OH! For the love of books!
OH! For the love of books!
Episode 46 Untruthful Speech chapters 19 to 21 by Ron Cisneros and Michael Madjen
Narration from chapters 19 to 21 in Untruthful Speeck.
Opening music
"Hello all you book worms and welcome to OH! For the Love of Books!, The show gives you a bit of narration from the books I read or ones you suggest for me to read. I'm your host, Jessica Vickery, and thank you for joining me on this journey.
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1st Main Point
Here is a short recap of chapters 17 to 18
Chapter 17 Nick and Derek set up booby traps on the property.
The FBI is called in to look into the stolen files from Lardel Labs.
The lead investigator is James Johnson Jr who goes by J.
Nigel contacts some of his friends from MI6, including a few from the CIA and Mossad.
Talia contacts him back with some information. And finds out she new all about Elli and Derek and have sent business his way for hi smuggling operation.
Nigel then gets a surprise call from Gus Peralta.
In chapter 18 Mack and Steph decide they must help. Mack can speak a bit of Mandarin and will be going to China with Nigel and Derek, while Steph and Nick stay and help Elli.
This is in the hopes that Gus will follow Nigel to China.
It ends by Sam Wilder showing up at Elli’s.
Let’s see what happens next.
MUSIC
CHAPTER 19
Derek led Sam along path of least resistance, where he carefully maneuvered through the drive then up the steps to the house. “Thanks, Derek,” Sam said in relief. After entering the house, Sam paused and looked around the room, inspecting the walls, ceilings, and doors. “There are no booby traps in the house, Sam, you can relax,” Nigel said while watching Sam, who seemed to have little reassurance. “Why all the devices, Nigel?” “Sam, Derek, and his friend set those up to ward off potential thieves. They’re not real,” Elli responded. “Who are your friends?” “Sam, why are you here, any news about the break-in?” Elli continued. “No, not really, but that asshole, FBI mother fucker is giving me a lot of shit. He is implying my security sucks and that a first grader could sneak in and steal shit. He also thinks this is an inside job.” “I’ve heard Agent Johnson is top-notch; and one of the FBI’s best agents in this area. He can supposedly spot weaknesses in security better than most. He wants to meet with me to discuss what was taken and why.” “Elli, you can’t tell him, we have to keep this within our organization.” “Really, you have a break-in at your lab, two people are dead, the FBI is involved, and you want to keep this hidden?” asked Mack. Sam, showing some paranoia, asked, “Who in the fuck are you? Nigel, Elli, who are these people?” BAM, BAM…glass shattered, everybody in the room fell to the floor. BAM, BAM… wood splintered, lamps exploded…, then a boom! One of Derek’s devices went off. It wasn’t a massive boom, but enough to send the intruder flying off his feet. The explosion gave Nigel and Elli much needed time to return fire. The intruder did not return fire, but you could hear the engine roar as the car drove off. “Everybody OK?” asked Nigel, looking over at Elli, who was alive. Scanning the room, Nigel could see bodies on the floor. Then, thankfully, he saw Derek and Nick get up, acknowledging they were fine. However, the body of Sam Wilder laid silently on the red-stained carpet. The hole in his forehead said all it had to say. Nick looked where his father and mother were standing; he could see the horrific sight of his father holding his mother in his arms. She was not moving. Stephanie’s eyes flickered then opened wide-eyed and in panic, screamed, “What happened?” Mack realized his wife had been shot in the arm, but continued to examine her body for more wounds. Elli rushed over to Steph, pushing Nick aside, who was staring down at his mother. She knelt next to Mack, telling him to put pressure on the wound. She also looked for more injuries, but could not see any more damage. “She will be fine, but does need to go to the hospital and get fixed up.”“Fuck, now my wife has just been shot!” Shouted Mack. Elli, looking down at Sam’s body, “Listen, we are lucky to be alive, except for Sam over there. Nigel, this had to be your friend Gus. Thank God a booby trap went off, or we would all be visiting the morgue. Nigel, you, Derek, and Mack need to make plans to go to Shanghai; we need to make it public to get Gus out of America. I will take care of Steph and get her to the hospital. I will also need to reach out to Agent Johnson for help with posting a guard with Steph and dealing with the local authorities.” Mack was reeling from the attack. “I can’t leave my wife now; she needs me. This thing just got real, and we are way over our heads. I have a family to protect.” “Dad, this thing got real for me last week. I knew the risk when I agreed, and so did you and mom. Elli is right; we need to get this assassin out of the country. If we don’t, we will still be in danger. I will be here for mom; you need to help the Skipper get this guy.”
CHAPTER 20
Agent Johnson made his way to Mt. Desert Hospital shortly after Elli’s call. He was working out of Bangor from his field office in Portland; which was only an hour’s drive to Bar Harbor and Lerdell Laboratory, and, more importantly, access to an airport. On such short notice, he needed to find an agent in the area available to stay and watch over Elli’s friend Stephanie. He called in a favor and found Agent Miller who was on desk assignment in Portland. On his way to the hospital Agent Johnson made a few other calls and learned the local Sheriff and his men were on their way to Elli’s home. Elli told them Sam was dead. He didn’t know much about Mack, Stephanie, or their son Nick. All he knew is he had a mess on his hands, three dead, one head of security at Lerdell Laboratory, and a recently wounded woman. With Nigel and Derek out of the country the Sheriff would consider them as the main suspects. Mt. Desert Hospital was a twenty-minute drive, but only took Mack ten minutes. Nigel, Elli, and Derek followed behind in their car to continue their drive to Bangor to catch their flights, after stopping at the hospital. As the car rolled to a stop, Nick ran inside the Emergency room, yelling for help. He caught the attention of an orderly who quickly brought a wheelchair to the car. Stephanie was pale and had lost a lot of blood despite the pressure Nick had on her wound. Thankfully, she was conscious, breathing, and insisting on walking in herself. Mack would have none of that and sat her in the chair and wheeled her in. A nurse guided them to roll her into one of the vacant rooms where other nurses were waiting to work in their patient immediately. Moments after a doctor entered the room, he examined the severity of her wound and ordered her straight into surgery. “Mack, we got to go; your wife is in good hands,” Nigel carefully said. “Can’t we stay for a few minutes? I don’t want to leave without knowing she is stable.” “Mack, the surgery may take a few hours; we don’t have time. It’s an hour drive to Bangor, and our flight leaves in two hours. Nick can call you with updates, and if there is a problem, we can rent you a car, and you can drive back to the hospital.” Mack looked at his son with trepidation. He was leaving his wife and his son to save the world. He couldn’t imagine a world without them and thought for a moment, if we die, let’s all die together, fuck the world. However, Mack knew the higher purpose and nodded his head in agreement. “Let’s go.” Agent Johnson pulled into the parking lot, got out of his car, and lit a cigarette, inhaling the much-needed nicotine. After finishing his smoke, he flicked it on to the grass and walked into the building visitors’ entrance and called Elli’s cell phone. “I’m here, where are you?” “Meet me in the cafeteria,” Elli responded. Agent Johnson looked up at the signs that provided directions to labs, x-ray, surgery, and finally, the hospital’s cafeteria. He walked into the cafeteria and saw Elli sitting at a corner table with a young man, maybe 20, with black, messy shoulder-length hair. Innocent looking enough, must be one of the family members Elli described. He walked over to Elli and extended his hand. “Hi, Elli, and who is this? “I’m Nick, Nick Griego. You must be the FBI Johnson dude.” “My friends call me J, but you call me Agent Johnson. Are we clear on that son?” J sternly said. Elli jumped in, “J, how the hell are you? The last time I saw you was a couple of years ago when you gave us our Active Shooter training. I heard an Agent Johnson would be involved but didn’t make the connection. My, you’ve moved up in the world.” “That was more than a couple of years, Elli. Would you believe it’s been over five? Where is Nigel? I thought he would be here?” “We’ll get to that in a minute.” “You haven’t asked how my mom is doing.” Nick interrupted. “Hey kid, sorry to hear about your mom. How is she doing?” “She’s been shot. How do you think she is doing?” Nick quickly shouted back. “Elli, I thought this kid was on board helping. He seems a little emotional.” “His mom will be fine; doctors are patching her up now. Nick, why don’t you go ahead and call your dad. I’m sure he would like to hear from you. J and I need to talk.” As Nick left the room, Agent Johnson took an empty seat and sat close to Elli. He didn’t want anyone nearby to hear their conversation. “Just in the last hour the police have been to your house. They didn’t enter due to all those devices you guys planted. They had to call a bomb squad from Bangor to secure the area. So, Elli, what will they find in your house once they can gain access? “Sam Wilder’s body.” “Jesus Elli, what is going on that is so damned important three people had to die?” “CRISPR.” “CRISPR, what is CRISPR? “It’s a biotechnology used to fix or destroy parts of DNA chains.” “OK, so why is this so important someone would want to steal it?” “We first thought it was stolen for the money it would bring, which is only partially true. The bigger reason is that although it can do a lot of good, it also can be weaponized in an unbelievably bad way.” “Why would Lerdell Labs create such a weapon; they have no military contracts? “It wasn’t meant to be a weapon; it was designed to be a medical procedure to stop future viruses or cure genetically caused diseases that currently have no treatment or cure. We created it to be a medical benefit to the world but in the wrong hands it can be used for just the opposite.” “I think I’m tracking. This technology can kill people by creating a virus we haven’t heard of, or seen the likes of.” “That’s only partially true. The larger picture is, the process can also save people who get almost any virus. If a virus is created and released, the country with this technology can decide who lives and who dies. Almost as important would be their control over what economies live or die and possibly what world leaders live and die. Can you imagine the power? There is more. Through his sources, Nigel tells us the package is up for sale in China. Many countries want the technology badly and are willing to pay top dollar for it. Nigel and Derek are on their way to meet up with their contact in Shanghai. Mack, Nick’s father, is going with them too!” “A civilian, why would Nigel allow that?” “He needed the help, and Mack volunteered. Remember, as far as anyone is concerned, Nigel is a civilian too.” “Yeah, but based on what you have let on from his past, he can take care of himself. China, we may be able to work with, what if North Korea, Russia, or Iran gets in on the bidding or some other leader with a bone to pick with us. Who is Nigel working with over there?” “Zhiban Jack Wang; J, we have to keep this quiet for now. There may be others involved, and we can’t let the media get ahold of this.” “We know about Zhiban.” “Are there others besides that crazy Zhiban?” “Yes, we believe Wang is working with the CIA or MI6, but not 100% sure.”
CHAPTER 21
After leaving the cafeteria, Nick made his way back to the surgery waiting room where he found a young woman, maybe in her early twenties, sitting by herself. She was Asian with big brown eyes, auburn shoulder-length hair tied into a ponytail. However, it was her Redsox baseball cap, skimpy white shorts and tight-fitting tank top that first caught his attention. Trying not to stare, Nick believed he had seen this girl before, but couldn’t place her. She was reading through one of the expired celebrity magazines. On the cover of PEOPLE was a picture of Ryan Reynolds with the heading: Sexiest Man Alive. After a few glances at the young woman, he made his move to break the silence, “I thought he was great in Deadpool.” The woman glanced at Nick with a puzzled look then turned the magazine over to see the cover. She shook her head and turned the magazine back over, continuing to read. Nick, embarrassed by his failed attempt to start a conversation, picked up a magazine, burying his face between the pages. “I think Idris is ten times better looking,” the young woman finally spoke. “Excuse me?”“Your cover.” Nick turned his magazine over, and the MAXIM cover read: Idris Ebla – “I Spend My Life Being Chased By Women.” The young woman continued, “What is really impressive is that your magazine is six years old and Idris still looks sexy. Hi, I’m Genji; my friends call me Gen.” ‘Hi Gen, I’m Nick, just plain Nick. So, what brings you to this waiting room? It can’t be the excellent reading material.” “Nope, not here for the magazines or the food in the cafeteria. My brother is having surgery for a second time.” “Second time?” “Someone tried to kill my brother last week. He was shot. Surgeons removed the bullet and kept him here because he was not responding to any stimulation. He had brain waves, so I wasn’t ready to pull any plug. Then he started hemorrhaging early this morning. By the look on the surgeon’s face, it looks dire; he might die.” Nick’s face turned down towards the pages of the magazine in a blank stare. He remembered where he had seen this girl before. She was at the Chinese take-out place behind the counter, taking his order. Could there have been more than one shooter on the cliffs, and could Justin have been so lucky to hit someone by shooting randomly up at the cliffs? Nick wanted to ask what happened but knew he shouldn’t go there. This girl is connected somehow. She may be innocent and have no idea what her brother was up to, but he couldn’t risk it. “I’m sorry about your brother. I hope he recovers.”“Oh God, I’m sorry I haven’t asked you why you were here.” “My mother, she has been hurt. Doctors say she’s fine; I’m just waiting for her to come out of surgery.” Nick paused, looked down again at the magazine. Don’t ask, don’t ask, he kept thinking to himself, too late. Gen broke into his thoughts and asked, “What happened to your mother?” Before Nick could respond, the doctor came into the room. By the look on the doctor’s face, Nick could tell it was not good news. Dreading the doctor was coming to talk to him, he was relieved he spoke to the pretty Asian woman. Tears rolled down her face, and she started to tremble. Nick knew her brother didn’t make it. Seeing Gen’s grief, he thought it would be best to leave her alone to speak with the doctor. He decided to go back to the cafeteria to tell Elli about the dead man and the possibility he was on the cliffs that horrible night. Passing by the nurse’s station, he asked about his mother to learn she was out of surgery and in recovery. The nurse at the station said she was doing well, but couldn’t take visitors. Knowing she was well, he continued walking to the cafeteria. Elli and Agent Johnson were still at the table where he left them. Walking up to them, he interrupted their conversation, “I have some news.” “Is your mother out of surgery, is she OK?” asked Elli. “Yes, she is fine and in recovery.” “That’s great news, have you seen her?” Elli continued. “No, not yet. No one is allowed. Elli, that is not why I came back. I have some new information.” J could see Nick was upset, and this had nothing to do with his mother, “What is it, son?” “There was a girl, a woman in the waiting room. She told me her brother was shot last week. I was present when the doctor told her he had died.” “OK, and this is important; why?” J said, looking up at Nick. Elli jumped in, “What is it, Nick? You can speak in front of Agent Johnson.” “I saw her at the Chinese restaurant; she works there. I think her brother may have been at the cliffs that night.” Elli motioned to Nick to sit down. She and J moved closer to Nick to keep the conversation a little more private. Nick continued speaking, “At the restaurant, she was behind the counter taking my order. I also noticed three Asian men in the kitchen. I recognized him later as a shooter at the cliffs when we reviewed the film of him and his partner shooting up Ellie’s house. I didn’t see anybody else at the cliffs, but maybe her brother was there. There has to be some connection; this can’t be a coincidence.” Elli looked over her shoulder and whispered to Nick, “This man had to have been shot more recently if he was in surgery this morning. We can’t chase leads that make no sense.” “Elli no, she told me he was shot a week ago. He was in surgery today because he started bleeding again badly. She was so hurt when she heard the news about her brother dying; I couldn’t stay in the room and watch her cry.” Agent Johnson shaking his head, looked at Elli, “That makes four dead over your formula.” “We don’t know that; we don’t know who shot this man, or whether or not he was at the cliffs. It could have been anything, a drive-by, a robbery.” “Elli, a drive-by in Bar Harbor, I don’t think so.” “Nick, if you saw this man, would you be able to place him at the restaurant?” asked Elli. “See him, I can’t see him; he is dead somewhere in this hospital.” “Yes, you can. J, we will need your help.” “My help?” “Yes, your FBI credentials will open a lot of doors, hospital doors.” Agent Johnson knew what Elli was asking. All three got up and made their way to the nurse’s station. The crime of a man being shot and killed, the hospital staff would have to cooperate with a Federal Official and not interfere. Nick hoped he wouldn’t see Gen again. Seeing her would make him feel uncomfortable because of the short connection they had flirting with each other. Agent Johnson flashed his credentials to the nurse at the station and asked who was in charge. The nurse looked up at the Agent then down at his FBI identification. She quickly got up and went through the double doors marked AUTHORIZED PERSONNEL ONLY to see if the surgeon was still with the recently deceased man. After a few minutes, the surgeon came out through the double doors, still in his scrubs stained with blood. “I’m Dr. Bellows, how can I help you?” “Dr. Bellows, I’m Agent Johnson with the FBI, and these two are here to help me identify the body.” “Identify the body? His sister identified him last week.” “I may have misspoken; they are here as possible witnesses to a shooting. He had similar characteristics to your patient.” “Characteristics, you mean Asian?” “Yes, Asian. What did his sister tell you? Does she know how he got shot?” “You’re going to have to take this up with his sister or local authorities. All I know he was brought in last week with a gunshot wound to his chest.” “We are going to have to see the body.” “Agent Johnson, yes, of course, walk this way.” The surgeon walked them through the double doors and into a small room. This must have been a holding room before the Coroner picks up the body. The room was dimly lit, and the body laid on a gurney covered in bloody sheets. Despite Nick’s hopes, Gen was in the room, wiping the dried blood from her brother’s face. She looked up at saw Nick amongst the strangers that entered the room. “You, why are you here, did you know my brother?” Nick’s heart sank. He didn’t know how to respond and hoped Agent Johnson would say something. It was Dr. Bellows who spoke, “They are with the FBI, they are investigating a shooting. Agent Johnson hopes these two can help with who may have shot your brother.” Agent Johnson wanted to keep the sister out of the conversation and the room. “Miss, sorry for your loss. We are here on official FBI business; we need for you to leave the room.” “Leave the room, who in the fuck are you to tell me to leave. I want to know what happened to my brother. Nick, what do you know, why are you here? Is this why you started a conversation with me in the waiting room?” Nick stood there in silence; he couldn’t give her an answer. He didn’t want Gen to know about his mother being in the hospital and connected to Zhang. He had to protect his mom. Elli asked Gen, “Where was your brother shot? When did this happen?” “I don’t know where this happened. All I know, he was brought to my house bleeding.” “When was this, who brought him?” Elli persisted. “Last week, Sunday night.” “Who brought him to your house?” “A family friend, Zhang.” Nick walked over to the table and looked down at the man’s face. Gen turned her attention to Nick. “I know you; you have been to our restaurant. I just saw you a few weeks ago. Why are you here?” Nick’s eyes fixated at Gen for a moment, then looked at Elli, “Yes, this is him. He is the man I saw with Zhang Wei at the restaurant.”
MUSIC
Oh man Sam shot and is now dead, and Steph being shot, thank goodness it was not very serious.
Agent Johnson seems to be willing to help, and Nick’s chance encounter with a pretty Asian girl in the waiting room at the hospital helps him identifying another shooter who is now dead.
Lets see how crazy it gets next week. And stay tuned for a very special episode you won’t want to miss.
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Outro Music
Well, that concludes my episode for today. I want to thank you all for taken the time to listen to me talk. I hope you have enjoyed this episode. If you like my podcast Subscribe to my show or “Please send me an email to jessvicvoice@outlook.com that’s (spell out the name). With suggestions of books for me to read on the show. Thank you again, and please join me next week on “Oh, for the love of books.” and as always, dream big and keep reading!