Jared held her tightly. 'I keep thinking I should say something witty, but all that wants to come out is thanks. Thank you for this and for helping me reconnect with Stacy.'
'Thanks accepted, but I expect something witty from you as soon as the business in this chamber is over. And please, don't make it sound like I've done something altruistic. I'm as excited about Stacy's visit as you are.'
Jared's daughter would be in Boston in just ten days. Her first trip east. It was a journey that would include visits to Cape Cod and Bunker Hill, to Gloucester and the swan boats and the Old North Church. But there would be no visit to Win Samuels. Not now, and if Jared had his way, not ever. 'Hey, you two, they're coming in, ' Terry Moreland called from the doorway. 'What's the worst thing the panel could do to Redding?
' Kate asked, grateful that Jared had chosen not to distract his friend with the news of her pregnancy. 'I guess turning the case over to the Justice Department for further investigation and prosecution would be the biggest victory for us. A hedge might be the referral of the whole matter to administrative channels within the FDA, in order to gather more information prior to a follow-up hearing.' They settled into their seats. 'Either way, ' Moreland added, 'we'll know in a minute.'
Kate slid the black notebook off the table before them, and held it tightly in her lap. 'Ladies and gentleman, ' the chairman announced, shuffling through a sheaf of papers and then extracting one sheet to read, 'this panel has reached a unanimous decision regarding the charges brought by Dr. Kathryn Bennett against Redding Pharmaceuticals, Incorporated, of Darlington, Kentucky. It is our feeling that the late Dr. Arlen Paquette did, in fact, conduct illegal and dangerous human research on the synthetic hormone Estronate Two-fifty and that he may well have also experimented illegally with other unproven substances.
However, all available evidence indicates that the man, though in the employ of Redding Pharmaceuticals, was acting on his own and for his own personal gain. There is insufficient evidence to demonstrate prior knowledge of Dr. Paquette's criminal activities by Mr. Cyrus Redding or any other director of Redding Pharmaceuticals. 'Therefore, it is our recommendation that no further action be taken on this matter, and that all charges against Redding Pharmaceuticals be considered dealt with in a fair and just manner.
Thank you all for your cooperation.'
Without another word, the panel rose and marched from the chamber.
Kate and the three men with her sat in stunned disbelief, while across the room, lawyers were congratulating one another boisterously. 'I don't believe it, ' she said. 'Not a recommendation for further study, not a reprimand for hiring someone as unprincipled as Arlen Paquette, nothing.'
She glanced to one side, and almost immediately her eyes locked with Cyrus Redding's. The man favored her with another of his patronizing grins, and a shrug that said, 'You have to expect such things when you play hardball with the big boys, young lady.'
Kate glared at him. The battle may be over, Cyrus, she was thinking, but not the war. Somewhere out there is a noose so tight that even you won't be able to wriggle free-and I'm going to find it. Reese, Horner, Sheila Pierce. Somewhere, somehow, someone's going to come forward with proof of what you've done. Jared took her hand, and together, they walked from the hearing room 'I'm sorry, ' he said softly. 'Me, too. But mostly, Jared, I'm frightened.'
'Frightened? I don't think they'd dare try and hurt you.'
She laughed sardonically. 'You heard the verdict in there. I'm sure they don't even think I'm worth bothering to hurt.'
'Then what?'
'It's the damn drugs, Jared. Starting with Estronate. Think of how many human guinea pigs there are in this one notebook. We contacted as many of the women as we could find, but there are others we just Couldn't locate- and, I'm sure, other drugs. How many women out there are just starting to bruise? How many people-men and women — are developing weird tumors from medications they are trusting to make them well or keep them healthy?'
Jared gestured helplessly. 'Kate, there are injustices all around.
You've done what you could do.'
'It's not enough. Jared, these drugs are like time bombs-unpredictable le time bombs capable of exploding inside anyone. I've got to keep after Redding. I've got to find some way to turn some heads around here, and if not here, then publicly. Somewhere, there's got to be a way.
There's-'
'What is it, Kate?'
'What about an ad?'
'An ad?'
'In The Globe, The Herald, all the Boston and suburban papers-a classified ad asking women to search through their medicine cabinets for Omnicenter medications we can analyze. Maybe that's where the rope is to hang that bastard and put the other companies on notice.
Right in those medicine cabinets. If enough Redding products were found contaminating enough Omnicenter medications, even the FDA panel wouldn't be able to ignore the company's involvement. I'm going to do it, Jared.
As soon as we get back to Boston, I'm going to do it. And if it doesn't work, I'll try something else.'
She glanced back down the corridor just as Redding was wheeled into the elevator. That sound you keep hearing in your ears is my footsteps, Cyrus, she was thinking. You had better get used to it. the end.
