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‘You wanted the money, so you continued to pay her, little dribs and drabs, without being fully informed.’
‘For a time. I did grow impatient and made demands. She made more promises. I began to suspect that she intended to go out on her own or that she was working with someone else. Using me. So I took a sample for myself.’
‘Took a sample?’
He took his time answering, as if he was still crafting the words. ‘I took her key while she was sleeping and unlocked the box where she kept the tablets. I, in the interest of protecting my investment, took a few to have them analyzed.’
‘And when did you steal the drug, in the interest of protecting your investment?’
‘Theft is not established,’ the lawyer interrupted. ‘My client had paid, in good faith, for the product.’
‘Okay, we’ll rephrase. When did you decide to take a more active interest in your business investment?’
‘About six months ago. I took the samples to a contact I have in chemical analysis and paid him for a private report.’
‘And learned . . .’
Redford paused to study his fingers. ‘I learned that the product did indeed have the properties Pandora had promised. However, it was addictive, which pushed it automatically into the illegals category. It was also potentially lethal when taken regularly over a long period of time.’
‘And being a righteous man, you counted your losses and pulled out of the deal.’
‘Being righteous is not a legal requirement,’ Redford said mildly. ‘And I had an investment to protect. I decided to do some research to see if the unacceptable side effects could be diminished or eradicated. I believe we accomplished that, or nearly.’
‘So you used Jerry Fitzgerald as a guinea pig.’
‘That was a miscalculation. Perhaps I was overeager as Pandora continued to push for more money and made statements that indicated she was about to go public with the product. I wanted to beat her to it, and knew that Jerry would be the perfect spokeswoman. She agreed, for a fee, to try the product my people had refined. In a liquid form. Science makes mistakes, Lieutenant. The drug was still, as we learned too late, highly addictive.’
‘And fatal?’
‘It seems. The process has been slowed, but yes, I’m afraid there is still the potential for physical harm in the long term. A possible side effect I warned Jerry of several weeks ago.’
‘Before or after Pandora discovered you were trying to ace her out?’
‘I believe it was after, just after. Unfortunately, Jerry and Pandora ran into each other at a function. Pandora made some comments about her former relationship with Justin. From what I gather, and this is secondhand, Jerry tossed the business deal we had made in Pandora’s face.’
‘And Pandora didn’t take kindly to it.’
‘She was, naturally, furious. Our relationship was rocky at best by that time. I had already procured a specimen of the Immortal Blossom, determined to delete all side effects from the formula. I had no intention, Lieutenant, of releasing a dangerous drug to the public. My records will substantiate that.’
‘We’ll let Illegals handle that one. Did Pandora threaten you?’
‘Pandora lived for threats. One became accustomed to them. I felt I was in a good position to ignore them, even to counter them.’ He smiled now, more confident. ‘You see, if she had gone forward, knowing what properties were contained in the formula, I could have ruined her. I had no reason to harm her.’
‘Your relationship was rocky, yet you went to her home that night.’
‘In hopes that we could come to some compromise. That’s why I insisted that Justin and Jerry be present.’
‘You had sex with her.’
‘She was a beautiful, desirable woman. Yes, I had sex with her.’
‘She had tablets of the drug in her possession.’
‘She did. As I told you, she kept them in a box in her vanity.’ His smile came back. ‘I told you about the box and the tablets because I assumed, correctly, that an autopsy would show traces of the drug. It seemed wise to be forthcoming. I did nothing but cooperate.’
‘Easy to cooperate if you knew I wouldn’t find the tablets. After she was dead, you went back for the box. Protecting your investment. If there was no product but yours, no competitor, how much more profit there would be.’
‘I did not go back to her home after I left. I had no reason to. My product was superior.’
