Brian Freemantle - Dead End

‘Sato’s interested in hepatitis C. He’s got a good argument, going beyond interferon, that I’ll let him follow. You doing anything on that?’

‘Tokyo is. Canberra, too.’

This could be the route he was seeking, Parnell realized. ‘That fits the demographics. But you’d have everything copied here, right?’

‘It’ll be on the list.’

‘What about Asia and severe acute respiratory syndrome?’

‘SARS is being worked out of Tokyo again.’ He hesitated, forced into a concession. ‘You know, of course, that the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases is experimenting with a vaccine containing the DNA from the virus?’

‘Yes, I do know,’ said Parnell, who had intentionally manoeuvred the conversation. ‘Cross-species infection, from animals to humans, is a field we could successfully explore,’ suggested Parnell. ‘It’s virus mutation, which is genetic, and it’s a carrier-borne condition, so it isn’t demographically limited. It just starts in China and Hong Kong from their live-animal trade but then spreads globally.’

‘That’s why it’s on the list,’ said Benn.

Parnell wasn’t sure whether the other man’s patience was forced. ‘Working genetically on hepatitis C will obviously lead on to tumours, restricted perhaps to liver cancer.’

‘Cancer’s on every list, here and throughout all the subsidiaries.’

The door was creaking open, Parnell decided. ‘Generally? Or defined, region to region?’

Benn frowned at the specific question. ‘Rome and Canberra are concentrating on sun-generated melanomas, because of the predominant climate. Delhi and Manila on lung cancer, because of the combination of heavy nicotine use and uncontrolled air pollution in their countries.’

‘What about France?’

‘What about France?’ echoed the black professor.

‘Diet,’ said Parnell, rehearsed. ‘Japan, with its very particular diet, a lot of fish and much of it raw, has the lowest cancer incidence in the world. You probably couldn’t find more polarized eating than the fat, oil and rich sauce preparations of France. Any subsidiary – or us, here – working on a dietary connection to cancer – bowel or stomach maybe?’

‘Part of a general investigation,’ said Benn.

‘In France?’

‘No,’ said Benn. ‘Here.’

He’d taken it as far as he could and wasted his time, Parnell decided. It had probably been stupid hoping Benn would disclose whatever the restricted French communications were about. And after the website debacle, he’d determined against stupid approaches. ‘I look forward to getting the list.’

‘I’ m looking forward to your showing us how you can improve it.’

‘There’s no possibility of any complaint,’ assured Russell Benn. ‘I followed every lead you suggested. The pharmacogenomics division will have enough research material for months, if not years. Which is what Parnell wanted.’

‘What did he say about the volume?’ asked Dwight Newton.

The other man smiled. ‘That it was a lot and that he didn’t have sufficient staff to whom to delegate it. So that a priority schedule will have to be created.’

‘We have to know what that is,’ insisted Newton.

‘We agreed that I’ll have his itemized working schedule.’

‘So, we’ve got a check on everything they’re doing, quite separate from what he’s under strict orders to tell me?’ pressed Newton. It created a double-check system, the best he believed he could evolve.

‘That’s how you wanted it, wasn’t it?’

‘Anything out of the ordinary, anything you didn’t expect, from the conversation?’

‘He got a bit ahead of himself, began itemizing things. I told him to wait until he got the complete schedule to see what we were covering.’

‘Itemizing what, particularly?’ demanded Newton.

‘Hepatitis, cancers, all the obvious stuff. Wanted to know if some of the subsidiaries were specializing.’

‘He mention a particular subsidiary?’

‘He’s got some idea of a comparison between Japan and France that might show up a dietary connection with tumours.’

‘What did he say about France?’ demanded Newton.

Benn gave an uncertain gesture. ‘Nothing particular.’

Newton let some silence into the conversation. Then he said: ‘Would you say he explicitly manoeuvred the conversation to include France?’

‘Maybe that could be an impression. It wasn’t mine until now, when we’re talking about it. Is it important?’

‘We’ve worked together for a long time, Russ,’ said Newton, ignoring the question.

‘Yes?’ agreed Benn, asking one in return.

‘Dubette appreciates you. And your loyalty.’

‘You know it doesn’t have to be questioned.’

‘That’s exactly what we do know. Appreciate most of all. And what we want you to understand.’

‘I’m not sure I do, not at the moment.’ said Benn, doubtfully.

‘I want you to carry out some tests. You, personally. No one else. Not delegated to anyone, not discussed with or known about by anyone.’

Benn straightened in his seat, his concentration suddenly absolute. ‘What?’

‘France is traditionally Africa’s colonial power. French, or a patois of it, is the first language throughout a lot of African countries. It’s our French subsidiary drugs and treatments that are predominantly copied.’

‘The president’s seminar remark,’ remembered Benn.

‘The idea is to cheat the cheats,’ revealed Newton, at last. ‘Introduce into the printed formulae of our most often pirated research, placebos or non-active constituents to make them more expensive – and less cost-effective – to replicate than our competitors.’

‘That’s not ethical,’ protested Benn.

‘Placebos and non-active constituents,’ repeated Newton. ‘Colour alteration, more palatable taste. There’s nothing non-ethical in our doing that.’

‘I’m not sure,’ said Benn, doubtfully.

‘How’s the new house? And the kids?’

‘OK,’ said Benn, uncomfortably. ‘Thanks for asking.’

‘I want you to understand how much we appreciate the way you run your operation. In addition to the across-the-board ten per cent increase, I’m approving an additional salary increase for you of fifteen thousand dollars.’

‘That’s very generous.’ Benn was beyond surprise, practically in shock.

‘Very much deserved.’

‘Who’s got these formulae changes?’

‘I have.’

‘What if there are adverse reactions?’

‘The idea’s scrapped.’

‘I’m to do this totally alone?’

‘No. I’m your check. You initiate and confirm. I repeat the experiment and doubly confirm.’

‘I’ve your word the idea will be abandoned if there is the remotest risk?’

‘I am not going to put you at risk, myself at risk or the company at risk,’ guaranteed Newton.

‘And I’d see the results of your separate analyses and tests?’

‘Of course.’

‘Thank you, for the salary increase.’

‘It’s nothing you don’t deserve.’

The Dubette computer printers were predictably the fastest state-of-the-art available but it still took almost five hours completely to download the full development schedules and each set of individually attached research procedures, in addition to the separate material covering the original production of those listed that were in the course of improvement or refinement. Ted Lapidus, finally facing Parnell over battlements of piled paper, said: ‘It’ll take five years, optimistically, to examine it all. We’ve just been avalanched.’

That awareness had come to Parnell halfway through the print run. He said: ‘I got what I asked for. Now we’ve got to dig ourselves out.’ He was conscious of looks quickly exchanged between Lapidus and Deke Pulbrow. Identifying both he said: ‘OK, you two…’ He turned to Easton. ‘… And you, Mark. Work from the provided dates and from what’s identified as the most current research. At the moment you’re speed reading. I want you to create a priority agenda with which we can potentially and most productively get involved, the research that’s being giving the most time and attention, with no obvious financial constraints. Relegate anything you’re unsure of to secondary or third lists…’ He went to the Japanese. ‘Let’s go with your original instinct, Sean. Stay with hepatology…’ Parnell encompassed the stacked paper. ‘Sort out from all this anything genetically applicable to hepatitis B or C. Again, you’re speed reading, flagging up where we could go forward. Log and cross-reference separately liver carcinoma