Page 64 of Tear Me Down
“So how the hell would she legally own a pharmaceutical company?”
“Exactly. My guess? It’s a cover for Mr. John Avery.”
“Well, either way, the pharmacy is now connected to the Senator, regardless of who actually owns it,” Alex chimes in.
“Exactly. Those USB drives? The manufacturing reports? It seems to be a lot bigger than we were thinking.”
“Okay, so why would a Senator help a drug lord? It makes no damn sense,” Zeke spits out.
“There’s always more under the surface,” Mr. Hartley adds.
“Especially when Mr. Goody-Two-Shoes Senator recently proposed a bill to outlaw the chemicals in ecstasy. Take a look.” Carter pulls up the Senate bill, and as we read over it, we realize he’s right. The bill wants to prohibit the retail sale and pharmaceutical manufacturing of drugs with that chemical composition and distribution. Avery’s claiming that it’s adding to the drug epidemic in the country, as well as the increasing crime rates. “It’s highly supported, as is its sister-bill that incorporates crueler punishments for certain rising crimes. Drug dealing, manufacturing, human trafficking, domestic violence...”
“But if he’s trying to outlaw the drugs, why would he make them? Whywork with such despicable people to push out a drug made with the same ingredients he’s trying to make illegal? And he’sliterallyadding to the crime rate. I don’t understand,” I inquire.
“When he first proposed the bill, there wasn’t much support. Some of the ingredients are used in other medications, and of course, people love ecstasy. Yes, it’s already illegal, but a lot of higher ups still have access to it, and because the chemicals are used in so many other things, it’s too much to regulate as harshly as they should. So, what would be a good way to prove that his bill needs to be passed?”
“A drug and crime epidemic, and one that’s hitting so close to the nation’s capital that it would definitely raise some alarms,” Damien adds, and we all nod in agreement.
“Yep, and you ready for the next part?” Carter asks us, which weobviouslyanswer yes to. “Our beloved Senator just announced his presidential race six weeks ago. Right after the night Henry died. That warehouse attack was all he needed to get enough support, and I’m guessing poisoning you was more than just an attempt to murder you. It was a test.”
“So, you’re saying that he orchestrated all of this to gain support of other Senators and Representatives?” Alex asks.
“Not only that, but with his campaign for the bill, he’s visited rehabilitation centers, homeless shelters, jails, prisons, anything that makes him look like he’s got the people’s best interest at heart. He’s playing this cold and dirty. Now, Mr. Hartley?” He looks over at Carter in recognition. “I believe you know these two.” Carter then presents two mug-shot-looking photos, one of a woman and one a man, clearly the same ‘couple’ from the Dust party.
Mr. Hartley stands abruptly, causing his chair to bang against the table, and I instinctively flinch in shock. I’ve never seen him look so startled, so taken by surprise, as if he’s seeing ghosts.
“They’re dead.” He jerks his gaze back at Carter, and he looks almost as ravenous as Damien, like he’s about to tear this room apart just from the sight of them. Mr. Hartley is always so calm and stoic, the sight of him with so much anger is startling, and it actually sends a line of ice down my spine.
“I assure you, sir. They’re not dead.” Carter then puts the photos up from the Dust party next to their mugshots. “Interpol lost track of them some time after your retirement, but they’re not dead. They’re right here in town, and that only verifies that the grooming house was real.”
Mr. Hartley turns and grips the edge of the conference table so harshly that his forearms shake. His eyes are clenched shut and there’s so much underlying emotion that it cascades across the room, affecting us all.
“Who are they, Dad?” Damien asks, his anger rising to match his father’s.
“Alessio Saconne and Gianna DeLuca, they ran the most intricate human trafficking ring in the world, not to mention they started experimenting with human genome modifications…”
“As well as biochemistry, specializing in poisons and mass attacks,” Carter finishes for him.
“My Sergeantfinallylet me handle them. It was my job to take them out. I searched for months for them,” Mr. Hartley begins, his voice heavy with restraint. “Then I had a direct order to return home for a month—take some time off. That’s when Emma…” He swallows hard. “That’s when Emma died, and I retired and allowed for someone else to take the operation over. They swore they got them…” He hits the desk so harshly that the ‘bang’ echoes off the walls.
“So, these two are most likely responsible for providing the poison, as well as upping the crime rates by starting the human trafficking here. Hugo manufactures the drugs, Popov supplies…what?” Alex asks.
“Fedor Popov is a gun’s dealer. He smuggles foreign weaponry into the country and either sells it or trades it for American weapons. Which is probably why we caught his involvement with Hugo much earlier,” Carter answers.
“So he’s just getting them better guns?”
“With them being foreign, when they’re cataloged, it’s a different crime. It just raises another flag, alerting the government that there’s an escalation in crime. Minimal compared to everything else, but with gun violence on the rise regardless, it definitely raises concerns.”
“So, all of this to gain the presidency?” I ask, rubbing Damien’s back as his stare bores into his father—almost as if he’s in the same trance as him.
“That’s my conclusion.”
“What do they get in exchange?” Zeke asks and points at the screen. “There’s no way these crime leaders are doing this because they were asked nicely.”
“Who knows. Immunity? Diplomatic pardons? Money? It’s hard to tell,” Carter answers.
“I need to go.” Mr. Hartley finally snaps out of his daze and starts walking away, only to be stopped by Damien.
