Free Fatal Dose by K. J. Janssen Page A

his turn arrived, he introduced himself. “Good evening, I’m Marco Vennuti. I’m with Atronen Pharmaceuticals. I am so sorry for your loss.”
    At the mention of the company name, both of Brice’s parents stiffened. Fortunately for Marco, they previously discussed how they would handle the situation should someone from the company show up. Until this day, the only contact they had with the company was a phone call from Human Resources and an obscenely large basket of flowers that required two men to carry into the funeral parlor. The Bennetts were not home when Federal Express attempted to deliver a payroll check for the four thousand dollars that was due Brice.
    John and Amanda were determined to be cordial with anyone who showed up. There was nothing to gain from making a scene. Amanda’s cousin Peter Martin advised them that they could file a negligence suit against Atronen and the elevator company for the death of their son, and that they should not, under any circumstances, sign any papers. All attempts to contact them were to be referred to his office. Having previously made these decisions, they both put on polite smiles and thanked Marco for coming.
    Marco felt uncomfortable at wakes. Not so much when his stepfather Guido died, but certainly when his mother passed away three months later. He was glad that the hard part was over, and he patiently sat on a chair looking respectful for the next hour.
    Dennis called the Bennetts and explained why he and other agents could not attend the public ceremonies. He, Agents Farrell and Matthews, along with the other members of the PDS attended a private viewing. No names or explanations were given to the owner of the parlor, who was a close friend of the family and was more than willing to cooperate in any way.
    The next day the funeral service started at St. John’s Catholic Church and culminated at Peaceful Hollow Cemetery adjacent to the funeral home. There was a crowd of about forty people at the graveside some of Brice’s boyhood friends, a few neighbors and family that traveled from Pennsylvania and Kentucky.

CHAPTER TEN
    Marco slammed the phone down, having just received a disturbing message from his contact in the Cleveland Police Department. The Bennetts’ attorney was planning to file a “wrongful death” suit against Atronen and the Mortonson Elevator Company. He dialed his boss immediately. Melbourne answered the call on the second ring.
    Vennuti announced, “I just heard that the Bennetts are planning to file a suit against us and the elevator manufacturer for the wrongful death of their son. I was afraid this would happen. This isn’t good.”
    “You’re right. I don’t like the sound of this at all. We don’t need any unnecessary probing around your operations or any litigation that exposes us. Let me think for a minute.” The phone went silent. Finally he said, “I think the best thing to do is to make the whole problem go away. This is your mess. I’ll leave it up to you as to how it gets done. The less I know the better. Just make sure it’s a clean job. It has to look like an accident. Get it done in the next twenty-four hours. Understand?”
    “I’ll take care of it. Don’t worry. They won’t be a bother to us any more, I can promise you that.”
    Marco made a few phone calls and sat back in his chair. He smiled as he updated his mental scorecard: Vennuti ‘5’, FBI ‘0’. This is so one-sided. I wonder why they keep showing up to play. He smiled, took another sip of his scotch and settled down to watch a ball game.

CHAPTER ELEVEN
    Mark picked up a paper at the stand down the street from the building. As he walked back, he glanced at the front page of the Cleveland Plain Dealer. The story popped out at him:
    BEREA COUPLE KILLED IN HOME GAS EXPLOSION
    John and Amanda Bennett, longtime residents of 36 Rock River Road in Berea, died from a gas furnace explosion in their home. The fire took firemen over four hours to control. The