Kyle (Hope City Book 4) Read online

  Hearing Helen’s canned answer, she shook her head. “Do you not think that simply providing doctors with written information about the various drugs would be enough? Is there a need to give samples? What about the studies on the value of giving drug samples?”

  Lifting a brow, Helen tilted her head to the side and pinned Kimberly with a penetrating gaze. “I see you’ve done some homework.”

  “I know there’s a great deal of debate in this industry about the value of giving drug samples. On one hand, the idea is to get the drugs into the hands of lower-income patients who might not be able to afford their medication. Unfortunately, some studies show that less than a third of the patients receiving the medication are low income.”

  “Wanting to make sure that Kilton Pharmaceuticals is up-to-date on the latest information that affects my department, I’m aware of these numerous studies.” Helen glanced out the window and sat quietly for a moment. She slowly shook her head and sighed. “Another study showed that nearly half of all pharmaceutical representatives surveyed reported using samples themselves or giving them to their friends or relatives.” She turned and pinned Kimberly with a hard stare and added, “I’d like to believe that very few of the Kilton sales reps abuse the samples given to them to distribute. But I’d be a fool to not know that some do. Pharmaceuticals in the wrong hands… I used to never think about it and now it keeps me up at night.”

  Helen’s face fell and her shoulders slumped as though the weight of the world was pressing down. Desperate to think of something to say, Kimberly prompted, “So, giving away drugs comes down to the positive outweighing the negative?”

  Helen shrugged and said, “Some doctor offices now refuse to accept samples. If that becomes the norm, it will completely change the face of my job.”

  They continued talking for several more minutes, Kimberly scribbling everything down as fast as she could. She’d walked into the office assuming that she would hear nothing but glowing news about pharmaceutical representatives from Helen and that Beth was the anomaly but, instead, she now had an interview from an employee who was beleaguered, frustrated, and uncertain about her career future. I doubt this is what Sally Gleason wants me to write about. Curiosity piqued, she decided to learn more about what Beth had been involved in.

  Kimberly stepped off the elevator onto the plush fourth floor once again, this time to interview Thomas Kilton, the President’s son and Vice President of Finance and Administration. His office was similar to Sally’s—plush carpet, a wall of bookcases, a highly-polished wooden desk. The difference in his corner office was the view out the windows—he could see trees.

  Thomas greeted her with a wide smile and the family resemblance was strong and quite evident with his father’s picture proudly displayed on the wall. Various awards for Kilton Pharmaceuticals graced the walls as well as framed photographs of the Kilton family with numerous politicians and many of the wealthy movers and shakers of Hope City.

  Thomas droned on about the virtues of Kilton Pharmaceuticals, mentioning the numerous awards the company had won, name-dropping, and how they were leading the industry in the manufacture of drugs.

  He was not telling her anything new considering she had typed similar information into brochures. As her mind wandered, she began focusing on what he was wearing. Dapper, well-groomed, and expensive suit. She was fascinated with the folded handkerchief that was peeking out of his coat pocket. She doubted he ever used it since the folds and creases were perfectly aligned. It was so flat she wondered if it was a real handkerchief or simply decoration. Since the color was the exact match of his shirt, she then wondered if he had different pocket-handkerchiefs to match all his shirts.

  “Do you think that gives you enough information for now?”

  Blinking, she glanced down at her notepad, seeing only the words Thomas Kilton at the top and a few scribbles underneath. Shit! Lifting her chin, she offered a brilliant smile. “Absolutely, Mr. Kilton. It’s been such an honor meeting you and having a chance to find out more about our company.” She must have said the right words with the right tone because his smile was as bright as hers as he stood and walked around his desk to shake her hand.

  “Would you allow me to take a photograph of you?”

  He preened, straightening his already-straightened tie. “Of course.” He moved to stand in front of the wall of awards and she snapped a few pictures with her cell phone.

  Thanking him, she held on to her smile as she walked down the hall in case anyone was looking, grateful when the elevator doors opened. Stepping inside and finding it empty, she slumped against the back wall. So far, she was gaining nothing to put into an article that was different than what she could have found with an Internet search.

  Next on her list was another one of the Kiltons. This time she was in the HR department, sitting with Thomas’ sister, Sidney Kilton. She had never met Sidney, simply seeing her picture occasionally in company news. Like Thomas, there was a strong family resemblance to their father. Thinking she would be experiencing another interview full of smiles and effusive praise, she was surprised.

  “I suppose you’ve already been in my brother’s office,” Sidney began, her voice curt as she waved her hand around. “I’m not sure how long I’ll have to wait before I can manage a corner office on the fourth floor.”

  Eyes wide, Kimberly simply nodded as she plopped into the chair offered. She stared at the tall, statuesque brunette dressed in a power suit, immaculate makeup, and glasses that were probably never shoved upon her head and used as a headband. Sidney exuded no-nonsense strength, and Kimberly was caught between admiration and fear. “Um…”

  Waving her hand again, Sidney said, “Oh, forget it. Sour grapes and all that.” Spearing her with a hard stare, she asked, “Now, what do you want to know.? Sally’s told me that she’s desperate to cast her department in a better light. Personally, I think we’d do better to focus our attention on development instead of giving away tons of drugs and… well, whatever.”

  Sydney’s rapid-fire thought process and delivery caught Kimberly off-guard, and she fought to try to keep up. Not wanting to appear like a ninny, she crossed her ankles, placed her pad in her lap, and clicked the top of her pen. “My assignment is to find out as much as I can about our company, but I’m looking more for human-interest stories. Helen gave me some very good information about the sales representatives, and I have the names of a few that I’ll talk to, hopefully gaining a vastly different experience than what the news was filled with several months ago—”

  “No need to beat around the bush. You’re referring to when Beth Washington was arrested, and Kilton Pharmaceuticals splashed all over the news.”

  “Um… yes.” Looking back down at her pad of prepared questions, she swallowed deeply, uncertain if any of them would lead to a less-pissed-off supervisor. “Um… before this assignment, I was working on material for STEM, and particularly for girls. Does Kilton have a proportional number of STEM men and women?”

  Sidney leaned back in her chair, her elbows propped on the wooden arms and her fingertips lightly touching in front of her. She stared, unknown thoughts behind her eyes, and Kimberly could feel a trickle of sweat running down her back. Finally, a slow smile curved Sidney’s lips. “Interesting. I thought perhaps you were after nothing but fluff.”

  Her tongue darted out to lick her dry lips, and she continued to hold Sydney’s gaze. Tilting her head slightly, she asked, “Fluff?” She winced at the mouse-like squeak when she spoke.

  “Yes, fluff. I’m afraid that’s what I imagine of when I think of human-interest stories. ‘How Kilton Pharmaceuticals saves the day with new and innovative drugs.’” Lifting her eyebrow, she said, “So, what are you really after?”

  Pressing her lips together for a moment, she held Sydney’s steady gaze and said, “My assignment is to show the good that this pharmaceutical company does. The chance to chat with some employees who are as much of the success story as the people in corner offices.” />
  Sidney’s smile widened, and she nodded. “Well, well, I’m impressed.” Leaning forward, directing her attention completely on Kimberly, she said “Talk to as many lower-level employees as you can, not just the department supervisors or, God forbid, the VPs. I know you’ve already interviewed my brother, and I’m surprised you didn’t fall asleep while listening to him wax poetic about our company—”

  A snort slipped out, and Kimberly pressed her lips together tightly.

  “Ah, yes. I see you know what I mean. Dad is gone on a trip and, well, you know the old saying… While the cat’s away, the mice will play. My brother loves to pretend he’s already at the helm of Kilton Pharmaceuticals.”

  Kimberly remained quiet, observing a woman struggling in a man’s field. A sister fighting for her place in the family business. Then the hard shield fell back into place and Sidney stood, the interview obviously over. Jumping to her feet also, Kimberly thanked her for her time.

  “I hardly gave you anything newsworthy,” Sidney admitted. “But I’m serious about talking to employees. If you want to dig into the stories behind the company, that’s where you’ll get them.”

  Walking out of the HR offices, her mind reeled with the variety of responses her initial questions had brought but, with Sidney’s words ringing in her ears, she decided to take her advice and do some digging. But I wonder… what will I find?

  She decided to swing by her own office to let John know how her work had progressed. Most of her coworkers had already left for the day, and the lights in John’s office were turned off.

  “Hey, stranger.”

  She looked up and smiled as Marcus sat at his desk. “Hi, yourself. I was going to check in with John, but I see he’s already left for the weekend.”

  “Yeah, he got out a little early. I was just finishing up my work so it wasn’t going to be facing me on Monday morning.” Her shoes clicked on the tile floor as she walked toward the back. Glancing down, he chuckled. “Not used to seeing you in heels.”

  “Yeah. I know John doesn’t mind us being casual in our office, but interviewing the VPs and some department supervisors, I wanted to look the part.”

  “How’s it going?”

  She wrinkled her nose and sighed. “So far, I’m not learning anything that I couldn’t get from a basic, first-hire tour. All of this stuff is what we put in brochures anyway, so it’s just a repetition of what I already know.”

  “So, no dirty secrets, right?” he asked, wiggling his eyebrows.

  “I’m not looking for secrets. I just want to see a more personal side of Kilton Pharmaceuticals. Something that makes the company seem less cold and clinical. I plan on interviewing more front-line employees and first up on my list will be some of the ones who work in the warehouse.”

  She sat at her desk and pulled up the news reports of Beth Washington and Terry Birk, the warehouse worker. Not seeing anything she hadn’t already read months ago, she began clicking through links on where illegal prescription drugs end up. Article after article talked about the opioid crisis, especially for the low-income. More clicking led her to articles on using prescription opioids as additives to heroin and other illegal drugs.

  “What are you looking at now?”

  Jumping, she had not heard Marcus stepping behind her, now looking over her shoulder.

  “Oh, you scared me.” Turning back to her computer, she said, “I started trying to find out more about the thefts here, but that led me into all these articles about prescription drugs on the black market. God, I’m so naïve.”

  “If you’re trying to show Kilton in a good light, why are you looking at that side of things?”

  “Curiosity, I guess”

  “Well, just remember what they say about curiosity,” he threw out, shutting down his computer.

  Glancing at her phone, she saw that she had missed a text from Caitlyn.

  Let’s meet at CC after work.

  She was tired and considered declining, but the idea of a glass of wine, unwinding with her friends, and possibly seeing the mysterious Kyle again was too strong a lure to ignore. Grinning, she headed into town toward the Celtic Cock.

  7

  Closing the file on his desk, Kyle ran his hand over his hair and leaned back, hearing the vertebrae snap and crackle as he stretched.

  “Fuck, you sound old,” Alex said, standing as he grabbed his jacket off the back of his chair. Ignoring the finger that Kyle was flipping, he asked, “You up for a drink at the Cock?”

  “God, yes. This has been a long-ass week with nothing but dead ends.” He said nothing to Alex, but the chance that he would see Kimberly had him anxious to get to the bar. The idea that she was avoiding him slowed his steps just slightly. There’s no way she didn’t feel some kind of a connection. At least I hope that’s—

  “McBride. Freeman.”

  Their feet stuttered to a halt at the bottom of the steps at the sound of their captain’s voice. Sharing a glance, Kyle knew they were in for a long night. Whatever their captain wanted, the Celtic Cock was going to have to wait.

  Jogging back up the stairs, they reentered the workroom.

  “Got an armed robbery. Think you’re going to want in on this. Delivery van robbed at gunpoint.” He shot his gaze between the two detectives and continued, “The van? It was from Kilton Pharmaceuticals. Everything was taken.”

  “Fuckin’ hell. Just what we need is more fuckin’ drugs on the street.” With a chin lift toward his Captain, he and Alex headed back down the stairs. Climbing inside his truck with Alex in the passenger seat, he put the address in his GPS. Looks like the Celtic Cock and the possibility of Kimberly is going to have to wait. A-fuckin’-gain.

  Traffic was heavy at the end of the workday, but within fifteen minutes he pulled to a stop in an alley behind a small pharmacy. The alley was narrow but cleared of debris. Dumpster to the side, boxes broken down and placed out for recycling. The back door to the pharmacy was standing open with several officers moving in and out.

  Badge hooked to his belt, he climbed from his truck. An officer lifted the yellow tape that had been wound around the perimeter to keep back the curious bystanders that always appeared whenever the police gathered anywhere.

  Looking up, he noted the swipe of black spray paint covering the security camera. Mumbling, “Professional,” he knew Alex had spotted the camera as well. He stalked toward the plain, white panel van. He jerked his head toward the van, looking at Alex. “Nothing on the outside indicates Kilton. Somebody knew it was coming and what it carried.”

  He stopped and looked through the open side door. The interior was lined with metal shelving on each side, now completely empty. Stepping back, he spied blood droplets on the pavement. A man in a navy blue uniform was sitting in the back of an ambulance. Recognizing the paramedic, he walked over. Looking back at Alex, he asked, “Robbery’s not here yet. You want to call for the lab boys or have them take the whole thing in?”

  “Friday afternoon? Hell, I say let’s call the whole van in.”

  “Works for me. I’ll go talk to the driver.”

  He stalked toward the ambulance. “Rory,” he greeted the paramedic who had finished bandaging a cut on the driver’s forehead.

  The paramedic glanced as Kyle walked up and grinned widely. “Hey, bro.”

  His younger brother Rory had come home from his days in the Army and immediately began volunteering for the Hope City Fire Department. It didn’t take him long to decide he wanted to become a paramedic and was still in training.

  “Is he going to the hospital?”

  “We advised it, especially since this happened on the job. He can file Workman's Comp anyway, so he should go.”

  “Sir, I’m Detective Kyle McBride. Are you up for a few questions before they take you to the hospital?” Gaining the driver’s nod, he collected the basics first—name, address, phone number, and even though his shirt had the name Kilton Pharmaceuticals embroidered over the pocket, he checked to make sure Kilton wa
s his employer.

  “Right. Now, Mr. Parson, take me through exactly what happened.”

  The driver winced as Rory placed the last butterfly bandage on his forehead. “Me and Charlie left the warehouse after lunch, about 1 o’clock. We got behind in our deliveries, even though we only had four to make this afternoon. We have three on the southwest side of town and then this one. The problem was there was an accident over on Market Street and they detoured us onto Harrison Drive. Well, our first pharmacy was on Market. So I called the pharmacy manager and talked to him, and we decided to move him to later.”

  “Did you check in with your supervisor?”

  “Absolutely. I wouldn’t make a change in our delivery schedule without letting somebody back at Kilton know.”

  “So, then what’d you do?”

  “We went to the next two on our route. This was the second one. We pulled up to the back and there was another delivery truck near the entrance. I just figured the pharmacy was getting another delivery of merchandise. The back door was closed, so I stayed in the van and my partner went to the door.”

  Swinging around, he spied Alex talking to another man standing to the side wearing the same blue uniform. “That your partner?”

  “Yes, sir.”

  “Go on. What happened next?”

  “Charlie got out and started walking to the back door, and suddenly two men jumped out of the other truck, and one headed to Charlie, and the other came straight up to the driver's side and pointed his gun right at me. Told me to get out, so I did. They pressed us up against the side and told us to stay put. One kept his gun on us and the other got inside our van and started clearing it out.”

  “Did you know them? Had you ever seen them before?”