McDonald’s on the corner of Castle Street.
They found a table by the window where they could look out and up at the floodlit castle while they ate.
‘Now I’m filled with remorse,’ said Caroline, putting both hands on her stomach and pushing her empty tray away.
‘Sin followed by remorse, the unending circle of life,’ said Gavin.
‘I am absolutely stuffed.’
‘C’mon, let’s walk it off.’
‘I’d have to walk to Birmingham.’
They dumped the detritus of their feast in the waste bin and left the warmth of the restaurant to hit the cold air again.
‘Frank’s asked me to Christmas dinner at his place,’ said Gavin.
‘That’s nice. Will you go?’
‘I made a right arse of myself the first time I went there. I think his wife, Jenny, hates me.’ Gavin told her about the episode with the cat. Caroline closed her eyes as it unfolded.
‘I’d never drunk malt whisky before …’
‘I’m surprised they’ve asked you back.’
‘Maybe they’re hoping I’ll say no? I said I’d let him know by Monday.’
‘Your call,’ said Caroline.
‘It might seem rude if I don’t go.’
Caroline’s eyes opened wide. ‘Did I hear that correctly? Gavin Donnelly is worried about appearing rude?’
‘Give me a break …’
Caroline moved in front of Gavin, smiling, and held both his arms at the elbows while she looked up into his face. ‘I’m sorry,’ she said.
Gavin, still with his arms pinned, brought his mouth down on hers in a long, hungry kiss. She didn’t pull away, although there was a degree of uncertainty in her response. ‘We agreed this was a bad idea,’ she said when they finally parted.
‘You agreed.’
‘This is entirely the wrong time …’
‘There’s never a right time or a wrong time to fall in love with someone.’
‘Please, Gavin, spare me the Christmas cracker philosophy. You’re a fortnight early and my head’s too full of other things right now.’
‘Right.’
‘And don’t put on that hurt expression.’
‘Right.’
‘And don’t agree with me so readily!’
Later, as Gavin lay in his bed looking at the moon, he wondered just how he was going to start a new investigation of Valdevan. Caroline’s earlier assertion that even if the drug was reaching the tumours and was still active when it got there, it still didn’t work, was finally getting through to him. She was right. He had made a breakthrough but it was an academic breakthrough, very satisfying but it wouldn’t change anything for the patients who’d been treated with it. They would still be dead. But why? The drug should have destroyed their tumours. The more he wrestled with this, the more he understood Caroline’s point that he had left himself with an even bigger problem than Grumman Schalk. They thought they knew what the problem was. He hadn’t a clue.
The photographs in the company report had definitely shown an effect that could only have been caused by the drug affecting the S16 gene in the tumour cells, but this made him wonder about the photographs of healthy cells in the original papers he’d consulted about the drug: they hadn’t shown any membrane aberration. Why not? Healthy cells and tumour cells were identical in terms of genetic make-up. Surely the drug should have affected the S16 gene in them too and caused the tell-tale pinching?
Gavin switched on the bedside lamp and got out of bed to start rummaging in the cardboard box he kept his reprints in. He started to shiver. A clear sky outside meant falling temperatures and the heating in the flat had been off for ages. Single glazing and the original, ill-fitting sash windows meant that the inside temperature became the outside one very quickly.
He found what he was looking for. It was a poor photocopy but the one he’d made on his first meeting with Caroline, when she’d loaned him her card. He searched in the pockets of his rucksack for his magnifying lens – which he’d bought the day before from Tom
They found a table by the window where they could look out and up at the floodlit castle while they ate.
‘Now I’m filled with remorse,’ said Caroline, putting both hands on her stomach and pushing her empty tray away.
‘Sin followed by remorse, the unending circle of life,’ said Gavin.
‘I am absolutely stuffed.’
‘C’mon, let’s walk it off.’
‘I’d have to walk to Birmingham.’
They dumped the detritus of their feast in the waste bin and left the warmth of the restaurant to hit the cold air again.
‘Frank’s asked me to Christmas dinner at his place,’ said Gavin.
‘That’s nice. Will you go?’
‘I made a right arse of myself the first time I went there. I think his wife, Jenny, hates me.’ Gavin told her about the episode with the cat. Caroline closed her eyes as it unfolded.
‘I’d never drunk malt whisky before …’
‘I’m surprised they’ve asked you back.’
‘Maybe they’re hoping I’ll say no? I said I’d let him know by Monday.’
‘Your call,’ said Caroline.
‘It might seem rude if I don’t go.’
Caroline’s eyes opened wide. ‘Did I hear that correctly? Gavin Donnelly is worried about appearing rude?’
‘Give me a break …’
Caroline moved in front of Gavin, smiling, and held both his arms at the elbows while she looked up into his face. ‘I’m sorry,’ she said.
Gavin, still with his arms pinned, brought his mouth down on hers in a long, hungry kiss. She didn’t pull away, although there was a degree of uncertainty in her response. ‘We agreed this was a bad idea,’ she said when they finally parted.
‘You agreed.’
‘This is entirely the wrong time …’
‘There’s never a right time or a wrong time to fall in love with someone.’
‘Please, Gavin, spare me the Christmas cracker philosophy. You’re a fortnight early and my head’s too full of other things right now.’
‘Right.’
‘And don’t put on that hurt expression.’
‘Right.’
‘And don’t agree with me so readily!’
Later, as Gavin lay in his bed looking at the moon, he wondered just how he was going to start a new investigation of Valdevan. Caroline’s earlier assertion that even if the drug was reaching the tumours and was still active when it got there, it still didn’t work, was finally getting through to him. She was right. He had made a breakthrough but it was an academic breakthrough, very satisfying but it wouldn’t change anything for the patients who’d been treated with it. They would still be dead. But why? The drug should have destroyed their tumours. The more he wrestled with this, the more he understood Caroline’s point that he had left himself with an even bigger problem than Grumman Schalk. They thought they knew what the problem was. He hadn’t a clue.
The photographs in the company report had definitely shown an effect that could only have been caused by the drug affecting the S16 gene in the tumour cells, but this made him wonder about the photographs of healthy cells in the original papers he’d consulted about the drug: they hadn’t shown any membrane aberration. Why not? Healthy cells and tumour cells were identical in terms of genetic make-up. Surely the drug should have affected the S16 gene in them too and caused the tell-tale pinching?
Gavin switched on the bedside lamp and got out of bed to start rummaging in the cardboard box he kept his reprints in. He started to shiver. A clear sky outside meant falling temperatures and the heating in the flat had been off for ages. Single glazing and the original, ill-fitting sash windows meant that the inside temperature became the outside one very quickly.
He found what he was looking for. It was a poor photocopy but the one he’d made on his first meeting with Caroline, when she’d loaned him her card. He searched in the pockets of his rucksack for his magnifying lens – which he’d bought the day before from Tom
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