The Malthus Pandemic

by Terry Morgan

CHAPTER 47

  Someone had once told Larry that if you've tried pushing and it fails, try pulling. So, with his efforts to find companies willing to invest in Nigeria failing, he decided to try a new strategy - identify the demand and then meet it. But with Joseph still busy organising his computer show, Larry decided to give himself the rest of the afternoon off to sit and think in the peace of his own apartment. But he had barely arrived when Kevin called with a summary of his conversation with someone called Daniel Capelli.

  "He said he'd call you, Larry." Kevin finally concluded. "I don't know much about this guy except he seemed as worried as we are and he's English."

  Listening to Kevin's obvious relief at having had a phone conversation with an unheard of English guy based in Bangkok, Larry pondered on whether being English meant anything at all these days. He continued to potter about his apartment and then settled himself in front of the TV with a can of beer and a sandwich to watch CNN or some other US channel. But he had just taken the first bite when his phone rang again.

  Daniel introduced himself and began with an explanation of what he did and why he had gone to Bangkok. Larry interrupted. "Is your client, Biox?"

  "No," said Daniel, honestly, but intrigued how quickly Larry had mentioned the company. "Why do you ask?"

  "They lost a couple of scientists some time back and I know the boss, Josh Ornstein. I happened to speak to him only last week. Respiratory viruses, influenza, SARS are his thing and his company gets a lot of research funding. But I sensed a strange interest in the Nigerian deaths. It was as if he was suspicious of something but couldn't go as far as to admit it."

  Larry, by this times was strolling around his apartment holding the phone."David Solomon was one of the guys they lost. Guy Williams was another."

  Large bits of Daniel's jigsaw suddenly started falling rapidly into place. He let Larry continue.

  "And Kevin has told me some interesting things about Solomon's background," Larry went on. "Are you aware of this?"

  "Yes," said Daniel.

  "So is your client Virex?" asked Larry.

  "Not allowed to say, Larry, but you've just arrived in Boston, Massachusetts as if by intuition."

  Larry gave a short laugh. "Charles Brady," he said. "Good old Charles. He and Josh Ornstein are like two dogs - they bark at one another. One minute they play together, the next minute they are trying to tear each other apart. So does the bickering have any relevance?"

  A question like that was what Daniel was trying to answer but the more people he could find like Larry, Kevin, Jimmy in Nigeria and one or two others he was thinking of engaging the quicker the answers might come.

  "The bickering is a side show I suspect, Larry," he said, "Ignore it. But you can add into the equation the fact that Biox are not the only company to have lost scientists and technicians in the last year or so. All were virologists or molecular geneticists or technicians useful to a laboratory hell bent on a bit of, what I understand is called in the trade, gain of function or GOF research. Now add into the equation scientists, like Solomon, with extreme views about the powers that should be granted to themselves to decide what to create and how to use their creations."

  For Larry, this was exactly what he had been trying to tell the US Ambassador. But Daniel hadn't finished yet. He then started to touch on an area that Larry had not given much thought to - the money side.

  "Then," Daniel said, "Into that tasty soup you can need to add something else - funding. Funding need not be a problem for these scientists if they can find one or more rich, private individuals. And if one - or more, or all - of these individuals has stashed away a fortune on the back of a lifetime spent in fraud and embezzlement and other criminality and is only interested in investing it to make more money, then what have you got?"

  Daniel stopped, hoping it was sinking in. To Larry, the scenario was like a re-run of one of his recent nightmares. "You want my frank opinion, Larry?" Daniel continued.

  "Go ahead, although I think I'm seeing it exactly the same way."

  "What we have here is an organised bunch of crooks with money and a motley group of scientists with far more than their fair share of reasons for opting out of the mainstream to pursue their dreams and they are all coming together. But I still suspect that Solomon is the technical wizard behind it all and the one with the extreme views on population control. To be fair on the other scientists and technicians, though, I suspect most of them haven't a clue who they are working for."

  "Yes," Larry said, "I'll go with all that."

  Jimmy had sent a text message to Daniel from his car and then stopped to buy fuel.

  ."Jimmy the ferret," Daniel said to Anna as they sat in a Bangkok restaurant. "I'd better phone him right now."

  In Nairobi, Jimmy's phone rang just as he was about to pay the garage attendant.

  "I phoned Shah Medical's accountant this morning," said Jimmy, "I told him I was from Kenya Revenue Authority and that I needed information on the numbers of employees they had. If he could just tell me on the phone KRA inspectors wouldn't need to call around. They employ sixteen."

  "Good work, Jimmy," Daniel smiled across the table at Anna.

  "I then asked him if Mr Jomo was still their sales manager - Jomo is an old school friend, Mr Franklin. He said yes, but that Jomo is only working for another three weeks because they no longer need a salesman."

  As Daniel listened, there was a noise in the background. "Two thousand shillings? Where is your petrol made, mzee, China? I will go somewhere else next time - here, keep the change.......... Sorry, Mr Franklin. Anyway I met Jomo for a beer last night. We told jokes although Jomo was not wanting to joke too much. He has a wife and four children. ..........are you there Mr Franklin?

  "Yes," said Daniel., "I'm listening."

  "Jomo told me a lot, Mr Franklin. You got plenty of British pounds?

  "I can go to the bank, Jimmy"

  "OK, I tell you all this before you pay. This is my way."

  "Fine, Jimmy. Go on."

  "Just a moment, Mr Franklin, I need to stop the car.....OK I have now stopped. Well, Jomo is a very upset man, because he spent fifteen years helping to build Mr Shah's business. According to Jomo, the Frenchman called Don told the staff they are to change everything and start testing some new medicine for infections. So they do not need a Nairobi salesman now. Instead they want to expand to Uganda, Tanzania and Sudan. Jomo doesn't like French people. He prefers British. He can't understand Don's accent and................."

  Jimmy's phone stopped but Daniel waited in case the signal was poor.

  ".........so I bought several beers and said I'd give him a lady and a free condom. Jomo was very depressed last night........"

  Daniel listened as the mobile phone signal in Nairobi came and went.

  "...........but before Jomo was ready for the lady he saw someone. He saw Don going into the Flamingo Club............but Jomo was impatient for the lady so...........I waited outside...................two hours I waited.........raining.......then...Don came out..........I took a photo..........followed him to an apartment block .......have address.............."

  Daniel interrupted him at last.

  "Jimmy I can't hear you too well, I'll call you tomorrow."

  But Jimmy still hadn't quite finished.

  "There's one more thing, Mr Franklin. Jomo says the Shah Medicals headquarters is in Cairo - that's Egypt. Everything comes from Cairo. The big boss is in Cairo and so is Mr O'Brian."

  The last snippet from Jimmy made a lot of sense. David Chua in Singapore had mentioned Cairo, he had seen Cairo mentioned in Caroline's Singapore notes, Kay Choon in Hong Kong had mentioned a link with Cairo and Clive Tasker had suggested that Cairo was the ultimate destination for equipment imported into Jordan by Al Zafar and then re-exported.

  "And another thing, Mr Franklin. I've got a part......................"

  "I can't hear you Jimmy, say that again."

  "I have got a part-time job at
Shah Medicals."

  "You've got what?" yelled Daniel, hoping that at least Jimmy could hear him properly.

  "A part-time job at Shah Medicals - two hours every Tuesday and Thursday evening and it's after Luther Jasman has finished work, so don't worry - no-one will recognise me."

  "How in God's name did you manage that?"

  "I can't hear you, Mr Franklin. I think it is better if you phone me again."

  "OK, Jimmy but please, please don't forget - mum's the word."

  "Confidentiality is our corporate policy, Mr Franklin.............”