The Secrets of Havenwood

By Rick Baldacci

A world-renowned scientist discovers a new gene therapy for cancer. A major investor in a competing company chooses to use unscrupulous means to thwart his efforts. As an intellectual property lawsuit arises, critical lab books go missing. A young boy becomes entangled in the mystery of their recovery and his life is changed.

• Language: English
• Publisher: AuthorHouse
• Release date: Mar 4, 2014
• ISBN: 9781491868423

Rick Baldacci

Although the author is a native of Virginia, he has lived the greater part of his life in Colorado. He is married with two children, and has five grandchildren. He has spent a large portion of his career working with and consulting for young fast growth biotechnology companies in Seattle and Colorado whose oncology products and gene therapies have made significant inroads in fighting the disease. His Human Resource background and experience has given him insight into organizational dynamics, investor funding, intellectual property, and corporate policy, which serve as a backdrop for this exciting adventure. A vivid imagination coupled with life experience continues to provide a foundation for his writings. Previous works by this author are “The Heart of the Matter” and “Corporate Complicity”.

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© 2014 Rick Baldacci. All rights reserved.

No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted by any means without the written permission of the author.

This is a work of fiction. All of the characters, names, incidents, organizations, and dialogue in this novel are either the products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously.

Published by AuthorHouse 02/27/2014

ISBN: 978-1-4918-6841-6 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-4918-6842-3 (e)

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and such images are being used for illustrative purposes only.

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Because of the dynamic nature of the Internet, any web addresses or links contained in this book may have changed since publication and may no longer be valid. The views expressed in this work are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher, and the publisher hereby disclaims any responsibility for them.

CONTENTS

Prologue

Chapter One

Chapter Two

Chapter Three

Chapter Four

Chapter Five

Chapter Six

Chapter Seven

Chapter Eight

Chapter Nine

Chapter Ten

Chapter Eleven

About The Author

"Tomorrow we’ll discover

what our God in heaven has in store.

One more dawn.

One more day.

One day more!"—JeanValjean

Les Miserables, a musical by Alain Boublil & Claude-Michel Schönber

PROLOGUE

Tuesday, November 9, 2010 . . . 9:00 a.m. Georgetown University

Good morning! Thank you, Professor Bryant, for the introduction. It’s been an exciting year in the pharmaceutical IP world the guest lecturer began, as he spoke to over 100 law school seniors and a handful of MBA students who were sitting on numerous tiers in the auditorium classroom. Michael Tessler, Chief Executive Officer for MT Research Corporation stood erect at the podium. His voice had a commanding tone. I’ve been invited by Professor Bryant to speak on corporate strategies for intellectual property. I have given you packets of information which includes some financial, legal, and corporate policy information as an adjunct for today’s presentation and discussion.

Mr. Tessler pulled his reading glasses from his suit pocket, adjusted them on his nose, and scanned his notes. He began with, As you can see, today, I am focusing on intellectual property as it relates specifically to the biopharmaceutical industry. I will leave time at the end of my presentation for questions.

For the next forty five minutes he spoke eruditely as he accompanied his talk with PowerPoint slides on the formation of patents, prior art requisites and regulations, internal patent committees, strategy formation, concentric circles, also known as picket fences, which surround core patents, and finally international patent requirements.

That concludes my presentation. I now open the floor for questions or clarifications.

Hands began to rise.

Yes, the gentleman in the second row.

Do you feel that your core patent on your cancer product, dealing with metastasis, is secure? the student asked.

Absolutely. Particularly in the past eighteen months we have added numerous new patents that have, as I stated before, encircled the original patent much like a picket fence and enhanced its protection. Our core patent is less vulnerable today than ever before.

The same student quickly added a follow-on question. What measurement do you use to assess that?

The first metric I see are the legal fees we’re paying to file those additional patents, Mr. Tessler said with a smirk. His answer brought a few chuckles from the audience. Secondly, and a little more seriously, we’ve had only one challenge in the last six years and that one proved to be incidental.

The lady in the middle, he said pointing.

What are the MT Research long term corporate goals?

We have two other cancer products. They are doing fairly well. However, they both have limited market caps. Our metastasis product has not only the potential to take us into the big leagues, but could fund several other products which are in the pre-investigative new drug stage. The only thing that could stop us now or delay our metastasis product from the market place would be an adverse event in one of our clinical trials. As you can see in the packets, we are currently in Phase 3 with this product and are looking forward to receiving FDA approval by the summer of next year. Looking around, he pointed to a woman in the front row.

What is the market cap for this product?

We, the board of directors, executive management team, and key investors, think it has the potential to be bigger than Amgen’s blockbusters Epogen or Neupogen.

That would take it into the billions of dollars, she commented.

That’s our expectation, he replied with a broad confident smile. Continuing, he acknowledged a man in the back row.

Isn’t it a bit myopic to contend that the only thing that could stop you is an adverse event in the clinic? Not waiting for an answer, he asked, Isn’t MT Research using the same therapy techniques developed by SummaGenetics? Didn’t they file a lawsuit regarding your infringement into their technology? I understand that they lost key evidence and this forced them to withdraw. What happens if it surfaces again?

Michael Tessler paused for a few moments. He was used to this line of questioning. He had heard it before many times. It is true that SummaGenetics and MT Research were exploring the same gene therapies a few years ago. They did file a lawsuit claiming that they had prior art to the gene therapy but withdrew their claim a few months later. That was the challenge I mentioned earlier. MT Research has always held that it had prior art and originality to the gene therapy and was fully prepared to prove our case in court. The fact that SummaGenetics failed is merely a function of the risk everyone takes when starting a business. Some days you win and some days you lose.

Isn’t it true that their case was withdrawn because their evidence mysteriously disappeared the night their chief scientist was murdered? the man persisted.

That is what was reported, Mr. Tessler responded. However who’s to say what that so-called evidence was? It could have covered the spectrum from real scientific breakthrough material to wishful thinking, or for that matter, faulty science. In any of those scenarios one could speculate what affect it might have had on the court case until, as they say, the proverbial cows came home.

Let me rephrase my question, the man said. Hypothetically speaking, if the SummaGenetics evidence did reappear, and they filed suit against your company, wouldn’t that place the very viability of your company at risk?

I don’t deal in hypothetical’s, Mr. Tessler said forcefully. It’s a waste of time and money. Looking around the room, he asked, Are there any other questions?

I couldn’t agree more, the man interrupted. I’d like to remedy that. He got up from his seat, made his way to the aisle, walked to where Michael Tessler stood, and handed him an envelope full of papers. Michael Tessler, my name is George Seymour. I attend class at night at the university. I’m working on my law degree. I’m one semester from graduation. It’s been a challenging five years. During the day, as you can see, I support myself as a process server. I didn’t want to miss the opportunity to be a part of this occasion. We’ve been studying the SummaGenetics case in class. What you have in your hand is your summons. You, sir, have been duly served. SummaGenetics’ partners, Dr. Hartmut Schumacher and Mr. John Evans are reopening their intellectual property claim. It appears the lab books have been discovered. Now that we have the hypothetical out of the way, I would like to ask two questions: If in fact the lab books may have been found, what precautions should investors take at this point with your company to mitigate the risk of potential losses? Lastly and most importantly, how do you feel about all of this possibly tainting your own personal reputation?

Michael Tessler flashed a smile in reaction to the last question. It was a trained professional smile every Chief Executive Officer develops to project unflinching poise under pressure while reflecting on his answer. He opened the documents and scanned them briefly.

I’ll answer your last question first, he replied. Corporate reputations are made and are tainted whenever an entrepreneur risks stepping out with an idea for a product into the marketplace, and more importantly, brings investors into that risk. It’s the good news and the bad news of our capitalist system. It’s all about risk and reward. And as the saying goes, some days you win and some days you lose. Now he took the opportunity to launch into his well-rehearsed corporate spiel. But make no mistake, at MT Research, we are in business to win - win approval for this revolutionary product; a product that will change the face of cancer treatment around the world and take the largest step forward to conquering this disease, since research in this area began. Our mission is to become the recognized leader in the field of metastasis research, fund and introduce additional world class oncology products, and through superior performance in the clinic and the management of our financial and human resources, provide an excellent return for our investors.

Focusing his eyes back to George Seymour, he deliberately paused. He wanted his last statement to linger in the minds of the class. He knew from experience the positive impact it engendered from his audiences. He also knew his next answer would not only take the wind out of his provocateur’s audacity but would, with any luck, also cast some ridicule on him.

As far as your other question, Mr. Tessler continued, being a soon-to-be law school graduate, I’m hoping you realize that the Security and Exchange Commission laws prohibit me from discussing such issues that might manipulate the price of the stock. The rumored or actual discovery of the lab books, whether they have any bearing on our research, and if they do overlap, can they establish prior art, falls within the purview of these laws. I can put you in touch with our corporate attorney if this is confusing to you or you need more explanation. Our General Counsel graduated summa cum laude from Harvard Law School in three years, and was an editor of their law review.

Turning away from George Seymour, Mr. Tessler addressed the whole class.

I want to thank Professor Bryant and Georgetown University for the opportunity to speak today. I want to thank you for your attention. I hope this is the beginning of a long-term relationship where we can exchange ideas on a number of different topics. I leave you with one of my favorite quotes on risk. It comes from Andre Gide, a French writer, humanist and moralist, winner of the 1947 Nobel Prize for literature: Man cannot discover new oceans unless he has the courage to lose sight of the shore."

With that he turned and walked out of the room.

CHAPTER ONE

Wednesday October 13, 2010—Crestwood Cemetery

I thought I might find you here, Susan remarked. I know how much you love this overlook, but, for God’s sake, it is part of a cemetery! Doesn’t that give you the creeps? What is it with you and cemeteries?

Joshua didn’t respond. Susan stood behind him for a few seconds and then sat down on the grass next to him. He sat quietly with his hands clasped together around his knees, his eyes blankly fixed on the city below. There was an intermittent breeze blowing, moderating from brisk to blustery. When it blew strongly, it swirled through the trees and tore the multicolored autumn leaves from their branches. Charcoal and confederate grey cumulous clouds raced over the horizon covering the pearl colored moon, which peeked through sporadically.

They sat quietly for half an hour, gazing at distant twinkling streetlights and the nightscape ballet above them. Then, Susan broke the silence.

I drove by the University parking lot last night, she said.

Joshua instantaneously broke out of his trance, straightened his spine, jerked his head toward her, and fired off. You what? I can’t believe you did that.

Hey, I’m sorry, she repented, seeing the distress on his face.

What on earth was going through your mind? he asked.

Grades, she replied curtly.

Grades? he questioned. I don’t get it.

Well, if you’d chill out a moment, you will.

Joshua took a deep breath, stared at her, and said, Have at it. I can’t wait to hear this one.

Susan heard the sarcasm but ignored it. She began, About a month ago my Cultural Norms course professor, in a moment of ‘frickin’ insanity, gave us an assignment, which he sprang on us, that would amount to twenty five percent of our grade for the semester. The assignment was to write a thesis on a gender norm that the opposite sex, opposite from your own that is, uses to achieve group acceptance. I chose male bonding. After hours upon endless hours in the library plowing through clinical material and all the psychological babble that you would expect from those kinds of studies, I was spent and really frustrated. I had nothing. I knew I was running out of time. She could see Joshua rolling his eyes. Come on, Joshua, cut me some slack. You know me. You know that I’m the kind of person who isn’t satisfied unless I find that certain creative, up front, and personal slant that ‘smacks you in the face,’ and makes the difference in getting me the inside track to getting the top ‘A’ in the class. Before you say anything, I know I’ve got a thing about grades. I admit it. We both know where it comes from. My father and my mother always had this unspoken high expectation thing that drove their daily lives. It got pounded into my brain the moment I came out of the womb. I’ve told you what it was like. It wasn’t a bad thing. It was just who they were and what they wanted for me."

I get it, he interjected. I’m still waiting to hear why you went there.

I honestly couldn’t come up with any ‘home run’ material. I was desperate. When you shared with me about your secret midnight rendezvous with your buddies, she said as she smacked her hands together, "my brain yelled opportunity!"

Joshua heaved a sigh and shook his head in frustration.

Before he could respond, Susan continued. I know I should have asked you first. I had no right to take advantage of what you told me in confidence. Like I said, I’m so, so sorry. My only excuse was that I was getting to the end of my rope because the paper was due in a couple of days. You need to know that I took the utmost precaution to make sure that I wouldn’t be seen. I dressed in dark clothes, gloves, stocking cap, and put on dark makeup. I got there before anyone else and parked two blocks away from the parking lot.

Joshua wanted to interrupt sooner but was still dealing with her revelation. When she hesitated, he could see from the look on her face that she had some reservations about telling him more.

He jumped in.

I don’t like the pregnant pause. Did something go wrong? he asked with a bit of anxiousness in his voice.

She didn’t answer immediately. She stared off down at her knees for a few seconds.

Susan, he asked, raising his voice. What happened? Spit it out. Did something go wrong?

After a short pause, she said, Nothing went wrong. I just wasn’t expecting what I saw. I wish I hadn’t gone. It was scary, nauseating, and evil all at the same time. I guess that I was expecting to see a group of guys getting together to slam down a few and make asses of themselves. You know, high school buddies, some graduating university seniors, reliving some of the good ole days. What I wasn’t expecting was that guy named Blake. The sewage that came out of his mouth was flat out frightening. Who’d ever want to meet him in a dark alley! Move over Jeffrey Dahmer; ’cause there’s someone scarier on the block. Talk about scaring the be-Jesus out of me! That Blake guy’s way past being a maniac.

Joshua reached out for her hand. I should have never told you about the meetings. He reached over and put his arms around her. I’m the one who should be apologizing. If anything had happened to you, I’d never have been able to forgive myself. Joshua choked a little on the next words out of his mouth. I’ve had two best buddies in my life, he said deliberately. You’re one of them. You know me better than anyone. As far as the other one, I only knew her for a summer; yet, she was special. She died a tragic death a year before I met you.

Susan was caught off guard. She didn’t know what to say. This was an out of the blue revelation. They had never kept anything like this from each other. Why had he kept this other person a secret?

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Susan and Joshua had first met each other at St. Stephen’s Academy. They shared a sixth hour study hall together one year by chance and the next two years by design. Thus for three years, they sat side by side at work tables, pounding away on their laptops, and sharing conversations. Joshua was well versed with both Mac and PC operating systems, and often helped Susan with questions about both. Technical questions slowly morphed into casual conversations. It was in that time frame that something clicked between them.

Susan remembered the day it happened. She found herself hurrying to study hall. Why am I rushing? she chastised herself. Come on girl; get a grip. It’s not like this guy’s the captain of the football team or student council president. Yet there was something about his smile that drew her to him. She couldn’t explain it but there was this growing chemistry between them. He had this unpretentious way that was disarming. She loved talking with him. Their conversations were filled with hilarity one minute and sobering seriousness the next. When she turned the corner and walked into study hall, she was sad to see his chair was empty. A pang of disappointment struck her. However, when he came rushing in the room with the sound of the bell, she felt herself rebound with surge of delight.

You do know that you cut it close every day? she bantered.

I had a good reason today. Myrna, one of the cooks in the cafeteria and I are buddies. She had some chocolate cookies left over from lunch. She told me to come by before sixth hour. She makes the best cookies in the world. She warmed them up, gave me one, and told me to share one with someone. He pulled them from behind his back. I thought you might like the other one.

You thought right. Thanks! she remarked with a broad smile. As Joshua turned to boot up his computer, she nibbled on her cookie and stared at him. She knew something was brewing between them. She could feel it welling up inside her.

She had always admired his computer skills. She also loved the infectious way he celebrated the good days, and the quiet manner he handled the bad ones. However with today’s interaction she saw yet another side of him. It was the way he cared for her without wanting something in return. He was definitely a different kind of guy. He wasn’t anything like other guys she spent time with. He was always a breath of fresh air. When her mother died suddenly from a heart attack at the end of Susan’s seventh grade year, she savored every moment they spent together. He was a godsend. He was the only person who helped ease the pain and tempered the hollowness.

Joshua first became mesmerized with Susan’s unbridled curiosity and her eagerness to push the envelope to find answers. He loved the way she moved their conversation to deeper waters with more penetrating questions. He never had a friend that challenged him to think as introspectively as she did.

They forged an unbreakable bond of friendship even though they were in different social camps. She came from the in-crowd and was a straight A student. She was an extrovert and a member of numerous extracurricular school clubs.

He on the other hand was not a valedictorian candidate. He was a reasonably good student but had to work hard for every grade, which was often a B or C. He was an introvert and never was on anyone’s radar screen with regard to class status. Yet, as Susan discovered, there was one area where he was summa cum laude in every way. He had an amazing level of common sense. Part of its makeup allowed him to quickly understand how things were put together and why they worked the way they did. There was no doubt in her mind that much of that skill came from his keen observation skills. He saw everything; particularly things she hadn’t even noticed. He was forever pointing things out to her, which always left her amazed.

Secretly, he fell in love with her. He loved her long brown hair, blue eyes, and dark olive skin. She was beautiful. When she smiled at him, he felt light headed. He often fantasized that their friendship would blossom into something more but never dared to put those possibilities to the test. Losing her friendship was not something he wanted to risk. Thus, he hid those feelings and forced himself to be content with what he had.

We’re best buddies, aren’t we? Susan would ask. Joshua’s standard reply was, Always. Inside he was always wishing for more.

Even though circumstances would take them to different high schools and universities within the same city, they took hikes together and kept up a stream of communication that allowed them to be a ready reservoir of consolation for each other as they experienced the trials and tribulations of life.

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The moon broke through the clouds and careened off the hillside, highlighting the tops of buildings in the town below and bringing forth a myriad of shadows throughout the cemetery.

Susan shifted behind him, wrapped her arms around his torso, and laid her head against his back. That breeze is cold, she said. It’s only October 12th. I want summer back. In fact let’s rewind this year and play back 2010 again."

They sat quietly for a bit and then Susan asked, Can we talk about the midnight meetings?

What about them?

When you guys finished drinking and talking, piled in a car or two, and headed somewhere, what was the agenda?

I’d rather not talk about it.

Do you mean never or just not now? she pried delicately.

Not now, he said.

Susan could feel the tenseness in his body and voice. She gave him a hug and whispered, Later is fine.

Joshua could feel himself withdrawing and his internal security walls were rising. However, he didn’t want to shut her out. It was the eternal conflict whenever he was with her. Some moments in his life were so painful that he had no desire to ever revisit them. Yet they often haunted him in his dreams. Many a night he awoke from a nightmare in a cold sweat, gasping for air and his heart pounding in fear. He had always hoped they would go away or fade in time; but they never did. They clung to him like wet clothes.

As she leaned on his back, he knew it was time to unlock the door to one of those moments. It was related to the midnight meetings. He had faith she would handle it like she had all the rest.

Susan? he began. I’m not ready to talk about the midnight meetings, but I am ready to talk about that special friend. Would you like to hear about her?

If you’re ready, I’m ready.

I’m ready. Would you like to meet her? he asked.

Right now? she responded. It’s a little late to be dropping in on someone.

Joshua stood up, turned, looked at her, and reached out his hand. He said, We’re virtually at her doorstep right now. Walk with me. I’ll introduce you.

Not anticipating his reply, Susan stared quizzically and sat motionless for a moment. Then she reached for his outstretched hand and let him pull her to her feet.

They walked quietly for a few yards from where they were sitting and came to a tombstone. It read:

Joanna Kathleen Bowles

Born July 14, 1990

Died August 15, 2002

Joanna Kathleen Bowles, let me introduce you to Susan Rachel Elman.

Susan stood solemnly, gazing intently at the rectangular shaped, light grey tombstone adorned with etched cherubim flanking both sides of her name.

She and her father were murdered, Joshua said. They were shot by an intruder in their home. His grave is just to the right of hers.

How horrible, Susan lamented. She was only twelve. What about her mother?

Her mother died of cancer two years before all of this happened, Joshua replied. Her tombstone is there, next to her father’s.

What a sad story, Susan remarked. Did they catch the intruder?

No, he said. But what he did leave behind was a lot of speculation, especially from the lead detective on the case.

What kind of speculation? Susan pursued.

"Their house wasn’t ransacked. Some of the bedrooms had drawers pulled out. Nothing appeared to be taken. It was mostly in her father’s office that things were disturbed.

What did he do? Susan asked. Where did he work?

He was a world renowned chemist and microbiologist, Joshua responded. He worked for a start-up bio-pharmaceutical company called SummaGenetics. They developed oncology products right here in Great Falls.

Oncology, she said, That’s cancer products, right?

Yeah. That’s right. It seems, from what the papers reported, that he was working on a revolutionary new drug that would have prevented cancer from spreading in a person’s body.

So, let’s get back to the speculation, she pushed. Since nothing else seemed to be missing, whoever broke into his house was more than likely a professional who was looking to steal something related to his work.

That something was two lab notebooks, Joshua commented. Two extremely valuable notebooks where all of his work was written.

Okay, the two notebooks were stolen, she continued. Where does the speculation come in?

The speculation comes from whether they were stolen or not, Joshua said.

What do you mean?

Well, whoever the thief was left traces of his footprints all over the house in every room, including the attic. The dirt on his shoes was heaviest in her father’s office. As he made his way around the house, the dirt from his footprints got lighter and lighter which led the detective to speculate that he didn’t find the books in the office and had to look elsewhere. They were able to map out the thief’s route from his footprints. Each room he entered was an indication that he probably hadn’t found them yet.

Maybe he was looking out the windows of each room to get a better vantage point to see if the neighbors had heard some noise? she conjectured.

Maybe, he responded.

So what was the last room he entered? she asked.

The laundry room, he replied.

Who’s to say he didn’t find it there? she said.

No one, Joshua answered. However, the map shows that he came in the back door, left by the back door… and then walked a complete circle around the house before exiting from the backyard.

Hmm, Susan uttered. Once again, he was probably being cautious; checking to see no one was coming.

Most people agree with you, he noted. Then again, there are still some people who think that the thief’s walking around the house was not precaution but rather frustration because he hadn’t found them. They believe the books are still hidden waiting to be found. For a while there were some people who thought they were stolen for their ransom value; but no demand ever showed up. At the end of the day, we may never know.

Staring at Joanna’s mother grave, Susan remarked, He worked with cancer products and she died of cancer. How ironic was that?

Joshua was always impressed at how quickly Susan noticed the way things were connected.

Not as ironic as you would think, he responded. Joanna told me that her father switched from cardiology to working in oncology when her mother contracted it. She battled it for seven years. She died right before they moved here.

The wind picked up momentarily. There was a bite in the cold air. Susan hid her face in Joshua’s pea coat.

So depressing, she lamented. A whole family wiped out.

Well, that’s not entirely true, Joshua corrected her. There is still a living member of the family.

Susan pulled her face away from the warmth of his coat. A sister or a brother? she asked.

Oh, a brother, he replied with a certain edgy tone to his voice.

Susan picked up on his inflexion. Do we know him?

Joshua didn’t respond immediately. He just stared at her. Inside he was savoring the way she had used the word we. Within a few seconds he answered, I do. You’ve seen him once.

Really! she exclaimed. I honestly don’t have a clue who you’re talking about.

He is the exact opposite of his younger sister, Joshua commented. "You wouldn’t