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.’
Eight
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
…’ He looked around them all. ‘That’s a general instruction. We’re going to create our own dedicated cancer programme: in time we’ll subdivide and specify, but before we even do that we’ll take on board everything that Rome and Canberra have already done and are maybe currently doing, because according to Benn, both Italy and Australia are actively working on melanoma research…’
‘And then there were three?’ broke in Beverley Jackson.
Her smile took away any impatience in the remark. It was an easy smile and for the first time Parnell realized its slight unevenness lacked the sculpted dentistry of Rebecca’s. The realization that he was consciously comparing the two women surprised him, although Rebecca had virtually invited it when he’d told her of Beverley coming into the department, demanding with feigned jealousy a detailed description and claiming the day after they were supposed to begin work that she’d lingered in the commissary, to see the woman for herself, and declaring Beverley to be very sexy. Properly and fully concentrating upon the other geneticist for the first time, Parnell acknowledged that she was extremely attractive, fuller-breasted but smaller featured than Rebecca and maybe taller by an inch or two. He thought the darkness of their matching, deeply auburn hair was about the same, but Beverley wore hers practicably short. Concentrating even more, he saw Beverley didn’t have any freckles, either. From her application CV, Parnell knew that Beverley Jackson was divorced, although she’d kept her married name and still wore what he presumed to be her wedding ring. Looking between the woman and Peter Battey, he said: ‘And we’re the three. We’ll work dates again. We won’t initially go back further than two years into the improvement and re-evaluation of what Dubette already manufacture. We can work on what went before as and when. I won’t have a schedule imposed upon us. We’ll work at our speed, no one else’s…’ He smiled apologetically at Kathy Richardson. ‘The bulk of the recording work is going to fall upon you, I’m afraid. You’ll be the person creating the files.’
‘That’s what I came here expecting to do,’ smiled the woman.
‘You actually think we were avalanched!’ frowned Lapidus.
‘I got what I asked for,’ repeated Parnell. ‘And I was warned of the volume.’
‘And as you’ve already made clear, we’re going to have to work for our acceptance,’ reminded Beverley.
‘If we’re working nucleotide polymorphism acceptances, we’re going to need a lot of animals,’ said Peter Battey.
‘Something else for you, Kathy, when we establish a schedule,’ said Parnell.
‘I’m going to be a real busy person,’ accepted the secretary.
Which is what they all set out to be, impressing Parnell by how quickly they came together as a cohesive unit. Unasked and unprompted, everyone worked late and frequently missed lunch or ate sandwiches at their benches. Parnell’s fitness regime flagged and he put on 2 lbs in three weeks, even though he was missing lunch too. There were two consecutive weekends when he didn’t stay over at Bethesda with Rebecca, and she didn’t stay in his apartment at all during the second week. She didn’t once complain, insisting she knew how important it was to him.
Parnell adhered strictly to Dwight Newton’s demands and sent detailed memoranda to the research and development vice president, with copies to Russell Benn, satisfied that he was avalanching them in return and passingly curious at the lack of response from either scientist. During the second week he actually crossed into Benn’s section but was told the man could not be disturbed in the secure laboratory in which he was working. All Parnell’s exchanges, each identified by number and content, were acknowledged the following day. Newton’s replies came the day after that.