“Good morning,” Dupree said. “I’m Detective Dupree and this is Detective Brown. We have an appointment with Dr. Mason.”
The receptionist held up her index finger. “One moment please, while I call Dr. Mason.”
Dupree noticed that the activity level of the entire facility seemed much less intense than she remembered. During their last visit, the place was a virtual beehive. But today, it appeared that everyone moved around in slow motion and Dupree noticed fewer employees.
Dupree spotted Dr. Mason heading her way.
“Nice to see you both,” Dr. Mason said. “I wish it were under different circumstances.” He motioned with his arm. “Please follow me.”
Trailing behind Dr. Mason, Dupree craned her neck left then right, and confirmed her earlier suspicions: Horizon Cancer Research Center was operating at half-throttle. When the three of them entered Dr. Mason’s office, the stale cigarette odor Dupree remembered from her last visit seemed even more pronounced. She wasn’t surprised. She could only imagine the amount of stress Dr. Mason would have had to endure since Dr. Crawford’s murder.
Before they could even sit down, Dr. Mason said, “Please tell me that you’ve arrested the killer.”
“We do have someone in custody and I feel we have sufficient evidence to prosecute,” Dupree said. “There are a few puzzle pieces still missing, but we’re very close to charging the suspect with murder.”
Normally, Dupree wouldn’t so freely share this much information at this stage of an investigation. But considering the possibility that Mason may have played a role in the conspiracy, she wanted to see how he reacted. He remained rock solid. No flinching. No eye twitches. And no nervous swallowing.
“Fantastic! You can’t imagine the chaos that resulted from Lauren’s murder. Nearly everyone on staff is updating their résumés. They parade in and out of my office all day long and ask if I’ve found funding or if I’ve made a deal with a competent partner who can get us back on track.”
“And have you made any progress?” Dupree asked.
“I have. Thank God. In fact, I’ve all but decided to make a deal with Hyland Laboratories, the biggest pharmaceutical company in the world. They virtually have unlimited funds—I think they netted sixteen billion last year—and their flagship drug is Camadyacin, one of the most widely used chemotherapy drugs for treating cancer. They have years of research experience and employ a drug development division second to none.”
“We’re so glad to hear that,” Dupree said. “Isn’t Hyland the company that tried to partner with Horizon awhile back, but Dr. Crawford nixed the deal?”
“That is correct.”
“And didn’t they also try to hire Maggie Hansen?” Dupree said.
“They did. But that’s ancient history.
“When do you expect to firm up the deal?” Dupree asked.
“As a matter of fact, Michael Adelman, the CEO of Hyland, will be in my office tomorrow morning at ten a.m. to discuss the partnership. He’s flying into New York from his home office in Albany. Assuming that we can work out a few kinks, I’m hopeful we can come to terms.” Dr. Mason nervously tugged on his collar. “There is a legal issue, however, that I need to address. Striking a deal with Hyland isn’t as simple as signing an agreement. There is a grueling legal process we have to go through.
“Were you considering any other partners?” T.J. asked.
“Actually, three different pharmaceutical companies joined forces and wanted to form a partnership with Horizon as a team. Ritter-Stone, Global Pharmaceuticals, and Fowler-Paine made a generous offer, and I was really tempted to go with them. But they wanted controlling interest in the project and that was never going to happen.”
Mason blinked excessively. “There was another issue that convinced me to go with Hyland.” Mason, noticeably uncomfortable, adjusted himself in the chair and swallowed several times. “They tried to bribe me.”
“In what regard?” Dupree asked.
“They offered me personally a significant amount of money to sign an agreement with them. They claimed, of course, that it was an incentive and made it clear that I could keep the money even if I decided not to consummate the deal. But clearly, they were trying to bribe me.”
“Mind if I ask how much they offered?” T.J. asked.
“One-million dollars.”
“Wow,” T.J. said. “No offense, but that had to be a tempting offer. I mean a million dollars.”
“My integrity is worth a lot more, Detective Brown. I had a very successful practice and invested wisely, so money in itself is not much of a motivator for me. Granted, if and when the FDA approves our findings, I expect to earn a fair share of the profits. But make no mistake about it. This is not about money; it’s about finding better treatments, and possibly a cure for cancer.”
Dupree looked in Mason’s eyes the whole time he was talking, searching for any sign that he was nervous or uncomfortable. He passed the test.
“Dr. Mason,” Dupree said, “tell us about Horizon’s connection to Dominic Gallo?”
“He’s the Deputy Director of the Center for Drug Evaluation and Research, a wing of the FDA. In fact, I believe I told you when we last met that he had been working with Lauren for quite some time.”
“Excuse me for asking,” Dupree said, “but isn’t it a conflict of interest for a senior representative from the FDA to work directly with any organization researching and developing drugs?”
“You’re absolutely right, Detective. But not everything in the world is clearly black and white. Lauren had appealed personally to the FDA commissioner and asked permission to work directly with a high-level representative from the CDER. At first, the commissioner turned her down flat. But when he learned the significance of her research and the potential to cure cancer, how could he not support her efforts every way possible?”
“Did Dr. Crawford ask specifically to work with Dominic Gallo?” Dupree asked.
“If my memory serves me correctly, I think it was the other way around. Dominic was very passionate about Lauren’s theories and wanted to work with her throughout the entire developmental process.”
“He sounds like a very dedicated man,” T.J. said. “Did he actually come to Horizon or communicate with Dr. Crawford more by telephone, text, and e-mail?”
“He was a regular visitor. In fact, he’s flying in from Maryland tomorrow morning to meet with Michael Adelman and me. He wants to help us solidify the partnership agreement and help us cut through as much red tape as possible.”
Dupree glanced at her watch. “Well, Dr. Mason, we’ve taken up enough of your time. Thank you so much for talking with us again. Good luck with your meeting tomorrow morning.”
“My pleasure, detectives. I hope you have a pleasant day.”
“Oh, one more thing,” Dupree said. “Are you acquainted with Jonathan Lentz?”
“I wouldn’t use the word, ‘acquainted’, but yes, I met him at my last holiday party.”
“Have you spoken to him recently?”
“As a matter of fact, he’s called a couple of times.”
Dupree could tell by the tone in Mason’s voice that Lentz’s calls were unwelcomed. “May I ask why he called?”
“He asked me to rehire Margaret Hansen.”
“And is that something you’re considering?”
He didn’t answer immediately. “At this particular time I’d say, no, but nothing is carved in stone.”
“Thanks again, Dr. Mason,” Dupree said.
Dupree and T.J. couldn’t get to the elevator fast enough.
“Talk about good timing,” T.J. said as the doors closed. “Are you thinking what I’m thinking?”
“That we’re coming back here tomorrow morning to bushwhack Mason, Adelman, and Gallo?”