Hypocrisy by Daniel Annechino Read Free Book Online Page B

Lauren didn’t agree to work with Clark to act as judge and jury on her reputation or her motivation. In spite of the overwhelming evidence that Clark was a fraud, Lauren believed that her theories—however misdirected—were valid and worth pursuing further. Let’s not forget that Lauren had some prettyimpressive credentials and some powerful backers. Billionaire, Dr. Sidney Goldman, donated a hefty sum of money to fund this research center. Not to mention the fact that he, personally, was very influential with the FDA.”
    “That’s quite a story,” Dupree said, glancing at her wristwatch. “What was it about Dr. Crawford’s research that distinguished it from Dr. Clark’s?”
    “Through clinical trials, Lauren discovered that combining the three homeopathic herbs with two modified chemotherapy drugs Clark was not using, she could completely stop the progression and spread of certain cancers. It wasn’t a cure—at least not yet—but an effective treatment regimen that extends the life of terminal cancer patients while maintaining their quality of life. No hair loss or digestive issues.”
    “Something certainly worth pursuing,” Dupree said. “Dr. Crawford’s death is quite a blow to this research center.”
    “Yes, Detective. It sets this whole project back two or three years. Maybe even scraps it.”
    “That would be terrible.”
    “Indeed.”
    “Two more questions and we’ll let you get on with your day,” Dupree promised. “First, any idea why Dr. Crawford parked her car in the ramp garage near Yankee Stadium? There’s plenty of parking right next to the building.”
    “Lauren was so absorbed with her research that she rarely got much exercise, so she purposely parked a few blocks away and walked to and from our facility.”
    Dupree could understand her motivation. It made perfect sense. “Last question—and this may sound odd—but do any of your employees shave their heads?”
    Mason stroked his chin in a contemplative way. “There are a couple guys on their way to baldness, but no one here is completely bald.”
    “Thank you so much for taking the time to speak with us,” Dupree said. She handed him a business card. “Please contact me if you think of anything else that might help our investigation.”
    “Sure thing, Detective.”
    Dupree and T.J. were about to exit Mason’s office when they heard him say, “Wait a minute. Something just occurred to me.”
    The two detectives did a perfectly synchronized about face as if they were performing a drill in boot camp.
    “I don’t know if this has any bearing on anything, but about a month ago, Lauren fired an employee named Maggie Hansen, one of our senior research scientists. She’s a southern gal with a little attitude. But other than Lauren, nobody at Horizon understood the research project as thoroughly as Maggie did. Now I’m not suggesting that this woman killed Lauren, she certainly didn’t seem capable of something like that, but there was quite a blowout when Lauren fired her. So much so, that Lauren had to call security to escort Maggie out of the building. As Maggie was leaving, she yelled something like, ‘You haven’t seen the last of me, bitch’. I don’t know if it means anything, but I thought you should know.”
    “Would you happen to have Maggie’s address?”
    Mason typed something on his computer, waited a minute, then wrote something on a piece of paper and handed it to Dupree. “I hope you find whoever is responsible for Lauren’s death. He not only killed her , but potentially killed millions of cancer patients worldwide.”

    “So what do you think?” Dupree asked T.J., as she slipped the key into the ignition.
    “Well, it seems that whoever murdered Dr. Crawford had it timed perfectly.” T.J. flipped down the visor and checked his bloodshot eyes. “If what Dr. Mason said is true—that Dr.Crawford rarely worked from home—then somebody was tipped off that she would not only be carrying her