Page 66 of Wild Fever

We approached the lab from the west, following a trail back the way we came. It spilled into the main trail that Vernon had led us in on. We took that to the lab. We passed through the disabled Hillbilly Claymore, approached the shack, and climbed the steps to the veranda. I pulled open the door and stepped into the lab.

Vernon had his eyes glued to an electron microscope. "I think I may have found something," he said before looking up to see us and our new friends. His face soured at the sight of them. "What are you doing here?"

He clearly knew Chivo and the others.

"That's the wrong question," the ringleader said as he stepped inside. "The right question is what are they doing here?" he asked, motioning to us.

Dr. Malcolm stammered, "They're my guests, Chivo. And you will treat them as such."

"You bring cops to this island? Why would you do something like that?”

Vernon didn’t answer.

“It makes me wonder about your judgment," Chivo scolded.

"What I do on this island is my business."

Chivo gave a subtle headshake. “What you do on this island affects us all. That makes it my business. And my business is my boss’s business.”

It didn't take an advanced degree to know who these guys were and why they were here.

Vernon’s face tightened. “It matters not. Take your shipment and go.” He nodded to several black duffel bags in the corner.

Chivo shook his head again. "It does matter. I want to know why they're here.”

"An unrelated matter.”

"And I suppose they're just going to go back to Coconut Key and not say anything about your little operation?”

"Does it look like they're here to arrest me or disrupt this operation in any way?”

"So, they’re on the take?”

Vernon said nothing. His eyes flicked to me for an instant.

"Are you getting paid to keep quiet, gringo?" Chivo asked me.

"I don't see how that's any of your business," I replied.

"If you are, that makes you a business partner. It's my job to be aware of all of Dr. Malcolm's business partners.”

"Who I do business with is none of your concern," Malcolm replied.

"Oh, but it is," Chivo said in a calm, yet arrogant way. "See, if you have another partner, by default, I have another partner. Partnerships often run afoul at times. That creates a liability. That could threaten our relationship. It could threaten my business.”

"These two are not a threat to you or your business," Vernon said. "Now take your shipment and go. I have work to do."

The tension was thicker than the humid air.

"We'll see what my boss has to say about this," Chivo replied.

"If you don't like the way I do business, feel free to find another supplier." Vernon grew smug. "Oh, wait. You can't. Because nobody else knows how to make what I make."

Chivo’s face tightened. "You know, I'm so glad you brought that up. I've been thinking about that for a long time. It gives you unfair leverage in negotiations. That's why you're going to teach me how to cook.”

Vernon looked at him like he was crazy. "That's impossible. It's a complex process. It takes years of training and knowledge to do this safely. Everything must be exact. Precautions must be taken. Steps must be sequential. One mistake, and the result could be catastrophic.”

I wasn't exactly sure what Dr. Malcolm was cooking up, but I had my suspicions.