Pins and Needles
Edward Slocum, vice-president of Kemkor Pharmaceuticals, becomes suspicious of the possibility of illegal activity by his present employer. As his suspicion mounts, he finds himself mired in events that may change both his life and the community he lives in. Unable to trust his co-workers and local authorities, he comes to learn much more than he ever wanted about his wife's death, Kemkor's real agenda and the strength of his own moral resolve.
Chapter 1: Building 3C
Pins and NeedlesBilly TalentSHE WAS DEAD, THERE was nothing he could do about it, now; he had to accept it. But there was more. ...
Chapter 2: "The Chronicle"
EDWARD SURVEYED THE STREET below his office as he chewed over the previous night’s disquieting events around Building 3C. ...
Chapter 3: Memories
EDWARD ROLLED HIS CHAIR out from behind his desk and over to the pile of binders and folders that Nadia had left earlier. On top ...
Chapter 4: Coming to Terms
AFTER THE BOARD MEETING as he mingled among KemKor’s representatives and government officials—Premier Bolsover havin ...
Chapter 5: "Body and Soul"
EDWARD WALKED ACROSS THE parking lot trying to juggle the rolled-up Chronicle and flowers in one arm, and his briefcase and a pa ...
Chapter 6: Camilo and Andres
AN HOUR LATER EDWARD TURNED into his drive, passing the Pine Meadows sign he and Karen had made shortly after they had bought th ...
Chapter 7: The Rendezvous
CHRIS STEDMAN CAREFULLY MANOEUVRED his Silverado along the Valley River Gorge Road far enough behind Edward so as not to be dete ...
Chapter 8: Hunter and Hunted
EDWARD PLOUGHED THROUGH THE pungent fragrance of humus, rotten vegetation, sodden logs and moss-covered rocks on a pathway that ...
Chapter 9: No Swimming
JANET THOMPSON DRAGGED HER canoe through stinky blooms of algae to the shoreline by the Epping Road. She couldn’t remember ...
Chapter 10: Premier Bolsover
PREMIER BOLSOVER’S DARK BLUE limousine pulled into the circular driveway of William Wardlaw Rattray’s property and c ...
Chapter 11: The Search
SWEAT DRIPPING FROM THEIR foreheads, Ken and Doug searched the edge of the embankment. Hawthorn branches and snarled cedar twigs ...
Chapter 12: A Close Call
ON HER WAY HOME Charlotte, who was worried about Janet, decided to detour via the Barr Head Road and swing over to the Valley Ri ...
Chapter 13: Out of the Rabbit Hole
EDWARD FELT CLAUSTROPHOBIC. A surge of panic rippled through him as he attempted to focus his eyes. The stale air made him nause ...
Chapter 14: The Trip to Kimberley
THE SUN HAD ALREADY begun to cross to the western horizon as Bolsover’s limo sped along County Road 13 to his cabinet meet ...
Chapter 15: The Incident on North Line Road
CONSTABLE PAUL DICKENSON PARKED his police van beside Charlotte’s Prius at the entrance to the Valley River Gorge Road. Af ...
Chapter 16: Camouflage Uncovered
“EDWARD, ARE YOU ALRIGHT? Can you walk?” Paul asked, kneeling beside him.When Edward finally opened his eyes, he fel ...
Chapter 17: The Break-in
EDWARD HAD BEEN IN and out of Markdale’s Emergency Department within two hours. The wound above his ear had been cleaned a ...
Chapter 18: San Vicente del Calguan
ANDRES CLUNG TIGHTLY TO Camilo’s waist as they cantered along the road to their house. He knew Camilo would want to gallop ...
Chapter 19: El Zorro!
ANDRES TRUNDLED DOWN THE laneway to his house. He felt a welcoming warmth of reassurance when he saw the soft glow of light spil ...
Chapter 20: The Egg-Packaging Facility
ANDRES ENTERED THE EGG-PACKAGING facility with Chris. Slightly ahead of them, Doug, Ken and Camilo followed Garcia. Lingering be ...
Chapter 21: Equations on the Ground
IT WAS ABOUT 5:30 Thursday morning when Edward was jerked out of a deep sleep. Groggy, disoriented and in his recliner—sit ...
Chapter 22: Edward Visits "The Chronicle"
EDWARD PICKED UP THE sheet of paper from the kitchen table that had fallen on the ground earlier. Folding it he put it in his po ...
Chapter 23: Entry to Building 3C
EDWARD PARKED IN FRONT of Shoppers Drug Mart and got out. He still hadn’t heard back from Nadia about which security guard ...
Chapter 24: Sherlock, Mycroft and Watson
WORKING FROM HOME WAS a luxury Edward had rarely afforded himself, and he wished that he had done it more often. He put his pen ...
Chapter 25: Blackwell Steps into the Arena
THE SAUNA-LIKE CONDITIONS had not dampened the crowd’s enthusiasm as Charles “Chuck” Blackwell, a tall, slende ...
Chapter 26: The Package from Hobbs
EDWARD SLIPPED OUT OF the VIP tent searching for Charlotte and Janet and found them schmoozing with another couple at the barbec ...
Chapter 27: Rahim's Unfortunate Decision
Rahim’s Unfortunate DecisionWILLIAM RATTRAY SAT ALONE in the back corner of the VIP tent. It was the only table that had n ...
Chapter 28: Bandeja Paisa
THE DOCUMENT COMMISSIONED BY Rattray weighed heavily on Urquiza’s mind as he journeyed along the path to the egg factory. ...
Chapter 29: A Call from Leonard Palladin
THE PHONE BESIDE HIS bed rang five times before Edward finally climbed out of a deep sleep to answer it. “Yes?” he s ...
Chapter 30: Parker Bridge
“WHAT ON EARTH ARE you doing there?” Janet asked, nodding toward Charlotte’s cell phone as she parked her Cama ...
Chapter 31: The Fire
GRYNBERG LABORATORY WAS LOCATED on the top floor of a ten-story red-brick building on Hurontario Street, in the City of Brampton ...
Chapter 32: Edward Wakes Up in Hospital
EDWARD WOKE UP ON a gurney in a curtained-off area in the emergency ward of Brampton Civic Hospital. The nasal cannula connectio ...
Chapter 33: The Meeting at Blackwell's House
NORTH OF CALEDON, EDWARD pulled to the side of the road and phoned Dickenson. When he began to relate to Paul what had transpire ...
Chapter 34: Antonio's Late Night Visit
MATTHEW BOLSOVER, THE SOON to be ex-Premier of Ontario, sat in his air-conditioned home office. On his desk was an open binder o ...
Chapter 35: The Red and White Kangaroos
THE APPLE TREE’S BRANCHES swayed leisurely scratching gently against Andres’s window pane. Crimson, pink and purple ...
Chapter 36: A Decision is Made
CAMILO WAS SURPRISED TO see his brother up and about so early in the morning, and it garnered suspicion on his part. He couldn&r ...
Chapter 37: Girl Stuff
IT WAS SEVEN A.M Monday. The sauna-like conditions heralded another scorcher for the week. Dressed in a white short-sleeved dres ...
Chapter 38: Where Did She Go?
EDWARD’S MORNING STARTED BADLY. Not only had Chris Stedman, head of security, gone on holiday for two weeks, but no one, i ...
Chapter 39: Questions Unanswered, Truths Unfolding
JOHN ELKHART HAD A spacious corner office. The expansive array of windows provided a stunning view of the Beaver Valley and the ...
Chapter 40: The Meeting with James
AT FIVE O’CLOCK EDWARD stood outside the reception area to John Elkhart’s office. Lola Albright's demeanor was anyth ...
Chapter 41: Their Snooping on Green's Farm Begins
“SLOW DOWN, I CAN’T see a thing out here!” complained Charlotte, attempting to keep her voice down to a whispe ...
Chapter 42: A Perilous Journey
“HO-HO HOO-HOO.” HUDDLING IN the bushes, Janet emulated the call of the Great Horned Owl again. “Ho-ho hoo-hoo ...
Chapter 43: The Old Root-Cellar
CHARLOTTE REACHED THE EDGE of the egg factory and disappeared into the darkness alongside it as the floodlights came on at the f ...
Chapter 44: Juarez Acts Decisively
THE TWO MEN AT the top of the stairs remained motionless, their faces cloaked in shadow. The heavyset man turned to the leaner o ...
Chapter 45: Their Escape Begins
“HURRY! THERE'S SO LITTLE TIME!" Juarez insisted. "Janet, are you able to move? Good! That’s your job, Charlotte, to ...
Chapter 46: Backing Out is Hard to Do
ANDRES STEPPED AWAY FROM the truck and cautiously began to walk toward his brother. Juarez gently grabbed Andres's forearm and w ...
Chapter 47: Exposed
PANIC SURGED THROUGH ANDRE'S body. The maple tree ahead of him made an exit barely possible. Juarez and Antonio were already gre ...
Chapter 48: Carmella Returns
JANET AND CHARLOTTE WERE trying to administer a sedative to a very reluctant Carmella when Jennifer alerted them that the truck ...
Chapter 49: A Wet and Stormy Night
TWO DAYS AFTER THE raid, Edward and Charlotte drove to the hospital with the hope that they would learn more about Andres’ ...
Chapter 50: John Makes His Point
CHARLOTTE EXITED THE BEDROOM in an oversized cotton red tracksuit with a double white line running down both the arms and legs. ...
Chapter 51: Joining the Dots
JOHN PULLED OUT A stapled document from the folder. “You’ve heard of San Vicente del Caguan?” He scrutinized t ...
Chapter 52: On Pins and Needles
BARELY FIVE MINUTES HAD passed since John had left through the window in Edward’s office. And it was as if the fury of win ...
Chapter 53: The Missing Piece of the Puzzle
HIS GUN TRAINED ON Edward and Charlotte, Paul backed into the living room and pulled out his cell phone.“Stop where you ar ...
Chapter 54: The Unlikely Visitor
BY THE TIME EDWARD had arrived at the hospital, both Charlotte and John were in the operating room. Another three hours passed b ...
Chapter 55: More Tubes than an Octopus has Tentacles
“JAMES? DESCRIBE CHARLOTTE’S SO-CALLED mother,” Edward asked. He listened intently to James’s quick desc ...
Chapter 56: A Welcomed Distraction
EDWARD SWIRLED THE ICE in his scotch glass; he felt emotionally exhausted. Most of his day had been spent with Janet, sitting at ...
Chapter 57: New Beginnings
EDWARD HELPED CHARLOTTE OFF with her coat and knitted hat and hung them on the clothes tree by the front door. “Not a bad ...
