After the Fall (30 page)

“Jake Harter knows,” Laura prompted, “but not the general public. And they cannot know before the press release. I'm not much into finance, but it's all about the stock market response. And, don't do any insider training. A week ago I didn't know a thing about it, but insider training is a crime.”

Too complicated. Addie needed to concentrate on her $7.5 million. Was it back within her reach? Hope crept into her brain until she recalled Laura's original question.

“Dr. Nelson, I will speak to no one about this. I am so confused about American laws—what's legal and illegal. But it's okay to talk to Jake because he knows?” She needed clarification. Her elaborate decision-tree thing was crumbling.

“I'm Laura, remember?” Laura smiled and patted her shoulder. Addie stood straighter, feeling stronger. The next two days would determine the course of her life.

“We at Keystone had a meeting this morning with the FDA about Immunone. Jake Harter had reported missing clinical data. Data the FDA clearly did have, but for some hard-to-explain reason, claimed they couldn't find. I know that data backwards and forwards, and I flew to Tampa last night to retrieve it.
Keystone, too, found the data.” Laura paused. “I know you've been calling me about the progress of Immunone's approval process. Do you know Jake had misplaced the data—his claim was the reason the approval was delayed?”

“What?” Addie asked, resisting dizziness again. “He said there were problems. He never said what.” She'd asked him so many times. He'd evaded her time after time. What kind of game was Jake playing? He knew how important it was to her to get Immunone approved before she had to go back to Iraq. He knew she'd have to sacrifice the money if she walked away from Replica. There must be a logical explanation. She needed to ask Jake, confront him if necessary. Was there something she didn't comprehend about American men? What they seemed to want, they didn't want? Where did that leave her?

“We couldn't figure out what was going on at the FDA, but as of this morning, I think it's cleared up. We and the FDA are having a joint press conference on Friday just after the approval is signed. We may want Replica to participate too. Your company may even ask you to represent them. But, I'm getting ahead of myself. We have many details to work out. This'll be big news on Wall Street. And most importantly, we'll save the lives of so many that need organ transplants. We started on lungs, but we'll be doing trials on hearts and livers and kidneys—”

“Friday,” Addie interrupted. “Immunone will be approved on Friday?”

“Yes,” Laura said with a wide smile. “Remember, you have to keep it a secret for another two days. But now I must go, my colleague is getting restless.”

Laura started to walk off, but before she did, she turned back. “Addie, I want to make sure I understood what you said about the Jeep we saw pulling out of the FDA parking lot. You said it belonged to Jake Harter?”

Addie shifted her gaze to the man and woman couple still observing her before answering, “Yes. That was him driving. It's urgent I talk to him.”

“Where does he live?” Laura asked.

“Rockville,” Addie said. “Not too far from here.”

“Does he have any connections in Philadelphia? I think I've seen that Jeep before. I remember because my son Kevin had the same model before he collided with a deer on a Pennsylvania mountain road.”

“Philadelphia? I don't think so.” Addie's eyes again panned to the stalking man and woman. How long would they lurk? Once Laura left, should she head back to her car, or walk inside the FDA building as if she was proceeding to her planned destination?

“Hmm,” Laura said. “Well, I've enjoyed talking to you, Addie.”

Uncertain where to turn, Addie lingered a moment too long as the observant pair approached her, the woman calling her by name. “Dr. Abdul, please give us a minute with you.”

Addie stood transfixed. What could she do? Run away? Hardly, in three-inch heels.

“We're from the government. On a joint task force.” The woman spoke, but both showed her ID cards that looked official. Addie was too shaken to read the name of the agency. Did it matter? The government was all-powerful. What would they do to her? Lock her up? Torture her?
Stop it. Find out what they want
.

“Come with us, please, to the Pentagon. We need to talk to you.” The man spoke, after introducing himself as Agent Mintner and his partner as Agent Sharkey. Strangely, they'd both offered their hands to shake and she did, but her hand trembled.

“Now's not a good time.” Her voice sounded small, terrified. The Pentagon? She knew it was military. Was it a prison? She didn't know, should have paid more attention to American institutions.

“It's very important, Dr. Abdul.” The woman spoke, her voice firm, deep for a female.

“Okay, but can we go inside here and talk?” Addie
gestured to the looming FDA building. “They must have a small conference room.” She knew they did, Jake had escorted her into one the day she visited him.

“Please, just come with us. If you ride with us, we'll bring you back here to get your car.”

“The Pentagon—why?” Addie got up the nerve to ask.

“Because our headquarters are forty-five minutes farther—Fort Meade—and timing is essential,” the blond, good-looking man said.

They escorted Addie between them to their waiting vehicle, a black sedan, maybe a Lincoln. All three sat in the back seat, Addie in the middle.

The man told the driver to proceed to the Pentagon. The woman said she'd like to inspect the contents of Addie's purse, please. Addie nodded her permission. What else could she do? In her wallet the agent would find her driver's license, green card, Replica ID, credit cards, and her car's registration. And in the side pocket she'd see the airline ticket to London. Addie's worst fears played out. Under arrest in a foreign country, privacy violated, coerced. What everybody said about American freedom was false. She had so much to figure out, but panic and a piercing headache precluded any logical thought process. She needed Jake. And she needed Dru.

W
EDNESDAY
, M
ARCH
4

“Was that Dr. Abdul from Replica?” Louis Sigmund asked, when Laura joined him at the stretch limo waiting to take them to the airport.

“Yes,” Laura said. Should she mention that Adawia Abdul and Jake Harter were having an affair? No, she decided, best to keep her mouth shut. Laura had no way of knowing what would happen if Addie's affair with Jake Harter, the FDA project manager, came to light. Would Immunone's approval be compromised? She didn't think so, but the last thing she wanted was an obstacle to the drug approval so important to her employer. How different this job was from the practice of surgery and the management of a hospital.

“Interesting discussion. She's a very bright woman.”

“Attractive too, exotic,” said Louis. “So what did she want? A job with Keystone? If so, I think she'd be great for our Pharmacology Department.”

“No, not a job.” Laura said, “But while I was talking to her, I saw Jake Harter drive off in a dark-green Jeep. Do you know whether Fred Minn knew Jake? I mean, on a personal basis?”

“Highly unlikely,” Louis said. “Why do you ask?”

“I thought I saw a similar vehicle outside the Four Seasons the night of the hit-and-run. When the police questioned me, I forced myself to recall everything I remembered from that night but—”

“Lots of dark-colored Jeeps out there, Laura. Don't let your imagination run away with you.”

Laura realized how silly she must have sounded and shrugged her shoulders.

“You've got something real important to do, Boss.” Louis held out the car phone to her. “I'll dial, but you get to tell Paul Parnell the good news—we got the approval! Customary that the VP of R&D delivers the news.”

“My pleasure.” Laura smiled as Louis dialed Keystone's CEO.

“And we have champagne on the plane for the trip back to Philly,” Louis announced. “Another tradition. You know, Laura, we all felt you were making a grave mistake, breaking protocol and going up the chain to the deputy director, but damned if it didn't work!”

Laura immediately was put through to Paul Parnell, and once she'd told him they could expect approval on Friday, she could sense his elation though the phone line. He put her on speaker phone, and gathered all her department heads to hear the good news. Amid their cheers, she emphasized the approval was because of their efforts, and how proud and honored she was to share in their success.

Once she and Louis settled into the plush seats of the Gulfstream, champagne was served. Laura took a token sip, then handed her flute back to the attendant. “I was up all last night,” she explained. “Any more of this will knock me out. In fact, Louis, I hope you don't mind if I close my eyes? Suddenly, I realize how tired I am.” Laura started to recline the plush seat, but stopped midway. “I'd like to make one more call before we take off.”

“Of course,” Louis said, accepting a refill of champagne.

Laura leaned over to pull a card out of her briefcase. She dialed, waited as the call went to an answering machine. Lonnie Greenwood was not available. She left a message for him to call her tomorrow at her office. She'd tell him about his son's optimistic chances for a lung transplant. Worry about the repercussions later.

Then Laura leaned back in the seat, closing her eyes. Too tired to rehearse what she'd say to her kids Friday night when she faced them all to finally tell them the truth. Would she stretch to the breaking point the bonds with her kids that had always been so strong? And would Patrick
really
be okay?

The next thing Laura remembered was Louis tugging at her arm. She needed to raise her seat to the upright position for landing. She checked her watch, two thirty. Then she turned her attention to the throbbing in her hand. She'd neglected to elevate it and the swelling had put enough pressure on the dressing to turn her fingertips blue. She'd missed her physical therapy yesterday, and since she had to put in an appearance at work on such a celebratory day, she'd miss it again today. Once she reached her office, she'd loosen the bandages, lessen the pressure, take more Motrin.

W
EDNESDAY
, M
ARCH
4

Immunone would be approved on Friday. Jake had to tell Addie. He sped out of the FDA parking lot, heading for Replica about ten minutes away. They would be married tomorrow—Thursday. Naturally, she'd postpone her visit to Iraq by a few days. That way she'd be here for the actual approval and there'd be no question about her employment status. And they'd take a few days for a romantic honeymoon. The two of them. Married. Extravagantly rich. Immensely happy. At least for a few days—then he'd have to let her visit her family, break the news of their marriage. After that, he'd leave it to her. Jake honestly didn't care where they lived, what customs they adopted, or what religion they followed. All he cared about was holding Addie in his arms, every morning and every night.

Addie had planned to request a leave of absence today, and Jake wanted to get to her before she talked to Human Resources. He hoped against hope she hadn't rashly resigned outright. He checked his watch. Eleven o'clock.

Parking in a handicapped space in the visitors' lot, Jake bolted for the front entrance to the small company. In the lobby, he found a group gathering. All smiles. Had the news of Immunone's approval already reached them? It wasn't supposed to, there was a news embargo until the press release, but since Immunone was Replica's discovery, maybe their management would find out in advance. If not, now that he had confessed to
being Addie's fiancé, the FDA would probably assume he was the leak. So what? He'd quit. Nothing they could do to him now.

Jake introduced himself to the receptionist, a thin, twenty-something girl. He asked her to call Dr. Abdul.

He waited as a circle of Replica's management headed toward a small conference room off the lobby. Among them, he recognized Priscilla Fabre, the human resources director. Had Addie already spoken to her?

“Sorry, Mr. Harter,” the receptionist set down the phone. “There's no answer.”

“Is she in the building?”

“I have no way of knowing. She did come in earlier this morning. She may have left without my seeing her. Sometimes I have to step away, deliver packages, that sort of thing.”

“I'll just go up and check. Maybe she's in the middle of something in the lab.”

“No one's allowed beyond Reception today,” the girl said, tucking her long brown hair behind her right ear. And in a lower voice, “Something's going on.” She pointed toward the conference room, its door now shut. “The management board—all in there.”

“Surely, that can't mean me.” Jake pulled out his now defunct FDA credentials. “I know how to find her office.”