He drummed his fingers on his desk and looked at his Rolex. It was still too early to call Aspen. He started pacing. What’s taking that moron so long to get here? Deep in thought as to how he was going to make up the twenty-five thousand dollars he had been counting on from Charlotte Hansen, he nearly jumped out of his Armani suit when his cell phone rang. “What?” he screamed into the receiver. “I thought I told you never to call me!”

“Sorry, Doc, but my man says you owe him over five K. He wants his money before he’ll serve you any more ‘coffee.’” The whiny voice on the other end was almost snickering.

“Tell him I’ll have it to him this afternoon.” Marcus was careful not to spook his connection.

“Uh . . . I don’t think that’s gonna work. Ya see . . . he’s all fired up today, so I can’t brew the blend without some cash.” The cockney accent talking in drug code was infuriating Marcus, but he knew better than to challenge his supplier. He checked his wallet, then the office safe. Only two thousand.

“Okay, listen, I have almost half of that here now. What if you bring me one coffee with three sugars?” Marcus needed his fix, sooner rather than later.

“Dunno, mate. I’ll have to check.” The delivery boy ended the call abruptly.

Marcus continued to pace, his anxiety growing with each passing minute. He knew he had been going through about $250 a day with his habit, which at times seemed like chump change. But the more he sniffed the white powder, the more he wanted. Maybe it was time to step it up. Try something different. Again, the phone made him jump.

“Okay, Doc. Half now, but then you pay the other half by the end of the day, or the party is over.” Ultimatum having been delivered, the call ended abruptly.

Marcus was starting to perspire. Yes, he needed to change up his game. He checked his watch again. Time is moving much too slowly.

Chapter 8

Chapter 8

The war room

Confident that Charlotte was sound asleep, the kitchen was sparkling clean, and the other dinner guests had departed, Nikki, Alexis, Myra, Charles, Fergus, and Annie descended the moss-covered stone steps to the dungeon, where the war room was located. Entering the chamber, each saluted Lady Justice and they all sat down at the round table. This was where they would exchange information and plan their strategy for a mission.

Nikki started. “It appears, and I use that word lightly, that all three doctors graduated from Ross University School of Medicine in Barbados.”

Annie let out a snicker, recalling her comment about “Joe’s School of Dentistry.” Myra shot her a look.