Bliss (3 page)

A disturbing phone call during the night left him rattled. The caller, who identified himself only as a messenger for Imec Pharmaceuticals, informed Applegate he needed to meet him at 10 A.M. the next morning. Urgent paperwork would be crossing his desk soon and they expected him to rush it.

The caller gave few details, but what he did say had caused Applegate to sit bolt upright in bed as if someone had punched him in the gut.
You’ll get everything else at the meeting.

Heavy-handed lobbyists had leaned on Applegate before when seeking approval of experimental drugs. That was bad enough. But this.
This bordered on madness!

The caller calmly reminded Applegate of his agreement.

“That’s impossible,” Applegate told him. “There haven’t been any clinical trials.”

There was silence on the line. Then.

“You made a deal, Bob, now stick to it.”

“I’ll give the money back,” Applegate protested.

“It’s too late for that,” the caller told him.

Now, as he pulled to the curb and parked, that thought came back with haunting clarity.

It’s too late.

They agreed to meet at the seating area just beyond the entrance to the Aeronautics and Space Museum. Applegate checked his watch. The flight from Phoenix, due in at 8:52 A.M. would have landed by now. He settled into one of the benches at the seating area and kept his eyes glued to the sidewalk.

He had no idea who to look for. No name, no description. Nothing. The arriving courier, they’d said, would find him.

The only thing he did know–the only thing of importance, really, about the man for whom he waited–was
what
he had.

Two million dollars in cash.

His chest felt compressed. Robert Applegate, FDA Director–whose biggest fault was a love of gambling–was about to deceive the American public.

It had taken days of gut-wrenching introspection to reach this point, to come to the decision to betray the FDA and the public. A public who counted on him to protect them from dangerous drugs and procedures that threatened their well-being. In the end, it all came down to the money, and his insatiable need to squander it at the casinos.

Applegate shuddered at the thought.

He had agreed to something in a moment of weakness and now he regretted it. He had no idea the extent that Imec was prepared to go to in order to see their new drug to market. But what he saw so far--defied belief.

It was too late.

Tourists began to trickle into the museum. Applegate, as instructed, positioned his briefcase on the bench next to him and kept his eyes trained on the sidewalk. The first wave of a bus tour consisted of school-age children and teachers. Next, a business executive walked past and eyed Applegate; his briefcase looked too thin to be carrying all that money. He continued to gaze at Applegate. Finally, the man crossed the street and dropped into a late model Lexus.

Applegate’s breath came in a sigh.

The sidewalk stood mostly empty. Applegate noticed a rather nondescript man, probably in his thirties, dressed in a tan shirt and white khakis, carrying a newspaper and wearing a backpack. He glanced at Applegate casually. Applegate felt a precarious uncertainty as he regarded the man.
What if the whole thing was a set up–a sting by the FBI?

Two years earlier, they’d indicted one of his staff. They’d charged him with accepting bribes, in exchange for influencing approval of an experimental AIDS drug.

Maybe he should just leave?
Call the whole thing off and just take his chances. He rose to get up, but a deep voice stopped him.

“Have a seat, Applegate.”

The stranger sat next to Applegate and took off his backpack. “Glad to get that thing off. Carry-on bags are a real nuisance these days.”

Applegate wondered how the man got all that money past security.

The front of the museum sat quiet now. A few tour buses remained parked in front, the drivers’ noses’ buried in the newspaper.

“You are, Applegate?” the man asked.

Applegate nodded.

“Are we straight on everything?”

Applegate cleared his throat. “I understand what you want me to do. It’s just... I wasn’t aware of all the facts when I agreed to this. And I have others to answer to.”

“But you did agree.” It was more statement than question.

“Yes.”

“And you spent the twenty thousand?”

Applegate looked down. “Yes.”

The man smiled. “Welcome aboard then. Let us worry about your colleagues.”

“What about the rest of the money?”

The man’s face hardened. “You’ll get the money after we verify the FDA approval. I think you know my client is good for it.”

Applegate went pale.
What the hell did he need to meet for then?

The man opened the backpack and handed him a stack of folders. “That’s all the information and test results you’ll need for the board.”

Applegate leafed through the folders and his eyes went to the one marked: HUMAN TEST PROFILE.

Applegate felt his entire body go rigid as he looked up. “I thought you said there was no–“

Before he could finish his sentence, the man disappeared.

What kind of people was he dealing with?

Pallid and soaked in a full body sweat; Applegate got up and hurried to his car. It disappointed him that he didn’t get the money. He wanted to go to Atlantic City, tonight.

Well he could go anyway.
He’d have enough to pay them back soon.

More than enough.

Lindsey got up early Monday,
excited about the first day at her new job. She’d spent the weekend getting familiar with the community and some of her neighbors. Everybody looked as happy and content as she felt at the moment. They all raved about their new homes and surroundings. Many came from the East Coast, like Lindsey, and hadn’t got used to the broiling heat of Arizona yet.

The thermometer outside stood at 95 degrees at 9:00 A.M. when Lindsey walked through the huge glass entrance foyer of Imec Pharmaceutical. As she traversed the lobby, she gazed upward at a giant metal sculpture sitting on a column, which dominated the lavish sun-drenched lobby and its futuristic decor. What a place!

After reading the directory next to the reception area, Lindsey took the elevator to the fifth floor, where it opened to another massive foyer. A white marble counter encircled a receptionist answering calls as fast as the switchboard lights blinked on. On either side of her, floor to ceiling windows showcased the Phoenix skyline. Huge oil paintings of abstract art further accentuated the expansive feeling.

The receptionist, a vivacious redhead whose ID tag read Kelly Freeman, flashed Lindsey a blinding smile and passed a clipboard across the counter to her.

“If you don’t mind?”

Lindsey signed her name, then took a seat in an oversized leather chair. After the receptionist glanced at the clipboard, she made a hushed phone call, and then looked at Lindsey.

“So you’re, Lindsey Walsh?”

“Yes.”

“I’ll let Ms. Blair know you’re here.”

A few minutes later Katherine Blair appeared. Despite the fact that Lindsey had on two-inch heels, she barely came to Blair’s chin. Blair smiled with brilliant white teeth, and her blue eyes shimmered. Lindsey wondered why the striking woman hadn’t become a model.

“Lindsey, I’m Katherine Blair. Welcome to Imec. If you want to follow me, I’ll show you around and take you to your office.”

Blair unclipped her ID tag and inserted it into a slot next to a metal door. Lindsey went through behind her. At the far end of the hall, she repeated the process at a door marked: AUTHORIZED PERSONNEL ONLY. She offered Lindsey an apologetic smile. “Sorry for all the heavy security. Mr. Vetter is a little strict on the subject.”

Beyond the door stood another corridor. A guard barred access to it. Lindsey signed her name again. A closed circuit TV monitor gave the guard a view of some other security post in an open lobby someplace.

“That’s our manufacturing section underground. Up here it’s just offices. The second floor houses our cafeteria, most of the research labs, and the computer mainframe. We have an IBM eighty-five hundred. It’s connected to all the others in the building. Bliss actually has its own software program. You and I, and of course, Mr. Vetter are the only ones with access to it.”

“The security here is amazing,” Lindsey said.

“Well. This drug could be the billion-dollar baby every company dreams about.”

Katherine led the way down the hall. It was carpeted, quiet. Lindsey could see inside the offices where the same huge windows offered an incredible view. After working at Ryeland, with its modest budget, the opulence of Imec stunned her. Each office housed a polished mahogany desk and stylish setting area accented with expensive accessories.

At the end of the hall they came to a door that read Katherine Blair PhD, Vice President--Research. Lindsey went in first and Katherine motioned for her to have a seat, and then settled behind her desk.

“Well, how do you like it so far?” Blair asked.

“It’s a bit overwhelming, but from what I’ve seen so far, I like it very much.”

Blair folded her hands in her lap and studied Lindsey.

“I know you’ve met with Mr. Vetter and he’s explained our current research program to you. Did you have any questions about what you discussed?”

“No, not really. We spent several hours going over everything. It’s quite remarkable. I’m supposed to meet with him again later today.”

An awkward silence.

“Oh, I didn’t know that,” Blair said.

“Corporate stuff.”

Blair smiled. “Good, then I’ll spare you all the technical mumbo jumbo and just say this. Imec has invested millions in the promise of Bliss. It will revolutionize the way people think about psychotropic drugs. Imagine a drug that heightened your senses, relieved depression, anxiety, and at the same time increased your libido and relieved impotence in both male and female. All without any side effects. Think of it as Paxil meets Viagra, then triple it.”

Lindsey did a double take. “Wow. It shouldn’t be hard to market.”

“Yeah, wow. That’s what couples will be saying. And speaking of couples, I understand congratulations are in order for you.”

“Yes, thank you. I’m quite excited about it.”

“Will your fiancé join you soon?”

Lindsey nodded. “As soon as he finishes his residency.”

“I see. What’s his specialty?”

“Neurology.”

“That should make interesting conversation. Maybe we can make him a customer.”

Lindsey grinned. “He’s a tough sell. It took me three years to get him to propose.”

Katherine Blair slid a file across her desk to Lindsey. “This is your company physical form. You’ll need to fill it out and take it down to medical. It also has your drug test record, which we do monthly here.”

Lindsey retreated in her seat a little. “You have to take a drug test every month?”

“Yes. I know it’s a bit unusual, but we have so many compounds here that have the potential for abuse, we can’t take any chances. Besides, it’s just a little needle stick once a month.”

Lindsey shrugged. “I suppose it’s necessary. Okay what else?”

“You know as head of marketing, you’ll be working closely with myself and Dr. Weylen. I’ll introduce you to him a little later. He’s new here also.”

“How long have you been here?” Lindsey asked.

“Just over a year.”

“Wow, you moved up fast.”

Blair looked uneasy. “Well, to be honest, there was an unfortunate accident some months ago. Our lead scientist on Bliss, Dr. Meyer, was murdered by a car-thief he caught breaking into his vehicle.”

“My God, that’s awful.”

“It was tragic. I almost feel guilty about having his job now.”

“Well obviously you deserved it,” Lindsey said. “Mr. Vetter seems like a smart man. I don’t think he would put you here if he didn’t have the utmost confidence in you.”

Blair smiled. “Thanks for the vote of trust.”

Lindsey didn’t add that rumor had Katherine Blair having an affair with Stephen Vetter–poolside gossip that had prompted Lindsey to put Katherine at the top of her list of friends to make.

Blair leaned back from her desk. “Stephen... Mr. Vetter has been immensely supportive of my effort to complete the work Dr. Meyer started. He wants Imec at the forefront of pharmaceutical research and development.”

The shrill ring of the phone broke their conversation. Katherine excused herself and picked it up. Lindsey tried to be polite and not listen, but the note of disdain was hard to miss. “All right, I’ll be right there. Yes, all right.”

Katherine Blair jumped up, looked at her watch.

“You’ll have to excuse me, Lindsey; I’m late for a meeting. Mr. Vetter is a tad impatient at times. Take that form down to medical and they’ll tell you what to do. I’ll have one of the secretaries show you to your office. I’m sorry.”

Blair yanked open her desk and snatched her purse. She shed her lab coat, revealing a low-cut silk blouse showing ample cleavage. Grabbing a pale green blazer off the back of her chair, she dashed out of the office. “Take the elevator down to two,” she called back to Lindsey.

“Thank you,” Lindsey said to the empty office.

Lindsey took the elevator and got off at the second floor. She paused at the expansive glass windows and gazed out. A black Mercedes sedan sat at the front entrance to the building. Katherine Blair appeared next to it, then Stephen Vetter came around to the passenger side to meet her. He looked upset and before he opened the door for Blair, Lindsey saw his mouth moving and some hand gestures, then he looked at his watch. Obviously he was upset because Katherine Blair was late. Then he practically shoved her into the front seat.

It looked like more than just impatience to Lindsey.

More like abuse.

Maybe things
were
too good to be true at Imec?

Since taking charge of Imec
six months earlier, Stephen Vetter had made it a point to hold a monthly meeting of the top management executives at the local Hyatt Regency in Scottsdale. The lavish hotel provided a spectacular buffet and open bar, where Imec’s top members could get together and discuss the company’s latest projects. At the same time, it allowed some time for relaxing by the pool with some high priced call girls Vetter always provided at company expense.