Unmerited Favor: The Compassion and Peril of Mercy ( Un missable Series Book 2) Read online

  UNMERITED

  FAVOR

  The Compassion and Peril of Mercy

  Book Two

  Jerry Summers

  Copyright © 2016 Jerry Summers

  ISBN: 1944577017

  ISBN: Softcover: 9781944577018

  e-Book: 978-1-944577-00-1

  Library of Congress Control Number: 2016900658

  GeLaSy, Inc., Caldwell, IDAHO

  All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the copyright owner.

  This is a book of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to any actual persons, living or dead, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

  Rev. date: January 27, 2016

  This book is dedicated to all who have struggled with the searing pain of domestic violence or sexual assault and yet persevered to become survivors.

  For those still struggling, please know there are places you can turn to for help.

  The National Domestic Violence Hotline

  1-800-799-7233

  CONTENTS

  Chapter 1 Shedding Light

  Chapter 2 I’ll See You All in Hell

  Chapter 3 Botulism Fallout

  Chapter 4 Trained Snobs

  Chapter 5 Lucky Bastards

  Chapter 6 Oh, You Naughty Girl

  Chapter 7 Informed Decision

  Chapter 8 Amorous Affairs

  Chapter 9 Kiss and Tell

  Chapter 10 Dignified Disgrace

  Chapter 11 Breaking Nails

  Chapter 12 Beaten

  Chapter 13 The Hunt

  Chapter 14 Tit for Tat

  Chapter 15 Housekeeping

  Chapter 16 Another One Bites the Dust

  Chapter 17 Secrets

  Chapter 18 Fighting Demons

  Chapter 19 Beauty and Revenge

  Chapter 20 Desktop Dos and Don’ts

  Chapter 21 To Right a Wrong

  Chapter 22 Dilemma or Opportunity

  Chapter 23 Deviant Behavior

  A Glimpse of Unrestrained Behavior

  CHAPTER 1

  SHEDDING LIGHT

  After Bonnie concludes her telephone conversation with Wendy about the recent news reports of Ricardo’s death in San Francisco, Bonnie telephones Jessica to see if she has heard the news yet.

  Seeing it is Bonnie, Jessica answers her cell phone with “What’s up?”

  “Jess, thank God you answered. Have you seen the news today?”

  Jessica’s expression grows serious. “No. I’m still at the office, working. Why?”

  “So you haven’t heard then?”

  “Heard what?”

  “Ricardo Montes just died of botulism at San Francisco General Hospital.”

  Jessica, stunned, says, “What? Why was he in San Francisco? Did you know he was here?”

  “No, I didn’t, but when I called Wendy, she told me she had dinner with him at the Bistro on Union Street, which is apparently where he got the botulism.”

  “Wow! How is Wendy? And why was she having dinner with Ricardo? I can’t believe all this.”

  “Wendy is fine. She didn’t even get sick. Ricardo called me after the Brazil incident, when I was still at Wendy’s in San Diego. I refused to answer his call but told Wendy about it. Because of her expertise as a domestic violence counselor, Wendy suggested she speak with him before I decided if I wanted to. She said if she felt it was safe for me to have contact with him, she would let me know. Apparently, she arranged with Ricardo to meet him at the Bistro. She said she told Ricardo she didn’t feel it was a good idea for us to meet, and then he apparently contracted botulism and died.”

  “Does Sean know about all this?”

  “I haven’t called him. Why don’t you?”

  “Sure. I’ll call him right now, OK?”

  “Get right back to me.”

  “You can count on it.” Jessica hangs up the phone and yells for Nate to get Sean on the phone immediately.

  “Tell Evelyn it’s an emergency, please,” she adds, as Nate picks up the phone.

  Nate gets Sean on the line, and then he rushes into Jessica’s office to see what the emergency is all about. He listens in disbelief as Jessica relays the conversation she just had with Bonnie.

  Sean sits quietly in disbelief, looking out his office window and watching a tugboat maneuver a full barge among whitecapped swells on San Francisco Bay.

  Evelyn is in Sean’s office, trying to figure out what is going on, when Sean suddenly says, “Shit, Jessica, I have to call Hugo and tell him Ricardo died in San Francisco. How in the hell does that happen?”

  “I don’t know. This is crazy.”

  Sean sighs. “Can I call you back?”

  “Absolutely. Let’s talk later this evening. Give me a call at home. I have to get back to Bonnie anyway.”

  “OK, thanks for letting me know as soon as you did.”

  “Of course. If I can help in any way, just let me know.”

  “OK, thank you,” Sean replies. He hangs up the phone and looks at Evelyn, who is staring at him in utter disbelief.

  “Can you see if you can get Hugo Montes on the phone for me, please?”

  Evelyn nods and then asks, “How did he die?”

  Sean looks up at her again. “Botulism.” He pauses, contemplating that statement, then mutters, “How does anyone die of botulism in California, especially with all the health regulations these days?”

  Evelyn shrugs, eyes still wide. “Right?”

  She walks to her desk and calls Hugo Montes’ office. When she’s patched through to Hugo, she says, “Hello, Mr. Montes. Please hold for Mr. Green.”

  Sean comes onto the line and says, “Hugo, I have some bad news for you, my friend. I just received a phone call, informing me Ricardo died in San Francisco of botulism. I’m so sorry.”

  Hugo stammers, in total shock, then manages, “It can’t be. Ricardo is in Brazil. He never told me he was going to San Francisco. Are…are you sure?”

  “The local television news is reporting it.”

  “Hold on. I have to call Ricardo’s office.”

  Sean waits patiently. A few seconds later, Hugo comes back on the line, his voice trembling, and says, “Ricardo’s secretary said he was in San Francisco for business. What do you know about all this?”

  “Not much. Only what has been relayed to me.” Sean explains what Jessica told him and then says, “I am so sorry for your loss. I’ll get more information for you and make whatever arrangements need to be made to get Ricardo back to Brazil.”

  Hugo thanks Sean for his help. “I have to go. Can we talk later, after I have had some time to process all this?”

  “Of course. Call me when you’re ready, and know I’ll take care of everything here in the United States.”

  Hugo thanks him once more and then hangs up the phone.

  David Hill, special agent in charge (SAC) of the San Francisco FBI field office, phones Dominic Hughes, SAC of the Boise FBI field office, and he is connected immediately. David asks Dominic all the standard pleasantries about the weather, workload, i
nternal issues, and then he gets to the point of his call.

  David tells Dominic about the death of Ricardo Montes in San Francisco.

  “As I followed the initial news reports, I found it strange that someone so close to Mark Stevens and his colleagues would die within a month of the assassination. I decided to send one of my newer agents, Steve Davis, out to interview the hotel staff where Mr. Montes was staying, the paramedics initially attending to him, the hospital staff, the staff at the Bistro on Union Street, Sean Green, Jessica Silva, and, finally, Bonnie Stevens. Agent Davis’ preliminary interviews uncovered some disturbing facts I thought you should be made aware of immediately. Mr. Green and Ms. Silva had no knowledge that Mr. Montes was in California, let alone for what reason. Davis found out from the front desk personnel at the hotel that Mr. Montes arrived on Friday and had a dinner date at the Bistro, but no one knew who the date was with. When he returned to the hotel, he phoned the front desk, requesting not to be disturbed in the morning because of jet lag. Around six the next evening, he phoned the desk again, saying he had the flu and didn’t wish to be disturbed on Sunday morning. Then, on Monday morning, after not receiving any further instructions, the hotel cleaning staff knocked on his door for room service. He didn’t answer, and the maid found Ricardo in respiratory distress and summoned paramedics immediately. Here’s where it gets interesting. Prior to the paramedics arriving, Mr. Montes told the maid that he had hired a killer! The maid told the paramedics, who relayed the information to the doctor at San Francisco General, and after Mr. Montes’ death, the doctor told the San Francisco Police Department. But nothing in their records indicates any type of hired killing, and the report was closed. So—”

  Dominic interrupts. “Wait! Do you think he was referring to the Stevens killing in McCall?”

  “Let me finish. It only gets more interesting.”

  “All right, all right. Tell me the rest.”

  David continues. “When Agent Davis spoke with the paramedics, they told him when they arrived at the hotel, Mr. Montes was in severe respiratory distress, so they intubated him immediately. Therefore, there wasn’t any discussion between Mr. Montes and the paramedics. Davis then interviewed the servers at the Bistro on Union Street, who confirmed Mr. Montes had dinner with an attractive middle-aged woman who paid the bill with a debit card. Guess who the debit card came back to?”

  Dominic answers immediately. “Bonnie Stevens.”

  David chuckles. “Close, but no cigar. It was Wendy Stevens.”

  Dominic, shocked, blurts out, “Why would Wendy Stevens be in San Francisco meeting with Mr. Montes? Does she even know him?”

  “Well, let me shed some additional light on this issue. I also sent Agent Davis to Bonnie Stevens residence in Marin County, to see if she had any information, and she had tons. Bonnie told Davis she and Mr. Montes had had an incident in Brazil a few weeks back, and Bonnie slapped Mr. Montes. Mr. Montes responded with a strike of his own and eventually had to be escorted out of the villa at gunpoint. Bonnie returned to San Diego for a doctor’s appointment and stayed with Wendy for most of the weekend. During that time, Mr. Montes called Bonnie, but she refused to answer the call, and Wendy offered to call Mr. Montes to determine if it was safe for Bonnie to maintain contact with him.

  “Wendy scheduled the alleged dinner to determine, as a domestic violence counselor, if she felt it was safe for Bonnie, and if so, then she would arrange a meeting with all three of them present. Instead, Mr. Montes gets botulism and dies. And when Agent Davis asked Bonnie if she knew about Wendy and Mr. Montes’ meeting, she said she didn’t until after Ricardo died. Davis asked her to clarify, and Bonnie told him that she saw the news reports about Ricardo and called Wendy to ask if she’d known he was in San Francisco, and at that point Wendy explained the meeting.”

  Dominic interjects. “So, did anyone else get botulism from the restaurant besides Ricardo?”

  “Yes, several people got sick. I think nine in total, and they were subsequently diagnosed with botulism from the Bistro around the same time.”

  “Did Wendy?” asks Dominic.

  “No, she didn’t get sick, but she claims to have eaten different foods than Ricardo.”

  Dominic considers and then says, “Don’t you find that a bit odd?”

  “Yes, but that is all it is at this point: an odd occurrence.”

  “Huh. Has anyone spoken to Wendy yet?”

  David says, “We’ve stopped investigating at this point, and I felt you really needed to be brought into the loop. Maybe you could send Jay Mather to San Diego. We should probably have Agent Davis go with him. If you agree, I’ll make all the arrangements with Bob Grinstead, SAC for the San Diego field office, since we will be playing in his backyard.”

  Dominic replies, “Yeah, we should make it happen. Do you want me to call Bob as well?”

  “Yes, but let me get Bob briefed and up to speed before you call him.” They end their conversation with Dominic telling David he’ll wait to hear back from him before he calls Bob or makes any other arrangements. David then calls Agent Davis into his office and briefs him on his conversation with Dominic Hughes.

  Dominic calls in Jay Mather, briefs him on his conversation with David Hill, and tells him he will be heading to San Diego with another agent, Steve Davis, to interview Wendy Stevens.

  Jay smiles, saying, “It will probably take at least a week to do a proper interview with Wendy Stevens.”

  Dominic laughs and says, “Yeah, bullshit! I’ll let you stay overnight, but it’s a day down and a day back, period.”

  Jay snickers, asking, “And when is this trip expected to occur?”

  Dominic tells him he will get back to him later, but probably within the next week.

  CHAPTER 2

  I’LL SEE YOU ALL IN HELL

  Wendy Stevens watches the television news reports with a certain amount of amusement and pride. The San Francisco stations are abuzz with horror stories of the botulism-contaminated food served at the Bistro on Union Street. Panic mode sets in as many people, for selfish reasons, attempt to get onto the litigation bandwagon that is sure to develop after the initial inquiries. Reports by San Francisco General confirm they found botulism contaminants in several food samples taken from the Bistro and, more specifically, samples taken from the Bistro’s salad bar seemed to have the most contagion. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) also confirms several other San Francisco General Hospital patients were correctly diagnosed with botulism, according to blood samples sent from San Francisco General Hospital to the CDC for independent analysis.

  Kimberly Taylor, the ex-wife of Jack Taylor, who owns the Bistro on Union Street, gives a sigh of relief as she watches the media buzz unfold, thankful she had given up all interest in the Bistro in exchange for their Pacific Heights home during her and Jack’s divorce proceedings. Kimberly follows the news reports with interest while Jack, a longtime restaurateur, feverishly attempts to address the media’s concerns that his restaurant is unsafe. Through the many interviews with the press, Jack cites his twenty-five years of successful restaurant ownership without any type of food-borne problem. Yet when the reporters continue to press, Jack is unable to answer the media’s basic question of how the botulism contaminated his salad bar and maybe other foods served.

  “How could this happen?” one reporter asks. “Why did you let the problem get so bad that it led to the death of Ricardo Montes, the prominent businessman from Brazil?”

  Jack can’t answer and flails under the accusing glares.

  As the days turn into weeks, Jack senses he is in deep trouble on multiple fronts. His customers, all but the few loyal ones, have disappeared, despite several attempts to bring them back with personal contacts, dining specials, and promotions. Several of Jack’s former customers who were diagnosed with botulism initiated litigation. The constant media reports of the botulism contaminatio
n, follow-up investigative reports, and competitors claiming something like this should never happen on a good restaurant owner’s watch, have all been devastating to Jack’s personal and business reputation. The latest fiasco Jack now faces is the media’s reports surrounding the multiple lawsuits being filed, and he has no control over what his former customers say in their anger at being ill.

  With the passage of time, Jack begins to lose hope of ever being able to recover, personally or financially, in spite of the assurances received from his attorney. Then, to add insult to injury, Jack’s vendors place the Bistro on a cash-only payment basis when delivering his product orders. Although Jack has always maintained incredible credit with his vendors, many fear the potential of a pending bankruptcy because of all the negative media hype. Jack decides, in a last-ditch effort to save his failing business, to close the Bistro for a complete remodel and name change. It’s his last hope to revive the restaurant’s once thriving business.

  Kimberly is shocked that something like botulism could appear in Jack’s restaurant and remembers what Wendy Stevens had done for her in the past. She had sought out Wendy as a personal counselor just prior to the separation with Jack that eventually led to their divorce. Wendy told Kimberly to let Jack have all rights to the Bistro in exchange for the family Pacific Heights home, which was free and clear of encumbrances. Although Kimberly hadn’t been a victim of physical domestic violence, she had endured years of emotional abuse at the hands of Jack. He had isolated Kimberly from her friends and their financial records from the very beginning of their marriage. Jack continually assaulted Kimberly’s self-esteem over the years with constant criticisms and put-downs, centered around her aging appearance and inability to survive on her own. His jealous, intimidating, and controlling behavior of her relationships with friends had driven them away and, paired with negativity toward Kimberly’s capabilities, had succeeded in making her completely dependent on him. Her only outside social contacts were the faithful customers of the Bistro, all of whose interactions with Kimberly were subject to Jack’s watchful eye.