“But if Mason wasn’t part of the conspiracy,” Dupree said, “why would you three want to include him in the big payoff?”
“What choice did we have? We needed his approval in the first place or the partnership would have never happened. Besides, the earning potential was staggering. What’s the difference between a few million one way or the other?”
Dupree and T.J. glanced at each other. Dupree had to ask a question about Jonathan Lentz, but she had to be careful. She didn’t want to let on that she knew Hansen had murdered Lentz.
“What about Jonathan Lentz? Where does he fit in?”
“He doesn’t. His only part in this plan was to find the right person to steal Dr. Crawford’s computer.”
“But what about the two of you?” Dupree asked. “Aren’t you… involved?”
“That’s ancient history.”
The three of them exchanged glances.
“Well, I gave you the whole story,” Hansen said. “You’ve got Gallo and Adelman by the nuts. What happens now? When do you talk to the DA about reducing the charges?”
“We’ll get to work on it right away,” Dupree said.
CHAPTER THIRTY
After spending nearly forty-five minutes listening to Hansen’s unbelievable story and getting a sworn statement, Dupree and T.J. mentally prepared themselves for round two.
“So,” T.J. said, “do you believe Hansen’s claim that Mason was not a part of this?”
“I’ve had a feeling from the onset of this investigation that he was involved, but now I’m not convinced.”
“I guess once we put him on the hot seat,” T.J. said, “we’ll know for sure.” He tasted his coffee. “By the way, I figured out why you didn’t want to mention Lentz’s murder to Hansen. Very clever. The plea bargain didn’t include Lentz’s murder, so I’d guess that you plan to nail her little ass with murder one?”
Dupree saluted T.J. with her coffee. “Bravo. There’s hope for you yet. Seriously, I don’t know if the DA’s going to go for M-one, but M-two should be a slam dunk.”
“But you know that Hansen is going to cry foul and retract her testimony,” T.J. said. “Even though she gave up Gallo, and Adelman, and made a full confession on video, her attorney no doubt will claim that we coerced it out of her.”
“That’s why we need to push Mason hard and get confessions from Gallo and Adelman.”
“That’s not going to be easy.”
“No, but it’ll be interesting.” Dupree rolled her shoulders and tried to work the knot out of her neck. “Here’s what I think we should do. First, you and I will interview Gallo. When we’re finished with him, Parisi and I will tackle Mason, and Wells and you can go to work on Adelman. What do you think?”
“Sounds like a workable plan.”
For several minutes, Dupree and T.J. were lost in their private thoughts.
“I’m having a hard time wrapping my head around this whole case,” Dupree said. “It’s unimaginable to me that a high-level director from the FDA and the CEO of the biggest pharmaceutical company on the planet could commit such a horrific crime.”
“Hey,” T.J. said. “Fame and fortune are powerful motivators.”
At ten fifteen a.m., Dupree, sitting at her desk, anxiously drumming a pen on a yellow legal pad, spotted Parisi and Wells entering the precinct. Just ahead of them were three men, one of whom was Dr. Mason. The other two men, she presumed, were Adelman and Gallo.
Looking over at T.J., Dupree whispered, “It’s show time, partner.”
Dupree and T.J. stood and approached the five men.
“Good morning, gentlemen,” Dupree said, trying to be as pleasant and non-threatening as possible. “I’m Detective Dupree and this is Detective Brown. We’ve met Dr. Mason, but haven’t yet had the pleasure of meeting either of you.”
Pointing, Mason said, “This is Michael Adelman, CEO of Hyland Laboratories and this is Dominic Gallo, Deputy Director of the Center for Drug Evaluation and Research.”
Dupree and T.J. exchanged handshakes with the two men. Dupree observed that Gallo seemed calm and at ease, but Adelman was noticeably nervous.
“I know that you’re very busy men and we appreciate you taking the time to meet—”
“We didn’t come down here voluntarily,” Adelman almost yelled. “You dragged us out of an important meeting as if we were criminals.” He folded his arms across his chest.
“We just want to ask you a few questions,” Dupree said.
“Do we have a choice?” Adelman asked Dupree.
“I’m afraid you don’t.”
“Well, let’s get this over with,” Adelman said, his cheeks crimson red. “My colleagues and I have a full schedule and I have a flight to catch later today.”
“We’ll have you out of here as soon as possible.”
Dupree was surprised at Adelman’s appearance. She figured that the CEO of the biggest pharmaceutical company in the world would be wearing a Valentino original, but his suit looked like he bought it off the bargain rack at an outlet store. And he didn’t appear to be particularly well groomed. He wasn’t an unattractive man, just unremarkable. Gallo, on the other hand, looked more like someone you might see on the cover of GQ magazine. His full head of salt and pepper hair looked freshly cut and neatly combed. His charcoal grey suit, custom tailored no doubt, fit perfectly. He stood about six-foot tall and looked trim and in good shape. She guessed he was in his mid-fifties.
Dupree pointed to an area that looked like a doctor’s waiting room. “Please have a seat gentleman while I talk to my colleagues. We’ll be with you in a few minutes. Mason, Adelman and Gallo followed Dupree’s instructions without comment. Mason and Gallo didn’t seem annoyed by Dupree’s request, but Adelman glared at Dupree as he brushed by her and made his way to the waiting area.
Dupree huddled with T.J., Parisi, and Wells as if she were an NFL quarterback calling a play. She went over the strategy T.J. and she had discussed earlier.
“Any questions?” Dupree asked.
“Nope,” Wells said. “Can’t wait to get a crack at Adelman. Something about this guy really irritates me.”
“It might be a while,” Dupree said. “Keep Adelman and Mason on ice until T.J and I grill Gallo.”
Parisi and Wells escorted Mason and Adelman down the long hallway towards the interview rooms. They placed Adelman in room 1 and Mason in room 2, while T.J. and Dupree led Gallo to interview room 3.
Once seated, Dupree studied Gallo closely and he appeared to be calm, not at all intimidated by Dupree and T.J. He looked like a man who had nothing to hide. Considering Gallo’s involvement in Dr. Crawford’s murder—at least according to Hansen’s testimony—Dupree expected to see concern in his eyes. After all, earlier this morning, he was in Dr. Mason’s office, prepared to meet with Michael Adelman to discuss a joint venture between Horizon and Hyland Laboratories, and suddenly, he found himself sitting across from two homicide detectives. Even a perfectly innocent man would likely show signs of anxiousness. But Gallo remained rock-solid.
“So now that you’ve got me here behind closed doors, mind telling me what this is all about?” Gallo said.
“It has to do with your stepson, Jonathan Lentz,” T.J. said.