AdrenaStar

By Dinsley Radford

A Darcy Deverell Mystery
Darcy Deverell is a man of wealth, charm and poise. He is the CEO of one of the largest sports management agencies in Manhattan. Recently, Canadian researchers have perfected an adrenaline testing process for predicting athletic prowess in children. Their new company fits perfectly into Darcy's plans for the future and he acquires it.

The concept is validated by a young golfer who puts up wins against much older competition. The company takes off and is quickly successful. But, as profits grow, jealousies do too and crimes are committed. Individuals make some serious plays to get a piece of the action.

Darcy cannot allow these to threaten his athletes or his company. He's drawn in to an investigative role by the circumstances and he finds that he has the skills to meet the challenge.

Can Darcy get to the bottom of these threats before more people are victimized? Follow the exciting trail as it leads him around the world.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Dinsley Radford
• Release date: Feb 10, 2013
• ISBN: 9780991867714

Dinsley Radford

Dinsley has retired after a work career in a variety of functions and industries. His title is now “Grampie” and is the highest rank he has ever achieved. He has had lengthy residential stints in Australia and Kenya and now lives in Ottawa, Canada with his wife of 47 years, Jude. ‘AdrenaStar’ is the title of his first novel in a planned series featuring professional sports agency exec and amateur detective Darcy Deverell. Dinsley has suffered from the adult, professional version of ADD. Check out his careers – university professor, systems analyst, financial director, corporate administrator, software marketing manager, U.N. HR consultant, hotel manager, project manager, accountant, graphic designer. Retirement has not shrunk the list – graphic artist, harmonica player, yogi, novelist, blogger, motorcyclist, TV production volunteer, tennis player, iPad app developer, crime novel reader. Dinsley is a triplet. His brother Perry is a photographer and digital artist. His other brother Monty is a harmonica player.

Book preview

AdrenaStar

by

Dinsley Radford

Copyright 2013

Dinsley Radford

Smashwords Edition

License Notes

This book is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you are reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return to Smashwords.com and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

To My Wife, Jude

Long May You Edit

Table of Contents

Prologue -The News

1 - The Experts Are Consulted

2 - Darcy Deverell, The Early Years

3 - AdrenaStar - The Company is Formed

4 – AdrenaStar - The Business is Underway

5 - Someone Gets a Little Too Greedy

6 - Preparations For Contract Renewal

7 - Golf Down Under

8 - Darcy's 50th Birthday Party

9 - Darcy Deverell, The Gap Year

10 - Time For The Contract Renewal

11 - Where is Brian Richmond?

12 - The 2020 Masters

13 - Death in the Sand

14 - Detective Darcy, Eugene, OR

15 - Detective Darcy, Invermere, BC

16 - Detective Darcy, Sydney, NSW

17 - Darcy Deverell, Moving to America

18 - Somebody Knows More

19 - A Fraud is Uncovered

20 - Confession is Good For The Soul

Prologue - The News Breaks

Following is a medical news report that appeared in the New York Times on 1st of May, 2012:

««««

Do you know who is sleeping in your nursery? Is it Jordan? Federer? Gretzky?

Do you have a child playing sport? What is the likelihood that he or she will reach the professional pinnacle of that chosen sport? Pretty slim? Would you like to know his or her chances right now?

Canadian researchers have discovered that measuring an athlete's ability to process adrenaline (or epinephrine) is the most effective way to tell whether they might ultimately stand on the podium. Not only that, but this ability is detectable at a very early age. It is believed that even analysis of fetal fluids would provide the requisite evidence.

In an article published today in Lancet, the preeminent British medical journal, three doctors from the Canadian Human Performance Institute (CHPI) reported the findings of a ten year study. Over that period, 2,882 elite athletes from a wide range of sport, football players to rhythmic gymnasts, were tested using the yardstick developed by the doctors. The test results were correlated with performance achievements. Individual outcomes proved 94% reliable.

Up to now, serious professional assessment of athletic potential has been based on indices generated by a mix of genetic ancestry, intelligence and various psychological and physiological factors such as cardiovascular endurance and anaerobic threshold. Until now, the most accurate predictions are claimed to be in the 65 to 70% range.

The medical researchers who coauthored the report have chosen to invoke the new International Protection of Intellectual Property Act (IPIPA). Under the terms of the legislation, which came into effect early in 2011 in most major international jurisdictions, scientists are permitted to publish results of research even though some of its elements do not have to be publicly shared. This allows the researchers to announce findings while temporarily preserving for themselves or their sponsors any potential commercial value. In this particular case, the results are being published but not the details of the chemicals used or the actual testing methodology. The lead spokesman for the doctors, Dr. Raymond Rushlet, praised his colleagues, Dr. James Montgomery and Dr. Sasha Karlova, and requested understanding of the need for secrecy when a discovery of this nature and magnitude is made.

Dr. Rushlet pointed out that, while the intention of the Act is to preserve commercial viability, it supports other objectives as well. In this case, as scientists, the doctors felt the pressure to publish results in a timely manner. But as experienced medical researchers, they were aware of the speed at which breakthrough medical news is disseminated because of its populist appeal. This can sometimes create unreasonable expectations and lead to unexpected results.

The excitement in this discovery derives from the fact that researchers will now be able to predict athletic winners from the womb. The test is functional and reliable (as indicated above) at later ages as well. In fact, the highest score ever recorded in the tests was 1026 recorded by tennis great Roger Federer, reputedly the greatest player who ever lived, who, at the time of this research was continuing to add Grand Slam victories to his all time, record-setting total. As a further validation, Dr. Rushlet verbally outlined the story of Mr. Evan Muncie, a 28-year old victim of the 2010 Haiti earthquake disaster, who survived until he was rescued 27 days after the tragedy. He was tested shortly after the tragedy by a CHPI researcher who was in Haiti as part of a volunteer relief mission. Muncie's test score was at the 99.3 percentile of all results thus far recorded.

The Canadian Human Performance Institute is a Crown Corporation and was opened in Ottawa in September, 2010. Its mandate was to find economical ways of identifying potential elite athletes.

Government spokesperson, Mr. Robert Roberge, a Deputy Minister with Industry Canada, said that there had been some preliminary discussions with CHPI management as to the viability of creating a commercial operation and the initial outcome appeared positive. He stated that no firm conclusions had been reached as to the length of time needed to commercialize the project but hoped that it would take no longer than six months.

During an interview given to CBC News, Dr. Karlova stated they felt a need to delay release until they have a chance to consult with experts in a variety of disciplines. She added that the researchers recognize their own limitations in understanding possible social, political and economic outcomes. She pointed out that, with an appropriate level of input from a multi-disciplinary team, it would be possible for athletes to experience positive careers.

»»»»

ONE - The Experts are Consulted

June 8th, 2012 - CHPI Consultative Retreat, Banff Springs Hotel, Banff

Attendees:

Dr. Raymond Rushlet, Chief of Research, CHPI, Chairperson

Dr. James Montgomery, Research Fellow, CHPI

Dr. Sasha Karlova, Research Fellow, CHPI

Michael Coburn, Corporate Counsel, Government of Canada Legal Services

Dr. Kathy Windsor, Director, Child Development Center, University of Pittsburgh

Dr. Rashid Liscard, Professor of Ethics and Law, George Washington University, Atlanta

Dr. John Randolph, Political Science Institute, Carleton University, Ottawa

Dr. Danielle Kroek, Professor of Genetics, Cambridge University, Cambridge

Dr. Keith McDonald, Professor Emeritus of Sports Psychology, UCLA, Los Angeles (on a regular retainer to CHPI)

On very short notice, Dr. Raymond Rushlet brought together a group of strangers to discuss ‘his' exciting venture. While he recognized publicly the efforts of all those who contributed to this point in the life of the project, it was in his private moments that he could not help taking a little liberty with the personal pronoun. He needed a location that would afford all of them a level of relaxation that would open their minds enough to be able to contribute to this novel venture. It was impossible to conceive of a venue better suited to the task than the Banff Springs Hotel, majestically secured on the slopes of some of the most spectacular mountain scenery the planet has to offer.

In order to take full advantage of the hotel property and the surrounding recreational area, Dr. Rushlet had invited his attendees for a weekend of personal activities prior to the actual meetings. Most of them had arranged their schedules to take advantage of the recreational package that the CHPI admin staff had put in place for them. An overnight 4WD trip to a secluded mountain lodge for guided hiking, trail riding, relaxing, eating and sleeping in any quantity they chose. The catering and housekeeping staff for the weekend were the best that the hotel had to offer. This approach served a dual purpose - experts were introduced to one another prior to the commencement of the meeting and, after two beautiful, sunny mountain days, were in a positive frame of mind for the brainstorming sessions that were about to unfold.

On Sunday afternoon, after a late morning brunch with his admin staff, to go over final details, Rushlet sank into a comfy lounge chair in one of the hotel bars, another Americano on the side table at his fingertips. One more Americano in a growing string of Americanos.

Raymond Rushlet was a tall, slender, wooly-haired academic. His brown hair was beginning to be tinged with grey. His small-patterned, classic tie looked collegiate tucked into a wine-colored V-neck sweater. This had been his trademark style for his thirty-year career which had led him through various echelons of government research positions. In his early days he spent his work hours pursuing activities that were extensions of his PhD academic exploration. Like much professional endeavor, success meant more and more paper and less and less research. It had taken him many years to reach his current level of comfort as a manager but he had developed into a skilled people-person and knew how to get the best from both his colleagues and his underlings. No one was more aware than he of his limitations and now he had to get the most from these new visitors to his world.

As he sat mulling over the possible outcomes from the next few days, a slender athletic body lowered itself into the chair opposite.

Hi Ray. Where is your brain visiting at the moment?

Rushlet instantly snapped out of his reverie and stuck out his hand. Keith! How glad I am to see you. You are just the man I needed here most of all. You had me worried for awhile when you talked about schedule conflicts. Anyway, here you are. I'm sorry that you didn't get to join the others on their mini-vacation.

Keith McDonald was an old friend of Rushlet's and had done a considerable amount of consulting for him on earlier projects. Rushlet trusted his judgment completely. And Dr. McDonald's expertise related to the current undertaking was likely to be both highly relevant and valued.

McDonald greeted his friend, Yes, it's good to be here, Ray. I just got in from Heathrow. I've been extremely busy for the last year helping the London Olympic Committee with some design aspects for the athlete's village. This is really the first time that significant motivational components have been subtly introduced in the design of the accommodation.

Rushlet would have loved to hear more about this topic which sounded fascinating but his mind was too full of his own thoughts to allow for even a short, polite diversion. I imagine that has been fulfilling for you. I do want to hear more but maybe we could spend a bit of time right now so that I can catch you up on a few details to help you understand our need. I've had brief one-on-ones with the others.

Sounds good to me. Your messages have been a little cryptic. They basically said 'Help!'

Right. Sorry about that. But that sums it up succinctly. Let me tell you how. You've read the story that came out in the Times?

McDonald confirmed that he had. I've been itching to have the time to devote to your project since I read that. I haven't seen anything so exciting in this field for years.

Rushlet handed him a piece of paper. Here is some additional info that we gave to the press at that time. Sorry if it's a little trite but we wanted them to really understand what was going on.

McDonald read:

Adrenaline is a hormone released from the adrenal glands and plays a central role in short-term stress reactions. This release is triggered when an individual is threatened in a dangerous situation. Adrenaline prepares the body for action by boosting the supply of oxygen and glucose to the brain and muscles, while suppressing other non-emergency bodily processes. But quantities of adrenaline (known more commonly as epinephrine by American health professionals) are also released in situations of high excitement as one might find in high-level athletic competition. Essentially, it creates a temporary super- man or woman.

There are three adrenaline-related aspects to performance. One is the ability to trigger adrenalin production from only modestly exciting or threatening circumstances. Another involves reducing one's reliance on adrenaline to perform above peak and the third involves processing whatever level of adrenaline is present to one's optimal performance advantage. Furthermore, 'processing' adrenaline means processing from both a psychological as well as a physiological perspective. The testing is described as relying on measurements related to all factors before producing a final result.

Athletes have long been known to monitor their adrenaline management on an informal basis. Baseball pitchers and football quarterbacks have frequently been accused by television commentators of overthrowing their respective targets early in their contests because they are too 'pumped up'. Interviews with many athletes in sports such as archery, curling, golf, biathlon and target shooting have reported that the participants believe that they often have to control their physical actions based on their perceived view of how pumped they are i.e. their adrenaline level…

Keith McDonald stopped reading. "Yes, I get it, Ray. What can I do?

Well you know, Keith, we are planning to sell testing packages to parents and then analyze the results for them. These outcomes are going to lead to some significant changes in their families. We only get one chance to kick this off in the right direction and I need all the help I can get to get a handle on the both the personal and the societal implications. We'll be able to make adjustments as we go but there are some families that are going to be turned upside down right off the bat. Little did Raymond Rushlet realize just how prophetic was that remark.

A relaxed group of weekend adventurers returned to the Banff Springs that Sunday afternoon. The CHPI staff who had accompanied the guests were certain that the side trip had fulfilled their boss’ objectives.

The guests had time for a short rest and other personal matters before they congregated again for the daily pre-dinner wine tasting put on by the hotel. Then it was off the Bow Valley Grill for a casual dinner with all the CHPI hosts. The conversation flowed smoothly in front of the large windows overlooking the snow-capped Fairholme Mountains.

This was followed by coffee and drinks around the massive stone fireplace in one of the hotel lounges. From the level of chemistry evident in the room, Rushlet thought that he had missed a possible calling as a casting director. The discussion was balanced and reasoned and it was very clear that each of these opinion leaders had prepared conscientiously for this meeting. Rarely did the conversation leave the topic at hand. Discussions ebbed and flowed until, one by one, the guests headed back to their rooms. Rushlet sat by himself and wrote informal notes on all the opinions that he had heard and overheard throughout the evening.

The meeting opened promptly at 9:00 a.m. on Monday morning. Dr. Rushlet began, Welcome all of you to the AdrenaStar Consultative Sessions. As the first step in our process this morning I will ask James to go around the table and collect from you the Terms of Reference contracts that we have requested you to sign. I'll summarize those terms now so that they are fresh in our minds. You are being paid as consultants to CHPI. (He pronounced it chippy in the insiders' vernacular.) We are going to examine broad issues related to the testing of fetuses and children to assess their potential for exceptional sports performance and the provision of those test results to their parents and possibly other interested parties. We will conduct an examination and discussion of issues for the edification of CHPI decision-makers. I cannot stress clearly enough that this is a consultative session. There will be no conclusions agreed to at this meeting. Conclusions are to be reached and resulting actions taken solely at the discretion of CHPI at a subsequent date. Your signature on this document and its 'non-disclosure' addendum says that you agree to these terms and that you will not discuss any of our proceedings with anyone.

He continued, I would like the discussion to be as free-flowing as possible and therefore I have no agenda for today or tomorrow. I do have one for Wednesday but it is only a list of topics to ensure that all the necessary bases have been covered.

Rashid Liscard jumped in. He was a slight African-American from the South. His face was pinched which gave him an air of unrelenting seriousness. His reputation suggested that it went deeper than that.

Ray, I understand your concerns for privacy related to AdrenaStar but I have to say that this is the first time that I have felt so buttoned up on principles that matter to me. My problem is that, if I have very strong feelings about your direction, I will have no means of voicing them.

That's not strictly true, Rashid. Yes, I agree that you will not be in a position to prevent our chosen course of action but you certainly will not be prohibited from speaking out publicly once the company starts business. The fact is that the public already knows what we are planning to do. What we are really after in these deliberations are intelligent suggestions about how to make sure that our implementation is not flawed by our own ignorance.

So are we going to test everyone on the planet and then decide what career path they should follow? Policemen need a certain score; firemen another. What about surgeons? Is that where this is ultimately headed?

Before Rushlet could respond Kathy Windsor moved the conversation in a different direction: I'm used to studying behavioral patterns and analyzing them to be able to extrapolate. I feel helpless in this situation because we have no way of looking into the past on this issue. We really have to just guess where this might go. And I am also concerned that we are commoditizing an individual from day zero. I honestly don't think that we are going to get too far with this.

Rushlet was taken a little by surprise. None of this negativity had popped up in the previous night's informal discussion. Folks, I know that this is all as new to you as it is to us. And you are absolutely right to point out these potential pitfalls. We need to consider them. But I would like us to frame these as issues to work on rather than showstoppers. Believe me, the sports world wants this and they usually get what they want. The combination of sports and celebrity is irresistible to media and money. It's a foursome made in heaven. I know that these next few days will result in a better implementation of this inevitability. Raymond Rushlet had not chosen his golf metaphor accidentally. Already reports were coming in concerning one of the early AdrenaStar test subjects.

Discussion settled down from this point and over the three days many topics were chewed over. Issues such as: who is contracted? the child? the parent or guardian? what happens in a divorce? can the parents withdraw in the event of unforeseen circumstances? what is the impact on any other siblings? how is the company to be set up? will the government need to