truly-'
'Mind blowing?' the questioner suggested.
Churchward smiled. 'I'm tempted to say that anyone taking PDM3 runs no risk of having his mind blown. But, yes, we can scarcely imagine the potential of such a discovery.'
It seemed a good note on which to end, or so David Flexner thought, because he reached for the microphone. 'Unless there are any other questions, ladies and gentle-men-'
'Yes, I have one more, if you don't mind.' Suddenly Peter Diamond was on his feet. He hadn't planned to intervene so publicly as this and he hadn't discussed it with Lieutenant Eastland (who muttered, 'Jesus!'). Only in the last few minutes had he come to a decision to fire a broadside across the bows of the two well-defended men at the front. A scare at this stage, when they thought they were fully in control, might panic them into revealing something really culpable- if they were implicated. 'This session was to have been chaired by Mr. Michael Leapman. What is the significance of his absence?'
Flexner's right hand went straight to his long hair and raked through it. 'Mr. Leapman is, um… Excuse me, sir, this is an organizational matter. I don't see that it has any relevance to what we have heard.'
'Ah, but it has,' Diamond insisted. 'It's well known that Mr. Leapman is strongly identified with this drug. He promoted it actively within your company. He, more than any other individual, is responsible for this conference, for the decision to go into Phase Three of the testing. Yet he isn't here this morning. What are we to make of this, Mr. Flexner? Does it mean that Michael Leapman has gone cold on the project?'
Flexner was staring. 'Sir, would you mind telling me who you represent?'
'My name is Diamond.'
This simple statement made a satisfying impact. Men don't return from the dead all that often, and David Flexner had not been informed that Diamond had survived his dip in the Hudson River. His hair didn't stand on end, but in every other respect he gave a fair impression of a man seeinga ghost.
To give him time to find his voice again, Diamond went on to say, 'I'd better identify myself properly. I'm a detective working with Lieutenant Eastland of the New York Police Department, with whom you are acquainted. He's sitting beside me, in case you can't see from there. But my question was about Mr. Leapman. As you no doubt know, he has gone missing. I think your audience is entitled to know the circumstances.'
Flexner looked more bloodless than the specter in front of him. 'It has no relevance,' he managed to say.
Churchward got up and spoke to Flexner and his remark was close enough to the mike to be heard all over the room.
'Let's wrap this up fast.'
No one else had any desire to leave. Diamond said, 'You may prefer to wrap it up fast, gentlemen, but the rest of us won't be impressed if you do. Mr. Michael Leapman has disappeared from his house in suspicious circumstances. A certain amount of damage has been done inside his house in New Jersey. There are signs of a scuffle. Overturned furniture. Bloodstains. His car is missing. I believe you were informed of this when you tried to call him this morning.'
Flexner appeared to give a nod.
Seeing that his Chairman was bereft of words, Professor Churchward reached for the microphone and said, 'This is a scientific conference, not a police investigation. We're sorry to hear about the attack on Michael, but with all due respect it has no bearing on what we are discussing today.'
Diamond said at once, 'I believe you're mistaken there. You've assumed that Mr. Leapman was the victim of an attack.'
'But you just described it,' said Churchward.
'No, Professor, I described the scene at the house. The evidence is that the attack was faked.'
There were gasps. Everyone had turned to hear what Diamond was saying.
'I was doubtful of the setup anyway, so I asked the forensic lab to check the blood spots found at the scene. I phoned to get the results a few minutes ago.' Savoring the moment, he found a wicked way of prolonging it. 'As mere are so many scientists present, you may care to know that they test whether it's human by diluting it and bringing it into contact with animal serum. There should be a precipitin reaction between the human protein and the animal serum. A white line forms. No white line was found in this case. The forensic people have a good stock of antisera from a variety of animals.' He paused. He was as capable as Churchward of working an audience. 'The blood spots in Michael Leapman's living room were bovine in origin, probably from calf liver, which is as bloody as most things one keeps in a freezer.' Again he waited, allowing the facts to sink in. 'So I'm bound to ask whether either of you gentlemen has any idea why Mr. Leapman should have gone missing in these suspicious circumstances at this crucial time.'
Churchward was careful to switch off the mike before conferring with Flexner, who had a glass of water to his lips.
Diamond remained standing.
Without getting up, Lieutenant Eastland muttered reproachfully, 'You could have told me first.'
'There wasn't time.'
'Was this what you were setting up this morning when I came in?'
'With the lab, yes. I called them back just now. The beef test was the first they tried.'
'I thought you were ordering a sandwich.'
David Flexner switched on again and did his best to sound composed: 'We are not aware of any reason for the incident that has just been described. Michael Leapman has served as our Vice Chairman with honor and distinction for many years. We regret what has just been reported, but we can't see that it has any connection with our business here today. The program will resume after lunch. That is all I have to say at this time.'
The press closed in on Diamond.
'Satisfied?' Eastland asked, when Diamond had finally shaken off the last of them.
'I'm not here for satisfaction. I'm here to find out how much Flexner and the professor know about Leapman's activities.'
'So what did you learn?'
'Flexner, at least, was genuinely fazed. I'm less certain about the professor.'
Eastland appeared to concur. 'He's a different type. More mature as a personality. His mind was on damage limitation.'
'That was my impression, too. A cool customer. I suspend judgment on Professor Churchward.'
'His sort wouldn't be fazed if King Kong stepped into the conference.'
'But that doesn't make him a guilty man.'
'Want another look at him? He's taking the afternoon session.'
Diamond said he had other plans. While the big shots were away, he was going to visit the Manflex Building. He meant to find out for himself whether Flexner had concealed anything of importance the evening before when he was being questioned about Yuko Masuda's file entry.
'You won't get in there without a warrant,' Eastland told him. 'They have security like a state pen.'
'Want a bet?'
'Sure.'
'I bet you the price of a meal, then,' Diamond suggested.
'One of
Both men grinned. They worked better now they had the measure of each other.
Later, fortified by a sandwich (or two) he bought himself, Diamond stepped from a limousine and strutted confidently towards the front entrance of the Manflex Corporation. The security guard'-happily one he hadn't met on the previous visit-asked for his pass. Diamond admitted that he didn't possess a pass. He had something better.
'What's that?'
'A British passport'
'Mister, are you trying to be funny?'
'No, I'm giving you the chance to verify my name. I'm Peter Diamond.'
