Lethal Remedy by Richard Mabry Page B

that this worked out. "My pleasure. I owed John a lunch. And after what you and Rip hinted at, I had to hear the rest of that story."

The four sat in a back booth at one of the trendier eating places on McKinney Avenue. John looked at his watch. "Shouldn't we have stayed on campus for lunch?"

Sara smiled at John. "You're still new on the faculty. In private practice, you were always on call. Here, you're one small cog in a great big machine. None of us have clinic this afternoon, so we can take a longer lunch. As long as you have your cell phone and pager with you, you're fine."

John shrugged. "Guess you're right."

"Enough of that," Mark said. "I want to hear more about how the number of patients in the Jandramycin study is a moving target."

It was impossible for Mark to miss the look that passed between Sara Miles and Rip Pearson. Who is this guy? Why should they trust him?

John must have seen it, too, because he spoke up. "I've known Mark since he was a sophomore medical student. I'll vouch for him. He's sharp, he's solid, and you can trust him. I realize you may not want to share this information with either of us. If that's the case, fine. But if you want some input, Mark's got a sharp mind. And I've been around for enough years that maybe I can contribute a little senior wisdom."

Sara and Rip exchanged another look, a different one this time, and apparently a decision was reached. "Okay," Rip said. "Here's what we know. But it can't go any further."

As he listened, Mark found himself wishing for a yellow legal pad so he could take notes. Once a lawyer, always a lawyer, I guess. When Rip finished, Mark said, "So the bottom line is that somebody is fudging the data on Jandramycin. Right?"

"It seems that way," Rip said.

"And it's probably Ingersoll?"

"No, it could be his research assistant, a doctor named Resnick. Or I guess it could be coming from the other end, someone at Jandra. And for that matter, there may be others with the opportunity. Ingersoll's kept everything so secret, I don't even know who's involved in the process."

Mark shoved aside his sandwich and took a long drink of his Diet Coke. "This is the lawyer talking now. If someone's submitting manufactured data, what's your liability in it?"

Rip shook his head. "I guess I could say I'm just following orders from the man running the study. But as a practical matter, if this comes to light I'll be tarred with the same brush as Ingersoll and whoever else is responsible."

"What about a responsibility to patients?"

"That brings up another problem," Sara said. "There may be some side effects of Jandramycin that are just now coming to light."

"Explain," Mark said.

"One of the patients in the Jandramycin study has turned up with Guillain-Barré syndrome," Rip said. "There are at least two more that we know of who've developed different problems. We don't know the specifics, but it's enough to make us wonder if there are late effects of the drug that no one suspected."

"Or that they knew about but chose to keep hidden," Mark said.

"Assuming that's true, who are our suspects?" Sara asked. "Same list we've already named," Rip said. "Ingersoll, Resnick, someone at Jandra, or a person as yet unknown. Right now, all we have is questions. I think it's time to try to get some answers."

 

 

Outside the restaurant, John ransomed his car from the valet parking attendant. "Where can I drop you two? Back at the medical school?"

"Yeah, I guess I'd better start making some phone calls," Rip said. "I'm going to have to call every patient who received Jandramycin and find out if any of them have developed problems."

"Can I help?" Sara asked.

"No, a call from me will seem like a routine follow-up, but a call from a doctor not involved in the case would send up red flags. This is going to have to be completely under the radar."

"If you need anything from me, let me know," John said.

After a short drive, the three doctors climbed out of the car in the faculty