Evil Intent

by Robert Olsen

  “I greatly appreciate that sir. And, I can assure you, that there is no problem. But, of course, the device is ready to go. I can assure you of that because, I personally have been in lock step with every phase of testing. My pump is ready to market as I have reported to you, sir. However, I must also advise I do know of this Eric Halsey. I, too, am aware of his credentials and impeccable record. But, I must admit to you that I have had a few run-ins, shall we say, with Eric. Very disappointing considering his record. At one point, he wanted to delay the project and prepare additional acceptance testing for the temperature sensor that I choose to use. I don’t want to get technical, sir, but it is the exact same sensor we use in the Gemini One-Step pump that has already been thoroughly tested and approved by the FDA, I might add. So I did not believe the additional testing, and more importantly the additional cost and excessive time delays that would result, be warranted. It’s redundant sir.”

  “I tend to agree with you, Anton. Did you discuss that any further with other members of IT support?”

  “Absolutely, that is the first thing I did, sir. And, as I expected, they all agreed with me that it would be a costly and frivolous delay. Second, Eric was extremely upset with me, that I did not support him as the project director to begin with, choosing instead Russell Valmont, from Donald Gingrich’s outstanding team in OSS. Please sir, I too, hope this discussion is only between the two of us. Eric is a fine young man, and I mean no harm to his career, but I was extremely disappointed in his behavior and expectations.”

  “I am very glad to hear what you have just told me. Thank you, Dr. Andreyushkin. Of all people, I do not have to tell you how important your work is to our company. That is precisely why I brought you to Rockne to begin with. Your new device will revolutionize the industry when it comes to programmable diabetic pumps. I have always said, the DDP AU005 will be the finest device on the market. Thank you again for your valuable contributions. I see no need to discuss any of this further with my executive team. I think we are in excellent hands to move forward with a full court press and release the device as soon as we receive the final FDA approval which is expected shortly. Thank you again Anton.”

  Ted Duncan was pleased over his conversation with Dr. Andreyushkin. Ted was also convinced that no further action needed to be taken with either Eric Halsey or anyone else regarding this matter. He saw no reason why he personally had to get involved in some silly employee spat.

  What was paramount on Ted’s mind was that he now felt he could move quickly with the FDA approval. To him, resolving that was not only critical but time sensitive, since he had to return the recent call he received from the President of the Company. Timing was everything, so he thought.

  Joseph Black, was CEO and President of Rockne Pharmaceuticals, Inc. He was located at Corporate Headquarters in Fremont, California, which also was the central manufacturing hub for the US domestic company. However, the New York City office, headed by Theodore Duncan, was the number one domestic sales center for Rockne Pharmaceuticals, USA. Black was particularly concerned over the diminishing sales returns on Gemini One-Step diabetic pumps which up until now, were the leading brand of insulin pumps on the market. During the last two quarters, their competitive out performed Rockne by more than twenty percent.

  Ted had made no less than six trips to Freemont during the last four weeks specifically to advise them on the progress of Gemini’s replacement, the Diage AU003 pump. With a pending approval by the FDA, possible delays, and disastrous quarterly results, Joe Black, not only needed assurance from Ted Duncan that everything was on schedule, but also needed to implement severe budget cuts in the failing Gemini product line. Everything was riding on New York, and the President was receiving tremendous pressure from the board, that Ted unfortunately lost their confidence, and that he just might not be the man to head up the task at hand.

  To make matters worse, Ted Duncan could not have picked a worse time to find his company in turmoil. Unfortunately, with all the hours he had been spending trying to revive the company, his wife, Lenora, and three beautiful children, were struggling with his absence. She needed him desperately, and felt he let her down. Not fully understanding the demands on a corporate executive, she naturally feared whether or not her husband could be having an affair. That would have been an excellent justification for why he was never home, as well as a justification for his weird behavior when he was at home. Sadly, Ted not only was under pressure for the hours of work, but also under pressure because his wife’s suspicions were correct. He was having an affair. To add to his already horrendous dilemma, he failed to advise his wife that his annual bonus had been cut in half as a result of the company’s poor performance. This placed financial pressures on Ted to cover the mortgage on his Manhasset mansion, their summer house in Mystic Connecticut, and financing his exotic affair with Toni, a high spending Manhattanite who loved shopping at the finest city boutiques. All this, of course, was a recipe for disaster, and of course, Ted blamed the Company for most of it. Who else could be at fault?

  At precisely 4:00 PM Ted’s secretary placed the call to Joseph Black, in California.

  “Hi Joseph, Ted Duncan calling. How have you and Eleanor been lately?”

  “Very well thank you. I trust Lenore and the girls are doing fine?”

  “Yes, thank you. All is well.”

  “The reason I wanted to call you Ted, is that I received word from the Board that they are very uneasy over forecasted sales for next year that were submitted for New York.”

  “I certainly understand their concern sir, but have you informed them of the new updated projections for the AU003 diabetic pump? We are getting terrific feedback on this device from our surveys. We expect sales will be through the roof!”

  “Actually, Ted, I did inform them of the revision and that is precisely why they’re concerned.”

  “I don’t understand Joe. Why in the world would they be concerned over great numbers?”

  “I don’t exactly know how to say this any other way, Ted. But, it’s not the great numbers they’re concerned with.”

  “Then what the hell is it?”

  “You Ted. It’s you that they are having a problem with.”

  “Me? For gosh sakes Joe, if it weren’t for me, they wouldn’t have half the productivity we’ve given them. You can’t get blood from a stone. What the hell do they expect?”

  “Integrity in the numbers, I suppose. They were pissed that last year’s numbers didn’t even come close to projections, and how many times were they revised? And how did the sales for our Gemini One-Step, fall so rapidly? We can’t deal with that kind of sudden surprise. You know how that volatility plays havoc with Wall Street. The analysts went crazy and all of us had quite a time convincing them that we had a handle on it.”

  “Come on Joe. You know exactly what happened. No one in the industry knew what Pfizer had up their sleeve. We were all blindsided. Hats off to Pfizer for doing such a great job. Maybe if we had a board like theirs we wouldn’t be so fucked up! Tell them that, why don’t you!”

  “Ted, getting angry is not going to help the situation.”

  “What exactly are you telling me Joe? Are you asking me for my resignation?”

  “Look, for what it’s worth, I’m on your side, Ted. The Board isn’t forcing my hand yet, but I don’t know exactly how much time we have. I’ll do my best to hold them off, and you do your best to get this AU003 to market fast! If you can produce the numbers you’ve been telling us about, I think we’ll be fine. But, if not? I don’t know what to tell you, Ted. You’ve got 90 days to turn this around. If not? You’re out!”

  Ted sat silent for a long time gazing out the window. Finally, he buzzed his secretary and told her to clear his calendar for the day.

  “Yes, I know, but something terribly urgent came up and I have to leave. No, the family is fine. Nothing happened to the girls. I’ll get with you firs
t thing in the morning to go over everything. If anyone bitches, just tell them an emergency happened and I will get back with them tomorrow. Ok, thank you.”

  Ted Duncan reached for the phone one more time.

  “Toni? Where are you? Can you get away? This is urgent. I have to see you. Fine, I’ll meet you at your apartment in 30 minutes. No, I’ll explain it all when I see you, baby. Please, don’t let me down. I need to see you!”

  Ted Duncan left the building.

  Chapter 7

  “Russell, this is Anton. I just spoke with Ted Duncan, and he is extremely pleased with your work. He told me that he expects the final approval from the Federal Drug Administration any day now. That is good. He also wanted me to tell you, that if this is the way you manage your projects, you will have no problem at all being considered for promotion and that he will personally see to it that the Corporate Office is well aware of your great contributions to the company. I’d say he sees your future as very promising.”

  “Why thank you sir, for sharing that. It is great news Dr. Andreyushkin that the company is relying so much on the success of this project. I will certainly let the team know that their long hours and dedication have been much appreciated by you and Mr. Duncan.”

  “Yes, you do that Russell. Excellent idea. Would it be helpful if I drafted a small note from me personally to the team thanking them for their efforts?”

  “Why that would be very kind of you sir. If it is not an imposition, I’m sure they all would appreciate that.”

  “Consider it done Russell, and keep up the great work. Oh, and just one more thing, I almost forgot. Can you please sent me a short email confirming the completion, and total satisfaction of all testing for the new pump? I’d like to pass that along to Ted with my added remarks that your team not only thoroughly tested, but did so on budget without any issues. That too is a great accomplishment that your team should be very proud of.”

  “Of course, sir. I’ll get that to you within the hour. Thank you for the call.”

  Dr. Andreyushkin sat quiet for a few moments contemplating both his call with Ted Duncan and his call to his project Director, Russell Valmont. Now, he felt there was only one more discussion he needed to have in order to satisfy himself that all bases were covered for release to the public of the DDP003 pump.

  Unfortunately, the party he was calling was not available. He chose to leave a voice mail message.

  “Mikhail, this is Anton calling. Please give me a call tonight at my apartment. I’d like to discuss with you again, the deviations we can expect on that temperature sensor that I spoke to you about on the new diabetic pump. Are you positive that if the ambient temperature is more than 15 degrees from the internal temperature of the device, it will automatically shut down? That is not the case with the Gemini One Step, and you will recall we used the same sensor. Please don’t worry about the hour. I will be up late tonight. Give my best to Lidiya, ‘do svidaniya’.”

  It could not have been more than one hour before Dr. Andreyushkin received an email from Russell Valmont. It was the note he had requested regarding the completion of testing.

  To: Dr. Andreyushkin

  From: Russell Valmont

  Subject: Testing for DDP AU003

  We have officially closed the files for acceptance testing of the DDP 003 device. Testing procedures have been completed and no defects were noted.

  A copy of the documented test scripts attesting to the adequacy of standard testing, is attached.

  Russell Valmont

  Project Director, Diage Laboratories, Inc.

  Dr. Andreyushkin immediately forward Russell’s email to Ted Duncan,

  To: Ted Duncan

  From: Dr. Anton Andreyushkin

  Subject: Testing for DDP AU003

  I thought you’d be interested in the email I received, documenting the completion of all testing.

  Dr. Anton Andreyushkin

  Sr. Principal, Diage Laboratories, Inc.

  Anton Andreyushkin anticipated that Ted Duncan would be extremely pleased with the email sent. And, his assumption would be correct. After all, Ted was determined to press the FDA for final approval as soon as possible, and he absolutely needed assurance that the testing was complete and acceptable. Dr. Andreyushkin knew that if Ted believed the testing was complete, he could close the project and his work would be done. His new diabetic pump would soon be introduced and available in the free market. Of course, that assumption depended on the actions of an individual standing outside of Anton’s office. An individual who overheard the message Anton left for someone named Mikhail.

  Chapter 8

  “Good morning mom!” Kathryn said giving her mother a hug as she walked into her house bright and early on a Saturday morning.

  “Wow, honey. You got here early!”

  “I took the 9:45 train out of Penn. But, I had to take the darn local. By the time we left Jamaica, I had the conductor’s entire spiel memorized! I knew all the towns by heart - this train will be stopping at, Hollis, Queens Village, Floral Park, Stewart Manor, Nassau Boulevard, Garden City, and Hempstead.”

  Kathryn’s mother lived on Long Island, in the village of Garden City, about an hour from her apartment in Manhattan. A charming little town, with a Main Street that was lined with beautiful boutiques. It was a very well-to-do town with two famous private country clubs, private schools, their own police department, and the spectacular Garden City Hotel. Decades ago, the original hotel was the talk of the town, usually hosting entertainers like Perry Como, Bing Crosby and the like. A terrible fire destroyed the old wooden hotel and then years passed before the new Garden City Hotel was finally constructed on the same site as the original. There was also a charming railroad station. The Long Island railroad operated daily service from New York City to Hempstead, stopping at Garden City, and usually ran every hour, except rush hour when the trains were scheduled every thirty minutes, or so.

  Her mom was living in the house that she and Kathryn’s father had purchased when he was transferred from Westhampton, to the New York City office. Prior to the transfer, they lived in the village of Mattituck on the East End, but, commuting was next to impossible, so they had little choice but to sell and move further west. Fortunately, they received a huge offer for their waterfront home in Mattituck, which allowed them to buy in the swanky village of Garden City.

  Kathryn vividly remembers pitching a fit over the move. She was born on the East End, attended elementary through high school there, and of course, all her friends were there. She was devastated over the move. Fortunately for her, college came along. She only lived in the Garden City house, off and on, during those college years.

  It was a charming English Tudor style home, on the corner of Cherry Valley Avenue and 6th street, walking distance to the railroad station. You could see the Cherry Valley Golf Club from the sun porch. The porch was a cool, relaxing room overlooking beautiful landscaping as well as the golf course greens. Kathryn often liked to study out on the porch, whenever she was home from college.

  “I have some coffee brewed. Can I fix you a cup with a warm croissant?”

  “That sounds wonderful, mom.”

  “Here we are, let’s go out on the porch,” Kathryn’s mother said carrying a small tray with their coffee, cream, sugar, and two croissants, out of the kitchen.

  “I always loved this porch, mom. It reminds me so much of the porch on our Mattituck house overlooking the Sound. I remember sitting out there, even on those cold winter days with the wind howling off of the water, playing with my toys. Daddy used to peek around the doors, and ask me if he could play too. We use to have so much fun out there.”

  “And he meant it too, dear! Your father was real good about that. Spending time with you, I mean. He tried to spend as much time as he could with you.”

  “How long has it been mom?”

  “He di
ed 11 years, and 4 months ago. I still feel sometimes that he’s going to walk through the front door hollering, what’s for dinner tonight, June? I do miss him quite a bit Kathryn. I guess you never get over something like that. Your father was a very special man.”

  “I know. I miss him, too, mom, a lot. But, it does sound like you’ve been getting out every now and then. That’s good, mom.”

  “I guess so, but, I am especially happy you could come to spend the weekend with me. This is wonderful. We can go downtown for lunch, and after that, maybe we can go shopping for a while if you’d like, and then later in the day, I made reservations for us at your favorite steakhouse in Malverne.”

  “I like that idea. I need to find a casual blouse. I purchased a pair of white capris and would like something with a bright burst of color to wear with them.”

  “I know just the place.”

  “How have you been feeling? The last time we spoke you were concerned about your sugar. Isn’t the pump holding it steady?”

  “Mornings are the worst, I guess. Unless I overdo my cocktails.”

  “I thought you were supposed to cut back on the cocktails?”

  “I have, but Betty and Bonnie still come over every now and then around four o’clock. I think they’d croak if I didn’t offer them a Gin & Tonic.”

  “I hope you are using the diet tonic water.”

  “Yes dear.”

  “Work has been a nightmare, mom, but one of the positive things that has happened is the company has a new - latest and greatest - diabetic pump. It sounds really good. I could make sure we get one, and converting from your Gemini would be easy. I understand the new one is quite advanced.”

  “Oh dear. You know how bad I am with these computer gadgets. I’m all thumbs and certainly don’t understand the bits, bites, ergs, pixels and stuff.”