Robin Cook - Acceptable Risk

“That sounds like it could have included objects associated with the occult,” Kim said.

“Most definitely,” Mary said. “There’s a very good chance what you are seeking was part of that mysterious collection. But we might never know. The catalogue of the collection was lost as well.”

“But that still doesn’t mean I can’t find some reference to it,” Katherine said. “I’ll give it my best shot.”

As Kim descended the library’s front steps, she reminded herself that she’d not expected to be successful so that she shouldn’t be discouraged. At least no one had laughed at her, and the librarians had been genuinely interested in the letter. Kim was confident they would continue looking for references to her forebear.

Kim took the subway back to Charles Street and got her car from the hospital garage. She’d intended to go to her apartment to change clothes, but the trip to Harvard had taken more time than she expected. Instead she headed to the airport to pick up Edward, who was due back from the West Coast.

Edward arrived on schedule, and since he had not checked a bag, they bypassed the baggage area and headed directly to the parking lot.

“Things couldn’t be going any better,” Edward said. He was in a buoyant mood. “There’s only been one person who I wanted for Omni who declined to come on board. Otherwise everybody I talk to is wildly enthusiastic. They all think Ultra is going to break the bank.”

“How much do you tell them?” Kim asked.

“Almost nothing until they commit,” Edward said. “I’m not taking any chances. But even with generalities they’re all so eager that I haven’t had to give up much equity. So far I’ve committed only forty thousand unvested shares.”

Kim didn’t know what that meant, and she didn’t ask. They got to the car. Edward put his carry-on bags in the trunk. They climbed in and drove out of the garage.

“How are things going up at the compound?” Edward asked.

“Well,” Kim said without inflection.

“Do I detect that you are a little down?” Edward asked.

“I suppose,” Kim said. “I got up the courage to go to Harvard this afternoon about Elizabeth’s evidence.”

“Don’t tell me they gave you a hard time,” Edward said.

“No, they were very helpful,” Kim said. “The problem was they didn’t have good news. There was a big fire at Harvard in 1764 that destroyed the library and consumed a collection they called ‘the repository of curiosities.’ To make matters worse, they lost the index as well, so at this point no one knows what the collection contained. I’m afraid that Elizabeth’s evidence literally went up in smoke.”

“I guess that throws you back to the repository at the castle,” Edward said.

“I suppose,” Kim said. “The trouble is I’ve lost some of my enthusiasm.”

“How come?” Edward asked. “Finding those letters from the Mathers and Sewall should have been a great incentive.”

“They were,” Kim said. “But the effect has started to wear off. I’ve spent almost thirty hours since then and haven’t even found one paper from the sixteen hundreds.”

“I told you it wasn’t going to be easy,” Edward reminded her.

Kim didn’t say anything. The last thing she needed at that point was Edward saying “I told you so.”

When they arrived at Edward’s apartment, he was on the phone with Stanton before he’d taken his suit jacket off. Kim listened vaguely to Edward’s end of the conversation as he related his successful efforts at recruitment.

“Good news on both ends,” Edward said after hanging up. “Stanton already has most of the four and a half million in the Omni coffers and has started the patent proceedings. We’re cooking with gas.”

“I’m happy for you,” Kim said. She smiled and sighed at the same time.

Friday, August 26, 1994

The latter days of August flew by. Work continued at the compound at a furious rate, particularly at the lab, where Edward already spent most of his time. Pieces of scientific equipment were arriving on a daily basis, causing a flurry of effort to get them properly housed, installed, and shielded, if necessary.

Edward was a whirlwind of activity, wearing many hats. One minute he was an architect, the next an electronics engineer, and finally a general contractor as he single-handedly directed the emergence of the lab. The drain on his time was enormous, and as a consequence he devoted even less time to his duties at Harvard.

The conflicting demands as a researcher and a teacher came to a head due to actions of one of Edward’s postdocs. He’d had the temerity to complain to the Harvard administration about Edward’s lack of availability. When Edward heard, he’d become furious and dismissed the student summarily.

The problem did not end there. The student was equally incensed and again sought redress from the administration. The administration contacted Edward, but he refused to apologize or accept the student back into his lab. As a result, relations between Edward and the administration became increasingly acrimonious.

To add to Edward’s headaches, the Harvard Licensing Office got wind of his involvement in Omni. It also had heard a disturbing rumor of a patent application on a new class of molecules. In response, the licensing office had sent a slew of inquiry letters, which Edward chose to ignore.

Harvard found itself in a difficult situation. The university did not want to lose Edward, one of the brightest rising stars of postmodern biochemistry. At the same time, the university could not let a bad situation get worse since principles as well as precedents were involved.

The tension was taking its toll on Edward, especially when combined with the stresses of the excitement of Omni, the promise of Ultra, and the daily problems at the construction site.

Kim was aware of the escalating pressures and attempted to compensate by trying to make Edward’s life a little bit easier. She’d begun staying at his apartment most evenings, where she’d assumed more domestic responsibility without being asked: fixing dinner, feeding Edward’s dog, and even doing some cleaning and laundry.

Unfortunately, Edward was slow to recognize Kim’s efforts. The flowers had stopped as soon as she began staying at Edward’s on a regular basis, a cessation she thought was reasonable. But she missed the attentiveness they represented.

As Kim left work on Friday, August 26, she pondered the situation. Adding to the stress was the fact that she and Edward had not yet made moving plans even though both of them had to be out of their respective apartments in five days. Kim had been afraid to raise the issue with Edward until he’d had a less-stressful day. The problem was, he didn’t have any.

Kim stopped at the Bread and Circus grocery store and bought food for dinner. She picked something she was confident Edward would particularly like. She even got a bottle of wine as a treat.

When Kim got to Edward’s apartment she picked up magazines and newspapers and generally straightened up. She fed the dog. Then she made the dinner and had it ready for seven, which was when Edward had told her he’d be home.

Seven came and went. Kim turned off the heat from the rice. At seven-thirty she covered the salad with plastic wrap and put it into the refrigerator. Finally at eight Edward walked in.

“Damn it all to hell!” he said as he kicked the door closed. “I take back all the nice things I’ve ever said about your contractor. The guy is an ass. I could have hit him this afternoon. He promised me there’d be electricians there today and there weren’t.”

Kim told him what they were having for dinner. He grunted and went into the bathroom to wash his hands. Kim heated up the rice in the microwave.