“I don’t know. That was Dr. Barnes. He wants us to meet in thirty minutes to discuss the MIND Project. He didn’t go into detail. But I’ve worked with him long enough to know when something isn’t right.”
Sean stood up. “I can’t imagine what it could be. Everything went smoothly with the IRB, and the protocol was approved by the Research Advisory Council with no modifications.”
“Have you all started sample collections yet?” I asked, mind racing a mile a minute trying to figure out why Dr. Barnes sounded as if all hell was about to break loose.
“We received some samples from two sites so far. The other three are slated to get us their first round of samples for analysis by the end of the week. University Hospital got a late start due to staff turnover, but they should be up and running by next week.” Sean pulled out his office cell phone and began tapping furiously on the screen.
I combed my side-swept bangs away from my face. “I’ll set up a meeting in the executive conference room in about thirty minutes.”
“Alright, see you then.” Sean leaned forward and popped a kiss on my upturned lips. Not something we usually do at work, but we were both running on autopilot with our minds focused on other things.
I sat down behind my computer, fingers ghosting quickly across the keys, mind racing, while I began preparing to set up a video conference. I was lucky no one had reserved the room. Within twenty-five minutes, I was finalizing the web conference with Dr. Vanderpool’s assistant.
Sean walked in and took a seat on the opposite side of the table. He organized a stack of folders in front of him for each of our participating research sites. Something about seeing everything laid out like that filled me with pride. This project was proof of my skills in this field. It was a display of all the hard work I’d put in over the last few months. I sent up a quick prayer, asking God for mercy. Whatever problems Dr. Barnes was about to report, needed to be something that could be easily remedied.
“Price, you have everything set up?” Dr. Barnes asked impatiently when he walked into the room.
“Yes—” I began.
“Of course, she does. Lashawnda could do this with her eyes closed,” interrupted Dr. Vanderpool’s voice from the large monitor.
Dr. Barnes dropped the stack of papers he was holding on the table. The resounding bang made my shoulders jump in panic. I was already nervous about this meeting; especially because I was in the dark about what initiated it.
“We don’t have time for flattery, Simon,” Dr. Barnes retorted with an irritated tone. Dr. Vanderpool ignored his old friend’s crotchety demeanor and threw a wink my way.
“Afternoon, Dr. Vanderpool…Dr. Barnes,” Sean said, never one that liked pandering; he jumped right into the matter at hand. “Can you all please enlighten us on what this urgent meeting is regarding?”
“Yes…well it seems we have a bit of plagiarizing that needs to be dealt with.” Sean and I looked at Dr. Barnes with confused expressions. “I was attending one of our quarterly meetings for the Epidemiology State Council yesterday when I was approached about a poster submission the Society of Cancer Oncology Research had received. Dr. Talon thought I would be intrigued by the idea. About five minutes into our discussion I realized he was describing our MIND Project to the exact specifications we designed. He said Dr. Gregory Moore from Tulane was pioneering this new assignment.”
The malice in Dr. Barnes' voice was obvious. Everyone in the room was aware of his previous dealings with Dr. Moore. The two men worked together in graduate school in the comparative psychology lab of their mentor and advisor. One night, Dr. Barnes told Dr. Moore about his research designs he would use for his thesis. A month later, when Dr. Barnes met with his advisor, he was told another student had already done a similar design, and he would have to think up a new proposal. The advisor let it slip it was Gregory Moore who designed the proposal. Since then, the two men had been at each other’s throat every chance they got. Dr. Barnes called him, ‘a fraud and a cheat’.
“So, I would love to know how Dr. Moore so happens to know what kind of work we are doing here at H&G?” Dr. Barnes asked the room at large.
I took instant offense at his question. We were all committed members of this research team. There’s no logical reason for either one of us to tank our own project. There wasn’t any financial gain possible at this point in the process.
“Do you think this has anything to do with the issues we had in the past with leaks in the lab?” Sean asked. His green eyes narrowed into harsh slits, and his lip pulled into a straight line.
“I don’t know. It could be. However, we fired the individual responsible for that little debacle,” Dr. Barnes answered, giving Sean a pointed look. Getting rid of the old lab manager is the reason Sean could get his position.
“Yes…but it's possible there could have been more than one person involved. Think about the size of this company—of the lab. Only a few people have access to the data collection system here, as well as the protocols,” Sean added.
“But we are the only ones working on the MIND Project.” I pointed out. “Besides the paperwork we submitted to the council, no one would have had complete access to the protocol unless they were a part of this team.”
Dr. Vanderpool sat back in his chair. “Is it possible this is an IT security issue? It’s probable someone could have hacked the computers at H&G. A vengeful graduate student did it here in the chemistry department two years ago. Our IT guys couldn’t figure out a solution to all the problems we were having until one of his friends finally decided to rat him out.”
“That is a likely scenario.” Sean nodded, jotting down some notes on his writing pad. “This has been an exceptional working environment for me. But not everyone has the same experience. There are a lot of disgruntled employees out there.”
“We need to figure out if this incident is specific to Dr. Barnes, or if others have found any of their protocols copied.” I immediately started an email to our IT Security team.
Security breaches weren’t something the company took lightly. Not only do we have proprietary information on our servers, but we were also a service delivery facility. Protected health information was stored there as well. If our patient records were affected by this, it could create a whole slew of problems with our funding agency, state health department, and the federal agencies.
“Good point,” Sean added. “If no one else is having issues with their work being plagiarized, then we need to assume this is something personal. Considering your history with Dr. Moore, I wouldn’t be surprised if you were the target specifically. This man of all people is the one showing off your work as his.”
“In the meantime, what do we do about Dr. Moore and his presentation to the Society of Cancer Oncology Research? Do we notify them about the plagiarism?” Dr. Vanderpool asked.
“The Council takes accusations like this seriously. We need to be sure we have proof before we bring any charges against him,” Dr. Barnes said.
“Well, I recorded our initial conference call where we laid out our plans for the project. I saved the video, so I could watch it over again. I wanted to make sure I missed nothing,” I explained to everyone.
“Thanks, Price. I think a dated video would be important in stating our case. In the meantime, I want you and Colcord to check with IT about security leaks.” Dr. Barnes smiled fondly in my direction.
“Will do,” Sean stated.
“This project proves you are ready to be a lead investigator. I’m more upset all your hard work would be for nothing if Dr. Moore claims the protocol as his.”
“I appreciate your confidence in allowing us to take lead, Dr. Barnes,” I replied, beaming with pride that this genius scientist was impressed with my work.
“Well, I’m sorry to have to end your day with bad news, but I wanted to let you know as soon as possible what was going on,” Dr. Barnes said to the team.
The meeting ended with everyone feeling optimistic about getting to th
e bottom of the situation. What most people failed to realize, in the current age of technology, it was difficult for people to break the law without leaving a paper trail. Sean and I spent the rest of the week, after Dr. Barnes had given us the bad news, working with IT to determine if the company had been the victim of hacking. But there was no evidence any of the company firewalls had been breached. So, the team had to turn their attention to the possibility that it was internal—something which was far more difficult to determine. As an increased security measure, they set cameras up in the lab and around the hallways near Dr. Barnes’s office and my cubicle.
Whoever managed to do something so deceitful was bound to slip up and get caught.
CHAPTER 19
LASHAWNDA
Friday couldn’t come quick enough.
I was beyond happy to get two days off from worrying about all the issues we were having in the office. Sean and I wanted to celebrate getting a new place by having a small housewarming party with just the family and close friends. Stacy, Will, and Ian were coming to visit on Saturday. Unfortunately, Jackson had to cancel at the last minute after Sarah caught the flu the night before. Sean and I were sad they couldn’t make it but sent our well wishes to Sarah for a speedy recovery.
We invited Ian to stay with us, but he decided he’d much preferred being at Brent’s. He didn’t want to intrude on us. I knew how these guys used to party, so I was sure that wasn’t the whole truth. Stacy and Will stayed at my parents’ house. Crystal was now living with them since the blowup at Sunday dinner a few months back. Filing for divorce was a lengthy process, and she couldn’t wait to get it over with. But, for the time being, she was stuck with them. We were all thankful they didn’t have any children to consider because it would make things much more difficult.
I was deep in slumber when I heard a noise at the front door. The sound was faint, making me think it was part of my dream. Rolling over, I snuggled my back to Sean’s chest. His arm came up around my body, and he burrowed his hand deep between the valley of my breasts. We spent the night setting up for the cookout and didn’t get to bed until four in the morning.
I drifted deeper into sleep when I heard the sound again, this time louder.
“Sean,” I called, voice thick and raspy with sleep.
“Hmm.”
“I think someone’s at the door.”
He rolled over on his stomach, pulling the covers tighter around his body.
“Okay…then go get it,” he replied drowsily.
“What if…what if it’s a robber, and they kill me,” I whined, poking him in the side with my elbow.
“Nobody is robbing us early in the morning when the sun is up. You just don’t want to get the door.” He pulled me closer to him with one arm and planted a sloppy kiss on my lips. “You’ll be fine.”
“Sean…” I whined, adding that extra pout he could never say no to.
He cracked one eye open, looking at me as if I lost my mind. “You’re really going to make me get up?”
I just raised an eyebrow at him as an answer.
“Little lady, if I wasn’t so tired, I’d raise my brow right back,” he fussed. “You’re lucky I’m too tired to argue.”
Sean dragged his beautifully toned body out of bed. I could hear his footsteps thundering down the hall. I got a picture of what his mother must have gone through trying to wake him up as a kid to go to school. His entire demeanor was that of an adolescent boy not wanting to leave the comforts of his bed.
“Babe, you’re only wearing boxers,” I yelled. The white cotton boxer briefs left nothing to the imagination. I mean nothing. I could see the very distinct outline of his mushroom shaped tip.
“Whoever is knocking this early will get a free show of this morning wood. I ain’t putting on no pants,” he hollered back.
I stretched across his side of the bed, the spot still warm from his body heat. The portable monitor for our security system was on his side table. I tapped the screen until I saw him move across the monitor toward the front door. His body language reminded me of an angry bear—all flailing limbs with a lumbering gait. When he got to the door, I turned up the volume, so I could hear what was said. It was then, I remembered Stacy and Crystal were coming over.
“Dang it!” I yelped, jumping up, still trying to watch the screen.
“What?” Sean barked as he yanked the door open.
“Well, hot damn! Lashawnda is a lucky girl, having all this to come home to every night.”
“Oh, shit!” Sean exclaimed. He immediately brought his hands down to cover himself and hid behind the door.
Stacy’s laughter was faint, but her body language made it seem like she was cracking up. At least Crystal had the decency to look to the side and not directly at Sean.
“Don’t try to hide now.” Stacy stepped in the house. “See, this should teach you a lesson about coming to the door half-naked. You probably thought it was one of those poor Jehovah Witness old ladies.”
She went to pull Sean’s arm, but he ducked around her and took off running up the stairs. The sounds of Crystal and Stacy’s laughter echoed all the way up to our bedroom. Sean appeared a few seconds later. His face was fire engine red. I tried not to laugh when he stalked past me into the bathroom. The way he angrily flicked his penis out to pee, looked like he was going to break the poor thing off. I couldn’t make out his words, but he was steady mumbling under his breath.
“Sean…” I started, trying to apologize.
“Your sister is downstairs—best friend too.” He cut me off before I could get anything out.
“Thanks for getting the door, babe.” I pulled my lips in to suppress my laughter.
I leaned in trying to kiss him, but he moved his mouth so fast I ended up kissing his ear. He tucked himself back in, flushed the toilet, and marched back to our bed.
“You didn’t wash your hands.” I pointed out, as I watched him throw all six foot, five inches of his big, brawny body on our California King sized bed.
Without answering me, Sean rolled over and rubbed his hands all over my side of the bed. He even rubbed them on my pillow. I stood aghast. Sure, I’ve swallowed his cum, but he just wiped his pee-pee hands where my face goes.
“Sean! Are you for real?” I laughed incredulously at how immature he was acting. When he flipped the covers over his head and burrowed back into the blankets, I knew it was time for me to leave him alone. Living together taught me a thing or two about when to let him be when he’s in one of his moods.
I quickly washed up and grabbed my kimono style robe from the foot of the bed. I made my way downstairs where Stacy and Crystal were sitting at the island.
“Hey, guys.” I pulled Stacy into a big hug, happy to have my best friend in town for a visit. “I’m so glad you made it in safe.”
“Look at you, looking all gorgeous, contented, and well loved.” Stacy ran her hand down my arms like a mother inspecting her child for bruises. “Girl, you better talk to Sean about coming outside like that.”
I swatted her arm and reached over to pull Crystal into a hug. “Leave him alone. It was entirely my fault. I completely forgot you guys were coming over this early.”
“Poor Sean. I hope he knows I won’t let him forget this little streaking incident,” said Crystal.
“Go easy on him. If it was up to me y’all would have been standing at the door for a very long time,” I said with a light warning.
Stacy took off her coat and hung it on the back of the bar stool. “Tuh! You’ve only been here three weeks. I’d a burnt this mother down if you had me waiting out there all morning.”
“Whatever,” I said pulling my best friend in for another hug. Crystal joined in as well. I screeched with excitement of finally having my girls here together after so many months. “I’m so happy we’re all together again. You guys want to make some breakfast before we go shopping?”
“Yep…I’d love some of your blueberry muffins,” Crystal stated with a crooked smile.
“I want biscuits, scrambled eggs, and bacon,” Stacy added.
“Oh yes. Biscuits sound even better.” Crystal rubbed her hands together in anticipation.
I looked between my best friend and sister and laughed. “Then biscuits it is. I guess I better turn on the stove, huh?”
“Yep,” they responded simultaneously.
I went to the sink and washed my hands. Whipping together a big breakfast was something I was used to doing. Sean loved to eat a hearty spread in the morning. Plus, it wasn’t uncommon for Brent to stop by and grab something before he went into the office. I loved preparing food for my friends and family. If research and psychology wasn’t my calling, something in the food industry would have been my career choice.
“Is Will still sleeping?” I asked Stacy.
Stacy sat at the bar and plucked a banana from the fruit bowl. “You know it. He worked all day yesterday and didn’t get home until we were about to leave for the airport.”
“Price of being a pediatric plastic surgeon,” Crystal stated.
“A very high price if you ask me. I swear, I don’t see him anymore. Don’t get me wrong, I support him one hundred and ten percent; but these hours are taking a toll on his health and our relationship.” Stacy’s voice was filled with concern, but I heard a bit of anger in there as well.
“What do you mean his health?” Crystal inquired.
“I don’t know it’s like he just isn’t doing well. If he’s not at home sleeping, then he’s working. If he’s not working, then he’s sleeping. He’s always eating on the run and I can’t tell you the last time he made it to the gym. He’s not taking care of himself, and I can tell because he’s not as healthy as he was before. I swear the man lives off coffee and fast food.”
“Have you talked to him about it?” I asked.
“No…I planned on doing it this weekend. This is the first time in months he’s had a chance to sit still.”
“Well don’t let it fester. Get it out before it turns into a fight. Make sure you go at it from the point of concern for his health and your relationship. That way, he’ll know you’re not trying to be a nag.”
Over the Hedge: Part 2- The Finale (Lucky in Love) Page 22