Chapter Three – Old Friends, New Friends

Sterling Lancaster sat behind his mahogany desk and stared at the man trembling before him. "You kept this from me for ten years?" His voice commanded attention and his presence was powerful; dangerous.

Tyrone knew he had confessed the wrong thing the moment the words came out of his mouth. He messed up an operation big time and thought that information on Lancaster's son's untimely death would buy some mercy from the older man. He should have known better. He shouldn't have gotten stoned right after his screw up; that's what had led to him loosening his lips. "Um, ah, well...I didn't remember. I was so shocked at Mike's death that I forgot what he told me."

"You didn't remember that you met with him against my wishes? How do you forget a betrayal like that?"

"Boss, please; I didn't mean to disobey you. Mike called and said he had a question about something. He told me it didn't have anything to do with the business, but it did."

"Do not call my dead son a liar in my presence. What did he tell you about that night? What was he doing? Was he meeting anyone?" The more Lancaster spoke, the more the volume increased, not the mention the unspoken threat that lie behind his words.

Tyrone didn't answer right away, which he immediately regretted. The sexy redhead that loomed above him threateningly shook the arm she held in her tight grasp. Gulping, Tyrone admitted, "He liked this girl. He said he was going to meet up with her. Her name, um, ah it was Jenna. Yeah, Jenna was her name and he seemed happy about meeting her. Said he was going to score and she was taking him home."

Satisfied that Tyrone had told him all he knew, Sterling made a simple motion with his hand. The lady turned and dragged the protesting man from the room, a look of anticipation on her face. One problem would be gone before nightfall. Pressing the button for the intercom, he ordered the maid to bring him Mike's school yearbooks. He'd find this Jenna and then hunt her down. She would pay for taking his son's life and going on with hers.

---

Jenna blinked when she saw Abby walk to the park bench. Her hair was in pigtails and she was wearing a collar around her throat. She motioned in her direction and watched Brenna do a double-take.

"That's Abby?"

Jenna made an affirmative noise and said, "The look has changed a bit since ten years ago, but that's Abby. She was just getting into Goth back then."

The sisters walked over to the other woman and it was Abby's turn to do a double-take.

"Jenna?"

Jenna grinned and shrugged. "I haven't had short hair in years and the retainer was gone soon after I left Louisiana."

"You must be Brenna, then?" Abby said and shook the hand Brenna offered. "What's this about? Why are you coming to me?"

"Jenna and I both work, well worked, at DAX Pharmaceuticals. I'm in research and development. Two days ago, I had to contact another researcher and entered a secure lab. This didn't seem bizarre at first: several of our labs are secure and I have… had… top clearance. Anyhow, I got a look at a formula for a drug being developed in that particular lab, and it raised a red flag. Later that afternoon, security came to escort me out of my own lab. Of course, I evaded them and snuck out the back to my truck. I had a feeling that something was going to happen, so Jenna and I grabbed some things and ran. As to why we're contacting you…" Brenna shrugged, "Jenna trusts you. She wanted to come to you first."

"Wait, what kind of drug was it?"

"Biochemical. Oral form. One pill could kill an adult and the decomposition of that adult could cause others to die."

Abby turned whiter than normal. "Soft targets."

"What?" Jenna asked.

"If this drug is viable..."

"It is," Brenna asserted.

"Then most likely it will be sold to the highest bidder. No one but terrorists beat the government's prices for weapons like this. And terrorists love soft targets as much as buildings, planes and ships. But why bring this to me?" Abby looked at Jenna for the answer.

Sighing, Jenna met her gaze head on. "I don't have any evidence to bring to you. All I know is you were there for me all those years ago, and now I'm in need of assistance again. Of course, you were the first person I thought of. And… well… I've been having a feeling in my gut; I can't describe it. I just feel like something's about to happen with Lancaster."

"Have you told anyone?" Abby needed to know.

"Only Brenna, and not until we were on the run from Adam Franklin, head of security at DAX."

Abby nodded. She understood gut feelings and the need to have someone to lean on. Turning to Brenna, "You're sure this is viable?"

"Yes, the notes I saw were complete. They could start producing this at any time."

"Do you have the formula for the drug? Any sort of documentation," Abby asked, wanting to have as much information as possible before taking any action.

"This is what I do for a living. I don't have anything on paper, but I can remember the formula down to the minutest detail, along with some of the corresponding research information," Brenna replied, hoping it was enough to satisfy her.

Coming to a decision, Abby stood. "We need to tell Gibbs. He'll know what to do."

"Who's Gibbs?" Jenna asked.

Abby grinned. "Oh you'll like him. He's a sweetheart. He's also my boss. But we don't mention a word about ten years ago to anyone. Not unless it becomes urgent. Are we clear?"

"Clear." The sisters agreed. They walked to their vehicle and, climbing into the truck, they took a moment's break from the seriousness of the situation when they saw Abby climb behind the wheel of a hearse. Both girls burst into laughter as Brenna started the vehicle and proceeded to follow Abby.

---

Franklin had received files on the Davis sisters already. At first he thought they were preliminary findings, but a cursory glance through each had told him they were complete. Hmmm. Not too much going on. At the moment, neither woman was in a serious relationship.

Flipping through to the family history, he found that their parents, Tony and Tammy Simpson Davis died in a small plane crash when the girls were in their teens. Brenna was in college at the time and the courts had placed Jenna with their mother's aunt, Rachel Simpson, in New Orleans, Louisiana. Another page turned and he saw that Rachel Simpson had never been married, and had died four years earlier of a heart attack. Frowning at one lead going cold, he kept looking.

Near the back of the file was a notation from the court documents from when the girls' parents died. Janice Simpson, sister of Tammy Simpson Davis, had contested the will and lost. According to testimony from Brenna, the two sisters had not spoken at all since a falling out when the daughters were young. Tucking that information away in his mind, Franklin read on.

Frustrated at the lack of leads in the files, he closed them. Controlling his anger, he stacked them neatly in his briefcase. Damien didn't know about the project in the lab, and he had worked hard to make sure no one outside those working there knew what was going on. He wasn't about to let two sisters destroy years of planning.