Avery unfolded himself from the small passenger plane that had brought him from Denver to Aspen. He really hated bouncing around in those things. It was like being on an amusement-park ride but without the fun. Happy to be on solid ground, he headed to the car-rental kiosk and punched in the membership number he had under the alias of Harry Walters. A set of keys and a contract were delivered by the machine. He picked them up and walked to the rental car. After he was behind the wheel, Avery pulled out a road atlas to get directions. He did not want to put anything into the car’s GPS, so he had to rely on good old-fashioned cartography. But that was something all of them were used to doing: keeping the use of technology to a minimum when not in control or in a secure environment.

He found directions to his motel and registered under another assumed name, Walter Harrison. He was beat and hungry. He called Uber Eats and asked them to suggest a place where he could order a BLT and fries. After a long hot shower, he would pull out the maps and plan for the next morning, when he would begin tailing Dr. Harold Steinwood.

Eileen was already in Europe, so she would arrive in London that same evening. Within the next twenty-four hours, they would have a good idea about the doctors’ routines.

Chapter 16

Chapter 16

Pinewood

Nikki burst through the kitchen door, waving a folder. “This is unbelievable!” The dogs were yapping in response to her brisk entrance. She stopped for a moment and gave each of them the required hug, rub, and scratch.

Myra hurried from the atrium. “What is it? Is everything all right?”

“Where is Charlotte?” Nikki was almost breathless.

“She’s at Dr. Falcon’s. She’s getting a full workup.”

“How long has she been off those meds?” Nikki asked as she tossed the folder on the kitchen table.

“Almost two weeks. Why?”

“Some of it is a cytochrome P450 inducer. Also known as phenobarbital—but this is some kind of synthetic version. Other pills were Adderall. And Adderall is in the same class as cocaine and methamphetamine!” You could see the loathing in Nikki’s eyes.

“What?” Myra was horrified. She looked as if she was going to start shaking at any moment. Charles came up behind her and put his hand on her shoulder.

“Let me take a look at those lab results.” Charles calmly opened the file and began reading. “Turmeric. Ginkgo biloba. CoQ10. Nothing out of the ordinary there. But yes, the phenobarbital seems to have been in half the vials. All different milligrams. And the Adderall is in three of them.” He continued to study the results.

Myra clutched her pearls. “Those bastards! They were doping them up!”