“Kilton Pharmaceuticals is huge in the industry, one with ties to big money, lobbying, and politicians. Not all the strings that get pulled are the altruistic desire to find a cure. One of the biggest problems we have on the street is legal pharmaceuticals getting into the wrong hands.”
Her tongue darted out to moisten her bottom lip, but she remained quiet, simply nodding for him to continue.
“The street value is in the millions, something you know because you’ve been researching. Some of those drugs come from Kilton Pharmaceuticals.” He watched as his words penetrated and her eyes widened. Expecting her to argue, he was surprised when she simply nodded again. Still choosing his words carefully, he added, “We have every reason to suspect the Kilton van theft was aided by someone at Kilton.”
She gasped, sputtering “But… but Bob wouldn’t—”
He slid his thumb to settle over her lips, stilling her protestation. “I didn’t say he did it. But someone who knows the delivery van schedules would be a person of interest to talk to. I had some questions for him, and his knowledge is beneficial.”
‘Tammy? Or the drivers themselves—”
“I’m not going to speculate with you—”
“But I can get in there and ask questions. I can do some checking for you—”
“Oh, hell no, Kimberly. Absolutely not,” he barked, wanting to throttle her but wondering if it was the alcohol making her reckless. “Okay?”
She sucked in her lips, thoughts working behind her eyes, then nodded.
“Hey,” he said, pulling her attention back to him. “How drunk are you?’
A slow smile spread over her face. “Why?”
“Because I don’t mind fucking you when you’re tipsy, but not drunk.”
“Oh, I’m definitely just tipsy—”
Breathing a sigh of relief, he scooped her into his arms and carried her up the stairs where he proceeded to show her just how much fun tipsy sex could be.
23
Kimberly made her way to Bob’s office the next morning. Kyle’s words about Kilton Pharmaceuticals ending up on the streets of Hope City still rang in her ears. Worrying her bottom lip as she walked, she wondered how to keep interviewing employees for human-interest stories while considering if they were involved in something illegal. It also crossed her mind that if Kyle’s investigation proved true, Kilton Pharmaceuticals would once again take a deserved hit in the media.
Along the way, she waved toward a few of the warehouse workers that she had met before. As she passed by Tammy’s door, the woman looked up, smiled widely, and waved. She smiled in return but wondered if Tammy could see the uncertainty on her face as she thought back to Kyle’s concerns that someone here had tipped off the thieves.
“Good morning,” she said. “I was… um… just looking for Bob.”
“Bob is probably still in a meeting,” Tammy said, then glanced at her watch. “Well, he might be getting out by now. Instead of going back out to the warehouse, go up to the third floor and I’ll bet you’ll catch him.”
Thanking her, she jogged up the stairs to the third floor, remembering Niles’ office was here. Just as Tammy predicted, a door opened and several people walked out. Bob caught her eye and smiled widely.
“Hey, neighbor. What brings you here? Still looking for some more stories?”
“Now that I decided to showcase many of the people who work here, it seems like I’m always finding a story.” She smiled as a few other people walked past them and then lowered her voice. “I wanted to find you to see if you were okay after yesterday. I know you weren’t expecting to be questioned by the police on your front stoop.”
“Hey, it was no problem. He’s got a job to do, and I respect that. He was there. I was there. It just turned out to be the right time to have a little chat.”
Smiling, she placed her hand on his arm and gave a little squeeze. “You’re the best, Bob. Thank you. Well, I’m gonna head back down to the warehouse. I’ve got an interview with a couple of drivers today.” With a nervous smile, she headed back to the stairs.
Niles and Porter walked out of the conference room, both moving directly to Bob.
“I couldn’t help but overhear, Bob,” Niles said. “What did she mean by the police on your front stoop?”
“Kimberly is dating the detective that’s in charge of the drugs stolen from the Kilton van,” Bob said.
“You’re kidding,” Porter said, his mouth hanging open, looking between Niles and Bob.