Radical Reaction
Page 30
He had been offered a position at another clinical unit but the salary was a poor match for that at ClinTry and he had decided to stick with Ron Radford’s empire for the time being. Should the initial results on the cancer patients appear favourable it was likely that Cancer Research would increase their funding for trials of the particular drug and more patients would be able to benefit. It was exciting times and could be a real game-changer in the field of cancer therapy.
He and Ron had developed a rapport of mutual respect and there was no doubt that the new owner of ClinTry was a formidable businessman. Sidney Failsworth was managing the accounts and it looked like they would soon be in much better financial shape.
The spectre of Laura hadn’t disappeared completely but loomed less often. Sometimes at night she flitted into his dreams and he awoke in a state of agitation. He hoped that he hadn’t called out her name as memories of their passionate love-making would take a while to fade. He wondered whether she had managed to snare her next prey and was busy toying with them like a cruel cat with a mouse. He had learnt from his mistakes and realised on a daily basis what a close call it had been. He could quite easily be living in a bedsit and experiencing a messy and painful divorce. Although he had come to his senses it had been Ron who had helped him through the crisis and had somehow engineered a solution. They both had a hold over each other but hopefully for the time being their relationship was in a state of equilibrium.
**
Ron and Maureen were having breakfast on the patio as it was such a nice morning.
‘So, what are you plans today?’ asked Ron.
‘Well, I’ve got a meeting with the caterers about menus. I need to check which dates they’ve got free in August. Then after that I’m going to have an initial look in town at wedding outfits.’
‘You can go up to London, you know. I want you to have something really special.’
‘I know. What’s your day like? Don’t tell me, packed with meetings.’
‘Busy as usual but I enjoy it.’
‘I’ve been thinking about what you said about needing some admin support now that Celia has left you in the lurch, so to speak. I’d be more than happy to help you. I can type reasonably well and use a laptop. It would be fun working together.’
‘Maureen, you’re so good to me but I won’t hear of it. You need to relax more. Besides you’re busy with our wedding.’
‘Well, the offer’s there, if I can help in any way.’
‘I’m glad you mentioned it actually. I think I’ve found someone to take Celia’s place. I’ve offered her the job and once she’s worked her notice then she’ll be joining us.’
‘Oh, really. How did you find her?’
‘Someone recommended her to me. She’s very good apparently. Has a lot of initiative. That’s what I need.’
‘Sounds great. What’s her name?’
‘Laura. Laura Bentley,’ replied Ron, smiling.
THE END
Author’s note
Radical Reaction is entirely a work of fiction. The novel is set in the fictitious university town of Persford which I imagined to be in the south of England about an hour away from London by train. Names, characters, businesses, and incidents are the product of the author’s imagination. Certain real institutions and places are mentioned but the events surrounding them are fictitious. Any resemblance to actual persons living or dead, or actual events is entirely coincidental.
Thanks go to family and friends who have encouraged me to pursue this venture, for their comments on the plot and for pointing out mistakes. Particular thanks go to my husband for endless discussions regarding the plot, characters and his suggestions for improvement.
dawnmarsanne@gmail.com
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Also by Dawn Marsanne
The Persford Series
Adverse Reaction
Lethal Reaction
Terminal Reaction
Captive Reaction
Radical Reaction
About the Author
Having worked in the pharmaceutical industry for almost twenty-five years I wanted to write a novel which explored some of the serious issues in the field. The reproducibility of scientific data is a common problem which has recently been highlighted in the news and this forms the basis of my first book Adverse Reaction.
I particularly enjoy reading thrillers and suspense novels and I have tried to create a fast paced story which holds the reader's attention. Many of the themes of the book occur in everyday life and I have used the backdrop of research to illustrate them. There are relatively few novels which are set in the laboratory environment so I saw this as an undeveloped area but at the same time scientific details are kept to a minimum to allow the work to be accessible to readers of a non-technical background.
As I finished the novel I became sufficiently interested in the characters I had created to develop them further and so have produced two further novels in the Persford Reaction series which I intend to release shortly.
Follow me on twitter @dawn_marsanne