Deadly Cure: Johnny Liddell Mystery Crime Series: Mystery Crime Series, #3

By Frank Kane

DEADLY CURE - ANOTHER JOHNNY LIDDELL MYSTERY CRIME NOVEL

Walk alongside Johnny Liddell as he investigates another major murder mystery involving a high-stakes conspiracy, and enjoys some hot romance along the way.

Excerpt:

Lopez was an expert in his field.  He smiled. "Violence is not in my line.  I'm a lover, not a killer."

"That's just what we want.  A lover."

It was a billion dollar set-up.  And everything depended on Lopez' special talent - getting anything he wanted from any woman.

The stakes were too high to let anyone get in the way.  One man had already been murdered.  Liddell took over where the dead man left off, not knowing that he might be reserving his own slab in the morgue.

Download it now!

• Language: English
• Publisher: Golden Retro Publishing
• Release date: Feb 16, 2016
• ISBN: 9781524263287

Book preview

CHAPTER 1

The air in the office of the chairman of the board of Glennwyck Laboratories was charged with electricity.

The face of Edward Glenn, chairman of the company, was stained red with anger, the cords on his neck stood out, his jaw was set stubbornly. He was facing a heavy set woman who stood at the far end of the conference table, which was set at right angles to his black walnut desk.

You say you are ready to produce Glennicillin. I say it is not ready, she stormed. She had a heavy mustache that stood out darkly against the pallor of her face. A thin sheen of perspiration glistened along her low hairline. She looked around the table for support. Who should know better? The scientists who developed it or the merchants whose only interest is how much money they can make from it?

Harry Thomas, vice-president in charge of sales, was sitting to the right of the chairman. He suddenly found the pencil on the conference table in front of him of irresistible interest.

The heavy woman’s eyes jumped from Thomas to the man next to him. Mike Carter, executive vice-president and Wall Street contact man for Glennwyck, met her eyes.

I don’t think you understand, Dr. Sanches, Carter told her. We have obligations to our stockholders—

Stockholders, bah! Dr. Maria Sanches snorted. We have obligations to humanity. She swung back to Glenn. When you come to me when I am with the university, you tell me I can do good for humanity if I join your laboratory as chief of virology. I come with the understanding that we will have enough money, enough time to do a job—"

Enough money? Glenn interrupted. He picked up a typewritten memo. We have already spent almost ten million on Glennicillin. Enough time? We have been working on it for almost three years. He flicked the paper back on the top of the walnut desk. How much longer, Dr. Sanches?

Until it has been tested. Until it has been perfected and we have positive proof that there are no harmful side Effects. She turned to a frail-looking man sitting alongside where she stood. Ask Dr. Lyon. There is not yet enough proof.

Dr. Malcolm Lyon was the cartoonist’s ideal of a research scientist - vague, absentminded, unworldly. He started slightly at the sound of his name, looked up at his colleague. He nodded absently. Dr. Sanches feels that we should make more tests before—

Mike Carter banged the flat of his hand on the top of the conference table. We know what Dr. Sanches thinks. She thinks there’s no end of money and no end of time to be wasted on the final frills. Well, I’ve got news for all of you. The boys on the Street are beginning to worry. And when they worry, our stockholders get wind of it. And if the wind is strong enough we’ve got neither money nor time. He swung on the chairman. Mr. Chairman, we owe a vote of thanks to Dr. Sanches and her colleague, Dr. Lyon. In their field, they are experts. But now we’re in my field, and I say we put Glennicillin into mass production immediately. He turned to the last man at the conference table. Dr. March is acquainted with the problems of both fields - the financial and the laboratory. How do you feel about it, Dr. March?

Dr. Theodore March sighed softly. As research director of Glennwyck, his was the thankless job of trying to bridge the gap of misunderstanding between the businessmen and the researchers.

I have examined all of the reports carefully. Glennicillin is the first of hundreds of molds and cultures we have examined to show the properties for which we have been seeking—

But we cannot be sure of all its effects, Dr. Sanches’ eyebrows seemed to bristle, her mustache was in marked contrast to her angry pallor. You call yourself a scientist, and yet—

Stop waving your fist in my face, Doctor, the research director told her coldly. Your own report states that Glennicillin has remarkably low toxicity.

Just because it doesn’t kill, that doesn’t mean that it could not have harmful after effects or side effects that we don’t know about yet. Do you think the scientists who produced Thalidomide—

Dr. March squinted up at her. I’m sure we all respect your scientific integrity, Dr. Sanches. Just as you must respect our personal integrity. None of us would permit this product to be marketed if there was the slightest doubt about its contribution to humanity.

The woman with the mustache stared down at him, her lip curled slightly. In my student days at the University of Havana and in my days of research at the University of California, I heard many things about Dr. Theodore March, the scientist. One of the reasons I accepted this post at Glennwyck was because I considered it an honor to work under you. But then you were a scientist. Now you are one of them - a businessman.

Dr. March colored slightly. I’m sorry if I’ve proven to be a disappointment to you, Doctor.

Harry Thomas stirred restlessly on his chair. I think we’re all losing sight of the point. We’re not concerned over what Dr. Sanches thinks of Dr. March or what she thinks of the business side of this company. Glennwyck Laboratories is not an experimental research organization. It is a developer and distributor of ethical drugs. We maintain the research facilities to find products that will help the human race. It’s an expensive luxury. It’s also part of our job to return to our stockholders the money they have made available to us for that research. And we can’t do that if we keep checking and rechecking the product until someone beats us to the market with it.

Dr. Sanches turned her fire on the sales director. I was not aware, Mr. Thomas, she managed to emphasize the word mister, that you were such an expert on whether or not the check was necessary or unnecessary. Are you aware that all of the tests we have done so far have been on guinea pigs and rabbits?

The results have been satisfactory, haven’t they?

On guinea pigs and rabbits. But guinea pigs and rabbits aren’t human beings! The woman scientist hit the table with the flat of her hand. Can’t you stop thinking how much money there is to be made and start thinking how much good it can do?

Thomas ignored the woman’s outburst. He turned to the chairman. Mr. Chairman, I also urge that we put this product into production immediately. We’re all convinced that it’s good. Equally important is the fact that it’s new and we’ll have the field to ourselves.

Mike Carter stuck a cigarette in the corner of his mouth. I’m aware my Wall Street connections disqualify me as an expert in Dr. Sanches’ eyes, but I do feel that no one can deny Dr. March’s qualifications. Inasmuch as he is satisfied that the product is ready—

What would he know about it? He hasn’t been in a laboratory in years. He no longer talks or thinks like a scientist but like a businessman.

Thank you, Doctor, Glenn cut her off. However, I must point out that Dr. March is responsible for this project. He has been very patient, and has carried a very heavy load. He saw to it that you got all the equipment you needed, and all the help. There was no stinting of money or effort. By the same token, he is aware of our responsibility to our stockholders - that their interests be protected. The decision has already been reached, Doctor. Glennicillin goes into production and—

Dr. Sanches shook her head. Then I’ve been wasting my time. You didn’t invite us here to ask our opinion. You invited us to hear the announcement of an already concluded decision. We can be more useful in the laboratory. She turned to the man at her side. Are you coming, Dr. Lyon?

The old man bobbed his head. Thank you for asking us, Mr. Glenn. He followed the woman to the door, closed it softly behind him.

I told you it was a waste of time asking her, Thomas told the man behind the desk. If she had her way, she’d keep checking the damn thing for the next fifty years.

It was common courtesy to invite the team responsible for the breakthrough to be among the first to know that their new product was going to be made available to help humanity. Her reaction was to be expected. Dr. Sanches is a scientist first and last. She deplores the commercial aspect of her research, as many scientists do. Isn’t that right, Dr. March?

The head of research nodded his head. Many dedicated scientists feel that there should be no profits made from the result of their labors, that it should be made available to those needing it as their contribution to humanity.

If that’s the way they feel about it, why do they take our money? Mike Carter wanted to know. Why don’t they stay in their simon-pure university laboratories instead of coming to us?

Dr. March sighed. It’s very simple, Mr. Carter. They come to us because we spend millions for every thousand that is available in the universities. Here, they have the latest in equipment, all the help they need. He shrugged. That aspect of commercialism they approve of, because it gives them greater opportunity. It is the pressure for results, what they consider the premature distribution, they object to.

Pressure for results? Harry Thomas broke in. They’ve been working on this one for three years. What kind of pressure is that?

The true scientist doesn’t measure in terms of time, but in terms of end result. Three years is a very short period to produce results like these, the research director countered.

Mike Carter took a last drag on his cigarette, crushed it out in the ashtray in front of him. Well, let’s stop worrying about what Dr. Sanches thinks or doesn’t think. She’s done her job. From now on it’s our ball. He turned to the sales director. How big a market would you say there’ll be for Glennicillin?

About a hundred million.

The finance man whistled noiselessly. That ought to get the boys on the Street off my back. They’ve been getting a little itchy for some results. This will keep them happy.

Harry Thomas brought a sheaf of notes from his breast pocket. I’ve been working up a program for Glennicillin ever since we got the preliminary reports that we had broken through, he told the chairman. Would you like a breakdown?

The man behind the desk nodded.

Dr. March will arrange for a series of tests of all types, indicating all the viruses it will destroy. There will be several papers written up on the results by big names. Check? He looked at the research director.

Dr. March nodded.

Already, some of the things in Dr. Sanches’ report indicate that Glennicillin will create a sensation. It’s destructive of both gram-negative and gram-positive and on that basis alone it makes penicillin look like a patent medicine. We’re arranging for clinical reports to be ready for the next big regional AMA meeting. He shuffled through the papers. That’s penciled in for Miami in February. I’ve already chartered a fleet of fishing boats. We take the key men out and we drop Glennicillin into their laps while they’re practically a captive audience. We do the same at the Lake George meeting, except that we take over the country club for a day of golf. We make the presentation at the dinner. He looked around. They’ll buy it a hundred percent.

How about the pharmacists? Shouldn’t we get them behind it? Carter suggested.

A waste of money. If a doctor prescribes a new drug and the pharmacist doesn’t have it, he’s lost a customer who thinks he’s behind the times. They’ll have to stock it.

Glenn nodded. Will you submit an itemized promotion budget for the next meeting?

It’s already in the works. I’ve got my boys working on it.

Mike Carter nodded. Sounds good to me. Now, it occurs to me there’s one other item we should discuss now that we’re this close to production. We’ve lost a couple of products over the years to pirates. What provision are we making to be sure no one steals this product and undersells us into the ground?

As you know, our security forces are headed by an FBI man and are as effective as any such force could be—

That wasn’t enough to keep us from losing the cultures and molds that turned up in Italy, Curtis reminded him. They knocked us out of the foreign market producing the stuff to sell for five cents where we had to get fifty.

The chairman bobbed his head. Agreed. There are limits to what Security can do. You see the attitude of Dr. Sanches. Can you imagine what would happen to morale around here if we put in stiff security regulations and started treating lab work and paper work like classified information?

The chairman is right, Dr. March put in. A true scientist is not an eight-to-four, worker. He thinks nothing of taking his test tubes and paper work home nights or of coming back to the lab to continue his experiments far into the night. We could not afford to discourage that kind of devotion to their project, could we?

Carter shook his head. Of course not. But isn’t there some way to check what’s coming in and going out of here?

The man behind the desk shook his head. Suppose we did search them? There are 3,000 employees here at Glennwyck. And the stuff is so hard to spot and so easy to take out. Hell, if they didn’t want to take a test tube out, they could smear the culture on their shoes, walk out, scrape it off and be in business. And suppose the guards did check every piece of paper that went out? I couldn’t tell the difference between ordinary paper work and a finished secret formula, so how could they?

Then how do we keep the new product out of the hands of the competition? Curtis wanted to know.

We fight espionage with counterespionage. I have just set up a deal with the Allied Detective Agency to put an undercover agent in Glennwyck. It will be his job to make sure that there is no pirating of Glennicillin. He picked up the phone on the corner of his desk, pushed the button on the base. Miss Lamper, there is a Mr. Leonard Roth waiting to see me. Would you please ask him to come in?

CHAPTER 2

The back room of the apartment on Central Park West had been transformed into a gymnasium. A row of weights on pulleys lined one wall, there was a punching bag suspended from its stand in the corner, racks full of dumbbells and weight-lifting equipment.

In the center of the room, there was a small ring. A dark-haired man, silvered at his temples, was sparring with a