Gil threw me a sideways glance, but then continued. 'I've known Simon for a couple of years, Dr Enever. And Lisa is the daughter of a good friend of mine. While they might be making all this up, I'd say there's also a good chance they're telling the truth. Right now, we don't know. So what I suggest is that Dr Enever gives all the information he has to Ravi to look at. If Simon and Lisa's conclusions are found to be accurate, we will have to stop the trial. And I mean
'That's absurd,' Enever protested.
'Either that, or we stop the trial immediately.'
There was silence round the table, as the consequences of these words sunk in.
'Ravi?' Gil looked at him for his reaction.
'I won't know whether I will be able to draw any conclusions until I know what data is available. But safety is the most important issue in developing any new drug,' he said. 'From what Simon and Lisa say, there must be real doubts. We have to address those right away.'
'Diane? Do you agree?'
She nodded.
Gil took a deep breath. Art?'
'No way!' Art almost shouted. 'This will destroy the stock price. It will destroy BioOne. Hell, it will destroy Revere. You can't do it, Gil.'
Some of the weariness had left Gil's face. He sat up straighter, more determined. He knew what he was doing. It was as if, now that he was face-to-face with a difficult decision, he could summon the courage to go through with it, no matter what the consequences were.
'Jerry?'
Jerry Peterson's fresh face looked at Enever, who was scowling deeply, and Art, who looked as if he were about to leap from his chair and throw it at someone. Then he shrugged, and gave a small smile, as if to say 'easy come, easy go'.
'I want you to give all the information we have on neuroxil-5 to Ravi by tomorrow, Thomas,' he said.
'Thank you,' said Gil. 'I needn't remind you that what we have been discussing this morning is highly price- sensitive information. Anyone selling stock would be inviting investigation from the SEC
Enever sat there fuming. Art didn't look much happier. Everyone. else let the consequences of the decision that had just been taken sink in. If I was right, it wasn't good for any of them.
'That still leaves one other important question,' I said.
They looked at me with expressions that ranged between dazed and furious.
'Someone killed Frank. And someone killed John. And someone probably killed Dr Catarro.' I paused, to let what I was saying have its effect. 'They were murdered because they discovered what I now know about BioOne. Now, the people who would lose most from neuroxil-5 being discredited are all in this room.'
Enever looked up. 'That's absurd,' he said. 'You don't think I killed them, do you? Why would I do that? There's nothing to hide. Neuroxil-5 is a perfectly safe drug.'
I glanced at Art. He glared back. Asshole,' he muttered.
Gil cleared his throat, once more taking charge. 'Gardner, I think it would be a good idea if you called in the police. Perhaps we should all wait here for them.'
'I'll do that,' Gardner Phillips said, and the meeting broke up.
Small groups formed. Jerry Peterson turned to Enever, and began asking questions. Both men looked angry, although Jerry was under much better control. Gil walked over to Ravi, and began an earnest discussion. He beckoned to Daniel to join them. Of all of us in the room, Ravi had the most experience of biotechnology. I suspected it would be he, and not Art, who would be picking up the pieces of BioOne.
Art remained seated at the table, drinking and refilling a glass of sparkling mineral water. This would not be good for his attempt to stay on the wagon.
Diane walked up to Lisa and me. I could feel Lisa stiffen.
'It's a bad day for Revere,' she said.
I nodded.
'But if there is a problem with the drug, we can't pretend it will go away,' she continued. 'Gil was right. We have to get Ravi to confirm it.'
'Revere will lose millions. Hundreds of millions,' I said.
'It was only ever paper profits.'
We stood together in silence for a moment, contemplating the gloomy future of the firm.
Then she glanced at Lisa and me. I could feel the tension in Lisa next to me, and I didn't dare to check her expression.
'Good luck, both of you,' Diane said with a quick smile, and turned to find Gil and Ravi.
'Bitch,' muttered Lisa.
I didn't contradict her. But I wasn't so sure.
34
It was wonderful to wake up the next morning in our own bed, together. It took us a while to get up, but eventually I stumbled into the shower and Lisa went hunting for breakfast. Twenty minutes later, I heard the door slam. I stepped out of the shower, and grabbed a towel. I was hungry.
'What did you get, Lisa? Did they have any of those black ones hot?'
Lisa always got whatever was freshest from the bagel bakery, which made breakfasts a bit of a lottery. But as long as it wasn't rye with caraway seeds I was basically happy.
No answer.
'Lisa?'
I walked out of the bathroom through to the kitchen. Lisa had put the bag of bagels on the table. She was staring at the newspaper. Wordlessly, she handed it to me.
'Biotech Boss Found Dead,' shouted the headline. Underneath was a picture of a grimacing Enever.
I scanned the article. Dr Thomas Enever had been found hanged in his apartment in Newton. The police were tight-lipped, but it was clear what had happened.
'Suicide,' I said.
Lisa nodded.
'Is there anything linking him to your father?'
'Nothing there,' she said. 'But I'm sure there will be.'
Gil called me later that day, and asked me to come in to Revere the next morning. All was forgiven, and there was work to be done.
Ravi's analysis confirmed Lisa's opinion. There was a significant chance neuroxil-5 might be dangerous. Indeed, there were signs that as the length of time a patient took the drug increased, so did the chances that he or she would suffer from a stroke. Taken over a period of years, the drug might kill most of the people who took it. Jerry Peterson was left with no choice. The trials were stopped immediately, the Phase Three data was unblinded for further analysis, and the FDA was informed, as were all the clinics participating in the trial. All this was outlined in a press announcement.
The market response was predictable. The stock dived from fifty-five dollars to one and three-eighths, slashing the value of the company from nearly two billion dollars to around fifty million. The value of Revere's stake was reduced from three hundred and forty million to eight and a half. Nobody had escaped unscathed, except possibly for Daniel. He acted as though he too had taken a bath, but without conviction. I was sure the bastard had sold at the top.
Of course BioOne's pessimistic announcement about the side-effects was only one reason for the fall in the stock price. There was plenty in the story of Thomas Enever's death to scare investors. The press dug deep, and quickly found buried secrets. The faked neuroxil-3 experiment. The hijacking of the Australian research institute's ideas. And the murders of Frank Cook and John Chalfont.
