“What’s on the disk?” Milner asked.
“I don’t know, do I?” Maggie said. “I haven’t had the chance to look at it. I don’t even know what kind of storage medium this is,” she said, turning the disk over to look at one side and then the other.
“It’s for a dictaphone with removable media,” Dominguez supplied. “We use them when we want a permanent record of an interview. We’ve got machines here that’ll read it for you – I’ll get one right now.” He stood up. “Is there anything on those papers?”
“I assume this is what she was printing off,” Maggie said. She put the disk down and opened out the sheets. They were headed: “Vance Pharmaceuticals Incorporated. Minutes of the Meeting of the Board. In the Chair: Mr. Warren Signett, Chief Executive Officer.” Then it listed those present.
“It must be a transcript of whatever’s on the disk,” she said, frowning. “But I‘m sure Rose meant us to have both.”
“Why?” Terry said.
Dominguez said, “We won’t find out until we listen to it. Hang on, I’ll get the machine.”
CHAPTER 45
Before long Dominguez returned carrying a dictaphone. Terry and Maggie pulled their chairs closer so they could follow the printed version together. Milner got up and stood behind them. Dominguez loaded the disk and started to play it back. They listened attentively.
There were some shuffling sounds, then the thump of something like a large ledger being dumped on the table. The scrape of a chair. Signett’s voice.
“Thank you for coming. Let’s get started, shall we? Any apologies for absence, Rose?”
“No, sir.”
“Good. Item 1: Minutes of the previous meeting. These were circulated. You’ve all had a chance to read them. Does anyone who was at the meeting have any corrections? No? Good. Item 2: Marketing Report. I have a few things to say about this and then Felix Rutter will make a short presentation.”
Terry quickly took the personnel list out of his jacket pocket and pointed. Felix Rutter was the company’s World Marketing Director. They continued to listen, following the transcript at the same time.
After the marketing report there came a short account of a clinical trial, followed by a progress report on a new drug, on which a decision about further development had to be reached. Then:
“Item 5. The second bioreactor at the Richmond plant. Is that operational yet, Glen?”
“Hold it. Remind me – who’s Glen?” asked Milner.
Dominguez pressed the pause button while Terry ran a finger down the personnel list.
“It must be Glen Forrester, Head of Production Engineering.”
“Okay, sorry, Eddie. Let’s continue.”
Dominguez released the pause button and the machine restarted.
“More or less. We’re into final testing now but I’m not expecting any problems. It was identical to the one we built for the AB Genetics project so it was just a matter of doubling up on existing technology. It should be online in a couple of weeks.”
“Excellent. And are we within budget on that, Ansel?”
Terry pointed to the second name on the personnel list: Ansel Wyatt, Chief Financial Officer, the man Milner had interviewed.
“Yes, Warren; so long as there are no overruns on commissioning, it’ll be on target.”
“Thank you. Item 6. The former Biomolecular Technologies. I take it they’ve been absorbed satisfactorily into Biogenetics Division, Hank?”
“Yes, Warren. No problems.”
“Good. Now there’s not much from their portfolio that’s worth – ”
“Hold on, pause it there,” Milner said. “Where’s that in the transcript?”
Maggie turned the pages back and forth. “None of this is in the print-out. All it says is: ‘Item 6: It was reported that Biomolecular Technologies had been absorbed satisfactorily into Biogenetics Division.’ Then it goes on to Item 7 of the Agenda.”
“This transcript has been edited. Okay, Eddie, let’s take it carefully. Can you back-track a bit and start it again?”
Dominguez pressed a couple of buttons in quick succession. The machine squawked, then the recording picked up again.
“ – there’s not much from their portfolio that’s worth continuing with. There’s nothing market-ready, they spread themselves too thinly. We’ll wind up research on most of the projects and patent anything that’s worth the trouble. You’ll look into that, will you, Hank?”
“I’m already on it. You should have my report by the end of next week.”
“All right, I’ll expect it then. Item 7 – ”
“Chairman, I think there are other issues to discuss under that last Item.”
There was a pause.
“What issues are you referring to, Dr. Challoner?”
“I’m referring to the soil organism.”
“What about it?”
“For the benefit of those around this table who aren’t aware of it, Biomolecular Technologies was in the process of developing a soil organism that fixes atmospheric nitrogen in a unique way. On a routine visit to our Genon subsidiary I noticed a distinct smell of ammonia. On further enquiry I discovered that this organism is being tested in a local field.”
“Well, so what? Dr. Gould developed this organism but he didn’t have time to do anything more with it. He’s busy on other projects now, so we thought we’d do it for him. It’s a very limited trial, of course. When the trial’s over, the field will be sprayed with algicide and that will be the end of it.”
“Mr. Chairman, that’s hardly reassuring when you learn that the new bioreactor – the one we discussed very briefly under Item 5 – has, it seems, been constructed for the express purpose of manufacturing this organism in pilot production quantities.”
“No, that’s incorrect. We anticipate a heavy demand for the oral insulin we acquired from AB Genetics and the new bioreactor is being installed to double our production capacity. Before it’s fully commissioned we’ll use it to make a pilot batch of the soil organism for testing purposes, that’s all.”
“Well, had I been consulted I would still have said that this project was being pursued in a reckless and hasty way.”
“Dr. Challoner, this is a large company. There isn’t the time or energy to consult you on every small matter, and I reject the implication that you’ve been deliberately bypassed. There is no secrecy about this project. I simply didn’t think it merited time in the context of this meeting.”
“All the same, Chairman, this meeting has been my only opportunity to express an opinion, and I feel bound to say that a project of this nature poses serious safety issues.”
“You had no problem with the original bioreactor, Dr. Challoner.”
“I didn’t have a problem with it because the insulin-making organism was disabled.”
“Sorry, can someone tell me what that means?”
It was Felix Rutter’s voice. Challoner replied:
“In the AB Genetics project, Mr. Rutter, the organism was engineered to lack an enzyme for making an amino acid. That amino acid has to be added to the culture medium for it to grow. If it should ever get out into the environment it would just die. People or animals could swallow it and it wouldn’t do them any harm. That’s what we mean by disabled. It’s a routine safeguard. The soil organism, on the other hand, is not disabled.”
“Well of course it’s not disabled.” There was a note of exasperation in Signett’s voice. “The whole point of this product is that it’s almost vanishingly cheap. When it’s spread on fields it starts to turn nitrogen from the air into an available form in the soil. If your peasant farmer has to sprinkle an expensive amino acid on it to keep it alive there’s no advantage to him. He may as well go on buying conventional fertilizer.”
“But we know nothing about the rate of growth, how it might spread to other organisms in the environment, or whether it’s toxic to animals that consume it. It would be totally premature to manufacture it at this stage. Dr. Gould hi
mself told me that it was in an early stage of development.”
“And did you ask Dr. Gould how long it would take to complete the remaining development?”
“Yes. He said he’d made a start on it when we took over his company. He thought it would take about six months to a year.”
“When these people say ‘six months to a year’” Signett again “you can bet it’s going to take two years or more. I want results a lot sooner than that, and so will our shareholders.” There was a slight pause, a lowering of the voice. “Look, Dr. Challoner, this organism presents us with a significant opportunity, one we can’t afford to overlook. The production costs will be minimal.”
“It’s not the costs that concern me, it’s containing the risk. That field is open to the air. Sea birds could pick up the organism on their feet and transfer it to open water. A bad storm could wash it into the river. Or the plant could be sabotaged. A responsible company has to provide for possibilities like this.”
“We’re being perfectly responsible. The trial is strictly limited in both extent and duration. The equipment is being constructed to a proven design and the complex down in Richmond is secure, so sabotage isn’t a serious possibility. A small batch of the stuff will be produced and then the bioreactor will be turned over to the insulin-generating organism. Right, now I’m sorry, we have spent more time than I intended on this item and there are other things on the agenda – ”
“May I ask, then, what is the point of having a Division for Health, Safety and the Environment if you’re not prepared to listen to advice from it?”
There was a heavy silence. Terry and Maggie looked at each other, then the machine, wondering if the track had finished. It hadn’t. Signett’s voice came again, deliberate and hard.
“I have listened, but at the end of the day it’s my job to ensure that this company continues to be profitable and competitive. If the company goes to the wall, Dr. Challoner, there will be no Division of Health, Safety and the Environment. Now I’ve heard your objections and I do not consider them over-riding in this case.”
“Well it’s my responsibility to advise you that you are wrong.”
“Your responsibility, Dr. Challoner, and the responsibility of every other section head round this table is to the company, first and foremost.”
“No. First and foremost, my responsibility is to the environment.”
“Well, if you see that as a conflict of interest, then perhaps you shouldn’t be here.”
“Curiously enough I had just reached the same conclusion. Be good enough to place it on record that I regard this venture as unacceptably high-risk. It has the potential to do untold harm to the environment and it poses a threat to the safety of both the workforce and the public. Good-day, ladies and gentlemen.”
There was the sound of rustling papers and footsteps. The creak of a door opening. The hollow thud as it closed. There was a barely audible sigh.
“Perhaps we can move on now...”
“Pause it, Eddie.”
Dominguez pressed a button. They looked at each other.
“No wonder Signett wanted this suppressed,” Milner said.
“What’s all this about harm to the environment and the public?” Dominguez asked. “Is there something here I should know about?”
Milner winced. “Eddie, we think there was an accident at that plant, and this potentially harmful organism escaped. The accident should have been reported but it wasn’t. That’s what we’re looking into. As far as that other stuff is concerned, Eddie, you didn’t hear it, all right?”
“Whaddaya mean? I heard it.”
“You didn’t hear it, Eddie. Do me a favour, now. You’re just a good cop, going after a couple of murderers. Forget the rest. Believe me, you need to forget the rest, otherwise you could be in shit so deep you won’t know which way is up. All right?”
Eddie shrugged. “Yeah, all right, if you say so.”
“Good. Now let’s see if anything more was said.”
Dominguez released the pause and they listened to the rest of the recording. There was nothing more about the organism. Signett declared the meeting closed. They heard the noise of chairs shifting, papers being shuffled, the door repeatedly opening and closing.
Eddie reached for the stop button but Milner grabbed his wrist:
“Wait” he breathed. “She left it running.”
Signett’s voice.
“Rose, you’ll be typing up the Minutes, as usual? Verbatim record and an executive summary at the end?”
“Yes, Mr. Signett.”
“I don’t want anything recorded under Agenda Item 6. There are issues of company security involved.”
“Nothing at all, sir? I’d have to renumber the Agenda.”
“Okay, just record that Biomolecular Technologies has been absorbed satisfactorily into Biogenetics Division. Nothing more.”
“Very good, sir.”
“Oh, and contact Human Resources. Tell them that Dr. Challoner has tendered his resignation. In the circumstances I’m prepared to waive the statutory period of notice. His employment will terminate as of today. They’re to prepare his leaving documents immediately. And ask them what our legal obligations are to him, money-wise; I want the absolute minimum figure.”
There was a loud click as the dictaphone was switched off.
CHAPTER 46
Dominguez pinched his bottom lip.
“Rose knows more than I thought. We need to go back and speak to her again.”
Terry said, “Maggie might be the only one she’ll talk to. Seems like Rose trusts her.”
“And that’s exactly why Maggie’s not going to.”
They all looked at her.
“She took a chance, telling me about this. If I try to see her again I hate to think what would happen. At best she’d lose her job. At worst – well, look what happened to Challoner.”
“What makes you think she’s at such high risk?” Milner asked.
“Look, this is a sensible, balanced lady. She didn’t run the tap in that ladies’ room because she has paranoid delusions. She must have good reason to believe she’s being watched. She was seeing Challoner, after all. Signett could have found out.”
“We could get her home address. You could visit her there.”
“They may be watching her house. It’s too risky. I’m not going to gamble with someone else’s life.”
“Eddie,” Milner said. “Maybe there’s no need. We have a window now on what happened. There’s no question Signett’s been lying to us. There wasn’t any love lost between him and Challoner. He more or less invited the guy to resign and he couldn’t accept fast enough when he did. But it’s worse than that: Challoner predicted an accident down at Richmond, and he foresaw the consequences.”
“It’s all very well for you,” Dominguez grumbled. “I can see as how it helps you guys, but I don’t see it gets me ahead any. Not liking someone isn’t a good reason to kill them. And if Signett wanted him dead, why did he wait all this time to do it?”
“There’s an answer to that,” Terry said, “and it’s not very palatable. I think the fact we were around, asking questions, must have precipitated it. Anything else would be too much of a coincidence.”
“Oh, God,” moaned Maggie.
“You could be right there,” said Milner. “The three of us went to see Signett yesterday morning. Challoner was killed last night. In my book that’s no coincidence.”
“So could we connect Signett to the murder?” asked Terry.
“Nah, he’s too smart for that. If he hired those guys he would have worked through a third party. They call themselves ‘Security Consultants’ or ‘Security Agencies’. You pay them a visit and they tell you how they’ll sweep your office for bugs, install firewalls on your server connections and fit your place with burglar alarms. And they can do all that. But with the right introduction they can also tell you about the freelance gentlemen who can carry out the odd special assignment for you – an
d guarantee that no one will ever know you were involved.”
Eddie said, “I don’t know, though. This was no ordinary contract – it’s too untidy. Normally one very careful guy tracks down the target and pops him. Why two of them? And why take the risk of breaking into his home and beating the shit out of him first?”
“He must have known something,” Milner answered.
“Or had something they wanted,” Dominguez added.
Maggie shook her head. “The accident was two – nearly three – years ago. Challoner could have gone public long before this. Why didn’t he? It seems to me he must have been protecting someone. When Rose gave me the disk she said ‘They got him. They’ll get the other one too.’ Maybe she was referring to this person Challoner was trying to protect.” She chewed her lip. “I wonder if it was Zak Gould.”
“I bet that’s it,” Terry said. “They were trying to make Challoner tell them where he was!”
Dominguez said, “Well, if they succeeded, that guy’s life isn’t worth a shit.”
Milner’s phone rang and he went out into the corridor to answer it. Dominguez was going back over the paper work. Maggie sidled up to Terry and whispered: “If they get to Gould it’s all over, Terry. We’ve got to find him first.”
Milner returned after a few minutes.
“That was Clive,” he said. “Told me what went down at Genon.”
“What did they find?” asked Terry.
“Nothing. Not a damn thing. They went over the place with a fine-toothed comb. No suspicious equipment, no accident report, in fact no paperwork of any sort, and nothing on the computers. And no one they spoke to knew anything about an accident.”
Maggie said, “Did you tell him what was on the disk – the one Rose gave me? You know, about the organism being tested in a local field and the second bioreactor being used to make it?”
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