Chapter 2 - Medicine That Never Reached the Children
Daniel locked the study door.
Maya remained standing.
“Sit.”
“I’d rather stand.”
“That wasn’t a request.”
For the first time since he had hired her, Maya didn’t immediately obey.
“My daughter is waiting for me.”
Daniel looked at the USB drive.
“And somebody threatened you because of this.”
“Yes.”
“Then walking outside alone is the last thing you’re doing.”
Maya stared at him.
“You can’t keep me here.”
“No. But I can make sure you leave safely.”
Daniel inserted the drive into an isolated laptop.
“Explain.”
Maya took a slow breath.
“Lily has severe respiratory problems. Her specialist put her on a biologic treatment last year.”
“The $2,800 dose.”
“Yes.”
“Why isn’t insurance covering it?”
“Some of it is covered. Not enough.”
Daniel nodded toward the computer.
“And this?”
“Three months ago, the pharmacy told me Lily’s medication was delayed.”
“Supply shortage?”
“That’s what they claimed.”
“But?”
Maya stepped closer.
“Another mother in our support group was told exactly the same thing.”
Daniel’s eyes narrowed.
“Then another family. Then another.”
“How many?”
“Eleven that I know.”
Daniel opened the first folder.
Shipping manifests appeared.
Maya continued.
“My cousin works for a medical distribution warehouse in Queens. I asked him to check the lot numbers.”
“And?”
“He said the medication reached New York.”
Daniel looked up.
“But never reached the pharmacies.”
Maya nodded.
“My cousin started copying records.”
“Where is he?”
Her silence answered him.
Daniel closed the laptop halfway.
“Where is your cousin?”
“Gone.”
“How long?”
“Eleven days.”
“Police?”
“I tried.”
“And?”
“They said an adult has the right to disappear.”
Daniel opened the laptop again.
“Who threatened you?”
“I don’t know.”
“You heard his voice.”
“I don’t know his name.”
Daniel clicked through the files.
Invoices.
Shipment numbers.
Cold-storage records.
Payments.
Then one name appeared repeatedly.
SAM MILLER.
Daniel leaned back.
Maya noticed his expression.
“You know him.”
“He runs logistics at Pier Forty-Seven.”
Her eyes widened.
Daniel called Frank.
“Bring Sam to the pier office.”
“At midnight?”
“Now.”
“What if he refuses?”
Daniel’s voice remained calm.
“He won’t.”
He ended the call.
Maya stepped forward.
“You can’t confront him.”
Daniel looked at her.
“Why?”
“Because they know about Lily.”
“Who is ‘they’?”
“I don’t know.”
“You keep saying that.”
“Because I don’t!”
Her voice cracked.
“They knew Lily’s school. They knew her doctor. They knew where my mother lives.”
Daniel became very still.
“They threatened your daughter?”
Maya nodded.
“That’s why I hid the drive.”
“In a baby bottle?”
“It belonged to Lily.”
Maya looked at it.
“She used it when she was little. Nobody would think twice about a mother carrying something like that.”
Daniel’s phone vibrated.
Ryan.
“I traced several companies from the documents you sent.”
Daniel put him on speaker.
“What did you find?”
“Shell distributors. At least four.”
“Owners?”
“Hidden.”
“Keep digging.”
Ryan hesitated.
“There’s something else.”
“What?”
“One company leases warehouse space from Foster Logistics.”
Daniel’s expression darkened.
“Which location?”
“Pier Forty-Seven.”
Maya whispered, “Oh God.”
Daniel looked at her.
“No.”
She stared back.
“No what?”
“No panicking.”
“My daughter—”
“Where is she?”
“With my mother in Queens.”
Daniel called Ryan again.
“Send two security teams to Maya’s mother’s building.”
Maya grabbed his arm.
“No!”
Daniel looked at her hand.
She immediately released him.
“They’ll scare Lily.”
“Then they stay outside.”
“You don’t understand.”
“I understand someone threatened a six-year-old child because her mother found evidence connected to my company.”
His voice became colder.
“That makes it my problem.”
Maya shook her head.
“You don’t have to do this.”
Daniel stared at her.
“Apparently I do.”
A notification appeared on his phone.
Frank had sent a photograph.
The refrigerated container from the missing manifest had been found.
Empty.
Then another message arrived.
Sam Miller is gone.
Daniel read it twice.
Maya whispered, “He knows.”
“Maybe.”
“He’s running.”
Daniel looked at the USB drive.
“No.”
“What?”
“If Sam were running, he would’ve disappeared before the shipment was reported.”
“Then where is he?”
Daniel’s phone rang.
Unknown number.
He answered.
A distorted male voice said:
“Mr. Foster, tell your maid to return what she stole.”
Daniel looked directly at Maya.
“And if she doesn’t?”
A pause.
“We’ll collect from her daughter.”
Daniel’s eyes went cold.
“Listen carefully.”
Maya shook her head desperately.
Daniel continued.
“If anyone goes near Lily Santos, the missing medicine will become the least of your problems.”
The caller laughed.
“You still think this is about medicine?”
The line went dead.
Maya stared at Daniel.
“What did he mean?”
Daniel looked back at the files.
May you like
“I intend to find out.”
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