Desperate Measures

The secret is out
again
! This time lives are in jeopardy.

What should have been the perfect vacation soon became a nightmare. Caitlin Martel made a stop before meeting her family at Miami International Airport. A cryptic message waited for her. She dismissed the threat and assumed it was directed toward the brilliant scientist that she recently hired. Caitlin has no idea that a forgotten secret was about to explode and put her life in jeopardy.

When Caitlin and her family arrive on the Caribbean Island of St. Kitts, they find their dream home vandalized. In the kitchen, another message has been left in blood, leaving no doubt that Caitlin personally is the target.

In a flashback Caitlin recalls the secret that her father, Jack Spencer, revealed to her sixteen years ago. He didn’t tell her everything. Will Jack be able to confront the truth and reconstruct the past in time to save his daughter?

Caitlin’s husband Scott, FBI Assistant Director, also believes the threats are related to Caitlin’s professional life. Once Caitlin points out the significance of what was left in their home, Scott unofficially brings his top FBI agent, Tomas Medina, to St. Kitts.

When Tomas arrives, his status is quickly upgraded and the investigation becomes official. The third threat creates a direct link to multi-billionaire Lukas Bucklin. The suspense escalates through twists, turns, and family secrets yet to be revealed. A powerful climax unveils an unlikely alliance between two deadly and dangerous enemies.

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This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events or locales or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

Desperate Measures

Copyright © 2014 Cindy Cromer

ISBN: 978-1-4874-0016-3

Cover art by Carmen Waters

All rights reserved. Except for use in any review, the reproduction or utilization of this work in whole or in part in any form by any electronic, mechanical or other means, now known or hereafter invented, is forbidden without the written permission of the publisher.

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Desperate Measures

By

Cindy Cromer

“Forty-five minutes, an hour tops and I’ll meet you right here. Go get a cup of coffee. A quick breakfast.” Caitlin Spencer Martel tossed a ten-dollar bill at the driver and then added, “That’s not your tip. I’ll take care of you later.”

“Yes, ma’am.” Chuck nodded, glancing at his watch and a frown formed on his face.

Caitlin understood the signal. They didn’t have much time because she had a plane to catch. He had the responsibility to ensure she arrived at Miami International Airport two hours early.

Chuck took his job seriously and worry lines creased his forehead. Caitlin relied on his dependability and always requested him when she needed a driver. She reassured him, “Don’t worry, I won’t get sidetracked. We’ll have plenty of time to get to the airport for my flight.” She turned and jogged toward the back of the building.

By the time she reached the door marked ‘
CSM Technologies Authorized Personnel Only’
beads of moisture trickled from her hairline and ran down her face. The pink silk tank top clung to her upper torso, a damp circle formed on the back of the formerly pristine shirt. The physical exertion attributed to the jaunt across the parking lot had nothing to do with Caitlin’s sudden haggard appearance. At 7:00 a.m. in July, the Florida air already weighed heavy and thick with humidity. She felt sticky from the warm dampness.

Caitlin inserted the key card and entered. She experienced a startling climate change, from steam bath to freezer instantaneously. This was the coldest part of the building, necessary conditions for the laboratory specimens and operation of high tech equipment. She looked left then right. Good. Empty hallways and offices. She had to be quick and couldn’t dally with problems. She shouldn’t be here now and she certainly shouldn’t have been on the premises last night. Guilt washed over her. She pushed the feeling aside and let anger take over.

That damn contract. If she hadn’t caught the error, she would already be in Miami. If she hadn’t caught the error, the company would lose money. That couldn’t happen. The office remained in the condition she’d left it. Paperwork hadn’t spontaneously multiplied overnight. She sat down and got to work quickly.

Forty-five minutes later, Caitlin scrawled her signature on the last document that needed her personal attention. The signature was almost illegible; the caption on the letterhead, below the chicken scratch was not. It read
Caitlin Spencer Martel, CEO CSM Technologies,
the company title, a testament to her presence in her office on this day. Dedicated? Yes. Thorough? Yes. Easily fooled? Maybe, but not when it concerned contracts and business. Conscience clear, Caitlin stood and placed the paperwork in the to-be- mailed pile. Chuck would be happy the forty-five minutes to an hour hadn’t turn into an hour and a half as it usually did. The light rapping on the office door might change that.

Victoria Norris, Executive Administrative Assistant, stood in the doorway. An apprehensive look clouded her face. “Mrs. Martel?” She held a manila envelope.

Having known the woman for most of her career, Caitlin could see a problem had occurred. She mentally ticked off the list of possibilities; A Research and Development set back, delay in the Engineering Department, more contractual issues. The worst case scenario: a laboratory accident resulting in an injury. She broke the silence at last. “What is it?”

Victoria replied, “Mrs. Martel, this was in the mailbox this morning when I came in. It must’ve been in Saturday’s delivery. I shouldn’t have opened it but anything not marked personal and confidential I try to sort. You have enough on your plate with starting up this company and the planned expansion.”

“Damn! I was here all weekend. I should’ve brought the mail in. It can’t be that bad, unless it’s about one of the investors pulling out.” Caitlin forced a half-hearted grin. She sensed something bad, really bad, was about to happen. After a moment of hesitation, she reached for the envelope. The contents confirmed her fears. She attempted to project a calm demeanor and mask her fright. She was unsuccessful.

Victoria must have noticed Caitlin’s reaction. She cautiously asked, “Are you okay? I didn’t want to ruin your time away with your family but was sure you’d want to see it.”

Caitlin flicked her hand nonchalantly. “It’s nothing. I’m sure this note is from some nut case who feels the need to express his opinion about my decision to hire Dr. Tessell. Chuck is waiting. If anything else comes up during the next three weeks, please e-mail me or call my cell-phone. I’ll be available twenty-four/seven.”

“Yes, I know that. You’ll be checking messages and e-mail daily, right? Relax and enjoy yourself. Don’t worry about anything here. Everything will run smoothly. Spend some quality time with your family. You need this vacation.”

“Will do, Victoria. I’ll call in daily.”

* * * *

Victoria shook her head but admired her boss’s dedication to the company she’d built with her own sweat and tears. Her thoughts wandered back to the years past, when Caitlin had been the president of another company. She hoped the threatening note had nothing to do with the animosity that resulted from her resignation there to start CSM Technologies. Several members of the executive team had been threatened by this bold move and went to devious extremes to thwart her plans. Fortunately, those underhanded and unscrupulous actions were unsuccessful.

* * * *

The car crawled south down Interstate 95, headed in the direction of Miami. Caitlin peeked at her watch then the congested highway. She shook her head in response to the heavy traffic, bumper to bumper. A typical Monday morning in South Florida. Plenty of time remained to get to the airport but sitting idle grated on her nerves and she became restless.

She gazed out the back window of the car and sighed heavily, her foot tapping on the floorboard. The tapping could be attributed to one of three things; impatience, anxiety, or fear. She touched the Tiffany diamond necklace her husband, Scott, had given her two years ago for her fortieth birthday.

She braced herself and reached into her purse for the parcel. It bore no markings revealing the sender, only a Miami, Florida postmark. Harmless? The single sheet inside told a different story. The computer generated words:
Caitlin, No DNA Bitch or you Die,
frightened her. These words couldn’t be about the past. Not after all these years. They just couldn’t be. Buried and forgotten issues. Everyone had moved on. Hadn’t they?
This note has to be about Dr. Tessell, it just has to be.
She silently cursed herself for going into the office.

Inch by inch, the car eased upon the entrance of the airport. The sign for departing flights for American Airlines came into view. When she saw her family, Caitlin tucked the note away and pushed the unpleasant thoughts from her mind. Scott held two-year-old Alexandra by the hand. With curly blond hair and blue eyes, she took after Scott. Chad, nine years old, stood next to them waving. He favored his mother, brown straight hair and gray-blue eyes.

Caitlin raced out of the car to greet them. It had only been one day but she missed her children terribly. “Hi, guys, how was the zoo?” Scott had taken the children to the Miami Metro Zoo the previous day, and they stayed at a hotel overnight.

Chad spoke first and hugged his mother. “It was really fun, Mom. The gorillas were cool. We missed you.”

“Mommy!” Alexandra screeched and wrapped herself around Caitlin’s waist.

“I missed you, too. I wish I could’ve been there.” She looked up and saw the look on Scott’s face. He didn’t need to speak. His expression said “Yeah right!” Caitlin plastered a sarcastic smile onto her face. She had no intention of getting into the ‘whose-career-is-more-important’ argument at this time. Scott, the Assistant Director in Charge of the FBI’s Southeast Division, traveled extensively, sometimes for several weeks at a time. Caitlin limited her travels to one or two night stays.

Why did she feel so guilty? The letter? No. Oh yeah, the warehouse. Work. Business. It always came first. She had to meet the realtor once they arrived on the West Indies island of St. Kitts. The warehouse, an abandoned building located on a small dirt road leading to Cockleshell Beach, was the key to the expansion of CSM into the Caribbean market.

Once the family greetings were exchanged, the Martels entered the airport terminal and proceeded to the international check-in counter. Passports were shown and they were on their way to the gate. Even though the airport was crowded, this process went smoothly and quickly. Scott didn’t have his government issued Glock in possession for once.

Walking toward their gate, Chad tugged at Caitlin’s arm. “Mom, I want a pizza.”

They had just passed the airport version of a food court. An eclectic combination of aromas wafted through the air. One moment the smell of cinnamon prevailed, next a whiff of Oriental or Italian spices became evident, then grilled burgers and fries made their presence known. The scents created a dangerous territory for someone needing to monitor caloric intake.

“Yes, Chad, I’ll get you one in a minute. Let’s find our gate first.”

Alexandra chimed in. “Me want nummies, me want nummies.”

At the gate, they found seats by the windows. The planes landing and taking off captured her attention. Alexandra was quiet and content for the moment. The secluded area sheltered them from the hustle of the airport.

“Mom, I’m hungry!” Chad whined.

“Okay, okay. Let’s go get your pizza.” She turned to Alexandra. “CC and I will be right back. Stay here with Dad and watch the planes. I’ll get you nummies.”

Caitlin clamped a hand over her mouth once she realized the blunder she’d just made. Alexandra couldn’t say her brother’s name yet so she called him CC. The name aggravated Chad but he’d become accustomed to it, with one exception. His sister could call him CC, but no one else could.

In an effort to divert Chad’s attention, Caitlin ruffled his hair and grabbed his hand. They walked toward the small deli while an announcement for a final boarding broadcasted over the loud speaker. Racing to a nearby gate, an onslaught of frantic passengers converged upon them. Preoccupied, Caitlin struggled to keep Chad within her sights but a hard shove sent her stumbling.