by Frank Perry
here’s what does matter: You get all the financials together again for a class-A pitch. We have some investors coming, and I want to knock it out of the park.” He glared at the shorter man. “You got that, Matt? It’s gotta be our finest pitch ever. This is round two with these guys. I know they want to buy GHI and are willing to pay top dollar.”
The CFO hesitated for a minute, unsure how the power structure had actually changed since bringing Jules into the scheme developed by him and Irina. He didn’t have the strength to compete with Jules, so he decided to demure this time, but only this time. He and Irina were now in charge; at least he felt they should be, since it was they who really got investor attention on the Institute. Jules and his buddies would have wallowed around doing research and retired on mediocre 401Ks if he and Irina hadn’t figured how to jump ahead of the other biotech companies. Hell, Jules and Charlie would be wealthy men now because of their work. He hadn’t dropped the real bomb on the owners yet. He would wait until an offer was on the table before demanding a larger share for him and Irina. “Okay, Jules, I’ll get it together.” Pompous ass!
News Flash
The national news started with a breaking story: “Ebola outbreak in Sierra Leone is spreading like wild fire in a village near the border with Guinea.”
“Damn! Damn, damn, damn!” Jules couldn’t contain his frustration. Abagael was supposed to be in position with the vaccine. But she was now dead, and that asshole Hanson had caused it, maybe indirectly, but he caused it. They could rush another shipment of the antidotes and vaccine, but it would eliminate their remaining supply, which wasn’t enough if the outbreak enlarged. If the plague spread further, outside the Kambia district, there wouldn’t be anything more that GHI could do, and the major drug companies would get all the publicity. “Damn!” He slammed the desk. He didn’t even know whom to contact now that Abagael was gone. He knew it didn’t really matter, since the Institute would be contacted soon enough by whomever was taking the lead in fighting the outbreak, probably someone at the CDC or WHO or the UN. They needed to start preparing the next shipment, and he, personally, would insure that the weasel down the hall wasn’t able to slip in any live virus. How could I have ever trusted that idiot?
Hanson was in another part of the Institute, complaining privately to his co-conspirator. “Who does he think he is, Irina? I mean, he’d have nothing if it wasn’t for us. Nothing! We came up with this idea, right … am I right? And when Bridger got suspicious, it was brilliant how we solved that problem. Heck, it was brilliant, making him get sick in Africa … brilliant! This whole thing is fantastic, and that egotist, Jules, still thinks he’s in charge.”
She’d listened patiently to his ranting, but it was time to put him in his place. “Calm down, Matt. First, you must remember that only Jules can really sell the Institute. Only he can stand up to the peer review of the bio-scientists. You and I are only underlings in this regard.”
Matt had always felt treated like an ant compared to the scientists, but now it was different. He and Irina were in charge. “I don’t know why you think that, Irina. We’ve got ‘em by the balls, and they know it.”
“Matt, this isn’t about who is in charge. You would never be able to run the Institute. You have no scientific knowledge.”
“What the hell does that mean? It was my strategy that got us here, got us to where money is about to come raining down. I think that’s the real brilliance, thinking strategically; that’s what I bring.”
His exuberance worried her. He was a loose-cannon, cocked and ready to fire. “Matt, Matt. You need to calm down and think. First of all, your strategy does not exist. You made a deal with a terrorist for your own selfish motives. You were selling a bio-weapon to kill masses of people for your own wealth. From that point of view, you needed me to actually handle the deadly germs. There was no brilliance. There was only greed, and a terrorist finding the weak link. You are that link.”
“That’s bullshit, Irina! If I hadn’t gotten you involved, you’d still be counting bottles in a hazmat suit.”
He was like talking to a third grader. “Matthew, please do not be so offended. You will be rich soon enough if you do not do something stupid. At this point, there is no evidence of a crime, and Dr. Redinger is going to be sure it is never revealed. We no longer need to worry about disclosure, unless we bring it upon ourselves. If you want to engage in power-politics at the Institute, you will fail, and we will all go to jail. Do you understand me?”
He pouted. “Why are you saying this, Irina? I thought we were partners?”
It was Tiring. “Matt, why do you not see what is happening? Let me clarify things for you. First, you created the opportunity for me, I acknowledge this. But, your motive was just to get some money for selling germs. It is not a strategy. A world criminal came to you because you were weak.
“It was my years of work on simulations that made your plan possible. Without my work, you could not have come to me. This is what has made the Institute valuable. I am a scientist of high value to the owners, yet I do not run around trying to be the boss. I will be famous and rich and never be in charge of anything. You must take the same position. Let Drs. Redinger and Ritter take all the credit, and you will become rich because of it. Do not pretend to be smart enough to control anything in this. Now, you must simply do as you are told and enjoy the outcome. You will get a good share of the sale value, I will assure you of that, but the timing must be synchronized carefully to when the last signature on the sale is about to be made. That is the time of maximum leverage. I must manage this, not you.” She was pressing a finger onto his chest.
He didn’t know what to say. He could have punched her for the way she was belittling him. No one respected him, not even Irina. “Fine, if that’s the way you feel, then fine! I’ll play the little accountant role, but if anything starts to go wrong, Irina, I’ll be right on top of all of you.”
“No you won’t, Matt. Think about it. I know this is hard for you. You have a young family, and you have the chance to be a rich man and live like others only wish. But you need to stay calm and take orders and let the scientific
people manage this.”
It didn’t take long, as anticipated, for queries to come into GHI regarding the outbreak in Sierra Leone. Jules asked Charlie to take charge of preparing another shipment of vaccine, but he stipulated that he would examine the containers before they were sealed. Charlie had not been brought into the cabal with Irina and Hanson, and Jules didn’t intend to do it. He didn’t want any more live virus in any shipment. He could contain things from this point as long as nothing nefarious went on with his co-conspirators.
The CDC wanted an emergency shipment of antidotes and vaccines sent from GHI immediately to Sierra Leone. The Government would arrange transportation and handling with qualified physicians at both ends. There would be some lingering contractual paperwork and pricing to resolve, which Matt’s group would handle, but the immediate task was to ship everything. Charlie was in charge of operations and asked Irina to manage the internal process of assembling the shipment, since Kelly and John were incapacitated. Irina would work with Fred Cooper.
Investigation
Elsewhere, after several days, Detective McAlister was able to talk to John at the hospital. Kelly was still on life support in the intensive care unit. Sharon McAlister was a pro. She presumably was upset that another attempt was made on the couple, and she had no leads to the person(s) behind it, but she continued her investigation with pure professionalism.
John’s head was slightly elevated in the bed with a monitor attached at several points hidden under covers. He had IVs in both arms. His face and arms had various bandages and his eyes were only partially opened. She was gentle. “Mr. Hollis, if you are awake enough, I want to ask some questions.”
He was groggy but able to speak. “How is Kelly?”
“She’s still unconsci
ous in intensive care. She’s being well cared for but can’t be interviewed now. I need to know what happened.” Witnesses had said that John complained about being run off the road, and she needed to confirm if this had been another attempt on their lives. “What can you tell me about the accident?”
He leaned his head back harder against the pillow and tried to open his eyes more fully. “It wasn’t an accident. We were rammed from behind.”
She was taking notes in a small notebook. “Did you see the car?”
He thought for a minute. “It was dark outside and misty. I was driving average speed and got slammed from behind. I tried to control it but the car swerved out of control. I don’t remember much after that.”
“Did the other car stop?”
“I don’t know. About all I remember is waking up here.” He thought for a moment. “I remember seeing a huge grill, like some kind of big truck. It could have been a pickup; you know, they all have big grills now days.”
“Do you think it was deliberate? Couldn’t it have been an
