“No, not at all - please continue.”
“We now use several different technologies, including biological products, man-made molecular and physical structures, advanced computer technology and others, to achieve our goals. As I said before, we generally sell our patented products to large manufacturers because we are more focused on research than production and marketing but some of the technologies we develop are inappropriate for large pharmaceutical companies so we keep them in house.”
“
How do you decide which is which?”
“That is a complicated question but basically, if a pharma company has or is
willing to set up the required facilities to manufacture a product that has mass market potential, we will sell it to them and also receive ongoing royalties until the patent runs out. On the other hand, if the product does not have mass market potential or requires highly specialized manufacturing processes, it is not generally cost effective for a major player to retool or build a new manufacturing facility. In those cases, we already have the capability to make the technologies because we developed them in the first place so we retain the technology and manufacture in small, highly controlled quantities.”
“But if it’s not cost effective for the big boys, how would it be for you?”
“Very simply: the selling price. If the product is important enough to secure the appropriate selling price we can afford to manufacture and market it. We also factor into the cost, the potential for refinement of the product and the development of additional products as we learn from the effects of the original. I hope that makes sense.”
“I think so.
You can learn more from using the product on a larger scale so you might be able to gain more from that knowledge.”
“You catch on quickly d
etective. It’s nice to know our police department chooses the right caliber of personnel.”
“We do what we can Mr. Finch.” Alan smiled.
“Here we are. This is the secure laboratory where Dr. Benson worked with the rest of the team.” Finch said as he pressed the button on an intercom.
“Hello?” came a voice from the other end.
“It’s Tom Finch with Detective Beach for your twelve o’clock meeting.”
Alan looked at Finch, puzzled.
“You don’t have access to the lab?”
“Not witho
ut one of the team members or the president of the company. Their work is extremely sensitive so access is severely limited.”
The door emitted a strange electronic buzz and Finch pushed it open.
As they entered, the air smelled different and was slightly cooler than that in the hallway. Alan felt strangely invigorated as he looked around the laboratory in wide-eyed wonder. It was shaped like a honey comb with a strange reclining chair in the area at the centre, surrounded by a myriad of electronic equipment, wires, monitors, and other machines. Moving outward from the large central area, there were five separate laboratories with windows pointing in toward the center and the entrance made up the sixth side of the hexagon. To one side of each smaller lab there was a narrow walkway leading to a hallway that surrounded the whole complex. Despite the chaotic center of machines and cables, the whole lab looked well organized and sterile. Alan had never seen anything like it and thought how it seemed as though he was in the middle of a science fiction movie.
“Wow!”
“Yes, it is rather impressive.” Finch concurred.
“Impressive is an understatement.
It’s almost an emotional experience.”
Finch chuckled softly and explained, “That’s the air.
Not only is it oxygenated two percent higher than the normal atmosphere but it’s highly micro-filtered and scrubbed, and the ions are negatively charged.”
“Is there an English translation for what you just said?” Alan
joked.
“The air in this laboratory is what you might call, ‘super air’.
It is kept this way for two reasons. Firstly, some of the biological and chemical compounds used in the technology are highly sensitive to pollutants and secondly, the negative ions and oxygen level helps the scientists’ brains function at their highest potential.”
“That’s amazing!
We could use this back at the station.”
“I’m sure you could but I doubt your budget would allow it.” Finch smiled.
“I’d like to see some of the brains I work with function at their highest potential.”
Finch chuckled again and led Alan into the center of the room.
As Alan looked at some of the electronic gadgetry surrounding the chair, an older man wearing a white lab coat and glasses approached. Alan thought he looked to be in his early fifties and had an expressive face that was both friendly and sad at the same time. Totally incongruous to this sterile environment, a beautiful burl wood pipe hung from his mouth. It was empty and clean so provided no smoke or nicotine but it was a habit the Professor was seemingly unable to give up completely.
“This is Professor Linus Gelling.
Linus, this is Detective Beach.”
Alan held his hand out and the professor took it and shook firmly but warmly.
“I wish we were meeting under happier circumstances detective…and call me Linus” Gelling’s voice was warm and smooth, almost hypnotic, and had very faint traces of an indistinguishable accent.
“
It’s a pleasure to meet you Linus. My condolences on the loss of your colleague.”
“Helen
was much more than a colleague. I mentored her through some of her higher degrees and she became like a daughter to me. She was a very gifted scientist and an invaluable member of this team. Her husband and little girls must be devastated.”
“
Yes, Mr. Benson was inconsolable when I met him. I don’t know how he will recover from her loss. He’s taken the girls to Helen’s parents’ house to get away from the scene.”
“That’s understandable.
We’re ready to assist you in any way we can but I’m not sure what you expect to find here. Helen was not an unhappy person and she loved her work. Suicide doesn’t make any logical sense.”
“Please
, call me Alan. Everyone I’ve spoken to about Helen says the same thing and that is part of the reason we are treating her death as suspicious. We need to examine all aspects of her life before we can close her case.”
“
I understand. Where would you like to start?”
“Well, the obvious first question is: what was she working on?”
Gelling looked up at Finch enquiringly.
“I’m sorry Alan but even with the confidentiality agreement, we can’t reveal the nature of this project.
Linus can explain Helen’s role in the research but nothing about the product itself.”
“That’s OK.
What was her area of expertise?”
Gelling started, “As I said, Helen was a very gifted scientist
. She had several areas of expertise but her specialty in this project was the development of bioactive neuro-hormonal compounds.”
“I’m sorry but you’re going to need to put things into lay terms for me Linus.”
“Of course Alan. Hormones are the body’s messengers and neuro-hormones are messengers specific to the brain. Helen’s breakthrough work was in designing synthetic neuro-hormones to have specific functions in the brain. I believe that’s all I can say on the matter.”
Finch nodded in agreement.
“I see, and what are these neuro-hormones supposed to treat?”
“On their own; nothing
but combined with the other technologies we are developing, they will be used to treat a number of psychiatric disorders, such as severe depression, psychosis, violent behavior and others.”
“What are the other technologies you’re developing?”
Gelling again looked at Finch for approval before answering, “One technology is a specifically designed dendrimer.” Seeing the confusion in Alan’s eyes, he stopped to explain. “I’m sorry; picture a very elaborate snowflake under a microscope and multiply the intricacy of that snowflake by ten thousand times then make it three dimensional. Now you have a dendrimer. It is basically a man-made, molecular structure that is designed to carry things.”
“I th
ink I’ll need to stop you there Linus.” Finch interrupted.
“I’m sorry Tom but it’s difficult to know where to begin and where to end.
I haven’t had to discuss details of our work with anyone other than the team and the company president before.”
“That’s quite alright p
rofessor. Please continue with caution.”
“Another technology involved in this project is a custom made delivery system.
I would call it a drug delivery system but it’s not only delivering drugs. I don’t think I can say any more on that. There is also a large amount of computer programming involved in the technology.”
“I was going to ask you about that.
I don’t understand why you have a famous computer game designer on the team instead of some kind of engineer.”
“A good question Alan but I’m afraid all I can say is that Eric Rothstein is an extremely gifted programmer and this project could not succeed without his talent and skill.”
“I see. May I look around the facility and speak with the other team members?”
Tom Finch interrupted, “
I’m afraid the other scientists are not available but Professor Gelling is the project leader so you’ve already been straight to the source, so to speak. Certainly, you may see Helen’s laboratory but I’m afraid I can’t let you see other areas without a search warrant. I’m sorry to change the mood Alan but I think we’ve been very cooperative and I don’t see the need for you to see anywhere other than Helen’s work area.”
“Not only cooperative but hospitable as well.” Alan tried to lighten the moment. “By the way, where do you get that incredible coffee I had in the lobby?”
“Oh, I’m glad you enjoyed it. I believe it comes from a subsidiary of Devlin Industries in the food sector. I can find out and get back to you.”
“That would be great!
So; Helen’s lab?”
“If you’re finished with Professor Gelling, I’ll take you through.”
“I am. Thank you very your explanations Linus. It was nice to meet you.”
“And you
Alan. I’m sorry I couldn’t be of more help.”
Alan politely acknowledged the professor’s dilemma and followed Finch through the walkway beside Helen’s lab, around the corner and into the room itself.
It was normally protected by the sophisticated electronic security system but all sensitive materials had been removed and the door left ajar for Alan’s visit. As he looked around, Alan could see that Blue Sky had been very thorough in their cleanup and just took a moment to get the feel of the room before leaving. It was a pleasant space with pictures of her family behind a hermetically sealed frame on the wall and despite its clinical nature, Alan couldn’t see how it would be a depressing place to work. He thanked Tom Finch and said he was ready to go.
Back in the lobby, they were just about to say goodbye when Finch held up his finger and asked Alan to wait a moment.
He disappeared through the glass doors and quickly reappeared with an elaborately packaged bag of the unique coffee.
“I’m sorry we can’t spare more Alan but you should be able to find it in some boutique stores.”
“There’s no need to apologize – this is fantastic!” Alan gushed. “I’m spoiled for life after that first cup so I’ll head straight out to the deli and see if they have it.”
“Well, enjoy.
Let me know if we can be of further assistance and please tell me how the case turns out in the end.”
“I’ll do that.
Thanks again.”
Alan had
hoped for more from his visit but his limited access had shown nothing sinister going on at Blue Sky so he smiled, patted his pack of coffee gratefully, and left. Walking to his car, Beach began to feel frustrated at the lack of progress in his investigation. He knew that if there was nothing helpful in the security footage from Washington, the case would come to a standstill and not only he but Helen Benson’s family would be forced to accept the uncertain outcome. He hated unsolved cases and worked tirelessly to overcome adversity and close them but he didn’t know where to turn to next. As his car merged onto the main road back to Columbus, Alan tried to focus on the possibilities the footage may present.
As Alan’s car exited the parking lot, Tom Finch
answered a phone call from the most powerful man he had ever met. Alex Devlin normally only communicated with the President of Blue Sky on company matters, and occasionally with Linus Gelling but for some reason, he was now calling Finch direct. His boss’ boss was now demanding to know why a police detective from Columbus was nosing around in his company. The experienced corporate lawyer looked around nervously, realizing that Devlin somehow knew the very moment Alan Beach had left the building.
Tom explained the details of Alan’s visit
and Devlin tersely warned Finch of the severe financial risks involved in industrial espionage. Tom was confident he had handled the situation appropriately and protected the company’s interests but when he tried to express as much to Devlin, the man spoke over him; clearly threatening him with dismissal and legal action if he ever allowed anyone in the laboratory again without a duly authorized warrant. Finch apologized and began to assure him it wouldn’t happen again but Devlin hung up before he could finish speaking. The cold, detached menace of Devlin’s voice sunk in and Tom Finch knew that he could not afford to make an error in judgment like that again.