Lethal Discoveries

by Erica Pensini

  “Iris”, she said, the misplaced severity of her tone echoing in the high-tech environment like the voice of a hateful governess from a classical novel.

  “Yes”, I replied as neutrally as I could

  “These people are here to inspect the labs. Start by showing them the room where you usually work, I’ll go find Alice in the meanwhile”

  “Sure. The lab is this way”, I said, gesturing them to follow me.

  “Iris, by the way”, I said, turning around and tending my hand after McMurrich had walked away.

  There were two inspectors. One was bulky, and the skin of his face was saggy with faintly red patches. It was a strange thought for that moment, but I felt like I wanted to get him through this inspection as fast as I could. This man is not well and he might have no more than one year ahead of him, I thought. Now he doesn’t know and he burns away his time in meaningless tasks. I act and smile, and show him the labs wondering if he is here for the polymer but trying to hide my anxiousness. He plays along patiently, shaking hands with me and looking around. And all of a sudden –for no reason -I recalled a man I once saw queuing up at the check-in of an airport, too polite to interrupt the airline representative chatting inanely and tell her to speed up because he was about to miss his flight.

  “Jim”, he said, his smiled constrained in the abundance of his flesh.

  The other guy was trim and brisk.

  “Curtis, good to meet you”, he said, shaking my hand briefly with his nervous grip.

  I liked this guy better than the chubby one, although I knew I would play ruthless with him if needed.

  When I brought them in the room they started looking at the instruments, without speaking. Then Curtis opened the fridge, and began looking at the jars with interest, picking them up one at a time and rolling them in his hands.

  “What’s in these jars?”, he asked, after replacing the last one in the fridge

  “The contents are written on the labels”, I said

  “There are acronyms written on these labels. What I need to know is the actual content of these jars”, Curtis explained, with a display of patience superimposed on an tone that said, “I am no fool”

  “Right”, I smiled.

  I went to the fridge and began explaining.

  “This is a pudding sample, to which a polymer has been added…”

  “What polymer are you working with?”, he asked, while Jim was standing behind us, hands joint behind his back.

  “It’s an organic polymer I am developing…”

  At that moment McMurrich stepped in, followed by Alice.

  “Everything fine so far?”, she asked

  “I am curious about the composition of the polymer additioned to this sample”, he said, looking at her.

  Then he asked, addressing me specifically, “Do you have some pure polymer I can look at?”

  This man knows, I told myself

  I handed him the vial with the pure polymer. He looked at it again with the same attentive expression he had before, as if gazing at the jars could be somehow revealing.

  “So, what were you saying about the composition of the polymer?”, he asked

  McMurrich looked at me frostily

  You fool, they’ll see through you as crystal clear as through an icicle, I thought

  “It’s an organic polymer”, I said, knowing I wasn’t giving out any useful information. I hoped he would bring the polymer with him and analyze it. But was he allowed?

  “This is a proprietary formulation”, jumped in McMurrich

  “We understand this very well, Dr. McMurrich”, said the trim guy

  There was a pause, and we all stood there wondering what the next move would be. Curtis had an advantage, and I think McMurrich suspected he would give her checkmate. She tried to look confident but I sensed she wasn’t.

  “We will never disclose any of your industrial secrets, but we need to verify the safety of the products in your labs”, Curtis said

  “This is an organic polymer, and it does not pose any risks when handled with the precautions used in these labs”, McMurrich said defensively

  “We will need to take a sample of the polymer to have it analyzed. This is normal routine, we are doing these tests in a number of labs”, Curtis explained coolly

  “This polymer is proprietary, as I explained to you earlier”, McMurrich insisted

  “Dr. McMurrich, we are conducting a simple inspection but you look quite anxious”, he said, looking at her slyly.

  “I am determined to protect the novelty of our products”, she said, still in control but with a slight crack in her voice.

  “Dr. McMurrich, we can come back with a warrant or get the sample now and have a look at it without making a big fuzz over this. Just tell us what you prefer and we’ll go from there”, Curtis said.

  McMurrich was cornered, but she refused to admit she had lost the battle.

  “May I ask the reason for this urgency? Our labs have always been in good standing, and FoodTech is a respected corporation. We will contact our lawyers about this matter if confidentiality will not be kept when handling our products”

  “Certainly, we respect your corporation and the need for confidentiality. But I hope you appreciate the difference between confidential and hidden to the authorities”, said Curtis, smiling a pungent smile.

  “We are not hiding anything”, McMurrich said

  “That’s great. In this case you have nothing to worry about. We’ll be in touch with you shortly”

  Curtis smiled again and headed to the exit, without waiting for us to guide us. Jim turned to me, with a hint of apology on his face, but then he followed his colleague without saying goodbye.

  Chapter 45

  McMurrich walked out the lab, he gaze trailing behind the officers as they walked to the exit. Alice and I looked at each other without speaking. Alice smiled tentatively and shrugged turning the palm of her hands upwards. I smiled back, comforted by her presence. We were still smiling at each other when McMurrich walked back in the room.

  “I want you in my office”, she said

  “Sure”, said Alice, and I nodded, the smile dying on my face

  “Go find Brad”, she added, looking at me

  I found Brad at his desk, frowning at what he was reading.

  “You should read this paper”, he said

  “I would love to, but now McMurrich wants us in her office”

  “What happened?”

  “The inspection happened and it wasn’t that smooth”

  “I saw two guys…so those were the inspectors?”

  “Yes. They took the polymer, McMurrich didn’t want them to but they had it their way. They menaced to come back with a warrant unless we gave them what they wanted”

  “Oh…”

  “Ok, McMurrich is waiting for us, so we better go. She is not in a great mood, as you can guess”

  Brad got up, and then said, standing close and whispering, “After all I think your detective sent someone over…”

  “I’ll call her later and try to find out”, I whispered back.

  Then, raising my voice and pushing him, “Come on, let’s go now”

  McMurrich’s door was half-closed.

  “So you are happy with your job here?”, I heard McMurrich ask

  “Of course”, Alice answered

  Brad gave me a questioning gaze. I shrugged and shook my head to mean I had no clue, then gave a gentle knock on the door.

  “Come in”, said McMurrich.

  She was sitting at the round table right across Alice, who looked up at us uncomfortably.

  “Have a seat”, said McMurrich

  “I was asking Alice if she is happy here”, she continued and paused.

  Brad and I didn’t reply, waiting for her to address us with the same question.

  “I know you think I am the worst possible boss, and I understand your reasons”

  I didn’t know where this was going, but I was in
trigued by the odd turn the meeting was taking.

  “You think I am a terrible boss because I am detached and perhaps authoritative”, she continued, and I was amazed at the fact that she could judge herself with honesty. Perhaps she wasn’t as stupid as I deemed, and the thought she could grasp my untold meanings made me panic for a moment.

  “The reality is that once upon a time I was a researcher like you are, but now I have a different role. I could play friends with you, but the dry truth is that the greatest favor I can do you is to market the products you come up with so that we all stay in the business. When things go well you get promotions and raises, and I do too as a matter of fact”

  Right, I thought, but having a friendly working environment wouldn’t defeat the purpose of doing business together, would it? I was still puzzled as to where this speech was going.

  “But although you probably see me as a coldblooded shark, I do have a code of ethics and I follow it quite strictly. If I had real doubts about the safety of a product I would not circulate it”

  “When you asked me if we needed to test the safety of the polymer you synthesized I was dismissive because I cannot understand why it wouldn’t be safe”

  I wondered if McMurrich had put up all this show because she feared the authorities would point their fingers at her for what had happened. But did she know what had happened? If she did it meant she was involved. The idea gave me the creeps.

  “However the last facts induce me to believe that there is something wrong, something I am unaware of…”

  She paused, looking unsure about how to continue

  “Did you ever notice any atypical behaviour in any of the people working here?”, she asked

  I arched my brows.

  “What type of behaviour are you referring to?”, asked Alice

  “Any type of behaviour you would consider suspicious”, she replied vaguely

  “No, not really”, said Brad

  “I haven’t either”, confirmed Alice

  “Neither have I, but why are you asking?”, I said

  “Two nights ago I was here till late and made a round in the labs to see if any of you was still working”

  “And we weren’t, so I suppose we don’t deserve a raise”, I snapped before I could stop myself

  “I would have been very glad to give you a raise, Iris, if only I had been able to release your polymer as I had planned”, McMurrich replied, and I was surprised she didn’t sound like my sarcasm vexed her

  “Sorry”, I said, meaning it

  “Who I found in the lab though was Mike. He was slipping a vial in his back-pack. I saw this very well, but I decided to pretend I didn’t before understanding what was happening. I spoke to the security, and convinced them to let me see the videos in the cameras. Mike has an empty vial with him, and he transferred a small amount of what was in a vial stored in the fridge in the one he had brought with him. I checked the fridge, and noticed that you keep the pure polymer in a vial that looks like the one from which he transferred material into the one he hid in his back-pack before leaving”

  “Mike?”, I asked incredulous

  “Mike”, nodded McMurrich

  “Why would Mike take the polymer?”, I insisted

  “Maybe because he wanted to sell it to someone before FoodTech did”, McMurrich said, pondering my reaction to her statement

  I shook my head, cursing the rotten environment where I was working. How could Mike betray us? I wondered if he had made up the whole story about Sandeep. I would go back that same afternoon and understand what was happening, although I didn’t know how to get away from the labs without having McMurrich notice. And I needed to call Mariam Avery again.

  “But where is Mike now?”, asked Alice

  “I have no clue”, replied McMurrich

  “You mean he disappeared?!”, Brad exclaimed, brows arched

  “That’s right”, said McMurrich

  I wondered if we should tell McMurrich about Sandeep. Or did she know already? I decided it was better to wait. I felt like I was walking on quick-sands, all my coordinates scrambled and my certainties gone. I turned around to look at Brad and Alice. Please tell me I will always able to trust you, I mentally pleaded. I would have sworn I could, but then I would have said the same about Mike just few minutes earlier. I pondered the chance of a misunderstanding. Maybe Mike did take the polymer, but not for the reasons McMurrich believed. Why hadn’t he told us though? I recalled all of a sudden that he hadn’t picked up the phone the night before when I had tried to call him on my way to the police, although I hadn’t given much attention to the fact.

  “I hope you will inform me in case you hear anything from him”, McMurrich said interrupting my thoughts.

  She paused and gave each of us a deep stare, studying our faces as we assured her that yes, we certainly would.

  “Good”, she concluded, “thanks for your time”

  While walking out of her office I wondered if I had misheard her statement, because as far as I could remember she had never thanked anybody for their time before.

  Chapter 46

  “Do you guys wasn’t to go to the cafeteria?”, I asked as soon as we left McMurrich’s office

  “Let’s go”, said Alice, and Brad followed

  We waited for the elevator without speaking. “I am awfully disappointed”, I said when we got in

  “I know”, agreed Alice, dropping her head

  “I wonder if Mike made up the whole story about Sandeep being scared and not wanting us to go to the cross cancer institute”

  “Yeah…”, said Brad, who had been silent up to that moment

  “What about going there again to see if he was making it all up?”, suggested Alice

  “That’s what I thought”, I nodded

  “But if all three of us disappear for a moment too long McMurrich is going to wonder”, worried Brad

  “It’s lunch time, right?”, I said looking at my watch

  “So if we go now McMurrich will assume we headed for lunch”, Alice said, brightening up

  “Bingo!”, I said

  “Ok…”, conceded Brad, somewhat unsure it was a good idea but not finding strong reasons not to go

  “And we’ll stop at the Greaser to grab a fat slice of junky pizza on our way back so we won’t go hungry”, I smiled

  “Sounds like a plan”, Alice smiled back

  The elevator opened the door to the main floor

  “But does anybody have their car keys with them?”, Brad asked

  “Oops…”, I said shaking my head

  “I can run upstairs get mine”, offered Alice

  “It’s fine, I’ll go. You guys can start heading to the parking lot, I’ll be back in a moment”, Brad said

  We went outside and the burning hot asphalt yielded under our weight

  “It feels good to be outside”, said Alice, turning her head up, the sun showering over her closed eyes

  “Yeah, FoodTech is a sick place. I still cannot believe what is happening. Why did Mike do that?”, I said

  “I don’t know Iris. A part of me refuses to believe things are as they appear…”, Alice told me, keeping her head tilted upwards

  “What do you mean?”, I asked

  “I mean that perhaps Mike didn’t intend to betray us at all”, she said, looking at me now

  “I thought so to. But then why not talk to us?”

  “Mike was never the talkative type. Maybe he has a plan, but he didn’t want to involve us”

  I pondered the possibility and nodded. “It’s not impossible”

  I saw Brad walking out the entrance and waved at him as if I hadn’t been seeing him for a while. The exuberance with which I was waiving my arms should have called for laugher, or at least a shy gest of recognition. But Brad walked towards us seriously, and when he got closer I saw the frown on his face.

  “What?”, I asked

  “I think you were right”, he said

  I looked at him
with a question mark on my face

  “Someone is trying to dig in your stuff”

  “McMurrich?”, I asked, feeling all of a sudden it was way too hot outside

  “No, the cleaning lady”

  I burst out laughing.

  “She is trying to steal my pens or what?!”, I exclaimed relieved

  “I don’t think so”, Brad replied, and the worry on his face extinguished my smile

  “Explain then”

  “I cannot be sure of what I saw, but she was where our desks are and when she heard me coming she started”

  “Maybe her thoughts were elsewhere and you startled her?”, Alice suggested

  “No…I don’t think so. I cannot say why, but I have a strong feeling she was up to something. And it’s not only your activity she wants to know, probably she is interested in mine too...”

  “What do you mean?”, asked Alice

  “There was something with my desk…it felt like something had been moved”

  “That’s exactly how I felt”, I confirmed

  “But why would a cleaning lady be sticking her nose in your files?”, Alice asked

  “I don’t know…”, I said, shaking my head

  “It seems like a crazy idea but I wonder if she is not who she pretends she is”, Brad said

  “I wouldn’t believe what is happening if someone told me…”

  “Ok guys, why don’t we deal with one thing at a time and head to the cross cancer institute now?”, Alice interrupted

  Brad opened the car, “Right, let’s go, we don’t have much time”

  Chapter 47

  At the cross cancer institute the receptionist told us she hadn’t seen Sandeep for a few days, he was sick, she explained, and when asked when he would be back she said she wasn’t sure.

  “And what about Wilhelm Larson?”

  She looked at us nervously, short of excuses, but while she was brainstorming to find another good one Wilhelm Larson entered the front door, carrying a McDonalds lunch-bag.

  “Hello, I wondered where you guys were. We run those tests for you and I was expecting to see you back”, he said smiling

  Brad and I looked at each other, equally perplexed and wondering what to say. I knew Wilhelm noticed, because a frown clouded his face for a moment, but then he smiled again and said “I can show you the results”

  Either Wilhelm was a great actor or our conclusions about him menacing Sandeep were wrong, because he didn’t seem to want to avoid us in any way. But then what was the point since he had no chance of avoiding us? Better pretend he was expecting us so that we wouldn’t get suspicious.