phone with Denver. Ask Link for an Eagle’s Talon team. Mia, assign Eagle’s Talon Crescent 4 to you. I want these people.” Kip’s temper flared.
“Great job, everyone. Meeting adjourned.” He stood and watched the group leave. Stepping from his glass room, he saw his intercom light up. “Yeah, Elin?”
“Mr. Cooper, Dupart, Parry and Carpenter to see you,” she said.
“Send them in.” He returned to the collaborative room and relaxed a little seeing the smiles on his friends’ faces.
Julian grabbed his shoulders and spun him around. “You need to gain some weight back, or you will have to get fitted with new suits.” He laughed.
Each man took a seat. “What’s going on?” He had already spoken for a considerable period with each of his friends about the poor choices he made and how grateful he was for them. “I assume Mia briefed you.”
“You assume right. As soon as Tobey finished your meeting, he put out a text assigning Crescent 1 to you and Harper,” Kyle said.
“Mon ami, I believe this is related to your relationship with Harper. Taking you out of the way makes her, in their minds, an easy target. What they don’t know is she isnous famille. Our family.” Julian touched his heart and pointed at him.
Kip nodded. “Thank you.” His third friend was very quiet. “Rich?”
“I worked with New York technical analysis. We utilized military, NSA, and Homeland contacts. The triplets have two sets of grandparents, all four elderly and infirmed. None want financial or physical responsibility for the babies. We also did a complete search of the flooded home.”
“Spit it out,” Kip said.
“We did an autopsy of the two bodies. They are the birth parents. Cause of death was drowning—secondary to poisoning.” He looked sick.
“What purpose? The house was filling; we would have gone. We would have rescued all of them,” Kip’s voice rose.
“The mother was a chemist for a real pharmaceutical company. I have tech running finance records,” Rich said.
“And the babies?”
“When they are ready for discharge, foster care and adoption,” Rich answered.
Kip felt bile rise in his throat but nodded. “Brock, you are here for something too.”
“The board met when you were unconscious. Every man had some choice words for you going on this rescue op, but every man said it’s likely they would do the same thing. But I need to give you an official kick in the ass and warning.” The man who rarely smiled did.
“Kick received,” Kip said.
“Now I need to advise you of another situation. Chantal’s restaurant received a call from Pierre Rousselle wanting to speak to his daughter. Her partner called the emergency number he was given—Elin. I took this up a notch, and at Kieran’s instruction, returned the call as Chantal’s attorney. I told him she evacuated from the storm and has not returned.
“Mr. Rousselle wanted to get a message to Harper. An attorney contacted them looking for her. You know the Rousselles’ views on their daughters and finances—they wanted nothing to do with this attorney.
“But the call was not financial. The day Harper was in that accident, Adelaide Matin executed a new will. In it, she declared that, in the case of her and Gabriel’s deaths, Harper Rousselle is named guardian of Babette and Desirée Matin. The paperwork is legal and binding.”
“Congratulations, Daddy,” Julian said.
Kip rocked back and forth in his seat. “Daddy,” he whispered.
Chapter 40
