The three of them are silent for a few moments, each lost in their thoughts.
It’s Nate, who finally breaks the silence. “So, you think Lancaster is covering something up.”
“I don’t just think,” I say, rising shakily to my feet and crossing to the desk where I keep the file with all my notes from the investigation. “I found a work order, proving the pipes were installed after the plant closed.”
I pass the document to Nate, and he studies it for a long moment. “Could be asbestos, some kind of toxin he exposed his employees to, while they were working at the factory. No other reason to go in and change out the pipes after closing things down. Especially if he’s just going to demolish it in a few months.”
“He’s covering his ass,” Parker mutters.
“That’s the sense I got, when I went to the plant,” Luca says, nodding. “Air ducts had been scrubbed, too. And the water pipes had been rigged to pump shit straight into the bay. Highly doubt that’s compliant with EPA guidelines, but in a pinch, if you’re trying to flush your system and get rid of evidence…”
“It’s all circumstantial.” Nate shrugs. “We don’t have anything besides the work order and a sense of suspicion.”
“And the fact that Lancaster is a shitty, corrupt fucking asshole.” Parker sounds pissed beyond belief.
“Agreed,” Luca mutters.
“Did we just agree on something?” Parker’s eyebrows lift.
Luca’s mouth twitches. “Don’t push it, rich boy.”
“Wait. Asbestos…” My voice is soft. “That would cause medical problems, right?”
Nate nods. “Anything from mesothelioma to lung cancer to immune system disorders.”
“Hold on a second,” I whisper, limping over to my computer. It takes a minute, but I pull up the document I was looking for and scroll down until I find it. “There! Right there.” I jab my fingers at the screen and the three of them lean close to read the name on at the bottom of the staff list.
“Doctor Charles Birkin,” Nate mutters, staring at the thumbnail image of the middle-aged man in a white lab coat. “Who the hell is that?”
“And why did Lancaster need a full-time doctor onsite at the Lynn factory?” Parker adds.
“I found an email from Lancaster to his Head of Security, a guy named Linus… he mentioned Birkin in the message, along with some kind of transfer – I’m guessing it was a payoff.” I feel puzzle pieces starting to snap together in my brain. “I did a little digging to see what I could find on Birkin. Turns out, Lancaster was a big proponent of in-house medical visits for his workers. Oddly considerate, since he paid most of them minimum wage. Don’t you think?”
“He knew they were sick. Or… that they’ll get sick eventually.” Luca sounds disgusted. “I can’t fucking believe this.”
“He thinks if he makes it look like he fired ten thousand workers because of budgetary issues, he’ll be able to avoid paying out millions in healthcare costs for workers he poisoned.” My voice is dark. “That fucking asshole.”
“If he gets rid of them now, he’s less liable in their lawsuits when they finally start getting sick and realize what’s happening.” Parker’s hand squeezes my shoulder. “From a business standpoint, he’s covering his ass.”
“We’ll need to talk to some of the workers to confirm,” Nate says. “See if any of them are exhibiting health symptoms, find out exactly how many times they saw Lancaster’s doctor and what he told them about their health. Maybe get them in to see an actual, unbiased health professional.”
“Shouldn’t be tough. Most of them live locally,” Luca mutters. “I can start making house calls later today.”
“Tomorrow’s Christmas Eve,” I remind him. “Not exactly the gift most of them were hoping for.”
Luca shrugs. “If you had cancer, wouldn’t you want to know sooner than later?”
“Point taken.” I push away from my computer and start to pace. “Lancaster is not going to get away with this. I’m going to pin that bastard to the wall, so help me god.”
“Whoa, whoa, whoa.” Parker steps in front of me and places his hands on my shoulders to stop my pacing. “Let’s keep in mind for a second that literally three hours ago, Lancaster sent some thug from his security team to attack you, right outside your home. If you think you’re still going after him, you’re dead wrong, darling.”
My mouth drops open to retort, but Luca jumps in before I can.
“He’s right, babe.”
I whirl to face my best friend. “You’re fucking kidding me, right?”
He stares back stonily.
Parker’s expression is identical.
“Great! You two finally start agreeing on shit at the worst possible time.” I scream in frustration. “How can you even think I’m going to consider walking away from this? That I’d let Lancaster get away with what he’s doing? It’s my case! My investigation! You can’t take it from me.”
“No one’s expecting you to let Lancaster get away with this,” Nate says in that deep, intense voice of his.