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Her Final Stage

Michael Felty

Published by Michael Felty, 2021.

This is a work of fiction. Similarities to real people, places, or events are entirely coincidental.

HER FINAL STAGE

First edition. July 20, 2021.

Copyright © 2021 Michael Felty.

Written by Michael Felty.

Table of Contents

Title Page

Copyright Page

Dedication

Her Final Stage

Six Months Ago

Four Weeks Ago

Our First Case

Enter the Federal Government

The Interrogation

To Cleveland

Iowa City, Iowa

The Discovery of a Lifetime

Divide and Conquer!

Find Angela DiVita

Data Review Session

Downtown Brooklyn

Senate Inquiry-Pressure to Convict

When Trouble Wants to - Trouble Finds You

Securing a Legal Defense by Playing Offense

The Race to Brooklyn

The Race to JFK Airport

Her Final Stage

The End and The New Beginning

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About the Author

Dedicated to my family, Barb, Emma and Nick who have been hearing about this novel for years and enduring me talking about the characters as if they are real people.

Thank you for your !

HER FINAL STAGE A Novel by Michael P. Felty

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Introduction

Six Months Ago

In the Latin American fight against viruses and the spread of disease, Venezuela stands apart. While other nations fill their airwaves with public-service warnings and publish tallies of new cases, Venezuela has down-played almost all epidemics and choked off information about how viruses spread. For over five years, the country’s government has refused to release its weekly epidemiological bulletin, just as it has hidden statistics on inflation and the country’s homicide rate. The country’s wealth is hoarded by the few and the poor are suppressed financially as well as barred from receiving even basic medical care. Public health experts and doctors believe that the government is dramatically lowballing the Zika Virus toll, which officially stands at around 5,000 cases. Some independent experts estimate that there have been more than half a million cases of the disease, which would give Venezuela the second largest Zika total behind Brazil. The government has reported only three Zika-related deaths, although it has not provided details. A few of the above mentioned ‘independent experts’ were of a team of CDC Field Researchers who crossed the border from Brazil and traveled a thousand miles into Venezuela to collect data and maybe save a few lives along the way. With backpacks full of basic medical supplies, antibiotics including only Amoxicillin and Ciprofloxacin, hypodermic needles, syringes, and vacutainer blood collection tubes they attempted to travel unnoticed. The enormous Macagua Dam that slows the Rio Caroni River and forms a delta around Guayana City is home to over eight hundred thousand Venezuelans. “What is that sound?” Erin whispered. She was tearing up old clothes to use as rags and bandages. Keeping the cuts clean from infection so that the medical workers could be confident that their antibiotics had a chance to succeed was an imposing battle. “There it is again!” The sound cracked through the air like a whip. A succession of quick pops filtered through the broken windows.

Someone from across the room answered, “I think that is gunfire.” “Why is someone shooting?” Erin looked around for a friendly face. There were dozens of residents lined up in the aisle waiting patiently for medical assistance. The CDC were staggered throughout the room in what was once a surgical unit of a government hospital. The hospital’s gray brick walls had not been painted in years and the flaking paint chips were probably lead based. The lighting was restricted to a few table lamps. Erin’s team secured a small gas generator from a store down the street which provided them limited electricity. “Portuguese or Spanish?” Nobody answered her. The entire team stood motionless as more shots rang out. Over their journey north from Brazil the team had encountered small villages that had adopted the Portuguese language so that they could meld into the Brazilian population if required. Most of the Venezuelan population spoke Spanish. “Do these people speak Portuguese or Spanish?” “Most speak Spanish Erin,” answered a member of the CDC staff. “Porque estan disarando?” Erin shouted in Spanish. Why are they shooting? She shrugged her shoulder toward Ken. “I don’t know.” Many of the people with only minor injuries scattered. They evacuated the hospital quickly. A few of the sick that had no other hope of receiving treatment stayed. The fear of dying from their infections sured that of the unknown source of the gun fire. After several minutes a young boy, around eleven or twelve years old, ran back into the hospital room. He found a path through the tables and beds moving right up to Erin. He spoke faintly and said his words quickly. “Ellos saben que ustedes son americanos.” Erin had been cleaning a deep infected cut with only soap and water on a little boy’s leg. She was completely focused as she finished rolling on a tight makeshift bandage. She tucked the edge of the cloth under the wrap to keep it secure. “What did he say? Did anyone get that?” One of the CDC Field Research team approached her. “The boy said

they know that we are Americans.” “We are not here as Americans! Today we are here as doctors!” Erin was getting angry that there were so many people at the hospital that had not received quality medicine for a long time. If you are not in the military, you do not get treatment. “Tell them we are doctors,” she said to the small boy. He looked confused but bravely stayed by Erin’s side. He could feel her strength in the dangerous situation. “I don’t think they will really care,” Ken said bluntly. “If they are looking for Americans and firing rifles, my opinion is that it is time for us to move.” “This is a hospital; they wouldn’t shoot in here?” Erin questioned her fellow CDC as they assembled. She could see that the consensus was that they might fire weapons in the hospital. Erin gave instructions to her team. They were to gather all the samples and vacutainer blood collection tubes and exit out the back door away from the sound of the rifles. Many of the patients in the hospital had classic symptoms of fever, t pain, painful rashes, and a few had body paralysis. With the data and samples collected they could help determine the nature of the virus that was plaguing this area of Venezuela. Based strictly on the symptoms, it appeared to be the effects of Zika Virus. Erin commanded, “Ken, grab anything that has a Red Cross symbol on it. Come with me and use all your gangly height to hold that case high in the air. I want them to see the Red Cross from a long way away.” Stepping out of the doorway, they could see the government soldiers a hundred yards from them walking down the center of the street. Shop owners were closing their store front doors and shutters. Mothers guided their children into the alleys. A plume of dust seemed to lift behind the Venezuelan troops. “Nosotras somos doctors!” Erin shouted. “Nosotras estamos ayudando a las ninas!” Ken realized that the soldiers had their eyes locked on the pair of Americans. The hatred in their eyes was a sight he would never forget. He started waving the hard-shelled Red Cross medical case back and forth above his head. Erin continued her plea in Spanish, “Antibioticos para las ninas!” She stood tall in the middle of the street, convinced that comion would win this standoff.

Without slowing their advance, the soldiers pointed their rifles. Not to be intimidated Erin stood her ground. The thought that the soldiers would actually fire their weapons never entered into her mind. “Antibioticos para las ninas!” Erin raised her hands in the air above her head. The team should be a safe distance away by now if they followed her instructions. Whatever happened next was a risk that Erin was prepared to take.

“You’re okay, stay still,” Ken said. “Stay still? Are you serious..., we are bouncing around like we are on a trampoline?” Erin said softly. “Don’t tell me to stay still.” Erin attempted to sit up, but she could feel tremendous pain below her waist. Ken put his hand gently on her chest resisting her movement. His other arm wrapped behind her, cradling her shoulders. “Where are we?” He hated to be the one to break the bad news to Erin, but nobody else on the research team had enough courage to tell her. There was no mistake who was in charge of the research team and everyone knew Erin had a short fuse when things did not go as planned. “We are in a small plane headed to Tolemaida Air Base in Columbia.” “Can this freakin’ day get any WORSE!” Erin screamed. Then a rush of panic came over her. “Is everybody okay? Did everyone get on the plane?” “Yes, we are all healthy and aboard,” Ken stated. The rest of the squad spoke up individually so that Erin could identify them by voice. “And no one is hurt?” “Trust me, we are all good. We were able to gather all the data too. Notebooks, photos, blood samples, everything!” A slight cheer rang out from the CDC lineup. They were all exhausted from evading the federal troops with bad intentions and coming down now from the adrenaline high. “Why are we on the floor?” Erin said as her vision went from blurry to clear and blurry again. Ken, “Well they didn’t have any window seats left when we boarded.” He adjusted her body slightly because it looked like she was in more pain. “The airplane is really bouncing around. Are you sure the pilot can fly this thing?” The plane was a hollowed-out Hawker HS-125, formerly a corporate jet. This style of aircraft has been in production for fifty years. Many of the 1,700

plus built were sold in the Americas, where it still has a decent second-hand market. “He said he could fly it, but we didn’t have time to ask if he knew how to land it.” Ken laughed at his own joke, others nervously did too. “Where are we going again, Columbia?” “Yep, that’s the plan.” “Idiot, that was never the plan!” Erin looked around to assess the quality of the aircraft. “My leg hurts! How bad is it?” Two hollow aluminum tent poles wrapped in canvas were used as a splint to keep the leg straight. Almost three full rolls of mesh gauze had been skillfully covered over the field stitched wound. Ken looked around at the others before answering, “It is clean. We made sure the wound was clean.” The biggest fear in a tropical environment is the presence of parasites and unknown bacteria. Cleanliness is most often the key to survival. “My leg really hurts. It feels like it is on fire and being beat with a hammer. Do we have anything to help kill the pain?” Erin asked. “Ahhhh, well, all the pain meds were in the Red Cross case.” It was difficult for him to see Erin in pain. She was more than a friend to him. “I dropped the case when they started shooting at us.” “REALLY!” Erin cried out more so in pain than anger. Her voice remained uncommonly high pitched. As much as her inner voice told her to stay calm the reality of the situation overpowered her self-control. “Hey, it was you or the case. You are not actually mad that I dropped the case and carried you? Are you?” Ken knew it was the pain talking, and that Erin would one day thank him for his heroics. In his vision she would wrap her arms around him and give him a big, lasting hug. “I feel like I’m going to throw up,” Erin whispered to Ken. Ken gave her a small sip of water from his canteen. “Not too much.”

Holding her head in his lap, Ken pushed her hair back away from her face to try to comfort her. He wiped the dirt from her cheeks, although to him, she was beautiful even covered with sweat and mud. “I that I couldn’t stand or walk or run.” Erin’s voice was getting faint. “It’s okay, we will get you some good medical attention at the military base.” “In the street. Ken, I just couldn’t stand up. I tried, but I did not have any strength. It was a terrible feeling not being able to save myself.” Erin was responsible for the team and felt bad that she could not physically manage her way out of that situation. “The bullet fractured your Tibia. We got a good look at it from the gaping wound created as the bullet tore a sizable hole in your leg. You are going to require significant time to heal from this one.” Ken held her as she drifted off to sleep. The two-hour flight was the safest and most efficient route out of Venezuela. The pilot had made a few runs for the US military in the past so he knew he could get into Columbia and onto the base easier than flying the longer distance back to Brazil. He had a reputation in Brazil for transporting illegal substances, which might have caused an unwanted encounter.

Four Weeks Ago

“Thank you all again for being here.” The camp’s opening statements were rewarded with a tremendous cheer. “Let’s work hard to make the Life for Leukemia Retreat a very memorable experience.” The staff sent out another round of applause. “I’d like to have Dr. David Newman and Chief Counselor Dan Welsh take you through the necessary protocol.” Dr. Newman approached the center on the front porch of the main cabin where the split rail log porch extended the entire distance of the building from the eastside to the west-side. Tall pine trees and a blue sky completed the backdrop. The temperature was a mild eighty degrees. Surrounded by vegetation and at a higher elevation the humidity level capped off a perfect atmosphere. “Everyone who will be helping with kitchen detail please meet with Dr. Saul. She has a list of special dietary requirements for the campers.” He cleared his throat slightly. “If you want to get involved in additional activities, please refer to the event schedule and show up at the time posted at the designated area. We should all have our assignments so every activity will be staffed. It is kind of nice to have extra personnel at some events to participate along with the children. That said, if you have time, get involved. Keep the activities flowing, but to let the kids dictate the pace and their level of involvement.” Dr. Newman walked back and forth, collecting his thoughts. His white legs from knee to boot suggested that he spent most of his time indoors. Being in relatively good shape, however, made the khaki shorts and blue T-shirt work. “Very important to ; bumps, bruises, cuts and scrapes are inevitable. Do not make a big deal of these minor issues. The last thing these campers want is to feel like they are back in the hospital.” He paused for another moment. “You will see their faces when they get here. It is their chance to be free. I guarantee you will never forget your experience here either.” He stepped aside and let Head Counselor Dan Welsh have the floor. “My turn for some key-notes. For all of you first-time staff and counselors, BLUE Shirts are medical staff. See them for anything medical

related. Check in with a blue shirt before your group’s physical activities. RED Shirts are experienced camp counselors. They will be the most knowledgeable regarding matters like schedules, when to eat, where to eat, and where to go for activities.” Dan cleared his through. Searching his memory for information on the new color scheme he continued speaking. “The first-year volunteers will wear....” He held his hand up to block the sun’s glare and squinted as he scanned the area for a glimpse of a possible open box or staff member with a single shirt. “What is that purple?” Several of the staff held up the t-shirts so that Dan could see the bright purple color. The boxes containing the t-shirts were clear to the right on fold-out tables. “There you go. The new volunteers will wear purple this year. If you have a purple shirt, your job is the most important. PURPLE Shirts are our funambassadors.” The crowd of staff laughed. Most of the new volunteers were in their twenties or younger. The average age of the children attending the retreat this year is eleven. It made for a good blend of perceived authority with an age differential that still allowed for a generational bond. “Then we have the all-important BROWN Shirts. These are our Scout Camp representative volunteers.” Dan shook his head. “Volunteer is not the right title. These are our ‘Camping Professionals’.” Dan’s voice went from playful to extremely serious. “This is their camp. This is their world. The woods, lakes, cabins and trails belong to them.” Dan got even louder. “Very important, no one starts a fire or takes a hike without a BROWN Shirt along. BROWN Shirts are the law around here. Again, if you are not wearing a brown shirt, you do not start a campfire.” Dan made sure that all eyes were on him and that the entire group acknowledged his message. Dr. Newman patted Dan Welsh on the back and gestured that he wanted to say something else. Their friendship and professional respect lead to a perfect leadership dynamic. Dan motioned with his arm that David had the floor. He took a step back and then with a military-style turn, paced three steps to the right. “Cell phones do work.” He pointed to the tower above the roof of the main

cabin. “Parents will want to talk to their kids. Kids rarely want to talk to their parents while here. It is a common trend that I observed based upon my years of camp experience.” He waited until the conversation among the group regarding cellphones and parents quieted down. “We have two days to get to know each other, the campgrounds, and read through the information on our campers. Each cabin director will have a roster of their campers, which includes a complete medical background. These kids are smart. They know what they have. They know the specific medical terminology, so don’t think you can med-code your way around them.” Most of the experienced volunteers and medical staff nodded their heads in agreement with his last statement. “We have seven days with the campers. Day one is a little long with check-in and pre-camp physicals, but we will get through it and move on to the fun. Day seven is Parent’s Day, which is the most exhausting day by far.” David thought about his next words and chose them carefully. “If you think this week will not affect you, you are wrong. These kids are extraordinary, fun loving, and have a miraculous way of forgetting that they are battling leukemia. Let’s help them know that being a kid can be fun.”

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Chapter 1

Our First Case

Changing careers is always a difficult transition, especially when you are forced to quit a job you love. Erin had been doing exactly what she dreamed of as a little kid, becoming a doctor and research specialist with the Center for Disease Control and Prevention and traveling the world to find cures for diseases that others could not. Basically, devoting herself to helping those that could not help themselves. Dr. Erin Mayfield, now out of the swamps and jungles and into a stuffy Washington, DC office, is wrapped in anger and remorse. Although it is exactly what her parents preferred her doing a much safer environment for a young lady. Erin never could see herself in a big luxurious office six months ago. Finding medical cures through field research is all she ever wanted to do. Identifying statistical similarities that could be defined and duplicated leading to the most probable cause of a previously unidentified disease was her ion. Being submerged in the Central American jungles for six years made it difficult to see the unappreciated wealth of American society. The monetary value of the furniture in Erin’s office alone could feed twenty families in Honduras for a year. So many of our everyday activities revolve around vanity and materialistic wealth. Erin saw citizens beg governments for food. Saw children walk the dirt streets without shoes, and she learned the importance of civility for all. Erin often thought there must be a way to at least other nations with the basic medical needs Americans take for granted. Not yet thirty, Erin knew she had time to make a difference. If the new life forced upon her implored her toward politics, she would use a loud voice to correct the world’s wrongs. As Erin’s best friend and CDC compadre enters her office, he says, “Wow, this is a big change for a field science specialist. Really, you’d take an oak desk in a high-rise building over a mosquito net hanging from a Cypress tree in El Salvador?” Ken tried to soak in all the detailed carved wood in the office. Bookshelves extended from floor to ceiling. The aged oak had a red and brown grain pattern that reminded him of law libraries he had seen in movies. “Hi, buddy!” Ken’s eyes shifted from the wonderment of the regal office to Erin. “Okay, you look great!” “I know right! I gained thirty pounds since being in the States for the last few

months.” Erin was five feet nine inches tall and always had an athletic build. With the added weight, she was a strong one hundred and fifty-four pounds. Her brown hair that had resided in a ponytail or bandana for the past six years was cut professionally to shoulder length. She felt a little uncomfortable in a collared white shirt and pantsuit however, that is what the new job required. The suit constricted her movement almost a perfect metaphor for the feel of the new job. “Your dad, I mean Senator Mayfield, really wants you to investigate unauthorized potentially criminal clinical activity rather than viral infected insects?” Ken took a seat in the high-back leather chair across the desk from Erin. With his long legs draped over the chair’s arm, he made himself right at home. He took a few deep breathes to capture the scent of bureaucracy, or maybe it was simply the oak and leather. Either the previous occupant smoked a pipe regularly, or these walls had absorbed a lifetime of polluted social activity. “Look, they even gave me a badge,” Erin said sheepishly. Other than the day it was issued to her, she had never taken it out of the official box. The case was stiff. She had to bend the wallet and hold it open to present it to Ken. “Outstanding!” said Ken “A Special Agent Shield, let’s see.” He slid his legs forward and leaned in closer to Erin’s outstretched hand. “Special Agent Dr. Mayfield. So cool!” He transferred his glance from the shield to Erin’s eyes. Eyes of light brown that picked up hints of color from the sky, clouds, and immediate objects around her. Holding the image of her eyes and face in his mind for reference when he inevitably had to leave her presence, Ken beamed. “Do you get a gun?” “No, but I have a staff of Federal Marshals if the situation requires.” “I really don’t believe that you and I are in Washington, DC.” Ken Lawson had always been the outdoors type. It suited his six-foot four-inch, skinny kid demeanor. He also had a more assuming haircut. The curly red mop was still present it just wasn’t dancing around on its own like it had been in the field. “Parental influence has weighed in heavily on this decision as you know,” said Erin. “I would have thought having a senator for a father would come with more perks.” Ken laughed.

“I guess if you get shot at your parents have a little cause for concern.” “Shot at? Okay, shot at?” Ken shouted, questioning her total downplay of the events that took place. “You actually got freakin’ shot in the leg Erin.” Erin glanced at the side of her desk and saw the cane that perched as a reminder of a South American misunderstanding. Being an American in Venezuela, even operating as a research scientist was not looked upon favorably by the regime leader’s loyalists. Recurring pain and flexibility issues persist beyond the physical theory sessions. If the military had any clue that she was a U.S. senator’s daughter in their country without permission collecting damaging research information that could be used as a steppingstone to international involvement the bullet may have found a less fortunate target. “So, they designated to you your first case.” Kenneth started the new conversation to take his mind off the memory of seeing Erin in pain. He still has nightmares and visions of her slumped over in the dirty street. Ken sometimes flashes back to all the blood from that day when a sound or smell activates his memory sensors. Washing his hands is also a powerful cognitive cue. The memory of attempting to wash off Erin’s blood from his hands may be with him forever. “Yep, did you read the Probable Cause Inquiry?” Erin asked. A grieving parent whose daughter was diagnosed three years ago with terminal cancer is using the power of his senate position to launch a federal inquiry into why his daughter died, and others in treatment saw a full recovery from the same stage of illness. This guy just happened to be your father’s best friend, also a senator, with ties to the newest member of the United States Department of Health and Human Services Special Investigations Unit, Kenneth reported. He took time to review the case and a few medical journals on the topic of symptoms and pathological effects of benign tumors. Entering a new phase of life with Erin, he was not about to be a burden. Playing the source of information was the best way to keep in at an intellectual level. “Do you think you’re up for all of this Criminal Subpoena and Search Warrant stuff?” His loyalty and friendship had Erin’s best interests at heart. “Man, we could have helped millions if we had more time to analyze data on the Zika Virus and continue our work with antibodies to alleviate the effect of West Nile

throughout the world. Viruses are so exciting and ever evolving.” “The past has its place for now. Our new task is to find out why two children, one with acute lymphoblastic leukemia and the other with chronic myelogenous leukemia have died while a young girl found a path to full recovery unbeknownst to the primary care physician.” Erin snapped back. “Both cancers at Stage IV with disrupted remission typically end with death. The other patient could be in advanced or prolonged remission case solved, my friend!” Ken remarked. He knew that a senator with presidential aspirations would accept nothing short of a full and time-consuming investigation. “Do you really think we are chasing bad guys here?” Erin stated the objective, “The concern is that we have a multiple state health alert due to two deaths with a common link and a Pediatric Oncologist who is casting suspicion on a colleague. Unauthorized human medical trials are our new Zika. As of the Department of Health and Human Services we get to prosecute anyone experimenting on these kids. Let’s get started with the investigation.” Since 1983 The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services has jurisdiction over and is the principal agency tasked with the protection of citizens in human subject medical research. Unauthorized testing on humans is a federal offense. Being a branch of the Center for Disease Control and Prevention allows access to the national web of laboratory and research facilities. In legal matter this agency responds to the Department of Justice for litigation and has access to other investigative government agencies such as the CIA and FBI.

The life of private practice suited Dr. David Newman. He still had the affiliation to Central Memorial Hospital, but a small, specialized practice of Juvenile Oncology allowed him to stay closely connected to his patients. The beautiful new Keystone Medical Center offered him a professional, fully staffed medical center and biolab. Rochester, New York gave David the proximity to the East Coast medical research dominance for Boston, New York, and Philadelphia that allowed him access to the most advanced information in his field with the calming effect of being in upstate New York. At only thirty-six years of age, he has the energy to add his research skills and positive mental motivation to a field that needs the excitement of life. David focuses his research on immunotherapy but stays open to new developments within the molecular bioscience discipline by attending conferences and lectures. His overarching methodology was to push natural health supplements and provide guidance toward a positive mental attitude. The staff was selected of nurses and practitioners who closely mirrored his philosophy. Unfortunately, many cases also included the common forms of Chemotherapy and radiation therapies that have time proven results. The laboratory lights hummed a steady tune. The centrifugal plasma divider added a slight base tone to the ensemble. Hours of scanning medical journals and posts on the most trusted sights for unusual oncology events have proven educational, but not definitive. The more the blood work was analyzed the more confusing the results. If he had not drawn the samples himself, he would have quickly excused the results as contaminated. David was anxious for his old college roommate to arrive from Johns Hopkins University Hospital this morning. He had spent eight years reviewing the molecule structure of blood cells, but had never encountered a phenomenon like this. The protein structure had changed in a single sample to such a degree that it almost appeared the blood type had changed from the clinical base line that had been established almost a hundred years ago. David had arrived at his office at 6:00a.m., nearly two hours before the rest of the staff was scheduled to appear this Monday morning. Amanda Johnson had been his patient for the last two years. Nothing could have made him happier than to see the remarkable improvement in her condition. But how and why were the questions that he could not resolve. He had made several calls the day before to the hospital laboratory to his findings but the back test samples had prevented the quick response David desired. Being away for ten days, which now felt more like ten weeks once he reviewed the current workload, added to the stress. Fortunately, most of his patients had attended the Life for Leukemia Retreat he had hosted.

The local boy scout camp, which was part of the Seneca Waterway Council land, Camp Cutler, had been very gracious each year to allow them the use of the camp facilities. Their camp provided staff rangers, food service assistance and helped organize the activities. It took a lot of wonderful volunteers to help provide a fun and holistic experience for the children. Over the many years, they had nearly perfected the events schedule to keep the young campers engaged from day one to the final family event. However, this year had a deeper, almost spiritual, feel to it. The children get full credit for being such an outgoing bunch. Hugs seemed longer and smiles seemed bigger than David could from past retreats. Asking Amanda’s parents to bring her back in today made him feel a little uncomfortable since they had been in the Thursday before, but she may have the answers that he considered necessary. Few patients come along with the desire for knowledge that Amanda possessed. No medical term went un-Googled, and no topic was withheld from her. David lifted the silver wire-framed-glasses that he imprinted notches on the side of his nose and rubbed his bloodshot eyes. His blond hair was kept closely trimmed and did not move out of place as he massaged his head. He had invested in lift-top desks to help accommodate his height. David kept in good shape working out most days so that his six-foot-four-inch physique did not weaken with age. There is no conceivable explanation for what he had viewed. He gently adjusted the slide under the microscope again. The computer view did not give the detail he needed. Sometimes the old-school equipment approach proved to be the best. This morning though, neither old-school nor modern technology could help answer his questions. How could a patient with B Negative blood and dying white cell production due to a hematological malignancy form of cancer have a protein enriched AB Positive lab result? Avery Carlson had been David’s college roommate at medical school and best friend for ten years, so he did not hesitate for a second when David called him and asked him to come to Rochester, New York to consult with him on a patient. Avery was a physician and a prolific force in the proteolytic enzyme studies of lymphatic and leukemia cancer. He also had a strong bond and desire to watch over his friend. They had a history that drew them closer together through a few events of adversity. Avery was the top of his class and a member of a very wealthy East Coast family, but he was as humble as he could be. His desire for knowledge allowed him to engage in conversations at any level and with

anyone. He was known to stay up all night in conversation with complete strangers just to get a glimpse of a different perspective on a subject that interested him. “So, what are we looking at this morning, David?” Avery questioned with his usual gentle tone. “Well, I hope you can tell me. Amanda Johnson is an eleven-year-old with Stage IV leukemia. I had her come in last Thursday for a follow-up since our annual retreat. Look at the blood work results and tell me what you see.” Avery scrolled through the data on David’s laptop. He studied the information with a statuesque glare. “Is this the blood culture in the scope?” “Yes, I re-sampled the slide this morning.” “And the last data point was from two weeks ago?” Avery questioned. He walked back to the laptop and then returned to the microscope. “Yes, I have workups done on all the campers as a procedural policy. I include a separate file from my colleagues who have patients participate, but it is impossible for the data to get transferred from one file to another.” Sara McImmel is a nurse practitioner at David’s clinic. Her tenure is the longest of his staff. In her late forties the plan is to make this her last stop before she and husband retire early to the Carolina coast where her family resides. She slowly entered the laboratory. “Dr. Newman, the Johnson’s have arrived. And the hospital has called with a message regarding your blood work.” “Thanks Sara, we will come up front in a minute. What is the message from the lab?” “Uh sir, the laboratory asked that you please be patient and that they will get to your test in the order in which it was received. They are short staffed and over-worked, and he asked that you please understand it is not professional to keep calling.” “Is that exactly how he put it?” David smirked at Avery.

“No, sir, but I thought it best to leave out the profanity.” “Thank you, Sara. Please tell Amanda that I will be with her in just a minute.” David and Avery went through the data again. Avery questioned the test methods and presented the possibility of sample contamination. David was able to validate every scenario. “Let’s get a new blood sample. I would also like to conduct a full physical on the patient with your assistance,” Avery commented. David and Avery presented a good mix of practitioner philosophies. David is well published in the vision of positive mental attitude and the productive effects on terminal illnesses while Avery is science by the book with a mix of new technology in the form of advances in experimental pharmaceuticals and gene therapy. Amanda greeted Dr. Newman with a cheerful smile. Her parents radiated excitement in their daughter’s newfound energy. Amanda was clutching a photo album. She presented it to David. “This is for you. I wanted to share the memories from camp with you.” David flipped through the pages quickly. His mind never lost focus of the morning’s work. “This is excellent. You really did a great job on the matting of the photos. This looks professionally done.” Introductions were made. Amanda’s parents met Avery. The doctors explained that they needed to do a physical and take more blood to confirm some tests from last week. Mr. and Mrs. Johnson and Amanda were happy to oblige. The Johnson’s wanted to meet with the doctors for a few minutes before the examination. Sara led Amanda down the narrow hallway into Room A to be weighed and measured. It was discussed earlier in the day that both Dr. Newman and Dr. Carlson were to draw the blood for testing. David wanted Avery’s active involvement to provide evidence of uncontaminated fluids. “Amanda has been full of energy ever since the Retreat. Yesterday she actually asked to ride her bike to the park where she played for two hours without getting tired,” cited Mr. Johnson. His voice held both amazement and disbelief. The Johnson’s exchanged a glance and a smile. They had attempted to contain their optimism as their personal research indicated leukemia tends to fade into

remission and then reappear. “Something has changed for the better in our little Amanda. We know we should be cautious, but we have not seen her smile like this in two years. Is this remission or a significantly better medical development for us to be excited about?” “We hope to have more conclusive results for you after today’s tests. Therefore, I have requested the consultation of Dr. Carlson. He is from John Hopkins University Hospital and not to put too much pressure on him, but he is brilliant.” David sat up straight. “Amanda’s previous tests look very promising.” “We really appreciate everything that you have done for her. The Retreat was the single best decision we have made regarding her treatment. She forged some great friendships at camp. She talks to the girl from Virginia almost every day.” Mrs. Johnson smiled. The doctors and Mrs. Johnson entered the examining room while Amanda discussed camp with Sara. Mr. Johnson stayed behind in the waiting room to make a few business calls. The examination room conversation was very intense with Sara listening to every word. This was a new experience for Sara. To see the energetic little girl made her heart melt. “Oh, this is the picture of us at the bonfire closing ceremony. It is different than the other picture of us at the bonfire. This is Jenny, and this is Kari, and the boy standing beside Kari is JR, he is from Cleveland like Kari, but they had never met before. Jenny is my best friend in the whole world. She is so funny. We are going to visit her in Richmond this winter.” Amanda took a quick breath. Sara looked up at Mrs. Johnson and opened her eyes wide as if to say I wish I had that much energy. “We called ourselves the CML bunch.” Sara played right along ing in on the excitement. “That’s cool! What does that stand for?” “Oh, just chronic myelogenous leukemia, because that’s what we all have.” Sara’s heart sank, so she tried to change the topic quickly. “It looks like you are

all hugging the camp counselor?” “Ya, that is Angela. She is the greatest! Wasn’t she the greatest Dr. Newman?” “Yes, she was an amazing, first-year counselor.” David almost hated to interrupt the conversation. “Your parents’ tell me that you have been feeling some extra energy lately?” Sara stepped to the side and prepared the kit to draw blood. “Oh, Dr. Newman, I feel great. And so does Jenny. It is like a miracle.” “Jenny Parker? Interesting. I will have to look up her information.” David made a mental note. The examination was completed after an hour of questions, measurements, and routine tests. The two college friends who graduated into trusted colleagues stood shoulder to shoulder inspecting the blood cultures. The Johnson’s were probably thirty minutes out of Rochester by now. Sara had confiscated the photo album in order to show it to the rest of the staff. Two of the nurses had attended this year’s Retreat, but Sara stayed behind to continue the scheduling and answer any calls that needed a response in David’s absence. As the staff went about their routine, a telephone call came into the main office from Dr. Charles Dixon out of Richmond, Virginia. He had asked for a list of any dietary supplements and over-the-counter medications that had been made available or istered at the Life for Leukemia Retreat. Sara was sure that with a little effort she could provide the desired list to Dr. Dixon however, the next questions lead her to the laboratory immediately. He asked for a list of any experimental drugs or blood work procedures that had taken place. Sara ran into the lab room where David and Avery were huddled. “Dr. Newman, I would like you to take this telephone call. It is a Dr. Charles Dixon from the Richmond Cancer Institute Hospital.” Sara moaned, “He is asking some strange questions about the Retreat.” David shrugged his shoulders in frustration. “Okay, I’ll take it in here.” He connected the line to the web-phone on the PC in the lab. “Yes sir, doctor,

how can I help you?” David questioned gruffly. He and Avery kept moving about, reviewing the ed images. They were able to do a graph overlay of the comparative results. “This is Dr. Dixon from RCIH.” His image came up on the monitor although David showed little concern. He is an exhausted looking man in his late fifties with streaks of gray in his hair around the temples. “Are you alone, and can we speak openly; this is a serious and unfortunate matter?” “I am with my colleague from Johns Hopkin’s reviewing some blood work in my office lab. It is okay to ask anything. In fact, if you don’t mind, we are going to keep working as you speak.” Avery spoke up, “Dr. Dixon, it’s Avery Carlson. How are you?” The two doctors were quite familiar with one another. They had met at the New England Medical Journal Awards Banquet two years ago. Dr. Dixon had reached out to Avery on several occasions to get medical advice. Although much older Dr. Dixon had not quite kept up with modern advances and sought knowledge for the much younger, brilliant Avery Carlson. “Avery, I hope you are not part of this,” Dr. Dixon scoffed. David stopped with the formalities, “A part of what, Charles?” “David, I have to shut you down until I find out what you are doing.” Both David and Avery were rendered motionless. “I have ed the New York State Board of Health and asked for an investigation. I need to know exactly what went on at that retreat camp of yours. They are going to temporarily suspend your license and question everyone who attended the formal retreat.” “No, you can’t do that, not now. I need my lab and data files.” David headed for the laptop. He needed to see his acc’s image. “I can’t even say I’m sorry, David, until I find out how many more children you experimented on.” “I don’t understand what you are insinuating?” David raised his voice

defensively. “Come on, he’s not serious!” Avery held David by the arm to reassure him. “Very well, let me get to the fact of the matter. I need to know what drugs were istered to my patient, Jennifer Parker. I would also like to know if you conducted any sort of Gene Therapy transfusions at your retreat without my consultation.” Dr. Dixon had a very bitter tone. “Again, I don’t understand the nature of your questions but neither drugs nor blood transfusions were istered at my camp, I can guarantee you that.” David took offense to the accusations. The seriousness of the allegations swept over David. If he really ed the state health department or was it a bluff was the concern on his mind. “The nature of the questioning stems from a significant change in my patient’s physical status. Although neither she nor her parents would it to anything, I know there were unethical experiments conducted.” David immediately thought the worst. “How is Jenny Parker?” David hesitated as he panicked slightly. He could not be as professional when he was concerned about one of his campers. “Has Jenny’s condition worsened in any way? I had just heard she was doing well.” David’s mind was so focused on the task at hand and then to have this thrust upon him, his reactions slowed. “Fortunately for you, Jenny is fine at this moment. The situation is that I have noticed a strong presence of protein in her blood. These large granular NK cells have multiplied to constitute differentiated core cytotoxic proteins.” His voice suddenly changed from agitated to somber confusion. “Her blood type is masked with a high unidentified protein count making it consistent with an AB Positive blood type, which is impossible.” “Are there any other symptoms?” Avery asked, looking up from the test tubes. Avery wiped down his hands with a paper towel and walked over to the monitor. They both stood in full view of Dr. Dixon. “Yes, her cancer is in remission and her cells have restructured almost to a regenerative state. Jenny has more energy and stamina.” “That’s it. That’s what I’m seeing here too, NK cells.” David had not been able

to identify the cells structure as the innate immune system NK cells or categorize them to ‘natural killer cells’ as they are clinically called. “You got it right, good sir! These are NK cells with a high protein count. They have the natural ability to locate and kill cancerous structures.” Avery was astonished that this revelation came from Dr. Dixon. Sara popped her head into the door again. She interrupted, “Dr. Newman, I have Dr. Linda Alivetta from Cleveland on the telephone asking the same questions. She said she has been trying to get a hold of you for a few days. She has a patient that is showing remarkable changes that are inconsistent with her recent treatments.” Sara motioned to David that she was putting the photo album on the table in the lad. Suggesting that he take a break and enjoy the hard work that went into his gift. “David, I hope the investigators get to the bottom of this. I will find out what you have done,” Dr. Dixon claimed. “You cannot withhold information on treatments when you conduct them on my patients.” “David, you take the other call. I will have a chat with Charles,” Avery whispered. After a few minutes of small talk, Dr. Dixon did agree to send some information to Avery for his professional review. It was Charles’ clever way to ask for help and place blame for his mistakes on someone else. Avery was fine with working on Dr. Dixon’s projects if helped to advance David’s research. David and Avery spent the next hour on a teleconference with Dr. Alivetta. They discussed three similar blood cell structures reacting to what may be identified as the same Super Protein NK cells in three children who have never received the same sequence of treatments let alone any genetic treatments in the past month for conditions determined to be terminal. The decision was made to get blood samples to Johns Hopkins University at once so that Avery and his staff could break down this protein to its molecular base and analyze any similarities. Before any information was given to the parents of Amanda Johnson, Jenny Parker and Kari Wolocowski, the doctors wanted to know exactly what they were looking at. David had to get files and samples out of the office before the New York State Board of Health showed up to seal the place. The idea that they were close to finding a significant scientific breakthrough made it critical to

work fast. If the NK cell structure dissipated, they may lose their trace evidence.

Chapter 2

Enter the Federal Government

Like a S.W.A.T. team invasion, the six Federal Marshals and two of the United States Department of Health and Human Services besieged the office. David and Avery heard the commotion from the laboratory. The sound of a woman’s voice barking out commands echoed down the hallways. They were already here to investigate. David had in no way anticipated a forced entry. At the very least he expected a telephone call to schedule a time to interview him and his staff. Sara did her best to slow the agents from their quest to detain David. She was insisting on seeing identification and a search warrant. With her arms folded across her chest she stood like a tall oak blocking their path. Both requests were met immediately. The special agent had her shield in hand and a signed court order in the other as she walked through the door. “Where is Dr. David Newman?” Erin’s voice was demanding and rough. “Avery, take these samples, quick. And let’s stay in touch. Let me know when you receive the product from Dr. Alivetta,” David pleaded. “It sounds like they have specific instructions to apprehend me.” Avery quickly shoved the formatted slides from the electron microscope into his pocket. “They are going to confiscate the laptops. I will see if I can any of these files and send them to my personal e-mail. Go run some interference but be cool. No sense in making this more difficult on yourself.” “You had better hurry that along.” David moved into the hallway when he saw the Federal badges being flashed. This not the State Board of Health these are armed federal officers. The seriousness expanded exponentially, knowing the feds were involved. He could not understand what information he possessed that would escalate this to a federal matter. The agents locked down everything. No files, laptops, or even so much as a postage stamp was allowed to leave the premises. The Marshals moved with exaggerated aggression. Through the glass partition, Avery could see an attractive female agent asking David to empty his pockets. He was placing the contents onto the receptionist counter. The files were so large the

would take approximately another seven minutes. Avery might have enough time. He glanced back through the partition to get another look at the attractive agent. Even under pressure he had to feed his libido. There was no way to speed up the . Seconds later a tall, thin Federal Marshal with a uniform two sizes too big entered the lab. He commanded that Avery step away from the computer. The scrolled as the file zipped into processing mode. He still needed another minute or two and a way to hit the enter key. The officer noticed Avery’s eyeing the monitor. He quickly made his way past the frustrated doctor and hit the escape key. Avery backpedaled looking for anything or anywhere to stash the slides that suddenly felt heavy in his pocket. There on the counter of the lab was the photo album. He was able to slip the glass slide into the cloth cover of the album. Now he had to think of a method to get it out of the office unnoticed. The Federal Marshal asked Avery to put his hands behind his back. He had a smartass tone that added to the hostility of the situation. By the look on the Marshal’s face, he was prepared to use force to get his results. “Handcuffs, really, are you serious?” Avery yelled. “For ing files to my computer, you are going to arrest me?” The officer was now ed by a second, much larger Marshal who forced Avery’s arms behind his back. Avery struggled, attempting to pull his wrists from the strong grasp. The Federal Marshal pushed him from behind, forcing his face into the wall, cutting his forehead above the brow line. The drywall cracked under the pressure of Avery’s skull. “Avery, Avery, oh shit!” David saw his best friend bleeding from the cut. “David, I’m alright. It’s going to be okay.” In his usual manner, Avery attempted to make the situation better for David. “Focus on yourself. I will be just fine. I am sure it looks worse than it is.” Special Agent Erin Mayfield continued to roar instructions to her squad. “Get everyone’s photograph and IDs.” She wanted to gain the respect of the officers. Sara was momentarily unattended. The forces double teamed Avery and David as well as focused on confiscating the computers. She slipped away from the front desk area and into the lab. The lights were bright, which did not give her much advantage of stealth. Sara seized Amanda’s scrapbook, figuring even the

government-hired officers had some comion. That little girl was so proud of her gift Sara would hate to have it end up in a box on a warehouse shelf somewhere. Within a few moments, Erin notices Sara holding the blue floral photo album. She seized the scrapbook from Sara’s hands as they rounded up evidence throughout the office. They placed the scrapbook into a corrugated banker’s box, along with David’s personal cellphone and computer. Sara complained to anyone who would listen. Her protest fell on deaf ears. Dr. Newman made eye with her and nodded in agreement with her disapproval of the treatment of personal items. “We are looking for any information specific to the Retreat, I want the files and any data in my possession when we leave,” Erin ordered. Placing her clipboard on the desk she instructed. “I have all the processing instruction here as to how I want the evidence cataloged and documented.” She made confirming visual with a few of the Marshals to make sure it ed. In less than an hour, they seized contents of the office. The Marshals escorted David to an unmarked black Suburban with heavily tinted windows at the far edge of the parking lot. Avery was released from his handcuffs. A lanky redheaded Special Agent instructed the office staff to go home. He advised them not to leave the state and that they would be individually ed for further statements. The office would be closed until further notice by the authority of the Department of Health and Human Services pending an investigation into medical practice procedures. His speech was clearly rehearsed. The Special Agent asked if anyone had any questions before he headed inside to help with the removal of evidence. Sara looked at Avery’s forehead. “I would put a few stitches in that for you if we were allowed to go back inside.” “I’ll find my way to the convenient care or hospital and get it taken care of.” Avery dabbed at the blood with his shirt sleeve. “Thank you, I do appreciate the offer.” He watched as David entered the back seat of the transport vehicle. The Marshal closed the door locking him securely inside as if he were a threat to take off running down the street. “I’m not sure what that was all about, but I am guessing it is a huge

misunderstanding,” Sara added. “Most certainly it was fabricated medical claim. Dr. Dixon sounded scared for his life, so I’m sure he acted out of desperation to blame others for his incompetence.” Avery held pressure on his forehead with the back of his left wrist and shirt cuff. “This is one of my favorite shirts too,” he said, looking down at the drops of crimson blood that hit his shoulder and chest. “I’m not even going to try to get that out.”

Chapter 3

The Interrogation

Ken took a small team to Cleveland to depose Dr. Linda Alivetta. Although she was not on the original list of key suspects in their illegal human clinical trial investigation, phone records showed that she did have recent with Dr. David Newman. From the office records and Life for Leukemia Retreat, Dr. Alivetta had two patients who had attended the Leukemia Retreat. with David, access to medical genetic therapies, and new information from phone conversation transcripts means the department would soon label Dr. Alivetta as a person of interest. Ken and two associates from the agency checked into the Hyatt in downtown Cleveland. This was the first time he had worked in or even visited the Midwest city on Lake Erie’s shore. The city has changed over the years from a major manufacturing center with industrial fabrication and steel mills to a city known for its massive healthcare sector. The Cleveland Clinic is the largest private employer in the city of Cleveland and the state of Ohio. It carries the distinction of being among America’s best hospitals and most notably for its cardiology program which has ranked number one in the country since 1995. Settling into a new city was made easier when Ken and his crew found the Great Lakes Brewing Company. Surprisingly, Cleveland offers a wonderful variety of fourstar restaurants and local pubs that exceed most visitors’ expectations. The game plan in Cleveland differed greatly from in Rochester the team was to work in cooperation with the target subject instead of apprehending and interrogating. David was detained at a hotel in Rochester, secured by a Federal Marshal at all times. Special Agent Dr. Erin Mayfield had a file on David Newman representing a complete background of his time at medical school through his private practice years. The information encomed time and attendance at medical conventions including the topics highlighting experimental gene therapy and progressive stem cell treatment options. The questioning process ran on hour after hour. David was now well aware of the allegations brought upon him by Dr. Dixon and the Washington political machine. He had been questioned repeatedly as to his preference of treatments and history of volunteering patients in experimental clinical trials. Most questions lead full circle back to time spent at the Life for Leukemia Retreat. Special Agent Dr. Erin Mayfield listened to every

answer and fully explained the purpose of gathering specific historical knowledge. Samantha Cooper’s name was only mentioned once, listing her as a patient of Dr. Dixon’s who had recently ed away. Erin asked if she had been considered as a candidate to attend the Retreat. David explained that although they had a limited number of attendees based upon the boy scout camp lodging capacity in the six-year history, they never had to turn down a camper due to overcrowding constraints. He could not Samantha Cooper’s name ever having been among ed campers. Erin confirmed that based on the Retreat application and attendance log, her family had not once applied for her to attend. It has been presented that the initial allegations stemmed from the review of two children’s deaths at the Richmond Cancer Institute Hospital and progressed into an illegal human trial investigation. Special Agent Dr. Mayfield made it very clear that she could converse at David’s level with respect to hematological malignancies. After a brief lunch break on day one the discussion weighed heavily on David’s biological and clinical data collection/analysis methods. Erin was sensing a pattern in David’s responses. He would answer the question in short retorts and then follow up to reiterate his meaning. The answers, in Erin’s opinion were truthful and concise. The first day’s interrogation ended with a variation of a question that had been asked throughout the day. What is your treatment philosophy? David answered with a long but informative answer, “Immunoreceptor response in combination with gene therapy aided by common practice and proven targeted radiation treatments with an emphasis on natural health supplements plus techniques that provide positive mental awareness. All the above have proven to be most successful in his approach.” With two full days of question-and-answer sessions completed, David asked if he could at least follow up with his staff and patients. He also wants to his mother to let her know everything was okay. Erin entered the room with another agent and a cell phone. “We have issued a statement to your patient’s families and staff that your clinic would be closed until further notice. We have offered highly qualified referrals to everyone. The care of the children is our top priority,” Erin stated. “Many of my kids have ongoing treatments that need to be maintained in order to progress their status.” David felt so very helpless. “At least let me consult with the attending doctors and discuss treatment methods on a case by case

standing.” “We have all the details covered.” Erin distracted David by handing him the cellphone. “Please your mother but know we are listening.” David began the conversation by letting his mother know that he was fine and that after this misunderstanding was resolved, he would be down to visit her. “David, Avery came here to spend time with us. He said that he would help you through this investigation. Although by the looks of his black eye and bandages he may need your help more than you need his,” Mrs. Newman joked as she choked back tears. “He said he needed eight stitches in his head and they ruined his favorite shirt, but that he promises everything is going to be okay.” “Mom, he’s telling you the truth. You know Avery is the smartest man alive so if he tells you it is going to be okay, it is!” “Are you getting enough to eat?” “I am being treated well and fed three times a day. Hopefully, we can get back to normal soon. I really wanted you to hear it from me that I’m okay.” “I know they are questioning you about kids who attended the Leukemia Retreat. Avery said a girl may have died here in Virginia that sparked the investigation but that she was not a patient of yours.” “He is correct. Mom, maybe he shouldn’t have given you so many details.” David was afraid of the consequences to Avery now that she revealed his loose lips. “Take care of yourself, and don’t worry about me please.” “Oh, and David, the police talked to Shari,” Mrs. Newman sounded concerned. “Her mother called me and said that Federal Agents questioned Shari about your past relationship.” “Ya, Mom that probably didn’t go well for me, but we will get through this,” David reassured her. “I’ve got to go now. Tell Dad I said hello.” David glared at Erin with disrespect in the fact that she had ed his exfiancé. He knew she was being thorough in her investigation, but felt deeply that

it was unnecessary. Avery called David’s phone eight times in the past two days. If Erin allowed them to speak, she might get some insight from their conversation. Obviously the man liked to talk. The arrangement was for David to call Avery as the conversation was being recorded, and Erin was present to hear and ask questions if necessary. David was not given an option it seemed less like an arrangement and more like a requirement. “Hi, Avery,” David muttered, “How are you doing? And be aware that I am not the only one on the line.” “I will be better when we can get this behind us.” Even under these circumstances, Avery sounded confident. “Is that smokin’ hot Special Agent listening? The bossy one from Rochester?” Erin was not narcissistic enough to believe that Dr. Carlson was describing her. However, she was the only female agent present at the raid. An advantage that came with the title of Special Agent was having access to review detailed backgrounds of individuals both professional and private without it being considered stalking. She knew Avery was not married. “Special Agent Erin Mayfield is present,” she identified herself with a professional tone. “Hey, you are there! You’re like a movie casting directors’ fantasy, smart, tough, and beautiful.” Avery had a spiteful laugh. “Cool career choice. And good for you.” His words had a powerful effect. Erin rarely let comments like this bother her, so why this time? It was not as if she hadn’t been treated differently throughout medical school because she was a beautiful woman. She could feel her blood pressure rise. The heat of the moment made her face turn rose red and body sweat. “Had enough of your own scientific discoveries, so you started to mess with the rest of us doctors actually trying to make a significant medical impact?” This was not the best side of Avery’s personality, spite. For someone she had never met before, and only encountered once, he knew

how to cut deep with his sarcasm. Erin attempted to hide the fact that his comment affected comment her. David could see her pain in a distinguished frown that was painted on her face. “Thanks for visiting my parents. It will put my mom at ease knowing you are helping.” David confirmed his genuine friendship in these words. “David, I had to visit Dr. Dixon to see if the blood work matched what we had witnessed. Above the political bullshit, I needed to confirm the science.” Avery exclaimed, “It is the exact AB positive, protein structure.” David interrupted, “Large granular lymphocytes?” “Spot on NK with the LGL differential from the pre-event testing,” Avery stated. Erin spoke up and interjected quickly, “What is the event? You said pre-event testing. What event took place?” “Well, Special Agent Dr. Mayfield, you may have buried that data when you compromised our blood sample test results.” Avery turned up the heat of disdain. “David, Johns Hopkins put me on istrative leave, and the feds locked down my research.” Although it hurt Avery greatly to be away from his research, what he had seen to date regarding the children from the Retreat gave him hope. He was all in on discovering a possible new cure. David slammed his fist on the hotel desk. The lamp jumped two inches into the air and landed solidly on its base. “Investigate me if you want, but don’t ruin Avery’s career! You have no right to destroy a doctor’s reputation on false allegations implying human testing!” The anger took over. “You had no ethical reason or cause to Johns Hopkins and ruin this man’s career! He is the brightest research specialist in our profession today!” The Marshal stationed outside the door entered aggressively. Erin put her hand up and stopped him from advancing. She shifted back in her chair and stared past David at the blank wall. “Easy, David! I’m taking some time off, no big deal.” Avery attempted to better the situation knowing his problems were minor compared to the depth of his buddy’s. “You have me interested in changing my fundamental direction and studying up on NK cell regeneration, anyway.”

“I just don’t know why we are getting accused of doing anything illegal.” “I will be around if you need me, Agent Mayfield,” Avery exclaimed loudly and somewhat seductively. “I would not mind getting together and discussing the investigation over a bottle of Giuseppe Quintarelli. You like expensive red wine don’t you, gorgeous?” “I will definitely be in touch if I need your medical expertise or have any follow up questions as to your involvement with my case,” Erin said professionally. “David, be aware our young Special Agent is no slouch. She has multiple degrees and is a foremost expert in Adenoviruses, Double-strand DNA shit. One might also call her an expert in covariance statistical theory. Not to mention if you get a mosquito bite, she will probably put on a lab coat and take a blood culture. You could be her favorite patient. Ya, sweetheart, I have my s too.” Avery exhaled with contempt. “Good to know.” Erin struggled but kept her cool. “We should be able to move forward and communicate at a professional level.” David was still numb from the news that Avery’s research was compromised. He wanted nothing more than to collect additional data to see if they could find the origin of the super protein. “I have to go, David; I think there is a car following me.” “Be careful, Avery! Please no risk taking for me.” “Hey, David, I almost forgot, they spoke to Shari. She gave them a full testimonial, in her opinion, as to your state of mind.” Avery sounded worried as he spoke, “Sorry, that had to be dredged up again.” “So, I’ve heard. I can deal with any Shari obstacles. I’ll call you when I can.” David barely got the words out when the line went silent. Shari Whitehall and David met as undergraduate students at Columbia University. She was one of the most confident and stunningly beautiful people David had ever encountered. Their relationship grew from the initial friendship into an incredibly special bond. The pair became inseparable. Well, the truth is the trio became inseparable. Avery did not mind being the third wheel to Shari

and David as it often meant introductions to beautiful coeds. Shari thought that if she could find a love connection for Avery, that she and David could get more alone time. Avery was always willing to participate in a first date, however, he never found anyone to stimulate him intellectually. Throughout all four years of undergraduate school, the two were a solid couple. Conversations of marriage were numerous. Although Shari planned to continue in the medical field, David and Avery were the obvious brilliant minds. David had several options for residency and the pick of his specialties. Their world changed when Shari found out that she had become pregnant. As a choice of her own she rationalized that having an abortion was the best option for the couple moving forward. Afterall they could not possibly finance two medical school tuitions with the cost of raising a child. Shari had already planned to lessen her school course load to get a part-time job and provide money for David to advance his career. Less than a week after having the abortion, as David broached the subject of getting officially engaged and planning a wedding date around his chaotic schedule, Shari broke the news. She had in her mind justified the choice of having an abortion and thought that David would see it in the same light. David was devastated. He could not be the reason behind taking a life when his vocation was to be a medical provider. The relationship ended badly. Avery was the strength behind David’s mental recovery. Shari’s resentment of David turned to hatred. She blamed him for her decision, even though it was solely her choice. David still struggles with unwarranted guilt to this day. “Since Shari’s name has come up,” Erin remarked, “We had her in your profile briefing as an ex-fiancé, and it would not be scientifically prudent to remove her from the process of our investigation.” “I can’t even imagine how her testimony could be relevant.” David shook his head in disbelief. Erin reluctantly commented, “Her briefing revealed that she believes you have a “God Complex” that you think you know what is best for everyone. The statement shades your view of reality and projects a possible desire to take medical risks that you deem worthy.” “I can hear her saying those exact words.” David struggled not to laugh but knew how bad it sounded in light of an investigation whereby he is being accused of wrongfully conducting human medical tests.

A knock on the door broke the tension between Erin and David. It was one of the auxiliary investigators for the Department of Health and Human Services carrying a white corrugated file box. He had been with the department for more than eight years and never edged his way up the ranks. The lack of career progress may have been due to his absence of respect for authority. “Well, we missed this content, but we have all the rest of the office evidence recorded, logged in a report and destroyed per request.” “Wait, destroyed? What was destroyed?” “Everything except what is in this box.” He threw his hand up in the air. “Who requested that?” Erin jumped to her feet. “It is right here in your request. Upon completion of statutory evidence review, all contents to be destroyed.” The agent set the box on the counter and presented the clipboard with the final paperwork. “We did exactly what was on the paperwork. We followed the procedure invoked by our superior.” As Erin reviewed the documents she choked, “No, the material was to be returned not destroyed.” “That is not what it says here.”

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The interrogation portion of the investigation had concluded after two weeks however the judicial isolation continued while the Department of Health and Human Services rounded up witnesses, staff, and attendees at the Leukemia Retreat. The weeks seemed like years to David with no access to research, scientific news, or the outside world. The investigation information trickled in through conversations he heard from the staff of investigators and Marshals. Erin was keeping him posted on only minor details of the process. Nothing was found in his office files or patient data that indicated improper istering of gene therapy or experimental transfusions of high levels of proteins as had been

suggested in the federal complaint. Interviews were conducted with the doctors, volunteers, and retreat attendees with the consistent negative illegal activity outcome.

Chapter 4

To Cleveland

Ken had been in Cleveland working with Dr. Linda Alivetta and occasionally making day trips to process interviews with children and parents associated with the Dr. Newman retreat. Erin had divided up the region into investigative quadrants. Her team had geographic responsibility for tracing and information exploration. The more they dug, the less they found. The dominating evidence presided in the test data of four individuals who clearly at age eleven had no intrinsic participation in illegal actions. All the data trail regarding The Life for Leukemia Retreat from Ken’s quadrant was limited to two patients, Kari Wolocowski and JR Winston. The lack of evidence linking Dr. Alivetta to any wrongful medical procedures elevated Ken’s curiosity as to the results of the formal blood tests which he had been witnessing. He put in a request with the strong urging of Dr. Alivetta to have David come to Cleveland and compare results. Dr. Alivetta had ten-plus years’ experience in pediatric oncology. She was able to attend Dr. Newman’s retreat in upstate New York several times. The atmosphere projected with the interaction of children suffering from the same infliction was inspiringly positive. She contributed the remission stage for several of her patients to the participation in the Life for Leukemia Retreat. Although temporary in a few cases for these tiny bodies, a break from cancer is a chance to live and a chance for hope. Hope heals more than medicine. Dr. Alivetta had reached the extent of her knowledge in Paraprotein and NK cell regeneration. She was willing to continue the research participation in the investigation only if Dr. David Newman could provide assistance. He was familiar with the evidence from her patients as well as his own. To bring in a novice at this stage might cause redundancy and contamination. Ken knew it was the way forward, however, it was not his call to make. Special Agent Mayfield was contemplating her next move. She was most certainly headed to Cleveland to examine test data from Ken’s region. The question she struggled with was whether David’s input would prove valuable to the case or bring her to a line that she knew not to cross trust the Department of Justice’s main suspect and target. Historically Erin was deep in her element, requiring help from no one. In order for her to get up to speed on cellular regeneration to a level of competency might take months. Only a few oncology

professionals in the country could step in with immediate resulting informational input. One of those had an obvious grudge against her plus eight stitches as a reminder of who was responsible for destroying his career. Prior to leaving for Cleveland, Erin went through the contents of the single remaining box from David’s office. The photo album that Amanda had crafted was among the few personal items in existence. Erin asked David if he would like to hang onto the album. His emotions flipped from joy to sadness as he looked through the pictures. He stopped at a particular photo, studying it more carefully than it deserved, given the innocence of the image. It was a photograph of Amanda, Jenny, Kari, JR, and Angela. Erin noticed the pensive look on David’s face. “What is it? What do you see?” Trained to notice even the slightest variance in the surrounding environment, Erin knew the pause had meaning. David spoke tentatively as it was not his place to pose questions. “It might be nothing, but how many children from the retreat have shown improvement?” Erin, feeling guilty from inadvertently destroying all of David’s equipment, documents, and research data files, revealed the following, “Six. We are still ing the parents of any child who has ed since the retreat to see if we can acquire DNA, but six subjects have trending clinical improvement.” She watched as David’s took a breath of concern. “I have a group photo that I believe includes four of the children. One is a definite as she is my patient, and two have pending status with a strong likelihood as they are the aforementioned patients of Dr. Alivetta’s. Unconfirmed to me other than my previous conversation is a patient of Dr. Dixon’s,” David had a spark of ambition. “Again, it may be nothing, but patterns and clusters are not typically random when the similarities are dramatically distinct.” He removed the photo from the album and handed it to Erin. She immediately had the same instinct. A cluster with an extraordinary variable is not random or coincidental. “I confirmed that my team has positively identified the group of four as having consistent recovery.” The two stood next to each other, nodding their heads in agreement. A professional hunch or a more positive lead? A single picture with four contained

progressions and an outlier. As David closed the album the glass microscope slides dropped out of the binding. He raised the album into the air and made a turn away from the item. Erin reached over and caught the object at knee height before they hit the floor. Her reflexes were rusty. In her fittest moment, she could have snatched the slides well above her waist. She examined the evidence briefly. “Are these slides possibly from your lab?” “I presume this is our last blood test on Amanda Johnson.” David smiled. “It had to be Avery!” The moment of honesty from David had a great impact on Erin. He had no hesitation, no thought of covering up for Avery, no attempt to miss-direct the fact of the object. David showed proof in that instantaneous response that he could be of great, unbiased benefit. Erin needed clarity in the investigation. The status of unethical practice was nonexistent. “Would you like to accompany me to Cleveland? I would appreciate your professional consultation with Dr. Alivetta. There may be clues or repetitive factors that only you can identify,” Erin asked as a courtesy. She was prepared to make it a demand if he offered a refusal. For the first time in two weeks, David felt the adrenaline of discovery. “Absolutely Agent Mayfield. Let’s go to Cleveland.” Erin had stopped by David’s house to allow him to pack some clothes and personal items. The modest two-story townhouse had been built three years ago. The parkway trees had a consistent height of approximately twenty feet. They alternated a blend of maple, ash, and elm trees. The driveways were clear of clutter indicating an absence of young children. Tenants consisted mostly of young professional and resent college graduates. A reasonable sale price allowed for first time home buyers who appreciated an association-based atmosphere offering lawn service, a pool and fitness area as well as a small reception hall. Erin saw nothing in David’s modest lifestyle that would indicate a self-serving behavioral trait. He lived well within his means. Nothing on the surface would even hint that he would use any form of medical glory to serve an elevated ego.

The orderly destruction of his house and possessions amazed David. The entire place was fingerprinted as well as every substance sampled and categorized. As he entered the bathroom to collect his deodorant and shaving supplies, he noticed that the porcelain lid was removed from the back of the toilet. Now that is being thorough, David thought. He closed the refrigerator door that had been left open by the investigators and picked up the trash in the kitchen that had been thrown around. After the garbage was bundled, David took two black waste bags to the curb. Erin gave him as much time as he needed. Processing the invasion of privacy can be a difficult mental achievement. She had been in the house with the federal marshals; however, the concentrated search targeted her focus. Erin did not walk-through the house observing the entirety of the aftermath until now. She took a mental note that future investigative procedures under her watch would be conducted differently. Agent Mayfield did not believe that any evidence existed that indicated David would be a flight risk, so she took full responsibility for the witness transfer. Although tasked as the federal investigative agency as a member of the Health and Human Services, Special Agent Mayfield still ultimately reported to the Department of Justice. Federal Law Enforcement agencies have a large toolbox of investigative techniques at their disposal, however, all of them have to be cleared by the DOJ. She was fortunate to get the approval to transport the witness as David is actually categorized as the “target of the investigation”. The drive was just over four hours from Rochester to downtown Cleveland. Dr. Linda Alivetta was anxiously awaiting the arrival of her colleague. She had encouraged all her patients to attend the leukemia summer camp. The positive energy generated by interacting with one’s peers is of ultimate value when much of these children’s days are spent under parental coddling. Dr. Alivetta had volunteered several of her summers as an attending doctor and counselor. Knowing David very well and seeing his professionalism in action gave her complete confidence in his innocence. The focal point of her excitement was the evidence of a possible hematological protein that can combat leukemia. Erin and David arrived in Cleveland late morning. Their goal was to meet at the Cleveland Clinic office of Dr. Alivetta to review Ken’s research. The greetings were warm but official. Dr. Alivetta had presented Ken’s team with all her patient’s data. The level of cooperation provided was an enormous benefit to Ken. Although his investigative abilities ranked high among the CDC’s active , his social awkwardness restricted his authoritative edge. He had the

documentation summarized for Erin. Ken’s detail to the specific request by his superior meant working hours long into the night. He just could not disappoint Erin or turn in a report that was anything short of impressive. The blood work had the exact same genetic change in properties as Amanda Johnson. A super protein had dominated the existing structure of both Kari Wolocowski and JR Winston altering the blood type to AB positive. The clear removal of cancerous cells provided a window to the unknown super protein’s ability and its healing power. “We had the kids in yesterday and harvested these blood cultures.” Ken pointed to the microscope in the office laboratory. Neogenesis Systems Microscopes were specially developed for live blood analysis. The wide magnification range accommodated live and dry blood analysis. This device is durable, rugged, low maintenance and compatible with Windows and Mac OS. Erin peered into the lens as Ken, David, and Dr. Alivetta viewed what she saw on the MacBook poised four feet away. The equipment included the standard four objective lenses: one scanning lens, low-powered lens, high-powered lens with 2000x magnification, and an oil-immersion lens for enhanced cellular definition. “Can you load in this slide to the same magnification?” she said, pulling the glass slide from her pocket. “It is from a sample of Amanda Johnson’s most recent culture.” Like children waiting their turn to play with a new toy, the group seemed to bounce around. Dr. Alivetta proceeded to set up the requested element. Erin stepped aside and allowed Dr. Alivetta and then David to review the evidence labeled ‘Johnson, Amanda 5-22-Bp’ slide. She hesitated to comment on the visual projecting from the MacBook screen. Erin knew what she saw to be a complete match. As if choreographed for a stage performance Linda and David viewed the image took several steps backward and folded their arms. Silence lasted for a precious ten seconds. Only the sound of inhaling and exhaling resonated in the room. Dr. Alivetta spoke at a teenager’s pace giving her theory. An unknown type of

cytotoxic lymphocyte, which constitutes a major component of the innate immune system, took over the host blood type. The origin of the invading protein was a mystery but apparently sought out the cancer cells with the intent of cellular destruction. Ken shrugged, displaying his lack of knowledge to the depth of the career oncologists. Erin was shoulder to shoulder with David, hanging on Dr. Alivetta’s every word. Looking up to see Ken’s blank stare. Erin tilted her head in amazement, questioning her next procedural move in the investigation. Dr. Alivetta knew exactly what this meant. “A natural killer cell or NK has been introduced into the bloodstream. Called a natural killer because of the initial notion that they do not require activation in order to kill cells that are missing “self” markers of major histocompatibility complex.” Erin had a rush of adrenaline. She looked directly into David’s eyes and could see that this was an unexpected correlation. “You had no prior knowledge of this nor predetermined theory why these patient’s cancer cells dissipated?” David stood motionless, “No, Agent Mayfield, I did not.” His emphatically rapid response, dilated pupils, and calm demeanor was a testament to his innocence and exactly what Erin expected. She knew that she could openly trust Dr. David Newman’s contribution to her investigation. The technical discussion went on for over two hours. Captivated and lost by the conversation, Ken recorded the three doctor’s hypotheses and the contributing factors. He wrote down key notes as they spoke. The report would provide a basis for the Department of Justice and may be crucial evidence to the remainder of the case. Ken wrote as fast as he could on the legal pad in his flip binder. He would later transfer the information to his personal laptop. The document recorded Dr. Alivetta’s findings and statements, along with additional comments that David had made. After a short break to order food and refuel on caffeine the group reviewed all evidence accumulated in Cleveland. Erin in a moment of brainstorming said, “Get all the kids on a Zoom call. I want to talk to Amanda, Jenny, Kari and JR. And Ken retrieve the white box from my car, please. Let’s have a look at that photo album again.”

“Do you think the children had something to do with this?” Ken knew the statement sounded stupid when the words left his mouth, but often the most basic input is valuable. “No, but the children may have clues. I can’t imagine that they have anything invested in shielding the truth,” said Erin. Dr. Alivetta smiled with intrigue, “I have some independent research that I have been organizing reading articles and speaking with a few elderly colleagues. Let me pull up what I have found. As I collected the information, rare items of interest presented themselves.” She opened articles on her computer and bookmark each of them for easy access. An hour had ed, David, Linda, and Erin hovered over the computer screen taking turns reading medical reports out loud. Ken had been in the other room with a list of names and numbers getting the next event coordinated. Announcing he had the Zoom call set up with the children, “I have Amanda Johnson in Rochester, JR Winston and Kari Wolocowski here in Cleveland on the call.” Ken was slightly disappointed that he could not get Jenny Parker in Richmond to attend. “Miss Parker is not available. Her parents did not want to have her involved in the investigation without the family attorney present. They were actually extremely rude.” In the conference room at Dr. Alivetta’s office the quartet huddled around a laptop. As the children ed the Zoom call David greeted Amanda. “Hi Amanda, how are you little lady?” “I’m great, Dr. Newman. My mom said that you are on vacation. Where are you?” Amanda cheerfully exclaimed. “Oh, I’m in Cleveland,” David said. “Nice! I have never been to Cleveland. We were going to go to Cedar Point Amusement Park in Sandusky last year, but I was in the hospital at the time,” Amanda added. Erin spoke up, “Hello, kids, my name is Erin. I am here with Dr. Newman, Dr. Alivetta, and my friend Ken. We’d like to ask a few questions.”

Kari interrupted Special Agent Erin Mayfield. “Hi Amanda!” “Hi, Kari! Hi JR! How are you guys? I miss you so so much,” Amanda shouts. “Hi, Amanda. All good with me,” JR said awkwardly. Kari responded joyfully, “I am feeling amazing. How is Jenny?” “She is doing great, just great. Her parents are all freaked out because of her nutjob doctor, and she can’t talk to anybody anymore but we still secretly text,” Amanda said with sadness. “Hey, kids,” Erin attempted to reel them back in to find a common link. “I have viewed a couple of pictures with you guys at camp all together. What can you tell me about camp?” Most of the details were regarding activities and gossip involving other campers. Basic pre-teen dialog about who looked funny and who teased who. Some detail about the food being amazing. Then a pattern appeared Angela, the camp counselor. Erin motioned to Ken to give her the scrapbook. She held up a few photos of the four kids around a campfire with Angela. It took all of them in collaboration to and identify the child who took the picture. They exposed a few others that were frequent attendees at the campfire. Erin revealed the two other children’s names. Amanda agreed that they were sometimes at the campfire storytelling, but definitely not part of their super-group. The CML Bunch was special, only the best of friends could be part of their bunch. Kari and JR cheered for the CML Bunch as they giggled. The Zoom call was nearing the end and each of the children were given a chance to add anything significant that they wanted to share. “Yep, Angela was the best and told the coolest stories about kids on adventures around the world.” “I agree with Amanda. Angela’s stories were inspiring and full of adventure.” “Ya, she was pretty cool and super nice to us,” JR added.

Erin asked the children to thank their parents for allowing them to speak. They all acknowledged that their parents, or at least their moms, were right there with them during the call. The conversation with the children did not immediately identify a trend or clue, but it got Erin thinking. She shuffled through a stack of paperwork in her briefcase and then scrolled through her computer, desperately searching for something. The actions offered a hint of panic, desperation, and frustration. “What is it, Erin?” Ken said, “Can I help locate something?” “We have all the documentation from the camp, including interviews with everyone except for one person, Angela DiVita.” Erin was upset, “Not one of the investigative regions was able to make with her.” Erin’s voice hit an angry volume. “I’m looking at a freakin’ picture of her, but I have nothing else, not an address, not a phone number, just a photo and a name on a list.” Erin looked at David for an explanation. “She seems to be the most popular kid in the class, so why the hell don’t I have her information.” David spent the next twenty minutes describing Angela as one of the most friendly, dynamic personalities that he had ever met. “She actually ed us via our website and asked if she could apply for a job as a camp counselor to help the children.” David’s head spun for a second, “We had great references, and she ed the drug test. I had everything in my file at the office. Angela was originally from Iowa, that I . She interviewed extremely well when questioned by my staff and appeared to have higher than average competency of medical and procedures. With a high IQ and superior personal skills, she was one of our strongest first-year staff . Her information has to be in the Life for Leukemia file from my office.” “You mean the files that my people destroyed?” Erin looked down at the ground, “Don’t anyone answer that, I know. Son-of-a-bitch!” Dr. Alivetta interjected to change the topic, “Okay, look at what I was able to dig up. I did not think it had relevance when Ken and I reviewed my internal medical procedures. David mentioned Iowa and it sparked my memory as to where I had it saved. Look at this.” Linda opened the document on her computer. Erin and David gathered nearby. Ken kept his distance across the room, sitting in a lightly padded swivel chair

with chrome arms and a slight squeak to one wheel. Although Erin could see the screen, Linda read out loud. A Dr. Jacob Palmier in Iowa City, Iowa, published a paper in 2010 that received little clinical . It appears a few of his colleagues shot down his theory due to a history of drug and alcohol abuse. His peers believed that he was manipulating test results in order to sell data and make money on some experimental cure for cancer. “So, what was the basis of the paper?” asked David. Dr. Alivetta scrolled to the conclusion of the report. The documented article was six pages published in a regional journal of medicine, “the host patient has strong cytolytic activity and the potential for auto-reactivity, NK cell activity. NK cellular pattern is tightly regulated in multiple samples and regenerative.” “In the course of your professional careers, how many times have either of you witnessed regenerative NK cells?” “Before the Amanda Johnson case, never.” “This is the first conclusive evidence that I have witnessed.” Linda gestured with her arm to indicate the path in front of her. “Only what I have seen in our patient’s current samples.” Erin looked at Ken and David, “2010 in Iowa City. If there is any value to this article, we may have a defining link, or at least we can find out what genetic testing our good doctor in Iowa used on his patients.” Erin shook her head, not quite believing what she was about to say, “Let’s go to Iowa, gentlemen.” “Do we really have to drive all the way to Iowa?” Ken complained. David looked at Ken inquisitively. Ken rolled his eyes. “She hates to fly, and she is the boss. I mean an unhealthy fear of getting anywhere near an airplane.”

Chapter 5

Iowa City, Iowa

The trip from Cleveland to Chicago is a heavily traveled truck route, which ensured for a lengthy drive. From Chicago to Iowa City, the landscape never changes, flat, endless flat. Experiencing cool temperatures and clear skies helped reduce the stress of travel. With Erin’s need for being on solid ground, the ability to get out of the vehicle and walk around whenever she wanted made the distance versus flying the better choice. She had driven over one hundred miles in the uncomfortable government-issued Suburban before fatigue set in. It was the stereotypical dark full-sized truck with tinted windows, enough room for six fully grown engers and equipment. The suspension was designed for short, aggressive travel. The seats were solid as a rock, and no matter how she attempted to position the split-bench seat she had to stretch to reach the pedals. Erin’s leg went from pain to numbness, so she knew it was time to change drivers. All three enjoyed the brief stop. Stretching their legs, walking to get the blood flowing, and the bathroom break was essential. Erin went to the snack shack inside of the travel oasis to purchase basic over-the-counter pain-relieving medication. She had a prescription that she used only in emergencies and never while driving. The guys loaded up on bags of chips and pretzels. Thankfully, there wasn’t a shortage on water with all that salt – they stocked up from the start of the journey. Ken took over for the second leg of the expedition. He smiled as he slid the seat back eight inches. Erin rested in the front enger seat, struggling to massage the pain away. She needed another twenty minutes for the Advil to kick in. David commented to the massaging, asking if she was feeling okay. Ken could not resist the opportunity to recant the stories from their research days in the jungles of South America tracking mosquito-borne diseases. As Erin noted a few of the tales as were told may be exaggerations. “That bullet wound is not an exaggeration, my dear!” Ken laughed. “You should have seen her running through the streets with her medical case in one hand and a fist of fury in the other.” Ken suddenly got choked up. His voice cracked as he spoke. “Worst day of my life seeing that bullet rip through your leg with those soldiers walking steadily toward us.” David was hanging on every word. It was the mental stimulus that he needed to

temporarily depart from the suddenly complicated scenario he was caught up in. Ken took a few quick breathes to fight off tears. “Ken carried me six miles to safety. My hero!” Erin filled the emotional pause with praise. “The bullet fractured my tibia an inch below my knee, which really sucked and took almost 10 weeks to fully heal.” “Yep, Erin Mayfield has the distinction of being the only human in the history of the world to survive Venezuelan government troop harassment, a bullet wound from an AK-47, West Nile virus infection, a touch of malaria and a possible venomous snakebite.” Ken laughed. “We did not stick around to catch the snake that bit her. We assumed the worst and istered the antivenom.” “And your terrible cooking!” Erin added. David asked the nature of the Venezuelan excursion. Erin informed him it was originally a t mission with the World Health Organization into Brazil to help the government analyze the growing brutality of the Zika Virus. When they heard tell of the magnitude of cases rumored to be across the border in neighboring Venezuela, they had to investigate. The details of their findings are now classified. “The Brazilian government closed their northern border to the migration of sick refugees,” Ken commented. “They were limiting traffic going both ways into and out of the country.” “Honduras was bad, and we could not successfully determine the infection rate statistics of the population there or in Venezuela, however, the climate allowed the mosquitos to thrive in both countries. With underwhelming supplies for antibiotics, the virus growth was exponential beyond the local government’s control.” Erin had a tone of disappointment that they were unable to conduct research in these countries because of the corrupt officials. “The World Health Organization actually claimed that the high rate of paralysis and infant deformities in Brazil were caused by pesticides sprayed on the crops and not by a viral strain of Flaviviridae,” Ken added. “In every awful experience, I still saw the positive influence of our work.” “Speaking of awful experiences, Erin, do you the size of the

tapeworm we pulled out of that guy in Nicaragua?” Ken shook his head. “Holy shit, it had to be twelve feet long.” “That was horrifying. Why would you ever bring that up again?” Erin was enjoying the onset of the pain reliever. Her knee finally had a moment of comfort. With the absence of discomfort, her mind mellowed. “ the beaches in Nicaragua, the sun and the sand? Our team attempting to surf the sixfoot breakers, that was a blast. Good memories seem so difficult to find these days.” “The beaches in Nicaragua and you in that red bikini.” Ken laughed, “The bikini is the image I can ! No difficulty there!” “I would go back to Central American for the sun and the beaches in Nicaragua.” Erin rounded her head and looked out the window at the Midwest sun.

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As the trip seemed to crawl along, Ken started asking David questions. He wanted to know a little about his history. Why did he choose pediatric oncology as a specialty was the first question, and ironically David’s answer was revealed by the second question too? “What did you do to Shari Whitesell to make her such a hostile person?” David felt comfortable with his travel mates at this point. He explained that he and Shari were in love since freshman year. They had planned to start clinicals in med school and get married. Shari had it in her mind that if we had a child at that point in our lives that neither of us would achieve our goals in medicine. David explained how difficult it was for him when he found out that she secretly had an abortion. Shari put a heavy burden on my soul by claiming that I was the reason for her decision all along. She did it to help me. “Avery got me through a tough time. He even wrote a few research papers for me so that I would not fall behind.” David took a deep breath. “So, I chose to take on the most difficult juvenile cancer cases and save as many young lives as

possible. I can never replace the life I miss most.” “Seeing the kids go through remission and then relapse has to be excruciating.” Ken meant the comment to be a testament to David’s strength in commitment. David went on to explain the rewarding effect for the children, parents and staff at the Life for Leukemia Retreat and why this entire incident is so frustrating to him. He described in detail the events at the Retreat and the curriculum’s emphasis of positivity. The rest of the ride was much less personal. David and Erin discussed field test methods and data collection again. Her experiences traveling the world as a CDC Virus Tracker fascinated him. Ken received high praise from Erin with his procedural development of Tracing. They acknowledged that the situation would require much more time to become comfortable dealing with the “people” aspect of this new job.

Once they crossed the Iowa state line, Erin resumed driving while Ken pulled up as much detail as he could find on the new target, Dr. Palmier. Tracking down Dr. Jacob Palmier proved to be extraordinarily difficult. Either no one knew him, or no one wanted to it to that fact. The initial intelligence was that he had worked at the renowned University of Iowa Hospital & Clinic. After testing positive for cocaine and being accused of other substance abuse allegations, he moved to Mercy Hospital for a brief period of time. “It appears his last known clinical residence was at the Free Medical Clinic on the east side of town. I would typically suggest that we start there, however, all I get from them is the run-a-round.” Ken said. “The University Hospital allowed us to schedule an appointment with the Records Department.” “Okay, that should get us the leads we need.” Erin attempted to be positive. “We will commence the investigation at the University Hospital.”

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Leaving the University of Iowa Hospital was a humbling experience. Erin was in disbelief, “They knew that we were coming right?” She was not really questioning Ken rather, she was unimpressed with the lack of cooperation. “Well, we know what a few people thought of him,” Ken said, referring to the deceased Dr. Jacob Palmier. “Not a well-regarded colleague of their,” David exclaimed. “I’d say not. Most of the people didn’t even know that he had died!” Ken almost felt bad for the bastard. “With his reputation and our asking about details from his past, the avoidance radar was at full strength.” Erin being Erin, “We will get information out of this excursion.”

Mercy Hospital was worse than University. They actually hid behind the privacy of a fellow doctor’s ‘physician-patient privilege’, a legal concept related to medical confidentiality. Not even a simple ‘he was a good man’, or ‘we worked together for years’ comment. With two down and the last stop listed as his only other known residency remaining all hopes hinged on the Free Clinic at the east edge of Iowa City. The interrogation here proved a little more promising. The staff at the Free Clinic ed him as a hardworking and dedicated physician. Positive comments got them no closer to his research or details of laboratory testing. Erin had hoped for at least hard copies of files from which to process clues. The three were pushing their way through the double doors under the exit sign when a frail voice called out to them. An elderly nurse working part-time had arrived late to her shift and overheard the staff commenting on federal agents asking questions concerning Dr. Palmier. Feeling the need to apologize to the authorities for being late today, she approached them. The nurse mentioned that Dr. Palmier helped at the Veteran’s Hospital outside of Iowa City. To her memory he gave free medical assistance to anyone who walked through the door at the VA, recalling a few cases where he saved the lives of those less fortunate individuals. As she directed the conversation to Erin, Ken pulled up the Veteran’s Hospital address on his phone. They confirmed the correct address with her. “Let’s use a different strategy here at the Veteran’s Hospital where they should respect authority,” Ken insisted. “We don’t need to ask for cooperation, Erin flash that badge of yours, and let’s get down to business.” Ken was getting himself worked up on the car ride. After arriving in the parking lot, he fumed. “, you don’t need permission you have a badge!” Erin walked to the back of the Suburban, opened the tailgate, spent two minutes digging through her personal backpack, and retrieved an object wrapped in leather. David and Ken stood motionless. They both had the same thought, what she was carrying? When your imagination takes over you often see images slightly different than reality. The leather wrapped item seemed much larger from a distance and appeared to be metallic. “I was planning to wait for the most opportune time to give this to you. This seems like that moment. I may need your back up,” Erin exclaimed to Ken. As she reached out her hand to present him with the leather case, Ken shook his

head no and backed up aggressively. David also took a few elongated steps backward. The two men had eyes wide and glaring. Erin grinned, noticing the clear misinterpretation of the unidentified article. The facial connotation reflecting on both men was that of fear. “Wow, what do you think this is?” “Well, I don’t think that is something I want to be responsible for.” Ken looked at David for help or guidance or anything. David stood his ground frozen. He offered not a word of advice. “Come over here. Quit clowning around. It is a gift and an honor, not something to be afraid of.” Still unsure and highly suspicious, Ken moved closer to Erin. With the sun shining brightly overhead on a clear day, he could not make out the object. She opened the small case, and inside was a Special Agent Shield with a flip fold ID wallet. “Yep, I made sure the agency issued you an official badge too. It comes complete with a background check, so start paying your parking tickets.” “Oh shit, Erin, I thought it was a gun.” Ken laughed. He beamed as he read the shield with his very own agent number and a photo ID. The picture must have been bootlegged from his port. Government agencies can work together when they really want to, or if asked by a senator’s daughter to cooperate. “Let’s make it a promise to never get ourselves into a situation where we have to rely on a gun Special Agent Kenneth Lawson.” Erin patted Ken on the shoulder. Ken smiled, “The last time we saw a gun being wielded about neither of us were safe.” “Nor would a gun in our hands have been a benefit to us that day.” “This is alright, my own shield, dang Erin. Thanks.” David had to break up the friendship feast. He kept the action moving, “Well let’s go see what we can find out.”

The scenario at the Veteran’s Clinic played out favorably, a one hundred and eighty-degree turn from their earlier day’s defeat. At this hospital, when they asked questions, they got answers possibly due to the badges but more than likely due to the receptive and caring nature of the staff. The front counter attendant could not have been older than twenty. She immediately located information at her terminal dating back fifty years. Listed along with Dr. Palmier’s personal information was another name. The young lady called over the intercom for nurse Alice Steers. It was only a few minutes when a sternlooking woman with bushy gray hair and a formal nurse’s outfit from the seventies trotted toward them. “Here comes Alice. She will be able to help you above and beyond anyone else at the VA. Alice worked with the doctor according to my records.” Because he had it labelled in his palm, Ken flashed his badge. Holding it up with an extended arm, he uttered his title of Special Agent of the Health and Human Services Department. Erin thought it was cute, but she quickly told him to put it in his pocket. Nurse Steers acknowledged having worked with Dr. Palmier for many years. She indicated that when he ed, no one came to remove any of his files or personal effects. The hospital was short staffed, so the office space was at an abundance. Alice had a casual demeanor, nothing seemed to alarm her. All of Dr. Palmier’s records were still in his tiny office upstairs. Traveling through the hallways at Alice’s slow pace was excruciating. Ken’s long legs traveled at three times the distance and speed of the others on a normal stroll. He was tripping over his own heels, attempting to reduce each stride. The smell of the old tile floors and hand sanitizer dominated the scent of the atmosphere. Halogen bulbs cracked and buzzed above them. The elevator door even seemed to open and close at Alice’s tempo. They ed several dark rooms before stopping outside an office in the middle of the narrow hallway. “This is Dr. Palmier’s office,” Alice announced. “He was a good man. I know a lot of people disrespected him for his past mistakes, but he was a good man. He helped a lot of patients here out of the goodness of his heart and asked for nothing in return.” Erin had a rush of adrenaline this might be the break that she needed in the case. It felt a little like Christmas morning walking anxiously downstairs to see if Santa brought you toys.

The thick oil-based paint on the door jamb caused the entrance to stick. Alice put her shoulder into the wood trip around the frosted, wire mesh glass of the door. Most medical buildings don’t have the old oak doors with steel hinges anymore this one could stop an army. Alice knew the right pressure point and hip checked the door open on her second try. Entering the locked office had the feeling of entering a bank vault. The air was stale, musty, and with a hint of pipe tobacco. Being sealed from the outside elements prevented the disbursement of dust. The lights flickered as they warmed up. Two of the six light ballasts refused to shine, leaving areas of shadow and darkness. “Nothing has been touched since he ed away in 2012?” Erin asked with authority. “No Miss, I had been in the office a few months after he ed to look for any information on a possible relative to , but I am sure I was the last person in here,” Alice exclaimed. “You are absolutely certain no one else has been in here?” Ken asked. Smirking at Ken for having questioned her previous statement, Alice said, “This here is the only key to the room. I keep it with me to a few of the really good times.” She walked over to the windows and pulled the cord on the venetian blinds, allowing a little more light to illuminate the office. Erin and Ken began their strategic coordination of reviewing the documentation. Erin drew a basic layout of the office on a notepad. She cross sectioned the room and gave Ken his assignment. David hovered behind with Alice. He was unclear as to the legal policy of reviewing documents in an investigation based around his own arrest. David asked kindly, referring to what had been said moments earlier, “What were some of the good times?” Alice brightened up as she and David stood huddled near the doorway, “The good times were certainly whenever Angela was here. Those were my favorite memories for sure.” Interested to know more, David inquired, “Oh was Angela a nurse at the clinic?” “No, Angela was our patient for more than five years. At the Free Clinic to start

and then she continued treatments here when Dr. Palmier moved his office upstairs to this location. She was a cute kid who grew into a beautiful young woman right before our eyes.” Erin and Ken cleared a small table that was designated as a ‘hold for further review’ area. Erin’s first thought was to rummage for personal items and conquer the doctor’s desk as Ken flipped through file cabinet “A” on his tag list. Moving only a few items on the desktop revealed a wooden framed photograph. The corrugated stand on the back of the frame had broken so the eight x ten pine structure lay on its back. “David, come here please!” Erin demanded. “Can you positively identify the girl in this picture?” David and Alice walked across the room together. His legs moved quickly as urgency commanded. Alice followed two strides behind. “Yes, that is Angela.” David had no doubt. The way the eyes and mouth smiles, no matter what age that face was recognizable. “That’s my precious young lady,” Alice indicated. “Our Angela DiVita was almost fifteen in that picture!” She shook her head. “If I had ed that was still here, I would have taken it home with me. It is tough getting old.” Ken approached to get a glance at the find. Erin held the frame in her right hand and tapped it on the palm of her left. The special agents and Dr. Newman stared at the photo as their minds attempted to wrap around the significance of this discovery. Research creates transformative breakthroughs when clues can be assembled to reveal commonalities. Scientists from diverse backgrounds such as social sciences, mathematics, computer science, economics and the numerous medical fields credit hard work for most of their discoveries and innovations. Finding a link between Dr. Palmier’s curious NK cell publication and his relationship with Angela DiVita was no exception. Erin asked Alice if she could give background details on Angela as a patient and any information she could provide regarding Dr. Palmier’s medical procedures. Ken went out to the Suburban to retrieve the team’s laptops as well as a digital camera and more notepads. Erin, David and Alice cleaned off a few chairs to get more comfortable. Alice agreed to go back as far as she could with her knowledge of Angela DiVita. Angela was first ed as a patient at the Free

Clinic by a family from North Liberty, Iowa. At that time, she was thought to have been suffering from a case of pneumonia. They were her fifth set of foster parents. Angela was an orphan from birth. She lived a tough life plagued with illness. All the foster families to which she was placed grew attached to her but were unable to provide the care she needed. When Dr. Palmier met her for the first time at the Free Clinic, he knew she was special. Angela had been diagnosed by Dr. Palmier and confirmed by couple reluctant colleagues with chronic myelogenous leukemia/lymphocytic complex and acute monocytic leukemia. “CML Bunch.” “What did you say, David?” Erin was so focused on the details being provided that she jumped when David spoke. “CML Bunch that’s what the kids at camp called themselves. Amanda Johnson, Jenny Parker, Kari Wolocowski and JR Winston.” David paused as he pieced it together. “Alice, you said she had chronic myelogenous leukemia – CML?” Noting the serious tone, Alice responded, “Yes, and the pain to go with it.” “I’m sorry for interrupting, please continue.” David somehow knew Angela’s attraction by the children was due to an unspoken common bond. “She suffered since she was about five years old from what we were told. We only started treating her from age ten.” “Oh shit! That is a long time to be ill,” said Ken. “That tiny little girl had every sign but didn’t get treatment until Dr. Palmier finally diagnosed her correctly. Every sign under the sun and moon and stars. The foster families just thought she was a lazy, sickly little stick. Bruising, t pain, itchy skin, fatigue, fever, night sweats, upper abdomen pain from an enlarged spleen and no appetite.” Alice had tears welling up in her eyes. “I’m afraid it has been a while since I recalled all of these bad memories. It makes me quite emotional.” David reached over and patted Alice on the shoulder. “Take your time. We understand completely. I want you to know that she volunteered at a children’s camp with me this past summer, and she seemed very happy and extremely

healthy.” David continued to console her. “Angela brought a lot of happiness to the kids being treated with leukemia. It explains why she had such a strong bond with them.” “You said you started treating her at age ten?” Erin interjected. “What treatments were istered.” “It is all here somewhere. Everything is documented. Dr. Palmier was resolute with his record keeping. Most of the effort was to help her feel better and better on a daily basis. We had istered antacids, stool softeners, basic antibiotics, low-level ibuprofen. She received no chemotherapy, no radiation. There wasn’t any money for aggressive treatments.” Alice wiped tears from her eyes. “Till one day, she simply had enough!” There was a twenty-second gap between words or movement from anyone in the room. The sun was low enough that the rays peered below the tops of the windows and glistened in brightly. Shadows that dominated the appearance of the room minutes prior danced away. David said, “Alice, what does that mean? She simply had enough?” “She had enough of the suffering. She was not mad, although she had every right to be. Angela spent all those years in agony. Angela was in the bed for about three weeks straight during that it-visit.” Alice paused and looked up toward the ceiling. “I can still see her face in my mind from that day. My age has not taken that memory from me. She sat up, smiled and let us know that she was done being sick. She said it was time to start living her life and that we could help others instead of watching over her every day. And that is what she did.” Alice proclaimed as her voice cracked and the tears flowed. “From a little kid who never even had the strength to pull up the blanket on her bed to a confident champion that wanted to live rather than to wait around to die.” “So that was it? That was the end of her treatment?” Ken spoke with disbelief. “Angela sat up threw back the blankets, swung her boney little legs over the side of the bed, and asked if she could get something to eat.” “How advanced was her cancer?” David thought it may be relevant. “Stage 2 as far as we could tell. Same as day one when we saw her Stage 2

leukemia. But that was it – that was her final stage.” “Was she released from the hospital right away?” Erin asked. “Angela actually started working here at the hospital. I think she worked with us for five or six months until Dr. Palmier got ill. Her loving spirit helped many of the patient’s health improve. She worked with Dr. Palmier on a few of his research projects, along with providing staff for several of his patients. Dr. Palmier made sure that she received a good paycheck. She had been living at the YMCA or the county shelter for some time. Dr. Palmier basically took on the role of her guardian. He paid for everything she had; clothes, shoes, coats and even offered to have her stay at his house in the guest room.” “Would you know how we could get in touch with her? Do you have an address where she lives or a cellphone number?” Erin belted out. “Oh no, she is off to see the world. Angela made it very clear that her goal was to take in as much of this world as she could. She didn’t even want to say goodbye, so she simply strolled off and let us know that she would return when she was ready.” “We are going to take control of this room for a few days. I’m going to need your key. The contents of Dr. Palmier’s office are now federal property. We can file paperwork with the hospital to make it all legal. I would like to get your information as I am sure we will have more questions,” stated Erin. “Ken, walk David through our procedure. We are going to allow him to review everything, documents, reports, patient profiles, and even the doctor’s personal belongings. If either of you want something besides burgers and fries, let me know now. I’m calling in for a few Federal Marshals to secure this room and I’m hungry, so I am getting food.” Erin felt the power of the badge and the adrenaline of the moment. She took a hair clip from her pocket and secured her bangs to keep them out of her eyes. Ken looked at Erin and then at David. He was not about to put in an order for fresh vegetables or maybe some broiled salmon. “Burgers would be fine for me.”

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Chapter 6

The Discovery of a Lifetime

Dr. Palmier’s entire professional career’s work, along with most of his personal documents, resided in a fifteen by twenty-foot, second-floor office in a VA Hospital in East-Central Iowa. From the moment they started the process of sorting file folders and hacking into his unsecure computer, they knew a significant amount of data was present. This little room indeed was as chaotic as it first appeared. The doctor had his blood test results both digital and print, published articles, sampling data, patient history, and more in random locations. An hour into the process, the critical research pile grew from inches into over a foot-tall tower of incredible information. If the evidence was labeled cancer, leukemia, blood, hemoglobin, plasma, or sanguine fluid it was cataloged by date. If the evidence indicated test subject, trial, experimental, genetic trace, or therapy, it was immediately reviewed by Special Agent Dr. Mayfield. As the hours ed their conversations became refined to brief medical terminological code consisting of prefixes, suffixes, and base root definitions. On occasion, Ken would get stumped, and ask David quietly as to the meaning of the conversation or request Erin to repeat her instructions in layman’s . The sun ed its point of benefiting their vision. Ken had procured two desk lamps from the front counter staff. As necessary, the lights were shifted sometimes placed at the highest point in the room for all to enjoy and other times hoarded for close document review. “Ken, build me that timeline of the main topics we have discussed. I want to review it before we call it a night. I am going to get us set up in a local hotel for the evening and make sure these Marshals understand the room is to be secured overnight.” “Check, I will work on the timeline immediately.” “David, work your way to the next set of drawers in that wooden file cabinet, please.” Ken read page after page as he charted the chronological stream of data. He glanced over at David, who had not stopped reviewing documents since the

process started. His eyes were small slits, and his forehead scrunched from the strain of constant scanning. David stretched to relieve the spasm in his back. Ken, too, had nearly reached his limit of comprehension. “I should have this evidence recorded and on the timeline in like ten minutes. When Erin gets back, I will recommend that we shut it down for today.” “Don’t stop on my . The second wind is coming, I can feel it.” David looked up. He had a hard time adjusting his visual to read the clock on the wall. “Nope, we all need a break. It is not the content on the computer that gets to me, it is this terrible handwriting. I have to re-read everything to piece together the words that are just so scribbled. I cannot tell one vowel from another and is this a “g” or a “j”.”

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The hotel provided a comfortable place to rest. Closing their eyes after hours of analytical-based viewing allowed the group some needed ophthalmic relaxation. Television seemed like a waste of time. David had hoped his patients were well taken care of and that Avery was staying strong. Erin relaxed for a few minutes before stretching and throwing down a few yoga poses. Ken banged away at the keyboard for hours before he slept. During the early morning continental breakfast, they all agreed that none of them had slept more than an hour or two. David and Erin sat at a table together in the cafeteria area near the lobby. Ken spread out with one of everything the hotel offered for breakfast at his own table. The premise originally noted by Dr. Alivetta that a doctor from Iowa City had introduced a high concentration of protein as a therapeutic remedy for cancer that spontaneously regenerated as super NK cells had Erin and David intrigued to the point of professional excitement. Ken did not sleep well because he was hungry and spent most of the night typing up his reports. Erin spent time in the early morning hours scanning the CDC database for related articles. Calling upon her field experience and recently obtained knowledge, she shared with David her findings regarding Vectors in Gene Therapy all viruses bind to their hosts and introduce their genetic material into

the host cell as part of their replication cycle. This genetic material contains basic ‘instructions’ of how to produce more copies of these viruses, hijacking the body’s normal production machinery to serve the needs of the virus. The host cell will carry out these instructions and produce additional copies of the virus, leading to more and more cells becoming infected. David acknowledged that the viral principle as to which Erin spoke was parallel to the devastating cell formation of most forms of cancer and could work in reverse with regard to NK cells. Production of NK cells through the same principle would provide an internal remedy. Erin continued with the specifics of her research in order to better grasp what they may be looking for today. Some types of viruses insert their genes into the host’s genome, but do not enter the cell. Others penetrate the cell membrane disguised as protein molecules and enter the cell. She was not able to rule out any form of chemically or naturally introduced element. Her doctoral thesis on Covariance Statistical Analysis may just have another practical application allowing her to solve the case at hand. “I will definitely have to make time to read your paper,” David stated with true professional intrigue. Erin concluded the morning’s pre-discovery conversation by following up on the main idea for her thesis. “In probability theory and statistics, covariance is a measure of how much two variables change together. Variance is a special case of the covariance when the two variables are identical.” “If we can locate the source of the protein and replicate it, we may have treatment for cancer beyond anything in existence.” David looked at Erin with all seriousness. “I have never conducted illegal medical trials on my patients, and nor would I, ever.” “I believe you. I knew it from your reactions in Cleveland and the natural response you displayed reviewing the blood work in Dr. Alivetta’s lab. Your assistance is very much appreciated.” Ken got up and walked away from the table. He picked up his backpack, throwing one strap over his shoulder and lifting his other bag by the leather handle, headed for the door. Erin and David cleared their breakfast plates. Erin had her bags near the front desk, so she picked them up and headed outside. David had to go back to his room before heading out to the Suburban to get to work.

Ken was waiting by the vehicle, “I don’t think it is professional to discuss guilt or innocence with a suspect in our investigation.” “My judgments are based upon the facts as I interpret them. Do not question my professionalism,” Erin snapped. “I’m just saying from my view-point, we’ve seen nothing that eliminates Dr. Newman’s guilt.” “You help collect the data and I will report the findings.” “It seems like you are getting to be more than colleagues with David.” Ken danced around a safe distance away. “You better stop right there! Get in the truck, you’re driving.” David was approaching. Erin was sure that this was Ken’s jealousy speaking. She had never been anything but professional when it came to David, being absolutely aware of the serious nature of the Department of Justice’s allegations. Erin also had the pressure of senators looking over her shoulder on her first case. Erin presented her badge and officially dismissed the marshal who had spent the night outside of Dr. Palmier’s office door. She made sure that his schedule was open if his service was required for another evening. Little was said between Erin and Ken as the team got right to work. David could sense that a private conversation had taken place. Erin opened the window to let in some needed fresh air. The slight breeze also cooled the heat created by the personal friction in the room. After an hour of complete silence, the team found significant information among the files. Document after document brought amazing discoveries that had to be discussed. The team would review a few dozen pages of information and then loudly share the details with the group. David uncovered a sealed legal-sized envelope. He called Erin and Ken over so that they could in the experience of discovery. This was David’s way of possibly reducing the friction of the morning. It appeared to be dated 2004 with the handwritten name of Jane Smith on the front. The contents ed an individual female with no legal guardian present by the State of Iowa on pages stamped with a raised state seal. The subject was identified as an orphan. Other sheets of paper included past family location for the name Jane Smith. On the following documents this officially typed name had been crossed out and handwritten in the margin of the records

was Angela DiVita. Also in the margin in what was clearly Dr. Jacob Palmier’s handwriting was a statement today and forever, clean and sober. It appeared that the doctor had successfully filed for and changed the young girl’s name. An application for a state ID had been processed. The returned authorization mentioned of an enclosed State Identification Card. Several other documents from the same file cabinet brought prominent notice. Erin took the envelope. She slid it into her backpack where she knew it would remain until she chose to remove it. Ken completed his search of a tall, two-door metal cabinet. He moved on to the next storage vessel. A new Hon Furniture file cabinet presented itself as curious. The cabinet was of different construction unlike any of the other eight in Dr. Palmier’s office. It stood there like an oak in a pine forest the entire time they had investigated the office, however, until right now it was not as obviously distinct. When the trained mind tightens its focus, elements that seem in a natural position stand out as obscure. The metal was thicker, the pull handles on the drawers were twice the size of any other in the room and it drew attention due to the fact that nothing had been placed on top of the cabinet. Ken pulled each of the draws. The cabinet was locked. He attempted to use a letter opener to twist the metal around the lock positioned on the top drawer to force it open. He groaned and pulled with all his strength but could not break the file drawer open. Ken stopped to catch his breath and rethink his efforts. David and Erin had been watching him the entire time. Grinning, Erin tossed him a set of keys that she found hours before in the top left drawer of Dr. Palmier’s personal desk. “Oh, I found these keys a while ago if you think they could be of any use.” “Really, you were going to stand there, let me struggle, and look like an idiot, weren’t you?” Ken laughed as the tension lifted from the situation. “ who carried your ass away from danger, into the jungle and stopped you from bleeding to death?” Ken smirked lovingly. “Oh my gosh, how long are you going to harp on that? I said thank you like a million times, and I’m quite sure my dad has you listed as a beneficiary in his will,” Erin joked. It was a nice emotional break that they all needed. They agreed to spend fifteen more minutes investigating and then take an hour break to eat. Ken suggested maybe pizza today. He was sure if he held his tongue, they would be eating

burgers and fries again. The key worked. Ken slowly opened the top drawer. He had mangled the sheet metal along the top edge, so he made sure to be clear for the razor-sharp tab he created while extracting documents. “Wait, wait, wait what the hell is this! Guys, I have some real deep shit here!!” Ken could not contain himself, “Holy Mother of God!” “What did you find?” Erin witnessed the sweat rolling off Ken’s forehead. The look on his face when he turned toward her was a mix of fear and confusion. David could see that Ken’s respiration was deepening and his pulse made the veins in his neck swell and throb. “Sit down before you out, Ken!” David shouted. He stepped over piles for papers on the floor to take the shortest route to get to Ken in case he went down. Ken was able to lean against the brick window ledge. Sitting now with the late morning sun shining through the glass onto the paper clenched in his hand. “He conducted human trials. Dr. Palmier documented that he was injecting blood samples into unsuspecting human subjects.” Ken stuttered through his thoughts. “Right here, he has outlined test procedures for istering what he identified as NK Cell Clusters!” Ken used his shirt sleeve to wipe his forehead. “Holy shit guys, find me anything in those files that is labeled HOST!!” Ken panicked with a rush of adrenaline. He yelled out his command. “I have a list of names that I believe are test subjects.” Erin flashed past Ken and dug into the newly opened file. David stood alongside Ken, reading over his shoulder. Ken read while pointing out the words on the page. Erin was kind of proud of the way Ken took ownership of the situation when he knew the discovery would be of value. “Got it! This entire folder is labeled HOST.” She was reading as fast as she could while motioning to David to come over by her. “Tell me what you make of all of these phrases and headings; Cytokines play a critical role in NK cell activation, stress molecules released by cells upon viral infection, they serve to signal to the NK cell of the presence of viral pathogens?” Erin flipped the pages, scanning the title on the top of each page. The file consisted of approximately fifty pages.

“Let me take a closer look at that,” David insisted. He continued where Erin left off and read aloud. “Given their strong cytolytic activity and the potential for auto-reactivity, NK cell activity is tightly regulated. NK cells must receive an activating signal from a viral presence.” “David, when we had a previous discussion, you said that patients with CML were prone to infections?” Erin inquired. “That is correct.” “Seems as though Dr. Palmier’s theory is that the host had CML and was subjected to a viral infection.” Erin noticed notes from several of the documents in the Host folder, which had correlating evidence referencing laboratory blood test results. The words ‘test results’ were followed by (46) on each of the following pages. She quickly flipped through the manuscripts she had in her hands. Erin only saw page numbers through twenty-two. “David, do you have a document marked page forty-six?” “Yes, I’ve got it.” He pulled his head back from the page and refocused his eyes. “Does page forty-six have a defined laboratory test result?” There was no response. “David, is that a laboratory test result?” Erin was concerned so she moved closer to get a glimpse for herself. Ken walked slowly toward David as well. “David, what did you find?” They all stood at attention with the same thought. Page forty-six was a formal document from the University of Iowa Hospital. Angela DiVita tested positive through secondary verification for Chronic myelogenous leukemia and upper respiratory adenovirus. Dr. Palmier had written between the lines NK cell protein present subsequent to repository verification – Angela (Host). Erin finally said, “He used Angela’s blood with the presence of NK cells to treat other patients.” “We can cross-reference the documents. I have to confirm that he did indeed inject samples of her blood into these named individuals.” Ken handed Erin the paperwork he was holding.

As their search continued right through lunch, evidence turned up that Dr. Palmier tested his theory on veterans from the VA clinic. Several names and dates were recorded and stapled to multiple medical forms in folders throughout the file cabinet. The sample data and printed baseline computer images appeared to be identical to Amanda, Kari and JR’s samples with the same presence of a foreign protein structure that attacked their cancer cells. “None of Dr. Palmier’s colleagues took his work seriously or even questioned his theory because he was a known drug and alcoholic. Shit, he lost so many years of providing,” Ken stopped. He was letting himself get pulled into the hype of an unproven hypothesis. None of the evidence to date was conclusive to anything tangible. “Providing what?” “Of providing a cure for cancer. If this is what we really uncovered.” They agreed they needed some time to process the details and see if they could locate any of the test subjects for questioning. Erin believed that she was so close to connecting the dots. She still had it in the back of her mind that the kids might have a clue. She had ruled out David’s involvement in illegal test activity. Agent Mayfield was not thoroughly convinced that Angela alone could have conducted any secret procedures at the Life for Leukemia Retreat. The other question plaguing her was if Angela was cognizant of Dr. Palmier’s experiments. It was decided that some tough questions had to be asked of the CML Bunch in the presence of the children’s parents. Did Angela play any role in activities at camp without David’s or his staff’s knowledge? David spoke out in Angela’s defense. He commented on how sweet and inspiring she was to the campers. Angela was the kind of person that brightens your spirit. Angela worked closely with all the staff and provided more than her share of the emotional care. She worked harder than any two other staff . In fact, David recalled that she was up early every day to get activities prepared and she was the last person up at night to make sure all the kids were comfortably in bed. Ken questioned David whether his comments were based on staff descriptions of the events or if he had eyes on Angela 24-7. David knew the nature of the questioning. It would be impossible for him to exclude anyone as a suspect based on a staff member’s conversational testimony.

The marshals were called in to help box the evidence from Dr. Palmier’s office. Erin had ed the local FBI office and requested their assistance in photographing all of the critical data as well as providing secure storage of the contents. She had asked the regional FBI Director to run an additional background on Dr. Palmier.

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Erin alleged they had the high points documented from the VA Hospital in Iowa City. She proposed the next course of action. “I am going to pay a personal visit to Dr. Dixon. He started this entire investigation, but he has not given us very much information. I am not sold on the theory that a host subjects blood protein can be istered as a vaccine against cancer with no one’s knowledge. If this deception took place someone will let it leak out.” Doing her due diligence with direct questioning of David and Dr. Alivetta she was bond by her duty as an agent investigating for the Department of Justice to soldier on. “Dr. Dixon is next up for questioning.” The guys agreed that the idea of a patient, let alone a child, can be istered a vaccine or transfusion without leaving a trace or saying a word is a long shot. More research was required to make any kind of a scientific determination. Erin assigned Ken to follow up on the patient leads here in Iowa. David was the foremost authority on leukemia and could help identify the protein pattern that they were looking for so he too was assigned to stay in Iowa as the clinical translator, if you will. “If Dr. Dixon has anything previous with Dr. Palmier or any of this evidence regarding antibody proteins in his possession, I’m going to find it.” Ken deliberated his concern, “He is not going to be very accommodating, and you know he may be protected by your dad’s best friend. Doctor-patient confidentiality will be held to the highest degree when a dead U.S. Senator’s daughter is involved.” “He doesn’t have a choice.” Erin smirked, “I have a badge! And like it or not,

the US Government has granted me a high level of investigative power. Dr. Dixon may be afraid of Senator Cooper, but I am not.” “Be careful whose toes you step on. You may have to sit next to them at Thanksgiving dinner.” Ken reminded her of just how close to home this case is hitting. “Noted. Doesn’t change my mind for a second, I am going.” “So, are you going to drive to Richmond, or can we have the Suburban?” Ken can be an ass when he wants to. “Nope, flying as soon as I can.” Erin left the room on her cell phone to see what kind of connecting flights she could get out of the Iowa City Municipal Airport. David asked Ken why Erin had the great fear of flying. He was curious if this was a fear from childhood or manifested by traumatic events. Ken explained that while conducting field research for the CDC they had to jump in and out of South American and Central American countries on some really sketchy airplanes. We had some trips where we got bounced around rather good, slid off a few runways that were too short for landing any size plane and landed in some thick jungle vegetation to break our fall from the sky. They even flipped on their side while in a ten seat DC 10 full of supplies donated by a host of US charities. They overloaded the plane and packed it tight, so it was unbalanced to the point of near catastrophe. Of course, the all-time worst flight was self-inflicted. “You see, we had government authority to work tly with the World Health Organization in Brazil but absolutely no credentials to cross over into Venezuela,” Ken spoke of the events proudly as they reflected the greatest time in his life. “We voted as a group but the rest of us knew if Erin wanted to go into Venezuela, we were all going.” “Sounds like a rewarding adventure. Except for the induced anxiety disorder, aerophobia, and getting shot.” David had respect for Special Agent Dr. Erin Mayfield from day one. These stories accentuated her dynamic personality. “This is a big step for her to voluntarily reserve a seat on a flight. And to take on the task of booking it herself, really big.” Ken was laughing as Erin walked into the room.

“Here to Chicago in a small commercial jet full of pharmaceutical sale representatives and then a full-sized Boeing 737 to Richmond.” Erin was not laughing. David had an idea, “If you are going to interrogate Dr. Dixon, take Avery with you. Dr. Dixon trusts Avery and frequently asks for his consultation. Plus, nobody is better at cellular regeneration and gene therapy if seemingly extraneous evidence appears. If Avery is on vacation, he will be at their family house at Linkhorn Bay in Virginia Beach. Tell him he would be doing me a favor by assisting in your investigation.” “It is a good idea to bring him in closer to this investigation.” Erin might be able to conduct two investigations at once and bring Avery out of hiding. He seems to her like the kind of resourceful individual who could make himself difficult to find if he intended to keep out of sight. “You have to allow him to clear his name too. Please do not demand him to assist you. Ask him nicely first. He will make the situation more complicated if he feels forced into anything,” David pleaded his case. “Again, tell him he would be helping me.” “Give me a telephone number where I can reach him. I will Avery to request his presence and expertise. My request to Jenny Parker’s parents will not be as cordial. No more hiding from me!” Erin truly believed that if someone had istered a vaccine or any kind of genetic therapy to these kids one of them would give her details. Speaking to three quarters of the CML Bunch had deflected the element of dramatic deception so far. The Parker family is protecting Jenny or hiding something. Erin was prepared to demand answers if she felt she was being stonewalled in any way. Handling Dr. Dixon would be a simple matter of threatening to toss his ass in jail if he withheld evidence.

Chapter 7

Divide and Conquer!

Ken and David had their assignment to track down as many of the names on Dr. Palmier’s list of ‘treated patients’ from the VA Hospital as they could. Interviews may prove helpful, but the desired verification would come from the analysis of complete medical records. If David could have permission to draw a few vials of blood, physical confirmation would add value to the investigation. Erin was already boarding the plane in Chicago. Her initial hop from the Iowa City Municipal Airport to Midway Airport on Chicago’s South-side was exceptionally smooth. She had time between flights to confirm her arrival and meeting with Dr. Dixon. Her conversation with Avery went well. He extended Erin’s professional courtesy. Given the opportunity to clear his best friend’s name motivated him to be respectful. Ken presented his official identification at the Johnson County Clerk’s Office. After twenty minutes, a supervisor along with a Sheriff’s Deputy agreed to take the list of names and reference them in the county database. Ken asked David if there was anything he needed while they waited for information. His intent of proposing the question was to identify if maybe a beverage or snack was desired. Instead, David shocked him with a question he presumed had already been clarified. “I’d really like some details regarding the initial charges and who filed the investigation into my clinic and summer camp,” David said to Ken. Not seeing any substantial harm in answering, Ken explained as much as he knew from the case briefings. Senator Cooper had this entire case fast-tracked. His daughter attended your leukemia camp this summer. She was also a patient of Dr. Dixon. When she ed away, the senator lost his mind and blamed Dr. Dixon for being incompetent and not istering anything outside of chemotherapy and radiation over the past year and a half. The senator had read about experimental gene therapies on Wikipedia. When the good doctor was backed into a corner, he revealed the great success that ‘his’ new treatments had on Jenny Parker. Of course, he could not defend his treatment claims, so he

lawyered up and signed a sworn statement that the children had been experimented on at your Leukemia Retreat without authority. Senator Cooper wants to blame someone for the death of his daughter rather than accept the heartbreaking fact that she suffered from a form of cancer that claims ninetynine percent of its victims. “Thank you for your candid expression of the circumstances.” David felt betrayed. His deepest hope was that he could provide a retreat setting that would promote nothing but positivity for the campers, their families, and everyone involved. To have the institution of good will tainted by a desperate man, cut deep. “Sure, you deserve to know at least that much.” The County Clerks Office was able to turn over addresses and telephone numbers for two of the names on the Dr. Palmier List. Harry Brooker and Hubert Green still resided in the surrounding area. Ken was able to speak with them on the first call to their residences. As soon as Dr. Palmier’s name was mentioned they each agreed to help in any way they could. The tone of the conversations toward him was not that of a ridiculed and disgraced physician, but that of an amazing prophet that had changed their lives to the extent of indebtedness. Both had agreed to share their previous professional diagnosis and give a blood sample. Ken explained to the Chief of Staff at the University of Iowa Hospital that the matter had jurisdiction as granted by the U.S. Department of Justice. An agreement was struck that Special Agent Ken Lawson and his associates could occupy an emergency room suite as long as no unforeseen incident required the bed space. On the drive, they ed the world-renowned University of Iowa Children’s Hospital next to Kinnick Stadium on the edge of the University of Iowa campus. Within the hospital system is the Holden Comprehensive Cancer Center, which is an NCI designated cancer facility. David was always impressed with the institution and the remarkable advancements it has achieved. He shared with Ken the ired tradition that started in 2017 at the University of Iowa home football games were at the end of the first quarter of every game, all the attendees in the stands along with the Hawkeyes and the visiting football teams’ wave at the children in the hospital. The documents and records in the University Hospital database confirmed that the two men had prior cancer diagnosis. Harry Brooker, now at age seventy-six

had been identified as suffering from Hodgkin’s lymphomas. Hubert Green now appeared healthy at age seventy-eight, he had a categorized diagnosis of acute lymphoblastic leukemia. At the time of their initial illness, neither gentleman had insurance which would cover prolonged treatment for their ailments, so they sought out the VA Hospital and Free Clinic for treatment that is where they became patients of Dr. Palmier. The interviews produced corroborating details that both men were introduced to Dr. Palmier independently. David’s emergency room physicals revealed no surface or tissue patterns for lymphomas nor any pain or mobility limitations due to leukemia. Based on Mr. Brooker and Mr. Green’s testimony, they suffered degenerating conditions consistent with the diseases that inhabited them. The claim as made by the gentlemen was that Dr. Palmier gave them several injections of raw blood. The amounts of fluid were unknown just that each had been given three or four sizable syringes full of a blood-like substance, which the doctor informed them was a pre-qualified donated sample. A treatment that Dr. Palmier assured them would do no harm, but if his theory was correct, it would defeat the cancer. David made a request for a hospital phlebotomy technician to conduct the extraction of the clinical specimens. Ken flashed his badge to the emergency room attending resident and got hooked up with the third-floor lab. He was able to secure the proper spectrograph and micrometer that David needs for his analysis of the blood samples. Ken Lawson did not finish first in his class at NYU, nor did he have the attention span to complete his doctorate degree. However, he possesses a scholastic specialty in mathematics and statistical probability. He added his comments as to the events that were unfolding in front of, him and David. Without Erin being present, it was more probable that he was working through his intuition rather than attempting to display his knowledge for the sake of personal attention. He presented David with the following wisdom: In statistics, a spurious relationship is a mathematical relationship (or, sometimes known as spurious correlation or spurious regression) in which two occurrences have no causal connection, yet it may be inferred that they do, because of a certain third, unseen factor (referred to as a “confounding factor” or as Ken preferred to use in his analysis a “lurking variable”). The spurious relationship gives an impression of a worthy link between two groups that is invalid when objectively examined. “The presumed lurking variable, in this case, is blood from a host injected

directly into that of a patient with a cancerous disorder,” Ken proclaimed. “I understand the relationship to the variable. I think you have stated it correctly and more distinctly that I could have formulated.” David was impressed with Ken’s quick dissertation. He was not able to reconstruct his thought process to the ends as rapidly as Ken. “Ever see anything like this, two old men doomed to suffer a deadly fate of deterioration without treatment, completely cured of cancer?” Ken asked without empathy. “No, I have not,” David replied humbly. “Same result as the children zero trace of lymphoma or leukemia but in these cases, there are no remaining signs of NK protein cells.” “Something cured these dudes. Erin needs to hear about this right away.” “Let’s copy these data files and request that these images get sent to both you and Erin. Seeing is believing.” David could not surmise the biological foundation for the gentlemen’s recovery, but from his view Angela had a genetic key to NK cells. Her body may have found a way to decode her DNA and generate a sort of self-preserving antibody. After disseminating the details of their discovery to Erin, the guys wanted to proceed with the follow-up on Angela’s whereabouts. She did not show up in any government database to date which could pinpoint her current location. The next component on the agenda was to speak with Alice again to get any information she may have on the location of Angela, a lead to her closest friends, or possibly a previous foster family might provide a starting point.

Erin scheduled to convene with Avery prior to entering Dr. Dixon’s office. They had agreed to meet at a Starbuck down the street from the doctor’s clinic. Arriving early, Erin sat facing the front door. She was almost finished with her coffee when she noticed a dark blue BMW M340i Sedan speed up and captured a parking space directly in front of the window. Avery gracefully rose from the leather interior wearing a green cashmere jacket with a matching scarf. “Of course, that was his car, she thought.” The greeting featured limited small talk. Erin debriefed him with minimal details only to explain to him that the current evidence is favorable for David. She asserted that she was in charge and that he was around to assist her in reviewing documentation, lab work analysis, and genetic images pertaining to therapeutics with high protein spikes or any evidence beneficial to the case. He was to comment on medical assessments only. Offering viewpoints of a personal nature were not permitted. The procedure was to be an assessment of Dr. Dixon’s examination records and then to interview Jenny Parker in the presence of her family. Erin went so far as to inform Avery of his rights. She threatened him that if he tampered with evidence or obstructed the investigation, she would have him arrested. Avery was about to tell her that she was cute when she got all authoritative, but he withheld his comment. They drove separately to the office of Dr. Dixon, although Erin would have liked to have ridden in Avery’s BMW to see how the one percenters live for just a moment. Erin had a federal search warrant in hand along with her badge clipped in full view on her belt. As soon as the federal marshals arrived, they would enter the building. The sun warmed the air instantly as it rose into the sky. Avery stood leaning against the brick wall of the office building. Erin’s posture was perfect, standing at attention with her arms folded tightly. She had her briefcase and backpack on the ground at her feet. Time pasted slowly. Avery broke the awkward silence. “Do you enjoy this government work more than running around Central America?” Avery asked. “My skills can be used in many aspects of medical analysis.” Erin did not want to appear weak by telling him that her father had her transferred to domestic duty. “You really checked into my background, Avery?” “Immediately after I left David’s office! Even before I had a first-year med

student stitch up my forehead.” “Why?” “You came after the most ethical person I know, who has devoted his life to saving children, with a bullshit charge yes I needed to know if you had political motivations,” Avery stated. “Well, what did you find out?” Erin could not help but see a gleam in Avery’s eyes. It could be a mild interest in her, or his attraction could be the scientist quizzing the researcher. “You check out as one of the brightest in your field. And it appears that you are as tough as you are smart.” Yep, Avery was definitely interested. “Tell me does it hurt to get shot? I saw a few bullet wounds in my early days making my rounds in the ER. The shredded flesh looked to be painful.” Erin was glad to see the marshals arrived. She felt her face getting flush, and Avery somehow made her heart rate accelerate. There was no biological reason for her palms to sweat unless it was from the direct sunlight upon her. Three marshals had traveled together from their nearby field office in downtown Richmond. The men wore suits and ties with shoulder straps concealing the SIG Sauer P320’s each man carried. The team entered Dr. Dixon’s office with a warrant in hand. They locked down and secured the office with tactical precision. This was a much more professional and well-trained group of law enforcement than she had previously encountered. Each marshal was competent in computer data retrieval. Erin mentioned a few key words to consider target items with which to immediately consult her or Avery if discovered. The Parker family was to arrive in two hours. Erin wanted most of the initial file scans to be completed. Dr. Dixon complied with every request as Erin planted herself on his right hip during the office walk through. There didn’t seem to be communication between suspects, nor any data that could show Dr. Dixon’s knowledge of Dr. Palmier’s work. As they reviewed his clinical records and discovered his treatment methods it became abundantly clear that Dr. Dixon’s patients were not receiving modern clinical treatments or therapies. Avery made a few comments to Erin as they stood together alone for the first time since entering that it might be time for the doctor to retire or partner with a younger staff of oncologists.

Mr. and Mrs. Parker entered the office with Jenny tucked in behind them. It was Avery who noticed their attendance in the lobby. He asked a marshal to locate Erin and request that she her guests up front. Avery greeted the family with his name and title. He informed them that he was a colleague for Dr. Dixon’s. Avery immediately asked the parents how Jenny was feeling. He smiled at her, commenting how healthy and beautiful she looked was his way to set a friendly atmosphere. His tone and bedside manner were that of a full-time practicing pediatric physician and not that of a backroom tech spinning plasma for a living. Mr. and Mrs. Parker were set at ease from his introduction. Erin entered the room and established herself as simply Dr. Mayfield. She left off the special agent moniker. They did not need to have the pressure of a Health and Human Services Investigator notably interrogating them. The setting was merely a couple of doctors inquiring as to the health of their child. Avery explained that they were happy to have them in attendance today. He told them they would like to have another blood sample from Jenny to confirm her white blood cell count. Speaking past the parents to a calling he had hoped would reach Jenny, he claimed that the information in her blood could help many other children who currently have leukemia. While the Parker family waited patiently in the lobby, Erin and Avery examined the blood culture. Dr. Avery Carlson had a photographic memory. It helped him advance through his career as a Genomic Sequencing Specialist at Johns Hopkins University Research Hospital. Both he and Erin were professionally qualified to analyze the pathology slide under the electron microscope in Dr. Dixon’s antiquated office laboratory. “There is no presence of the NK cells,” Avery exclaimed. “Nor any active protein displacement like in the Johnson girl’s blood. We would have to get this to Johns Hopkins to have the advanced genomic tracer tested to identify any genetic alterations in the blood cancer.” They called in Dr. Dixon to review the blood. Erin wanted to see his first-hand reaction. Any slight bodily twitch, rapid eye movement, or mental hesitation and Erin would be all over him with follow-up questions. “I don’t understand this does not look like Jenny’s previous samples!” Dr. Dixon dipped his head and took a second look. He asked Erin’s permission to pull up the photo-images on his computer from the last exam.

“I know this was from weeks ago, but I did everything right,” he whined. “This is not my error. The sample is completely different.” Erin believed that his reaction qualified as a pure lack of knowledge and not a smokescreen. He was scared, but not because he had something to hide. The fear was because he thought that he was being blamed for his inadequacies. “Avery, look at the samples, they do not match Jenny Parker’s previous results. The NK cells have been displaced. There is no sign of cancer and the NK cells have disappeared.” Avery clicked a few strokes on the keyboard and overlaid the images. “They have distinctly different profiles.” He turned to Erin. “Our super protein evidence is gone, my dear.” “You’re sure about that?” Erin questioned. “Erin, this is what I do, this is all I do. I’m sure.” Avery scoffed playfully. He rolled the chair back away from the desk. “Standing around might not be our most productive alternative what is our next move, Dr. Special Agent?” said Avery looking up at Erin. Erin looked around the room, collecting her thoughts. The field protocol would be to retest the subject. Having an expert, Dr. Avery Carlson, on-site who seemingly never makes mistakes shuts down that avenue. She knew that she wanted to interview Jenny. There had to be more within these walls that would guide the flow of the investigation. The ideas bouncing around in her head did not lineup and Avery staring at her with those crystal blue eyes was not helping. How did the hemoglobin sequencing change? Without a link to Dr. Palmier, the trail to everything known has become cluttered. If Angela is the “host”, how did she infect the children? Erin clearly needed a break as her neurological pathways were pulling up old references – infect was not the term that she was searching for. “Erin, you got this. Take one step at a time. Do not over-think it.” Avery’s voice hit a soft, sympathetic note which offered the reassurance she needed. “I’m going to get Dr. Alivetta on the phone. We need to see if she has similar inconsistencies. I will see if the Parker’s want me to order in some food for them. I’m not finished with my questions yet. They know more than they have

confessed, I feel it.” “Well, okay, now we take the next step.” Avery stood up from the chair and bumped his shoulder into Erin’s shoulder playfully. He was proud of her resolve and he wanted to see if he could make her smile. It worked. Erin pressed her lips tight together and smiled affectionately. Dr. Alivetta’s face took up nearly the entire computer screen as she logged onto the Zoom call. Her excited anticipation of a further discussion with Erin and the legendary Dr. Avery Carlson had her leaning toward the computer. The introductions and the basic information that Erin and Avery were in Richmond conducting new tests on Dr. Dixon’s patient, Jenny Parker, pivoted to the unexpected findings. “I have been waiting to you Agent Mayfield until I had blood analysis verification from the Cleveland Clinic.” “Dr. Alivetta, what is your concern that you had to send blood samples to be verified?” Erin questioned. “The protein that had disrupted my patients’ blood types and mask them as “AB” positive is gone.” Avery pushed into view. His head was no more than an inch from Erin’s. “Is the NK activity still detectible or any trace of its dominance in the plasma?” “No, doctor!” Her voice sounded both anxious and disappointed. “Any other evidentiary anomalies?” Avery was feeling atrial fibrillation as he asked. He put his arm around Erin and on the back of her chair to stabilize his posture. “Both Kari and JR are NED!” Dr. Alivetta’s voice cracked as she shared the good news. “Unbelievable! That is exactly what we have identified with the Jenny Parker exam today.” Erin and Avery took a few moments to process this information. NED. is a term used in the medical field to denote a blood cancer test which reveals, No Evidence of Disease. This is the best news possible for leukemia

patients that so frequently raise and fall with remission results. The patient is no longer classified as being in a remission state, but unconditionally free and clear of cancer cells. Erin demanded that Dr. Alivetta share any of her test data with Avery upon his request should the need arise for him to continue his consultation in the investigation. The call concluded with the agreement to stay in touch. Dr. Alivetta wanted nothing more than to provide her full cooperation. She knew the possibilities of defining what created the NK cells. Avery sat back in his chair with a huge smirk on his face. “So, I’m being required to participate as a consultant in your investigation?” “I thought you would be flattered to know that the US government thinks you qualify as an expert in your medical field.” “I would really appreciate it if your US government agency would withdraw any prosecutory claims against me so that I could return to my laboratory and all of this data.” Avery looked right at Erin and nearly begged with his blue eyes. “We have a cure for cancer that shows up, kicks ass and then vanishes. You could use my full assistance, and I will not be able to do that with a freeze on my access to the tools at Johns Hopkins.” “I will the Department of Justice and see if I can amend my injunction.” Avery also requests that any of his travel expenses be reimbursed by the US government, and most importantly, he wants the Department of Health and Human Services to issue an apology to him personally. Erin asked Avery to use her cell phone and inform Ken and David of the day’s findings. She had a few more questions for Jenny Parker before she released them. Special Agent Erin Mayfield found her rhythm in her new job. She got a selftaught crash course in sorting through unprecedented scientific findings. The evil Zika virus had led her to some terrible places where she witnessed horrible child disfigurements. In the back of her mind, she was hoping that the positive discoveries of this case could be transferred to many other diseases and viruses along with all forms of cancer. Erin pulled the photo from the Leukemia Retreat out of her pocket. Holding it upright, she presented it to the Parkers. “Jenny, what can you tell me about this

photograph and the summer camp which you attended.” Erin handed the picture to the young girl. “Anything that you can share might be helpful to me. We are so happy that you beat your cancer that we want to see if our doctors can do the same for other kids.” Jenny looked at her mom. She took a deep breath sensing the importance of Dr. Mayfield’s question. Mrs. Parker tilted her head, allowing Jenny to answer freely. “Go ahead, dear.” “Well, these are the best friends I’ve ever made at camp. You have Amanda, Kari, and JR, and also Angela.” Jenny pointed at each one. She tried to choose her words carefully. “Who took the picture?” Erin questioned. “Oh, one of the other campers.” Jenny paused. “I can’t her name, but the rest of the kids went into the cabins for the night. We stayed outside to hear more of Angela’s stories. She told the best stories about great adventures.” “What else can you tell me about Angela?” “Angela was sick like us when she was young.” Looking at her mother, she tried to recall. “I don’t know if I told you that, mom.” “I do not think you did.” “Anyway, she told us that all of her stories were adventures she had yet to take.” Jenny looked directly at Erin. She made eye with seemingly nothing to hide. “Didn’t the other kids like Angela’s stories?” Erin asked. “You said they went into their cabins that night.” “They all loved her stories too, but they were afraid of the mosquitos. I the night we took this picture. The mosquitos were around the campfire in a huge swarm.” Erin allowed Jenny to continue without interrupting. Suddenly her mind flashed back to South America, to the mosquitos, the disease, the spread of virus,

countless deaths, and the children plagued with cranial disfigurement from the effects of the Zika virus transmitted by insect infusion. It was like images on flashcards in her memory that came out of hiding when Jenny mentioned a huge swarm. Recollection of every insect bite that she had panicked over while in the swamps and jungles appeared in her mind. The thought of getting sick herself or a member of her staff was constant. Erin had never had this fear while actively performing her job with the CDC. She smiled as she found her own thoughts fascinating. These fears were embedded deep to this point concealed. The sound of Jenny’s brave voice allowed Erin to regain her focus. “We, the four of us, didn’t care about a few bug bites. A couple of nights earlier the same thing happened with lots of mosquitos. That night, maybe two or three other campers hung out for the stories.” Jenny looked at her mom because she knew her mom would be worried about infections. Mrs. Parker shook her head slowly in disapproval. “Amanda and I knew we were tough enough to take it. The mosquito bites didn’t even itch the next day. I mean, we had tiny bumps, but they never ever itched at all.” “Did Angela get mosquito bites? Why didn’t she have you guys go inside?” “Ya, she probably got the worst of all. I think she liked making us happy more than she hated the insects.” Jenny smiled, “Angela said that she was going to take a few adventures this year and come back to camp to tell us more stories. This time they would be really, real stories from the interesting places she would visit.” Erin promoted a line of questioning to see if any of the staff gave them medicines or shots to help them feel better. As many ways as she asked Jenny responded with a convincing negative. Erin felt she had dug as deep as she could. She thanked the Parker’s for their extreme patience and overwhelming help today. Mr. and Mrs. Parker remained guarded that was obvious. However, they appeared to be so with the best interest of their daughter at heart. Erin was proud of Jenny and told her that she would like to keep in to make sure she stayed as healthy as possible. Erin gave the parents her cellphone number and told them to her if they needed anything or wanted a referral to another physician in Richmond. Avery had ended his telephone call with Ken and David a few minutes before the

Parker’s departed. He hung back in the other office so that he did not distract anyone. Avery enjoyed watching Erin at work. “The guys were able to track down two old patients of Dr. Palmier’s from the VA Hospital records. Both confirmed no evidence of cancer after the treatment labeled “HOST”, Avery said, confidently in his transmission of the condensed context. “They will call you later. Ken wants to know if the next play is to follow a lead on Angela’s whereabouts or if any revelations from our visit today are worthy of implementing a chance of course.” Avery could see by the look on Erin’s face that she heard maybe a fraction of what he just told her. When she is about to share an original idea, he noticed her jaw tightens and her eyes sparkle. It was a really cute look for her. “How much did you hear from my interview with the Parker’s?” Erin asked the question but was deep in thought. “I believe I heard enough of Jenny’s comments to surmise the main topic of discussion. It did not seem to qualify as earth-shaking testimony in my untrained opinion.” Erin motioned to Avery to take a seat in the lobby for a moment. Yep, her jaw was clenched. He could not tell if Erin was concerned, worried, or curious. Out of respect and because she looked sexy, his attention was completely on her. “Hear me out no sarcasm, please. I want to say this out loud and have a professional such as yourself evaluate the validity.” While taking a deep inhale, Erin’s pupils dilated to their maximum size. “A mosquito’s saliva contains an anticoagulant and proteins, this is my area of expertise. The proteins are foreign substances that trigger the body’s immune system. To fight the protein, the body’s immune system releases histamine, a compound that helps white blood cells get to the affected area. Histamine is what causes the itchiness, inflammation, and swelling of the insect bite region. With the introduction of an anticoagulant, an existing super protein extracted from a nearby host and injected rapidly, the body has no need to produce histamine. The subject does not have itchiness or prolonged inflammation.” Avery leaned in to hear the conclusion. He had a theory to propose if Erin did not reach the same hypothesis. The tension and suspense made the vein in his forehead throb.

“Could the mosquito’s anticoagulant, which thins the blood, be strong enough to allow a trace amount of NK cells into an opposing subject’s blood system? And take over the cell regeneration to mimic the host’s blood type?” This was the exact hypothesis that Avery derived. “Absolutely! If the concentration of NK cells was anything like we witnessed in Amanda Johnson’s blood culture. Yes, it could absolutely find its way into the bloodstream.” “The same principle of how viral transmission from mosquitos occurs. Angela’s blood cured those kids!” Erin was sure of it.

Chapter 8

Find Angela DiVita

Ken and David had their instructions; track down Angela, starting with leads from the Iowa s. Erin was moving the investigation to a new stage. Utilizing Traceability Research Methods, she had the guys targeting one specific person of interest. The goal was to locate Angela by conducting two trace methods; the guys will be “Tracing Forward” starting from the first point in the timeline, she would have the other of the team and including herself “Tracing Back” from the last known point in the timeline, the Life for Leukemia Retreat. Erin had frequent conversations with staff as well as local municipal law enforcement agencies who were now on the lookout for Angela DiVita. Alice was the only person who had the hint of a lead. She, with overwhelming certainty, identified a small church in nearby Muscatine, Iowa as a location of interest. That is where Angela was known to have spent some time after leaving the hospital. Alice wished she had more information to give, but she sympathized with Angela’s need to distance herself from the hospitals that had constituted the majority of her young life. After leaving Richmond, Erin chose to broaden and expedite her searchability by requesting aid from additional government resources which extended beyond the Department of Health and Human Services. She was heading to Washington, DC. Erin had two stops while in our nation’s capital. She was to meet with her father at his Senate office and had an appointment to visit the J. Edgar Hoover Building on 935 Pennsylvania Avenue NW, the headquarters of the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Her father had made the arrangements for both meetings on short notice. The objective was to use all the agency’s resources to find the whereabouts of Jane Smith or Angela DiVita. Any use of credit cards, issued pay stubs, parking tickets, or even an image in their database from social media that matched the recent photo from The Life for Leukemia Retreat. As the men were en route to the next stage of their pursuit, a call came in from a Federal Marshal out of Henry County, Iowa. The marshal had informed them that they located another name on Dr. Palmier’s list of test subjects. Once the Johnson County Sheriff’s department entered the names from the VA Hospital

list, which Ken had presented them in Iowa City, the names hit the federal network too. Emanuel Toms is a twenty-two-year-old family farmer in Mount Pleasant. They decided to head south to Mount Pleasant before they continued to the church in Muscatine to pick up any possible trail to locate Angela. The visit was brief, however, extremely interesting. Unlike the two elderly gentlemen who had forgotten most of the details of their medical experience with Dr. Palmier, young Mr. Toms had great recollection. The elderly pair had indicated being injected several times with a simple syringe. Emanuel Toms had a clear memory of seeing a young girl near his age giving blood during his visit. He was able to identify Angela from the picture David showed him. Then he told the group that he was laying on a medical bed with only an antimicrobial flame-resistant polycarbonate-fiber curtain separating him from Angela. The nurses prepared Emanuel with a Peripheral IV line. This is a common and preferred method for short-term therapy. A short intravenous catheter is inserted by percutaneous venipuncture into a peripheral vein which is held in place with sterile transparent dressing to keep the site sterile and prevent accidental dislodgement. As the clinical staff moved between the two, he was able to see Angela sitting upright in a light blue hospital gown. He noted that she appeared to be smiling and spoke pleasantly to the nurses. In his opinion she was a willing participant in the procedure. Dr. Palmier transfused a full pint of blood into his left arm. Emanuel felt it necessary to share a brief recount of his history leading up to that single procedure that saved his life. Suffering from Non-Hodgkin’s lymphomas and being of little means his family drove him to the VA Hospital to see if his father’s past military deployment would allow for his son’s medical treatment. Emanuel described how scared his family was that they would not be able to afford medical treatment for their youngest son. The family had all their hopes tied to the ability of the Veteran’s Association Hospital to save their child. When Dr. Palmier confirmed he had Stage 4 cancer, he re his mother crying inconsolably, but his father stood strong, calmly advocating for the doctor’s help. The meeting continued with the discovery that all symptoms of his lymphomas dissipated and vanished after only a few weeks preceding the blood therapy. Emanuel said that the treatment gave him instant relief from his pain. Dr. Palmier had informed them that he would be fit for a lifetime of farming and happiness. Until meeting Ken and David, he never knew the girl’s name, but maybe one day, God willing, he could thank Angela. With all the new information, Ken and David hit the road again.

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Muscatine, Iowa, is a city cut out by the Mississippi River with a major westsouth bend. The river-bend gives Muscatine roughly 260 degrees of riverfront. As Ken and David approached the front door of Shepherd of the Cross Lutheran Church, Ken asked, “David, are you a religious person?” “I am. Faith in anything is good for the soul. A belief in a higher power can inspire hope,” David stated. “In your line of work, hope, faith and inspiration may come in handy. Not that the medicine can’t be a powerful tool, but I get it,” Ken felt humbled. Pastor Jonathan Biel was very gracious with his time. From the moment that Ken mentioned the name Angela DiVita, Pastor Biel smiled. He detailed the first time he saw the young lady outside of his church pulling weeds. Instantly he could see how special she was. “You know how the sun rises each and every morning and you know it is coming up, but you stand to watch the glory of the event. That is how I felt when Angela walked into our lives.” He paused for only a moment. “A young child being sick for all of those years without Christ in her life made her story even more beautiful. She chose as an adult to seek Him out.” Ken and David sat in the pastor’s office for over an hour. The detail regarding Angela’s time at that church did not point directly to her whereabouts, however, the words impacted them greatly. Neither wanted to interrupt or even shift in their seats. Pastor Biel continued his story. Angela would explain that she had stood outside and listened to the choir for several Sundays before she walked through the doors. She noticed that only eight people on average graced the pews. It was her decision to improve attendance. Her first chore was to improve the curb appeal. That’s when Pastor Biel met her for the first time. She pulled weeds and planted flowers while listening to the most beautiful choral songs she had ever heard. Next came the sign, Pastor Biel explained. The sign and the flyers that she posted and handed out all over town. “Come for the choir stay for the sermon!” Pastor Biel shed a tear. “As simple as that ‘Come for the choir stay for the sermon’.” He rubbed his eyes. “It changed my world.”

Angela talked the local Office Depot into allowing her to make flyers for free. She must have handed out thousands of the flyers on her own, Pastor Biel recounted. The people came to church in carloads. The choir got larger and better than ever. Angela encouraged them to add more modern songs to draw in the younger parishioners. As the choir director jazzed up the play-list, the isles became standing room only. The one-hundred-year-old red brick, uncomplicated structure was built for the dual purpose of both providing a schoolhouse and a place of worship. The maximum capacity was designed for one hundred and sixty to be seated comfortably. “Angela taught me that life will keep you down if you’re not looking up,” Pastor Biel said, “We have a sign on our wall in the church with those words now.” As far as the known whereabouts of Angela, all that the pastor could tell them was that she took a job in town at the Riverside Diner and that she helped a family for about two years before moving on. After thanking Pastor Biel for his time and getting a big hug they headed off to the Riverside Diner.

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Donna Bishop owned the now successful restaurant on the Mississippi River. She had been struggling for many years to hire and retain quality employees. The more she struggled the more her managerial skills diminished. The Riverside Diner developed a reputation of abusive language and hostility toward inadequate service. Until the day that Angela applied for a waitress job. Donna was honest with Ken and David. She genuinely believes that had Angela not injected the element of calm into the environment, she would have either closed the place or had a heart attack from the stress. It did not take long for the word to get around town that the service had improved. Donna was able to hire a few other talented employees like Lucas Barker, her head chef. Something about the serenity that the wonderful girl brought to the place made us successful, Donna claimed. Lucas took the quality of the cuisine up by one hundred percent. Most weekend night have a wait for seating.

“She saved my life. I know she did,” Donna explained further. “This was not just my job but my ion. And when I lost my ion, I became so mean to everyone around me.” Donna was a tough lady, but recalling what a profound effect Angela had on her moved her to tears. “Angela asked if she could paint some pictures for the walls. Stupid things like boats and tractors.” She pointed to the walls. The guys looked around at the impressive décor. The boats represented life on the Mississippi. The tractors added a splash of green and red that meant something real to the people of the area. “The colors in here were very much that of a cheap, low-class diner before she refined our look. A few of our craftier local customers donated the painted spoked wheels and the glossy varnished boat paddles.” Ken had to ask if she knew where Angela headed, after she left the diner. Donna gave them the rundown. A family from just outside of town would come in on the weekends for breakfast. They were regulars for a while and then they stopped coming in. The wife had ed away from breast cancer she believed. Angela was waitressing their table the first day they came back in after the funeral. The family had the father, two boys one was twelve the other was fourteen, and a girl who was six. The little girl refused to speak after her mother’s death. Angela took to them right away. Maybe the third Saturday in a row that they came for breakfast as the father was paying the bill at our , and he asked me if he could put up a sign. He needed help taking care of the kids and wanted to hire a housekeeper or nanny. The man had been getting help in the fields from his neighbors but that was not how he wanted to continue. Farm work required long hours, and he was afraid to leave the little girl at home because she was so sad. Having a structure for her or someone to teach her how to sew and cook may keep her from falling into a long-term depression he thought. “I didn’t even put the sign up. I handed it to Angela, well, because I’m sure that’s why Angela was here all along.” Donna stared up into the air. Ken looked at her with a questioning expression. David also looked as if he needed a better explanation. Donna explained, “Angela wasn’t here to help me run a restaurant. This was just a temporary job. She was meant to save that little girl from dying of sadness.” Ken pressed for the details of Angela’s next known address. Donna gave her the

family’s name and address. She also added that it had been almost a year and a half or two years since she worked for the Tobias family. Angela no longer works for the family, but they may know where she headed. Donna reaffirmed Angela’s plan to see the world. Exploring life outside of Iowa and seeing this country from coast to coast was a dream that Angela planned to make a reality.

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The short drive out into the country toward Durant, Iowa, gave Ken and David time to check in with Erin. She had announced her plan to request assistance from the FBI to initiate a nationwide database search for a hit on Angela DiVita. Erin had also informed them that Avery would be headed to Cleveland to assist Dr. Alivetta with her analysis the next morning. This afternoon JR Winston has confirmed NED with zero NK cells or advanced proteins. Now that both Kari and JR showed signs for correlating evidence, Avery and Dr. Alivetta would be writing a paper together for clinical review at Johns Hopkins along with a detailed laboratory specimen submission. What she did not share with David and Ken over the telephone is that Avery had asked her out to dinner to review and process the facts of the case. She and Avery didn’t have pressing plans until the following day, so it seemed appropriate to relax, get some good food in them, and prepare for the next step in history. It was only a few minutes later when Erin texted Ken her excitement to be out to dinner with an intelligent and interesting colleague. Dennis Tobias was excited to have company on the farm. He put on a clean flannel shirt and his newest pair of jeans. The thought of discussing Angela and finding out what she was up to these days had piqued his interest. He was expecting Ken and David as they finally found the road to his farmhouse. Their GPS got them within two miles, but the lane to the residence was not mapped. In an effort to maximize their efficiency, Ken called ahead and spoke to Dennis. Knowing the farming lifestyle had a schedule determined by the elements of nature rather than a time clock, the guys arranged the meeting to fit this need. The sun was low in the sky, which provided them with only a couple more hours of daylight.

When they finally reached the farm, Mr. Tobias informed them that the boys were out doing chores and his daughter was upstairs doing homework. David and Ken first gave their condolences for the loss of his wife. David asked how his daughter was doing. He explained that Donna from the Riverside Diner told them a little about their family history. “You all said on the telephone that you wanted to locate Angela?” Dennis was straight forward. “Is she okay? I mean, if you need my help with anything, I will pack up the truck and ride with you folks.” “Angela is doing well, we believe. She worked with me this summer at a camp for children with cancer. She is a wonderful caregiver. We just need to see if she will come work with us at my medical clinic to help even more kids.” David spared the medical terminology and possible impact of Angela’s biological abilities. Dennis looked relieved, “Good, because that young lady means the world to me and my family. She said she would come back to see us after she traveled for a while. Angela talked about having some adventures of her own. He shook his head in relief again. “You guys sounded like cops, not doctors when you first called.” “We are sorry about that. We did not mean to cause alarm.” Ken was tired from running around chasing what seemed to be an angel in ghost form. His voice was weak and deflecting. “It is really important to us that we find Angela,” David exclaimed. “I gotcha ya.” They heard a tapping sound of small feet coming down the stair, followed by a beautiful voice singing in the hallway around the corner from where they sat. Slowly a tiny blond head peeked into the front room. It was a bright-eyed, sevenand-half-year-old little princess. David and Ken knew when they saw the girl’s happy face that better times found her heart. Angela had been with the Tobias family for eighteen and a half months. She had transformed their souls and taught them to love the world again. Although the mom, wife and keystone of the family was gone they all now had what they needed to continue on with their lives. The little girl settled in alongside her father.

“Are you all finished with your studies?” “Almost, Daddy.” The little girl beamed with joy and had no signs of fear to address the stranger with handshakes. After the formal shake, she told a few funny stories about Angela and her elegant ways around the animals on the farm. It seems as though Angela wanted to become friends with the creatures and became upset when they did not listen to her commands. The last lead from Iowa was that Angela wanted to see Niagara Falls. She took the bus out of town and said her goodbyes to the Tobias family. On the refrigerator were about a dozen postcards from the Falls. The Niagara and Buffalo, New York, post marks put her in the Upstate area just prior to the Life for Leukemia Retreat. Ken had agreed to head back to Rochester, New York so that David could review any new developments with his patients. He was going to meet up with the field team in the Buffalo region to review their lead retrieve to date. As they pulled into the hotel’s parking lot, where they planned to stay for the evening Ken’s cell phone rang. It was a member of the Johnson County Sheriff’s Department. They had uncovered a trust fund linked to Dr. Palmier. The Sheriff’s clerk was very excited to divulge the following information. Dr. Palmier had set up an Irrevocable Life Insurance Trust with Angela DiVita listed as the sole beneficiary. The was on record at the Community First Credit Union in Iowa City. In a trust of this nature, the death benefits from an insurance policy are held by the bank for release to the beneficiary. The proceeds are held in trust and are non-taxable as part of the estate. Other than the non-taxable advantage, the fund provides immediate liquidity to the beneficiary. A key feature of an irrevocable trust is that it transfers ownership of the life insurance policy to the trust not to an individual. This financial structure makes it untouchable by outside creditors or anyone not listed on the policy. There had been two withdrawals. Both money orders were sent to a bank in Rochester. The dates were immediately after the Life for Leukemia Retreat in the respective amounts of $1000 and $2500. The clerk gave Ken the routing numbers so that he could track down the specific bank as well as the number. Ken was planning to forward this information to Erin so that she could present it to her FBI . With the confirmation of withdrawal, they should be able to locate Angela, although the money did not seem to be a priority to her as the trust fund held

$125,000, and she had only taken out a small amount.

Chapter 9

Data Review Session

Erin arrived early for their seven o’clock dinner reservations. It seemed like a logical plan to review the information between two professional research specialists. Avery’s flight did not leave for Cleveland until ten a.m. the next morning, and Washington, DC is only a two-hour drive from Richmond for Erin the next day. Avery picked the restaurant based upon its local reputation for American contemporary cuisine with Vegetarian and Vegan options. He anticipated that Erin was at minimum a vegetarian, however, the Lemaire Restaurant covered all his bases. It was a very elegant place, which made Erin a little intimidated. Intimidated was a feeling she had not felt in many years. Her confidence in her abilities gave her strength in most of life’s situations, however, dinner alone with a man was a setting she had only been in a handful of times. As Avery strolled through the doors ten minutes late wearing a perfectly tailored Bottega Veneta royal blue suit Erin questioned her choice of attire. This was her nicest top, and the cargo pants were clean. Besides her professional Special Agent pantsuits, this was the only other outfit she has in her suitcase. The red chambray top was form fitting but not revealing. Plus, she knew she could easily match her basic red lip gloss to the color without having to go shopping for just this occasion. “Really, you travel with a suit?” Erin questioned Avery as they were being seated at a table in the corner. She had a pretty good scene of Avery’s selfconfidence. “Always! Yes, just in case I need to impress a female government official that could destroy my career.” Avery sat with perfect posture in his chair with his head held high. “You look very nice in civilian clothes Special Agent.” “I’m glad you suggested dinner, it gives me the chance to apologize for the cut and possible scar on your head. Well, apologize, and we can discuss our scientific findings to date.” Avery had forgotten that the cut was still visible. “Thank you, that was not your fault.”

“Yes, it kind of was. That was my first assignment in my new role. I wanted to pump up the Federal Marshals so that they knew who was in charge.” Erin felt bad for thinking she needed to be respected for her forcefulness and not for her knowledge alone. “You won’t look bad with the scar. I mean, it does not look terrible. You look good regardless. Okay, I’m going to stop.” Her face turned red with embarrassment. Avery motioned to the satin pink gift-wrapped box that he had been holding. “Here, this is for you.” Erin slowly accepted the gift. “For me. Why?” “It’s just me being nice, okay,” Avery said jokingly. Erin paused for a moment. “Interesting, this looks expensive.” She continued to unwrap and open the box. The gift was a $295.00 bottle of Eric Buterbaugh’s Sultry Rose perfume. Erin held the glass bottle up by her nose to get a sample of the fragrance. “The scent says, I’m tough, smart and I’m also a woman.” Avery thought that he was being funny. He was second-guessing his gift based upon Erin’s reaction. Erin commented with a little confusion. “This is better than my all-natural soap and organic shampoo, that says what to you?” Avery enjoyed the way the gift made Erin feel uncomfortable. The moment made her seem more vulnerable. “Well, it kind of says, I’ve been in the jungle for six years and will accept being plain, simple but clean.” “I enjoyed my time conducting field science investigations for the CDC and World Health Organization,” she defended. “At what age did you know that medical investigation was your thing?” “It had to be when I was in middle school. The secretary for our principal told me that her daughter got a job with the CDC and was moving to Atlanta. She was so proud of her daughter. I knew the family and had seen pictures of the daughter receiving academic rewards.” Erin smiled. “I guess, originally, I wanted everyone to be as proud of me as they seemed to be for her. She became

my idol, so I followed in those footsteps.” “You won your local science fair, didn’t you?” “Yes, in fact, I did. I enjoyed standing on the stage in front of the school accepting the award.” Erin gleamed with the memory of simpler days. “Something tells me that was not your final stage accepting certificates of achievement.” “My parents have boxes of my trophies, ribbons, and metals.” “Okay, that was when you started your journey in forensics, but when did you know you were brilliant?” Avery smiled. He relaxed his shoulders and leaned in toward the table. Erin laughed; she was not sure if she would come across as too arrogant if by answering quickly. Deciding to play along to see where this was going to lead, she paused, smirked, and said, “My first year as an undergrad studying premed!” “You found it to be extremely easy and wanted to excel past your classes each semester to see if a challenge was ahead, right?” “Exactly, that was the feeling, like where is the challenge!” Dinner ended far too soon for both of them. They found a lot of common ground between them. Their chosen professions angled back to the same theme of helping discover a solution to a specific human health issue. Sharing stories of their youth seemed effortless. Every point in the conversation took a positive tone. Erin loved the fact that her initial judgment of Avery was wrong. He asked more questions of her and cared more about her life than did he desire to talk about himself. Avery was the gentleman and picked up the check. No need to have the federal government use tax-payer’s money to feed him. Avery had always appreciated the finer things in life. Growing up in Wellesley, Massachusetts, to parents with old money, he had access to many trust funds, paid tuition, and very generous grandparents. He enjoyed the upscale lifestyle, however, knew that if he wasted his ability and talent for medicine, he would live an unfilled life. Avery’s father was in finance and sat as a member on several board of directors of Fortune 500 companies. His father challenged

Avery to be the best that he could be and fostered good examples by maintaining loyalty to only companies with high ethical standards. Once outside the restaurant Erin thanked Avery for the great evening. She did not realize that she allowed herself to get so bogged down by the stress of her first case. The air seemed cleaner and the path clearer because Avery allowed her to be herself for the evening. It was fun to talk about Erin Mayfield and Avery Carlson without any titles. They parted ways with a long stare. Erin turned back and shouted from half a block away, “Thank you for my gift!” She could not wait to tell Ken about her date even if it was just a few late-night text messages. Erin would try to get him on the phone to tell him the details that made her happy. Ken’s for her new relationship would mean a lot. That is what best friends are for. Avery smiled and waved thinking to himself that could not have gone any better. Erin was the perfect combination of brilliance, beauty, and strength. Avery had never met a woman anything like her. His heartbeat fast just thinking of a way to set up another date.

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Erin’s Wednesday morning started with a visit to her father’s office. There are three complexes that house the US Senators offices along Constitution Avenue north of the Capital: Russell Senate Office Building, the Dirksen Senate offices, and the newest building completed in 1982 where Senator Mayfield resided, the Hart Office Building. Erin knocked politely on the large red oak door. She was greeted with a cautious look at her leg, followed by big hug. From time-to-time, Erin felt stiffness and some aching but the gunshot wound healed nicely thanks to the tremendous field surgical care she received from her team in Venezuela. Senator Mayfield wasted no time being a father. He immediately asked if her and Ken were still a romantic item claiming that her mom would want to know.

“No,” Said Erin, “That was over a long time ago. It was nothing really, we are best friends now.” Mr. Mayfield added, “You know he really likes you. He didn’t have to take this new job and leave his post at the CDC, but he will follow you anywhere.” Erin chose to move past the Ken commentary. She asked how he and mom were doing. Finding out that her mother had ed a women’s golf league was impressive. Mostly ladies from their neighborhood not the senator’s wife’s group of friends who created a pressure driven environment that her mom hated. “So, what is new in your life, dear?” “There is a nice doctor,” Erin commented. She was not sure to say ‘that I am seeing’ or ‘whom I had a date with’ as they both seemed too early in the relationship to classify as such. “Do you like this nice doctor?” “Yes, I think so,” Erin itted. “What’s he like? What is the attraction?” Senator Mayfield winked, “Your mother will want details.” “He is considered one of the smartest research technicians at Johns Hopkins University Hospital.” “Wow, Johns Hopkins!” Erin shrugged her shoulders as she commented, “I think he knows he’s one of the brightest doctors at Johns Hopkins. He is definitely confident in himself.” “Interesting, what else?” Her father knew that his daughter would not give up details unless he pushed a bit. “He thinks I’m hot,” Erin claimed happily. “You are very attractive.” Mr. Mayfield smiled. Erin thought about it for a moment, “I know, but I haven’t heard anyone call me

that. Most of my life I have been referred to as, the smart girl, genius, science nerd, or a plain Jane. It was really nice to hear.” Her dad could not help but to pry deeper, “So, he came right out and told you that you’re hot?” “Well, no, he said it before he knew I was listening to his telephone conversation. It was part of my investigation.” She could tell it sounded worse by saying it out loud. “Sounds like the real thing then,” Dad teased. “He also had some of his colleagues research my academic history and pull my background information, like education and class rank plus job history.” In Erin’s mind, it seemed very impressive that someone would go to that extent. It must be the research geek in her. “That settles it! This is the ‘real thing’!” Senator Mayfield had not laughed like that in a long time. When it came to his only daughter, his life was spent worrying. “Interesting opening move to a relationship. He is very smart. There is no better way to get to a research scientist’s heart than to conduct a full case study on her.” He continued laughing at full volume. “Your mom is going to love him!” Erin started laughing too. A much more uncomfortable laugh, but she laughed. “And for some reason he wants me to smell more like a woman. I’m still trying to figure that out, but I’m leaning into it as a positive gesture.” “What is this intriguing doctor’s name?” Mr. Mayfield asked. “Nope, not going to tell you,” Erin joked, “You have too many friends in the intelligence community to give out details at this point in time.” That reminded Erin that she had an appointment at the Federal Bureau of Investigation that she had to get to. Senator Mayfield got serious as they began saying their goodbyes. “Are you going to arrest and convict this doctor in Rochester for crimes against unauthorized genetic testing on children? Erin suddenly shifted to Special Agent Dr. Mayfield, “No, we are working on an

evidentiary analysis of his findings on a much bigger scale.” “Last question. How big a scale?” A father is always concerned for his child and wants success at every turn. “Like change the world of modern medicine forever, big!” “Make sure you lead with the facts and not an unrealistic interpretation of what you want to find.” “Noted, Senator Mayfield, but I know what I am doing.” Erin snipped a little bit at his comment. “And your leg?” The senator pointed. “Are you taking every precaution and continuing your physical therapy?” Erin smiled, “It is completely healed, sir.” She leaned in for a quick hug goodbye. “I have to run. It was really great to see you, Dad!”

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Entering the Federal Bureau of Investigation was a slightly more intimidating process than Erin had anticipated. She presented her identification and Special Agent Shield but was still scanned and questioned before she was allowed to enter. The thick glass-walled offices prevented sound from emanating throughout the common areas. A young agent had her wait while he filled out the necessary documentation and entered a case number into the central database. Erin spent nearly an hour instructing them to search regions of known origin and to properly research both the Jane Smith and Angela DiVita names for any credit card activity, rent payments, parking tickets, or even photo confirmation from the items they scanned. The professionalism and confidence were what Erin had hoped for when deciding to bring in the FBI. Now she needed results.

Chapter 10

Downtown Brooklyn

Angela had worked for Chatham Brothers Drugs since the first of last month. Two signs on the front window drew her in; Room for Rent and Cashier Wanted. The family-owned business resided in New York since the 1970’s. The brown brick corner building has been their marque location. When they first opened their pharmacy, the upstairs apartment had been home to the Chatham family, now it was divided into a two-apartment rental property. Along with a respectable hourly wage Angela negotiated a better than fair market rent for one of the upstairs apartments with the agreement that she would provide service of a full five-day work-week. Thomas and Markus Chatham spent every day in the store since good help was hard to find and competition was taking business away. Both brothers are certified pharmacists with a strong reputation in Brooklyn. Over the past ten years, they have expanded the store front to include the basic staple groceries, baked items, sodas, candies, and paper goods that everyone has come to know at their local food and drug stores. When Angela entered their store to apply for the cashier job, they were overwhelmed by her positive personality. The brothers deliberated for a brief two minutes then agreed to hire her on the spot. Having a great employee like Angela appear when she did was paramount to the brother’s sanity. The sad fact is they had zero other applicants in the past six months since they posted their ad. They could feel the exhaustion setting in along with more than usual irritability. Local competition seemed to sprout from the cracks in the sidewalks. Special pharmacy and mass merchandiser Albertson had a strong east coast presence. Albertson operated 1,800 pharmacies across the country and owns 2,300 supermarkets, including such notable banners as Safeway, Vons, Shaw’s and Acme. The new combination of Albertsons and Rite Aid will create an enormous chain, with 4,350 pharmacies and 320 clinics across thirty-eight states and the District of Columbia. Albertsons’ existing pharmacies will be rebranded as Rite Aid, but some Rite Aid stores will remain as standalone units. Rite Aid had thirty-three existing stores in Brooklyn alone. When the thirty-fourth was built on 182 Smith Street, right across from Chatham Brothers Drugs, the familyowned historic community partner was discarded for the cheaper chain store. The employees quickly jumped at the chance to make two dollars an hour more

and applied at Rite Aid. Angela had sparked a new positivity in the store by quickly befriending the elderly loyal customers and spreading the word that cheaper is not always better. She ed nearly everyone’s name who took the time to converse with her. Angela got to know a few of the regulars purchasing habits and reminded them of sales and coupon offers when they applied. As patrons departed the store, she would call out to them to have a great rest of their day. The retail setting suited her personality. The brothers often joked that they were glad Angela did not get paid commission on her sales as she certainly moved product off the shelves. Thomas had one issue with Angela’s kindness she often appeared to speak with the local gang , as Thomas perceived them, seeming attempting to build a relationship, and that was an element he wanted to keep out of his store. Groups of teenagers who frequently hung outside on the street corner changed from year to year. Some of the kids were worse elements than others, but Thomas had never taken the time to familiarize himself with them. Americans take medications each day, either prescribed or over the counter. The chemistry behind these pills is complex and taking multiple drugs at once without caring supervision can make for a dangerous scenario. In fact, one in six seniors take dangerous combinations each day! Few of the elderly in this category receive proper monitoring of their intake or dosages. Angela took it upon herself to help care for anyone who would accept her advice and kindness. Mrs. Banister had been in the store for a while. She picked up items in almost every aisle of the store and read the price tag before putting every item back on the shelf. Today the store was busy with nearly twelve customers in on Saturday morning. Mrs. Banister had said hello to Angela who was busy at the cash as she ed by. Angela had spent a lot of time in deep conversations with the majority of the elderly customers. She had only been in New York for a short time and wanted to see as much of the local historical sites as possible not the tourist stops but the real places with real meaning to the women and men that carved out the city as their home for centuries. Mrs. Banister was eighty-eight years old with a hitch in her walk that told the story of her years as a seamstress in a garment factory. Standing for most of her career on a hard cement floor and then switching to a seated operation for the last several years took a toll on her hip ts. An outing such as buying

groceries was cause for her to get a little fancy. Angela had often commented on how nice she looked with her unique flair for incorporating floral into every outfit. She waited patiently in the checkout line. Angela could see that she actually grabbed a basket and picked up some items on her waltz from the pharmacy counter to the front. “Okay, what deals did you find this morning?” Angela asked knowing that if it was in Mrs. Banister’s basket it was not a full priced item. “Just a few things that I needed.” Mrs. Banister had wrapped the pharmacy bag around her wrist so that she would not include it on the counter for checkout. Angela was scanning the items and noticed that two other customers had settled into the line behind. “What do we have here?” Angela was concerned every time the elderly customers purchased pain relievers off the shelf. “It was on sale in the larger count, jumbo size. A good deal over the littles bottles.” Mrs. Banister beamed with pride at her discovery. “But you can’t take ibuprofen with your medicine,” Angela commented seriously. “Oh, this is just for my headaches. It is alright,” Mrs. Banister said. Angela looked at the middle-aged man and the teenage girl in line. Neither of them appeared to be in too much of a hurry. She really needed to convince Mrs. Banister that by mixing medications, she could do harm to herself. Angela knew she was living alone too. “I’m sorry, this will only take a few minutes.” Angela addressed the man and girl in line. The man nodded an attentive gesture that he was fine with waiting. She had spoken nicely to the girl before, so she assumed, she would get some time leeway from her as well without causing any anger. “Mrs. Banister, I’d like to have Dr. Chatham speak to you about your prescription.” Angela did not talk down to her but rather attempted to give friendly consideration for her wellbeing. As Angela paged for Thomas Chatham to come up to the front counter both customers in line again motioned their approval. They both approved of her

comion. It took no more than a minute for the doctor to walk the distance from his counter in back to the front of the store. Brother Markus was working to prepare the days medicinal pickups, so the pharmacy was covered. “Okay, what is the issue now?” Thomas said pleasantly enough. He looked at the other customers in line. With a second glance at the teenage girl, he shook his head and watched her closely. “Mrs. Banister is still taking Warfarin for a blood clotting issue, right?” “Yes,” responded Thomas. He looked at the counter where Mrs. Banister’s groceries sat. A sigh of disapproval rushed from his lungs as he saw her items. “Oh, no. Mrs. Banister, we talked about this. You cannot take Ibuprofen while you are on Warfarin.” He went on to explain the association to her. These two medications may seem harmlessly unrelated, but together they can be devastating. Warfarin stops the blood from coagulating and is commonly called a blood thinner. Ibuprofen also has blood-thinning properties. When taken together, there is an increased risk of serious bleeding complications. “If you get even a small cut, it will be very difficult to make the bleeding stop.” She agreed to not purchase the product even if it still seemed confusing to her. Angela could sense the information did not completely sink in. “Mrs. Banister, do me a favor. If you come in to shop and I am not working the front , just collect your items and take them back to the pharmacy to pay for them together there. The guys will make sure you have all of the safe stuff.” Mrs. Banister acknowledged that it was a good idea. “Oh, I’m sure you’re right.” “Promise me you’ll do that.” Angela touched the lady’s arm as she walked out. Thomas stood to the side and watched the experience between Angela and their valued customer. He smiled at the man in line as he approached the . “Sorry for your wait.” Thomas did not address the teenage girl with as much appreciation for her patience. Walking right up to her with his stocky five-foot-five-inch frame,

pushing up his glasses from the bridge of the nose, he yelled, “I told you not to come in here again!” The girl turned her shoulder, maneuvering her body safely around him and stepped forward. She did not make eye or respond verbally. Clearly her intent was to avoid conflict. “This is the last time that I ever want to see you in my store, got it!” Thomas was steaming. He was old, set too deeply in his perception of minorities, and unwilling to accept individuals on their own merit. “Why, because I’m black!” she shouted. “No, because you and your friends steal from me all of the time.” His silver hair fell into his face, covering his left eye. Angela spoke up in defense of the girl, “Okay, let her buy her stuff and leave.” “What do you mean we steal from you? You never saw me steal nothing!” La’Dela was tough and not about to be called a thief. “I find the empty boxes and open packages shoved behind the other items in the store. You open the packages and put the items in your pockets,” Thomas demanded. “I have seen you do it myself.” “No, no you have not seen steal nothing from you! I got money.” La’Dela expressed her anger and pain without losing control of her emotions. “We can move past this calmly, can’t we?” Angela exclaimed. “She has her money already in her hand.” “Pay for the shit and get out!” The veins in his neck were now pulsing. Angela rang up the drink and bag of chips that La’Dela was buying. “The drink is actually on special and is buy-one-get-one-free.” La’Dela speaking kindly to Angela, said, “That’s okay, I’m outta here.” She paid with a couple of dollar bills and a pocket full of change. She turned to leave. The whole-time watching Thomas.

“Hey, wait outside for a minute. There is nobody in line, so I can close the and bring you your free drink.” Angela looked at her and then gave Thomas a fierce gaze. She was not going to deny the customer what she was entitled to. “Do you want another orange Gatorade or a different flavor?” Angela’s voice was so kind that it took the edge off of Thomas’ anger. “Another orange would be cool.” Angela locked down the and seemed to float through the store to the cooler. She made sure to grab the exact item with the special offer. One orange Gatorade coming up she hummed to herself. Outside Angela saw La’Dela and three other girls on the corner. She had given them food and drinks from her lunch before. Angela enjoyed sitting on the front raised brick steps by the drug store to eat her lunch while looking up at the Brooklyn skyline, watching the people rush by and smelling all that the city had to offer. She ran up to the girls and handed them the free drink. “Thanks. It is Angela, right? Your name is Angela?” The girls asked. After Angela acknowledged that this was in fact her correct name, La’Dela introduced herself and the other rough-looking girls. Unfortunately, a large percentage of the families on this side of Brooklyn suffered from unemployment. As for Brooklyn in general, it is considered safe for tourists, but some of its neighborhoods do suffer from crime more than other places in New York. These girls would hang out near the store to be safe from the activity on their street. The girls were from Vinegar Hill. Two shootings were only the latest gangrelated incidents near Chauncey Street and Smith Street. The locals have been asking for more resources for years to keep up the security. Dozens of neighbors and shop owners have written letters to their elected officials begging for more resources to prevent gun violence. The taxpayers are tired of empty rhetoric and ineffective responses to ongoing violence and escalating trauma. These letters came a few days after back-to-back shootings on Chauncey. Cops confirmed that both shootings appeared to be gang-related, the second being a suspected retaliation for the first. An NYPD spokesperson told the local business owners that the plan has been made to flood the blocks where there have been recent incidents visibly with cops.

Angela smiled, waved, and rushed back in to work. “What you did in there for that old lady was awesome!” La’Dela shouted. “You probably saved her life, right?” Angela just glanced back and tilted her head as if to say, maybe.

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Erin had a moment of excitement when she saw an e-mail from her at the FBI. A social security number was identified for Jane Smith. The same number appeared to be utilized by a female named Angela DiVita. Confirmation of the association was encouraging that they were pursuing the correct person. Details from the investigation on their network showed that Angela DiVita did have taxes withheld under this number from paychecks issued at the Riverside Diner in Muscatine, Iowa. The investigator found the Credit Union Trust Fund as well. It was not the targeted information that Erin wanted, but it was proof that the FBI had initiated the process of tracking her down. She replied with an acknowledgment as to receiving the information. Erin asked for a continued effort and additional information to be sent as soon as anything new appeared.

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Later that same day as Angela and Thomas were clo the front of the store, he made mention again about getting close to the gang-related individuals. He strongly felt that if they felt welcome in the store that it would and or could lead to damage within their store or worse, someone could get hurt. Angela agreed that theft is an issue and also acknowledged she would never want anyone to get hurt. However, she did not agree to restrict the friends that she would keep.

Thomas had been frustrated with the years of theft at the front of the store. Items like candy, chips, and batteries were one thing, but if the bad elements knew they could get away with taking the basics, they may one day be bold enough to break into the pharmacy. Angela again agreed with his assessment and the potential for an escalation in bold behavior, but she wanted to present to him her theory. If you treat people with respect, you may be surprised how much respect is returned. “I was impressed with how you handled Mrs. Banister today,” Thomas mentioned as Markus ed them near the cash . He and Thomas would pull down the hardened steel roll gate outside before heading home for the evening. “You have a great personality for retail sales, but please tell me this is not where you choose to be in five years.” Thomas hesitated, “Don’t get me wrong, we need you but with an advanced education you, my dear, can accomplish a lot in life.” Angela smiled, “I like New York for now. My education comes from every conversation I have with people, whether they are in New York or Iowa or maybe one day Los Angeles.” Markus was curious and had Thomas tell the details of the Mrs. Banister story from today. He added his own story from a week ago. Angela had noticed a customer acting confused and with shortness of breath. When she walked the customer to the pharmacy, it was discovered that he had overtaken his antibiotic and developed an allergic reaction. “This was a severe anaphylaxis that most certainly would have progressed. Mr. Andino was picking up another round of amoxicillin when Angela stopped him.” “As I was talking to him, he seemed confused, was breathing heavily and his face looked more swollen than usual,” Angela added. Thomas smiled, “Antibiotic allergies happen so frequently. Angela, where did you learn all of your medical knowledge? You seem to have a solid grasp on pain medications and antibiotics.” “It is a long story, but as a kid I was really sick. I spent most of my years from age five until I was fifteen in hospitals. The shear repetition of conversations between the doctors and nurses regarding my symptoms and exchanges that I heard in the hallways seemed to sink in.” Even as depressing as the information

sounded, the subtle tone of Angela’s voice made it all seem less tragic and more of a positive learning experience for her. Neither Thomas nor Markus followed up with any questions at this time. The gratitude for having her as an employee was enough to accept her for her and not pry. Angela reminded the guys that she had the next two days off. She knew the schedule well, so she informed them that Mary Kate and Diana were working both Sunday and Monday. Markus had balanced the while they were talking. He removed the cash tray and closed out the totals. “Have you decided what your adventure will be on your days off?” “I am going to spend time in Central Park before the weather gets much colder and saw that Empire State College has a new cultural arts exhibit,” Angela said happily. “Here, this is for your outstanding work. It’s a little extra in your pay for being the employee of the month.” Markus handed Angela cash from the day’s take. “Enjoy your time off.”

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Angela’s Sunday started with breakfast in Central Park on a bench overlooking the Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis Reservoir. The reservoir is located between Eighty-Sixth and Ninety-Sixth Street and covers one-eighth of the park’s surface. The morning air was cool. Steam rose off the freshly baked croissant, which Angela enjoyed immensely. It was too early for any music performances, but the unique bridges and gardens were really the reason she came to the park. After the roll and coffee were finished, Angela was off to the Henry Luce Nature Observatory. The observatory is inside of the Belvedere Castle, where guests can enjoy the narrow, winding staircases and learn about the Central Park wildlife with the use of telescopes, binoculars, maps, and Discovery Kits. Seeing the children and parents interact gave her a sense of joy and not regret, which might

be an expected reaction given Angela’s background. Today the destination was the second floor. On this floor, you can view decorated papier-mâché replicas of the birds found in the park. The Observatory’s second floor provided a great venue for spotting the park’s birds in flight. Angela concluded her day with a walk to Central Park West between Seventy-First Street and Seventy-Fourth Streets. Strawberry Fields is a 2.5-acre area of Central Park that pays tribute to the late Beatle, John Lennon, singer, songwriter, musician, and peace activist. This area officially reopened on October 9, 1985, the Forty-fifth anniversary of John Lennon’s birth. Strawberry Fields is lined with tall elm trees, shrubs, flowers, and rocks. This unique area is designated as a ‘quiet zone’ in Central Park. Monday, Angela was excited to attend the Cultural Arts Exhibit at SUNY Empire State College titled “Taking Care: An Expressive Arts Celebration”. The multimedia art exhibition explored the role of caregivers. More than onehundred-twenty works of art and writings from veterans, teens, and people who are professional and family caregivers lines the halls. The diverse collection of works studied the challenges, rewards, and importance of caregiving in society. The watercolor paintings, sculptures, poems, and essays showcased the transformative power of helping others. Art is an equalizer across cultural and economic barriers. Many of the artists attended and gave explanations about their creations. Tuesday, Angela had worked all day, starting with straightening up and restocking the shelves. Chatham Brothers Drugs receives their weekly shipments of goods and pharmaceuticals every Tuesday. It was definitely the busiest day of the week, even without a flow of customers. Angela had worked from six a.m. to six p.m. without a break. She needed to step outside and get some air. The girls from Vinegar Hill were on the corner, being extremely loud. Angela smiled and waved but did not venture down the street. The volume seemed to lower the longer that she stood outside. After five minutes, she glanced back as the girls had become silent. She did not see La’Dela among the group. Waving again to the girls, she asked curiously, “Hey, where is La’Dela? Is everything okay?” “You didn’t hear?” “No, is she okay?”

“Your boss, Doctor Fat Ass, called the cops on her on Sunday. Said she stole somthin’.” The girl was no more than sixteen, but her voice sounded weather by a decade of stress. “Thomas, called the police?” Angela said softly in disbelief. “She’s been in jail for two days, now.” Angela ran back into the store to find Thomas. If he had listened to her and showed some interest in the neighborhood kids rather than run them out every chance he had, they would treat his store with more respect.

Chapter 11

Senate Inquiry-Pressure to Convict

With little new evidence coming in over the past week, Erin had visited Baltimore to review extended research that Avery and his team were conducting at Johns Hopkins University. Avery was able to collect significantly detailed samples from Dr. Alivetta’s lab while in Cleveland. The original protein and NK pattern of cells were cross-referenced with historical research. Erin had dispatched Ken and a small team to Upstate New York. Ken was instructed to move from the Retreat camp grounds in a two-hundred-and-fifty-mile radius, tracking any sighting of Angela. The research efforts of feet-on-the-street along with an FBI database scan had to come up with something, or at least Erin had hoped it would. In nearly four years and maybe as far out as six years, Ken and Erin had not had more than a hundred miles between them. The longest time lapse of actual visual had only been three days. Erin missed the lighthearted conversations as well as the technical dialog they had become accustomed to. Having a friend who was not afraid to correct your analysis when they knew it was wrong was a valuable partner in life and for professional reasons. Ken hated the process of walking into every hotel, restaurant, bus station and laundromat, presenting a picture of Angela DiVita and asking if anyone could recognize her. The strategic method has proven to be effective, but that does not make it any more pleasant.

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Erin and Avery had found some time between analytical consultations of evidentiary review to enjoy one another’s company at dinner. Baltimore has a diverse population and diverse cuisine to match. On the first night out, Avery had selected a famous restaurant that held two Michelin Stars to introduce Erin to the best crab cakes in the world. She enjoyed the food and the wine selections of her handsome host, but the conversation set the relationship on a whole new level. The two dates provided Erin a break between FBI follow up phone calls and recording redundant data. Without a defined confirmation that Angela is the

source of the remarkable findings, she has no means of conclusion. She has always strived on evidence-based research conclusive information used to make decisions regarding a patient’s care based on research drawn from evidence rather than biased opinion. Without Angela there seemed to be no resolution to the case. Erin had planned to circle back to her office in Washington, D.C. to spend three days there before traveling to the Buffalo area to help assist the team with leads. She needed to provide an update to her bosses at the HHS and CDC while in the nation’s capital. She hoped that the quiet calm of sitting alone in her office would spark intellectual visions to a path forward. Scientists do not wait for breaks in discovery, they find new ways to test additional subjects in order to identify an emerging pattern that can lead to the desired outcome. Avery had arranged for a private viewing at an art gallery specializing in modern blownglass sculptures. The gallery was normally only open from ten a.m. until four p.m. daily, but he persuaded the curator to allow for the couple to have an hour to themselves from seven to eight p.m. Erin’s last night in Baltimore and her wonderful evening with a compatible man was interrupted by a telephone call from her father asking her to visit his office for official business. Avery could sense that the conversation Erin was having with her father made her uncomfortable. He was a gentleman and very considerate, so he offered her a ride to her hotel. This would give Erin the opportunity to sort through her thoughts without being distracted by him. Not knowing what possible political action, she had with her father, a senator, Erin was intrigued enough to agree to schedule an appointment.

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The walk up the stairs at The Hart Office Building seemed more daunting than it had just several days before. This did not have the feeling of a casual visit with her father she was actually summoned to his office like a child. She pushed back her meetings at the Department of Health and Human Services for this, so it had better hold some relevance to government business. Erin entered her father’s office with an official announcement from his

assistance. The man did not even stand up to greet her, he simply motioned for her to come in and take a seat. “Where are we with the investigation?” Senator Mayfield asked. “Oh, I’m doing fine. Thank you for asking,” Erin snipped. “Are you referring to my investigation?” The senator did not make eye with her as he was reading a document that consisted of only several pages. As he rudely turned the pages in front of her, he grunted, “You’ve delayed long enough, time to get the Department of Justice to order arrest warrants, isn’t it?” Erin sat stunned. She could feel the heat rise to her face as she unknowingly clutched the arm rests of the leather chair tighter and tighter. “I know research is your ion, dear, but we on the Hill want this inquiry to move along,” he used a demanding tone. “Okay, I am not sure the proper way to address me in this official meeting is, dear.” Erin leaned forward. “I don’t think I like where this is going. If you have a question, ask it. If not, as Special Agent to the governing, body in charge, of this investigation, I have work to do.” Erin has a strong belief in medical ethics. If a study requires more research as a basis for accuracy, that is how it will be. At this juncture, there is absolutely no cause for arrest. Based upon her investigation, Dr. David Newman has exceeded ethics codes and opinions as stated by the AMA Council on Ethical and Judicial Affairs in Opinion 2.07 – Regarding Clinical Investigation. The guidelines are published with the intent to aid physicians in fulfilling their ethical responsibilities when they engage in the clinical investigation of new drugs and procedures. A physician may participate in clinical investigation only to the extent that those activities are a part of a systematic program competently designed, under accepted standards of scientific research, to produce data that is scientifically valid and significant. Erin concluded that the Leukemia Retreat, which was the main focal point of the legal complaint, met the following criteria of ethics; In conducting clinical assemblies, a.k.a. a patient Retreat, the physician should demonstrate the same concern and caution of the welfare, safety, and comfort of the person involved as is required of a physician in a clinical setting. Senator Mayfield continued to look through his reading glasses at the paper in

front of him yet to look at Erin’s face. “It appears to me as if there is enough evidence to bring formal criminal charges and start pre-trial proceedings, Erin. Why push for extended time in the field when this case can be handled as a legal matter in the federal court system?” “And who should I arrest and place on trial in the federal court system?” Erin raised her voice. “Let the DOJ work the remainder of the case with their jurisdiction. From what I see, you have a solid ‘target of an investigation’, two ‘subjects of investigation’, and ‘one person of interest’ that can all be detained for trial.” “What if I file a statute of Nolle prosequi?” Erin was not about to be pushed around by a lawyer turned senator. She, too, had a grasp of her legal role in a federal investigation. Nolle prosequi is a Latin term used in legal cases meaning “to be unwilling to pursue”. It is procedural filing used as a kind of motion to dismiss that contrasts with an involuntary dismissal. Nolle prosequi as a declaration can be made by a prosecutor in a criminal case either before or during trial, resulting in the prosecutor declining to further pursue the cast against the defendant without enough evidential cause. Erin had little intent to use this procedural call, but her father didn’t know that. In the United States, judges will usually sign a dismissal order if this motion is prepared by the prosecution. If Erin did and the team did their job, Angela would provide all the evidence required to dismiss the claims against David. Senator Mayfield finally looked above his glasses at Erin to address her formally. “If only you had legal authority to do so, which you don’t.” “What is the fight here Dad? I’m doing my job and will not finalize a report without conclusive evidence.” “The Cooper family has been suffering since Samantha ed away. They deserve answers and justice. Bob has asked me to move things along, I mean Senator Cooper.” Senator Mayfield lowered his tone. “You need to stop thinking about the children who lived and concentrate on those that died, the impact which it has had, and why treatments were withheld.” “Well, that is a cold outlook given the circumstances of this case. If you only knew the amount of death I had witnessed and the effort it takes to train your mind to focus on helping the children that live.” Erin stopped herself before she

lost her temper. “You do know that although I too mourn Samantha’s ing, she had the most aggressive form of leukemia known to science,” Erin commented with a condescending blast. “I’m not sure your medical knowledge is on par with your legal skills.” Senator Mayfield sighed and shook his head. “Erin, children don’t die from Stage 2 cancer while it is in remission. Get the Department of Justice to arrest these people and bring this to trial immediately.” Erin stood up quickly, she was so furious, “Senator, are you attempting to influence an investigation with false medical claims?” she yelled. “SIT DOWN!” he ordered. “Sit down, Erin.” Mr. Mayfield clamed himself and finally placed the report that he had clutched since the conversation started on his desk. “You have a ‘target of your investigation’ Dr. David Newman, two ‘subjects of investigation’, Dr. Alivetta and Dr. Dixon, and a ‘person of interest’ Dr. Avery Carlson.” He pounded his index finger on the report as he spoke the names. “It is all documented in the report.” “What report are you referring to?” Erin refused to sit. “Where did you get that report on my investigation?” “This case is very important to my closest friend Senator Robert Cooper, so I had other eyes on The Life for Leukemia investigation.” “Who did you have watching over MY investigation? I demand to know!” “If you must know. We appointed a Federal Marshal to submit a report of evidence obtained from the initial Rochester investigation search and seizure.” “Oh, really! That is what you did?” Erin paced back and forth. “Yes, from the details obtained during your investigation of Dr. Newman’s office in Rochester, we finalized enough data for an indictment of charges against the squad of four suspects,” Senator Mayfield said, almost bragging. “Is that really the way you want to spin your story?” Erin looked at him out of the corner of her eye. She bit her lip and shook her head. “Erin, it is spelled out clearly in this report. We have all the findings from Dr.

Newman’s office. The marshal was thorough. You cannot dispute the facts.” He began shaking the report in the air tauntingly. “Bullshit!” “What did you say!” “It is BULLSHIT! That information was destroyed. There is no evidence remaining from Rochester.” Erin looked for a reaction from her father. Her skills of observation were second to none. He flinched, and she saw it. “This was my first case, and I screwed up. I filled out the paperwork incorrectly, and all of the evidence from Rochester was destroyed. We have been playing catch up ever since.” Senator Mayfield panicked. He had clearly been caught in his lie, “You shouldn’t have been compromising your investigation by going on dates with a suspect in a federal case. That puts the case at risk and is very unprofessional. Need I remind you that the young doctor from Johns Hopkins may have aided in illegal clinical trial,” he demanded. “Dates, as in plural? You said dates?” Erin questioned. “Yes, it is in this report that you have had numerous dinner dates with Dr. Avery Carlson.” He slapped the report on the desk in protest. “Oh, the report that a Federal Marshal prepared based upon evidence that doesn’t exist.” “YES.” Erin felt her chest tighten, her heart ached. Pain shot through her leg as her blood pressure rose. She did not realize that she was stomping the foot of her bad leg. She collapsed with pain into the leather chair. As she rubbed her knee and fought off tears of pain, the answer popped into her mind. Clarity through the pain and adrenaline. “You got to Ken! You leaned on him, and he broke! That report was given to you this morning. I can smell the toner from your cheap old school copy machine. He was the only one who knew about my dates with Avery.” Erin

shook her head in shame. “I spoke with him last night.” She ed subtle details, he seemed more interested in my date than conveying any field data that his team had revealed. “It makes sense that he had not turned up a single shred of evidence, he was working on his report. Your report.” Senator Mayfield was not speaking although by looking up and shifting his eyes to the left Erin knew he was drawing upon his creative mind to get him out of this. “Don’t even say another word!” Erin stood carefully on her leg to make sure it possessed the strength to mount her exit. She stepped with a limp toward the door. “You had Ken spy on my investigation, and he compiled a document stating exactly what you wanted the report to say. The facts have even been altered. Samantha was clearly in Stage 4, she was not given a chance to live due to a coward. The guy was too afraid to tell a U.S. Senator that her treatment was beyond his ability. He could not formulate a path her survival. If had asked for help or reached out a better trained colleague a young girl might still be alive. Yes, Avery and I uncovered that piece of information while conducting proper research techniques in Dr. Dixon’s Richmond office.” “Erin, this is all legal.” He lifted the report into the air. “Prepared by a Special Agent of the Department of Health and Human Services. He is an official agent instated by your department per your request.” The condescending tone was meant to attempt to get her to back down. “This meeting, or whatever it was, is OVER. Our relationship as senator and special agent is OVER. I caution you not to pursue anything with the Department of Justice or we, Father, are OVER!”

Chapter 12

When Trouble Wants to - Trouble Finds You

Vinegar Hill was settled by Irish immigrants and is named for the Battle of Vinegar Hill during the Irish Rebellion of 1798. During the nineteenth century, the Irish settlers worked in the Naval Yards of New York City as ship builders. Immigrants worked long hours of hard labor for low pay. The ethnic profile has changed in this region of the city, however, some things have stayed the same. There is a disparity of socioeconomics among the residents. Although becoming an “edgy” of deemed “hipster” neighborhood in the year 2016, it still suffers from select areas of poverty, higher crime rates, and drug abuse. The majority of the current residents of Vinegar Hill are lower income or lower middle class. The teenage girls, in an attempt to avoid the drug issues on their street, would walk the several blocks to the Downtown Brooklyn area for the shopping and restaurants. It simply gave them the glimpse of hope they needed and provided them with a safer social setting. Angela had walked out to the corner every day this week to look for La’Dela and her friends. The empty pavement made her sad and lonely for the girl’s energy. She had expressed her feelings of disappointment to Thomas in his decision to have the young lady arrested. His actions have changed their relationship forever. Finally, after five days of worrying, as she peeked out during her lunch break, she saw the girls. La’Dela looked the same. Her strength and charisma were the binding elements of the girl’s joy. She was clearly looked upon as a leader. The group was laughing and dancing around. Each girl took her turn showcasing a dance sequence. Angela could not help but to laugh as well. Something inside of her ached during their absence, and she was relieved to witness their presence. Chatham Brothers Drug store would keep baked goods for a duration of two day before discounting the price on the third day after which the items would be thrown in the dumpster in the back alley. The sales program was very successful, not much made it to the trash. Angela waited her turn at the behind a few customers. She had her favorite co-worker Mary Kate ring up the box of donuts which was buying to share with the ladies from Vinegar Hill. With her employee discount on top of

the third-day sale, it cost her next to nothing to make a gesture of friendship. Angela approached the girls with a cautious smile. “These are for my friends. You don’t know how much I missed seeing you all,” Angela said. “Is everyone doing okay?” She held her breath as La’Dela approached her. “You didn’t have to buy these for us. We know you’re cool.” She smiled. “But I am starving.” Once the leader partook the others followed. The girls finished off the entire dozen in record time. Angela spent only a few moments talking to them before she existed back inside. “It certainly is nice to have you girls back at the corner,” Angela said motherly. “Ahhh, you really missed us?” one of the girls called out. “You better believe I did!” Angela smiled with affection. “I worry about you when I can’t keep an eye on you all.” At the end of her shift around six o’clock, Angela checked to see if the box was on the curb or if the girls had actually thrown it into the trash can a few feet away. She was surprised to see the group still hanging out. This was beyond their normal curfew, it seemed. La’Dela saw her from a distance and waved. Angela took a minute to step fully into view and wave back. The world that these girls lived in was beyond most people’s comprehension. They had brothers, fathers, uncles and cousins that lived on the same block. These male figures stood to protect and provide income by whatever means necessary. Most of the community in Vinegar Hill was close knit. Moms, aunts, and grandmothers attempted to provide food and safe shelter for family. The sad fact of the street violence in Brooklyn is that the intent of some is to gain back power by preying upon the weak. As the local police had reported many times when one unlawful use of a firearm crime is committed it is usually a short period of time before the retaliation. A dark blue late model Chevy Malibu slowed as it approached the corner. Angela was curious if the girls were getting a ride home or if family had noticed them hanging out later than usual. She watched as the girls were still joking around, mimicking their earlier performance. None of them seemed to pay attention to the Malibu or respond in recognition of a previous acquaintance.

The Malibu was a vehicle that she herself did not ever seeing in association with the girls. It had no license plate and a broken taillight. Either the engine needed maintenance or the exhaust system leaked because a strong smell of gasoline trailed the vehicle. The way the distant light shone through the car at first, she could only see the silhouette of three people in the car, two in the front seat and one in the back. Angela then saw the young boy in the backseat lift his hand and point out the window. As the shots rang out, the girls dropped to the ground. The car sped off, nearly colliding with two others as it cleared the traffic. The sudden commotion at the intersection was followed by total silence. One body lay on the ground. The other girls ran toward home. Every car fled the scene. From behind Angela, she could hear the turning of the deadbolt lock on the Chatham Brothers Drug Store, followed by the pulling down of the vinyl shade that extended the length of the door from top to bottom. “Thomas call 911!” she shouted. He peered through the side window. Slowly he nodded his head gesturing no. Thomas stood and continued to watch her as Angela begged again. “Thomas, please call for an ambulance! Please!!” Angela ran to the corner so fast that her feet barely touched the ground. The blood was flowing slowly from La’Dela’s abdomen. It had already made a red stain in a circular pattern on the sidewalk. She was struggling to breathe. Angela fell to her knees. Placing La’Dela’s head in her lap, she began to comfort her. “Angela, is that you? It feels like I’m on fire! It hurts terrible.” La’Dela’s leg was spasming involuntarily. “Yes, I am here to help you. Hold still.” “Where did my girls go?” La’Dela spoke softly. “I’m sure they ran home to get help.” “They left me?” “No, no, no they went to get help,” Angela replied.

“Ya, okay whatever. I know they just left me here.” She groaned and coughed. “I feel pain everywhere. It is really bad ain’t it?” Looking up, Angela saw a man in his forties walking down the block toward them. She could see the suit and tie under his overcoat. He had to have a cellphone. “Can you get us help?” Angela yelled and motioned to the man. “We need help, please!” The man turned around without saying a word and headed the other direction as if in a hurry to leave the scene. He did not reach for his cellphone or even look twice at Angela. “Sir, please don’t go! Help us!” “It hurts, it hurts, it hurts.” She began to cry and had rapid breathing. “Someone please call 911!” Angela screamed to anyone who might be close enough and comionate enough to care. She looked toward the front door of the drugstore again but saw no movement. Thousands of cars drove through this intersection each day. It seemed as though Brooklyn stopped moving all at once no cars, buses, or pedestrians could be seen for blocks. If emptiness had a sound, it would be heard this day. “I feel really cold now. It don’t hurt as much anymore just feels cold now.” Angela’s voice had a demanding tone, “Hold on, you are very strong. Do not give up now.” “There is no pain anymore.” La’Dela sounded weak as she was almost whispering. “Come on, you are a fighter!” Angela shook her to keep her awake. “Thomas! Thomas, help us PLEASE!” Angela’s scream echoed through the buildings and down the hollow streets. Angela cradled the girl’s body as she attempted to put pressure on the wound. The blood was warm and flowed in between her fingers. She could not find where all the blood was coming from. Putting pressure on La’Dela’s stomach did

little to lessen the trauma. “I got you, don’t worry.” “Stay with me, Angela.” La’Dela’s voice was soft and clear. “I’m so cold.” “Help is on the way, you hang on.” “Can you hold my hand?” “Sure, I will hold your hand until help gets here.” Angela looked around but saw not a soul and heard not a sound. She began rocking La’Dela and humming the first hymn that came to her mind. The blood made her hand slippery, so Angela held on as tight as she could. She rubbed La’Dela’s shoulder trying to keep her warm. “What is that song? I like it.” “It is called ‘Be Now My Vision’. It is a hymn that I like, actually my favorite,” Angela replied. “You go to church?” “I used to work at a church in Iowa.” “No shit, you from Iowa? I’ve never been outside of Brooklyn.” There is a line in this song, High King of heaven, my victory won.” Angela started humming the tune again. “I’m not sure why but it makes me feel safe to know ‘my victory is won’.” “Angela, I did not steal nothin. Not from your store. I wouldn’t do you like that, you know.” “I know you didn’t because we are friends.” Angela had tears streaming down her cheeks. “I’m sorry, I don’t know what else to do to help you.” “It’s okay Angela.” La’Dela moved her arm slowly reaching her hand up and touched Angela’s face. Angela was on the street corner for over fifteen minutes holding La’Dela as she ed away in her arms. No one called for an ambulance. No one called the

police. No one stopped to help for over fifteen minutes. Angela never departed, she couldn’t help and still she knew it was better to stay and protect her from any more harm.

Chapter 13

Securing a Legal Defense by Playing Offense

Erin wasted little time pulling up research points, cross-referencing them with her medical journals, and printing out the latest Journal of Medicine Code of Conduct with respect to moral disclosure obligations of accurately disseminating medical conditions. She had to prove that every activity David conducted at his Life for Leukemia Retreat was to the best of his knowledge in the greatest interest of his campers. Erin also wanted to be able to prove conductive malpractice or at least moral misguidance by Dr. Dixon as it contributed to the lack of wellbeing of his patients. To prove guilt of malpractice would be impossible in a previously diagnosed terminal illness. She had to present reasonable doubt in the old man’s knowledge of modern practices. The strategy that she would be implementing may attract more attention to the case however, waiting around to get slaughtered by U.S. Senators was not strong play either. Erin called the Department of Justice and requested a meeting.

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“I have already spoken to David. You have two options Avery; arrive in DC at my office in two days, or I will send armed Federal Marshals to pick you up,” Erin demanded. “Slow down, I’ll be there. You can count on me.” Avery could sense the panic in Erin’s voice. “I am going to get us in front of the Deputy Assistant Attorney General in two days. I have been played like a pawn. Our research is not even being considered.” Erin really did not want to give out too much information as she was almost certain people were listening. “We are so close to medical history and we need a little more time.” “Done. I will leave tonight. Let me know more when I see you. I might be able

to help. When it is time to lawyer up, let me know,” Avery said with comfort. “Hey Erin, be careful not to jeopardize your career.” “I’m going to burn a few bridges for sure, but that doesn’t mean I have to just sit back and roast marshmallows.” Erin was well prepared for her next move. “I might even roast a couple of senators if I have to.” The conversation was ending, and Erin thought of two more crucial details. “Avery, don’t talk to Ken, not a word! And bring a good suit and tie, not that travel suit for the ladies. Pick out a testifying in front of a US Attorney General suit.” She ed Ken next with fresh instructions. He was to leave the team to do their job in upstate and return to Washington, D.C. for a meeting with her. In two days, she wanted to debrief him on his new job description. Ken offered no response other than to say he would do whatever she instructed him to do. Erin would be disappointed if he had not figured out, she was pissed. For fourteen hours straight Erin compiled information to present in the Attorney General’s office. She felt that she was down to her last breath but willing to fight for more time, time to find Ms. Angela DiVita. From as far back as she could the term cancer frightened her. It is the last diagnosis that any parent wants to hear when discussing their child’s medical issues. If they were correct in the assessment of the evidence and events appearing before them, a cure for cancer was realistically plausible and conceptually within reach.

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9-27.200 Of the Justice Department Regulations under Initiating and Declining Prosecution – Probable Cause Requirements states, If the attorney for the government concludes that there is no probable cause to believe that a person has committed a federal offense within his/her jurisdiction, he/she should consider whether to 1) Request or conduct further investigation 2) Decline prosecution and commence pretrial diversion to non-criminal disposition or 3) Decline prosecution without taking other action.

Erin was hoping to mount a medical dissertation with the assistance of two medical oncology experts, which would lead to any of these three considerations. By proving that Samantha Cooper’s care was inadequate to the severity of her Stage 4 reoccurring leukemia and that no charges to indicate the neglect of istering a nonexistent genetic cure could render guilt on the parties questioned. 9-27.230 Initiating and Declining Charges – Substantial Federal Interest code lists several defense options for Erin as well, taking into consideration relevant prosecutorial objections due to; a person’s culpability in connection with the offense, the person’s history with respect to criminal activity, the person’s willingness to cooperate in the investigation or prosecution of others, the probable consequences if the person is convicted. Erin had to offer proof that the current research data and future analysis of Angela DiVita’s blood and the impact on the science of curing cancer would fail if Dr. David Newman and Dr. Avery Carlson were convicted of a crime, incarcerated, or detained at length from their research. As seen in blood samples from the children, the NK cell presence may not be infinite. She plans to request a full removal of charges or at least a request for further investigation to be conducted upon the biological testing of Angela’s samples. In her back pocket, she holds the threat of making public the news of obstructive involvement of two U.S. Senators, Senator Mayfield and Senator Cooper with conspiracy charges files against Special Agent Ken Lawson.

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Two Days Later Meeting with Deputy Assistant Attorney General John Breckinridge III

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The boardroom setting at the Department of Justice allowed for the comfortable presence of at least a dozen people. In the room, seated on one side of the table was Mr. John Breckinridge III and Counselor Adam Trist. On the other was Special Agent Dr. Erin Mayfield, Dr. David Newman, and Dr. Avery Carlson. A female stenographer sat a distant eight feet away. Erin had presented the educational background, medical status, and published articles of Dr. Avery Carlson and Dr. David Newman and asked that they be considered expert witnesses by the U.S. Government. She briefed the Deputy Assistant Attorney General on the timeline of events dating back before her involvement in the case. Choosing to start with Dr. Dixon’s assessment of his patient.: Bone marrow transplantation is an effective therapy in patients with acute leukemia. High-dose chemotherapy with or without total body irradiation and allogeneic bone marrow transplantation is a more effective antileukemic treatment than chemotherapy. This approach is limited, however, by a relatively high risk of transplant-related complications, particularly graft rejection, GVHG, and interstitial pneumonitis. Autologous bone marrow transplantation avoids the problems of graft rejection. It does, however, introduce a risk of reinfusing residual leukemia cells with the autologous bone marrow. “If I may?” Avery raised his hand to request the opportunity to interject. “Yes, please,” Erin remarked. “The being used need to be defined more clearly. A ‘Graft’ bone marrow transplant is actually captured stem cells from a qualified marrow donor such as a family member or ultimately an identical twin.” Avery asked if he could pour himself a glass of water. After finishing nearly, the entire glass full, he continued. “In the treatment of Samantha Cooper there was not a match identified. The physician opted to use the method of ‘Autologous’ bone marrow transplant. This is a procedure of extracting the patient’s own marrow and isolating the proteins, then injecting the marrow back into the patient.” Erin stepped on Avery’s words and continued from there. “Dr. Dixon had not adequately istered pre-treatment radiation or chemotherapy or advised Mr. and Mrs. Cooper of the advanced stage of Samantha’s cancer. He did not want to have Samantha suffer in the eyes of her influential parents and protested the

bone marrow procedure as a sure-fire cure.” “You are stating that an inadequate pre-treatment was performed, however you itted in your opening statement that you had not personally evaluated Samantha Cooper through a physical nor have you reviewed her remains to confirm any of this testimony,” DAAG John Breckinridge III proclaimed. “What additional insight to Ms. Cooper can you provide?” Avery sat up straight in his chair. “I have provided consultation to Dr. Dixon over the years. He and I had a working relationship and I think that I can speak to his flaws.” The deposition continued with Avery giving further explanation as to the statics and medical observation of the bone marrow transplant techniques. “Autotransplants are difficult to evaluate critically but may be considered as investigational therapy for individuals in second or later remission. Younger individuals such as Samantha should be restricted to a first relapse. Dr. Dixon did not provide the parents with enough detail to evaluate his recommendations. From the records in his office, she was into a third relapse. Which, in my professional opinion, is past the remission level for success. He should not have proclaimed such a positive assurance.” “I need to reserve time to comment on the Special Agent’s willingness to provide these records to unattending physicians.” Mr. Breckinridge had his Council take note. “It is highly irregular that subjects of an investigation become research assistants, let alone allowed to mount their own defense.” “I have it noted. We will address and discuss prior to leaving the meeting today.” Avery went on to explain. Autologous bone marrow transplants for leukemia were developed to extend the apparent curative potential of myeloablative therapy. The conceptual problem with this approach is obvious: if the need for the transplant is based on overt or occult contamination of marrow by leukemia. Autologous marrow seems destined to failure because of reinfusion of cancer cells along with the harvested marrow. If additional treatments are not provided, such as chemotherapy or radiation, the progression of cancer will continue. And it did. Dr. Dixon failed at every level of his approach.” “In your professional opinion, but you have not examined Samantha Cooper?”

Erin’s voice got loud and defensive. “The purpose of this detail is to provide you with a cause for dismissal due to lack of evidence in the matter of unauthorized patient testing.” David spoke up, “We follow guidance from the AMA Code of Medical Ethics. According to Opinion 5.3 Physicians should elicit patient goals of care to a parent or guardian and preference regarding life-sustaining interventions early in the course of care. When withholding or withdrawing life-sustaining treatment, the physician should have approval of the parents or guardian of the minor. By understating the stage of cancer at which Samantha clearly governed, Dr. Dixon did not provide ethical options for treatment.” David went on to describe the Stages as such; Stage 0 carcinoma in situ, Stage I cancers are localized to one part of the body, Stage II cancers are locally advanced, Stage III cancers are also locally advanced and affected lymph nodes, Stage IV cancers have metastasized and spread to other organs throughout the body. Erin referred to page and paragraph in her report whereby the evidence from Dr. Dixon’s office search suggested that Samantha had significant metastasized cellular differentiation throughout her body. “This activity today being a pre-trial hearing, I do not have to share with you the signed, notarized and sworn statement from Dr. Dixon indicating by his last examination that he observed a Stage II cancer as only localized with plans to commence radiation therapy,” Attorney Breckinridge informed them. Erin spent the next hour and a half on the second part of her testimony. Reviewing the witness’ interviews from the Life for Leukemia Retreat stating that no therapies, medications, or clinical trials were performed on campers/attendees. She proceeded to present evidence of the possibility of the transmission of NK cells from one person, Angela DiVita, to the children who showed significant recovery. “Clearly no treatments were istered or denied to any Leukemia Retreat patient/attendee,” Erin stated again. Attorney John Breckinridge seemed only slightly convinced of a presence of innocence. “You have presented a lot of claims. However, I need facts in order to dismiss a case. The Department of Justice feels that the next move should be a full trial where evidence can be submitted, and witnesses called.” He took a

moment to tap his paperwork on the table. “You have an incomplete list of witnesses questioned from the Retreat. Based on the inadequate evidence presented and the assumption made that no medications were injected into the children or denied to children at the Retreat I’d like to have one hundred percent of the volunteers, doctors and attendees noted so that I can exclude the possibility of illegal trials.” John looked questioningly at Erin and then David and then Avery. “At the least, I will bring up additional charges against Dr. Dixon. Without a completed fact-based report, I will move to trial in two weeks’ time.” He took a cleansing breath. “I will be honest with you Ms. Mayfield; my boss is looking at a report that was provided to him by a respected senator, and he is moving to the recommendation of said senator. This is being pushed as either a means to justice or as a terrible publicity stunt. Either way, I can only help you if you can get me proof that a HOST, as you called it, with real healing power exists. I’m sorry folks, when this hits trial, your medical licenses will be suspended and all of your government grants cut off.” “Understood, so we have two weeks.” Erin looked at the bright side of today’s events. “We need to find Angela for her testimony that she did not ister nor witness treatments of any kind to the children at the Retreat. And more importantly, WHEN we locate her, we WILL prove our theory.” The room was momentarily silent. Then the group began organizing their respective paperwork, notes, and laptops. Deputy Attorney Breckinridge was clearly contemplating something. Erin could see out of her peripheral vision that he was leaning back in his chair, lightly drumming his hands on the edge of the conference room table. “I am an educated man and although your hypothesis doesn’t seem plausible to me, hearing your expert opinions and unbending belief in this theory, I will get you three weeks. You have three weeks from today. After that time, it will be out of my hands.” With that, the Deputy Assistant Attorney General dismissed the . Erin thanked Mr. Breckinridge for his time today. She requested that the guys return to her office for a brief review of what just happened. At least they have a hard timeline in place. Three weeks may be enough time if Erin can push the pace of discovery. Somehow, she needs to get additional manpower on the street.

If the FBI will allow her access to their research log for her case, Erin is confident in her ability to focus their search patterns. Erin wondered where Angela DiVita was hiding. How could someone stay concealed from the government for so long without credit card use or a cell phone to track? She may not even be of aware of her remarkable cellular structure.

Back in Special Agent Dr. Erin Mayfield’s Office The three medical professionals try to wrap their heads around what is happening. Unfortunately, their analytical presentation of the facts is being denied credibility by a fabricated report and the stubborn backing of a couple senators. Clearly, Dr. Dixon was afraid and under tremendous pressure from senator Cooper. He was afraid to apply aggressive treatments to Samantha’s cancer for fear the side effects would be a sign of failed treatment. The very common events of hair loss, weight loss, and highly weakened state were not permissible under the watchful eye of Mr. and Mrs. Cooper. Dr. Dixon was pressured by the Cooper’s to ister a bone marrow transplant without due diligence of searching for a compatible donor. He was setting himself up for failure. In an attempt to protect himself, he understated the advanced stage of Samantha’s near untreatable leukemia. The Retreat was his gift. A way out for his professional weakness. “Jenny Parker’s recovery, remission and complete dismissal of cancer must have confused him to such a degree he surmised that someone had treated her outside of his knowledge. A stooge like that could not have created an environment of success that would have convinced him that he had anything to do with her recovery,” Avery said bluntly. They agreed that the Cooper’s must have allowed their emotional state of remorse to govern their logical minds when Samantha was hospitalized and sank into a coma. Dr. Dixon did not want to take any blame and may have bragged that he was a great doctor, giving Jenny Parker’s recovery as his evidence of medical ability. Senator Cooper charged him with patient favoritism or maybe even political motivation to treat the Parker girl with therapies that their Samantha did not receive. Whatever the exact scenario, the blame was placed on the Leukemia Retreat. Now Erin had to contend with her father taking Robert Cooper’s side and demanding punishment of the innocent. “Guys, don’t go far,” Erin demanded. “I am going to give this a day and then see what we can do to defend our theory from a legal standpoint. We certainly pleaded our case from a medical view.” As David and Avery exited her office, they saw Ken waiting patiently in the lobby. Neither of them gave him a second glance. “We should probably find a

bar and get a drink,” suggested Avery.

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The receptionist called out for Ken. She told him that Special Agent Mayfield would see him now. Ken felt as if his actions changed his life forever. The walk to Erin’s office gave him a sincere feeling of loneliness. Ken opened the office door slowly. He could feel the heat from the room rush past him to the much cooler outer hall. Erin was seated at her desk. She was scrolling through her case file on her laptop, reaching for a directional clue that was not there. Motioning to Ken to take a seat felt to Erin as if she was about to converse with a stranger. What was done was done. She could not change the past. The only option was to make sure her case was not further jeopardized. “We had a meeting with the Department of Justice today.” Erin’s voice was deep and controlled. “Well, this presents a twist to the case. Now, I have to defend my professional beliefs to lawyers who have never drawn blood from a dying child with the hopes that a simple vaccine would provide a lifesaving miracle.” “Look Erin,” Ken tried to speak. “No, let me finish!” she shouted. “ when vaccines, hell even antibiotics, seemed like miracles to us, Ken?” “Oh, come on, Erin! You really don’t believe all of this NK cell, super cure, holy Host stuff, do you?” “I do, with every reasonable trace of evidence we have found and all the scientific theory to back it,” Erin replied with a tone of anger. “These guys are smart and have covered their tracks. They filled your head with a fantastic ‘Guardian Angel’ story.” Ken’s voice cracked. “This group of doctors formulated a genetic solution to fight leukemia, but unfortunately for them, it did not work on every child. They killed a senator’s daughter.”

“You do not believe that! David Newman, the man who worked beside us in Iowa City, did not kill a child. Why, have you done this to our investigation? How did my dad get you to trash everything?” “Erin, we used to do real research! We used to be the ones who solved complete scenarios.” Ken leaned forward in his chair and rested his arms on the oak desk. “This is real research, and now it is imperative that we finish our job. We can do this the right way and make a difference for millions.” “Again, with the bullshit theory!” Erin rolled her chair closer to her desk, looking Ken in the eyes. “What has changed in you, Ken? I can’t understand who you’ve become.” “I saved your life and what do I get from you! You send me off to Cleveland, Iowa and Upstate New York chasing an imaginary person while you get romantic with an idealist like you. You two think you can team up and save the world.” Ken pulled the sleeves up on his shirt. The already warm room was outright hot now. “I kept your fantasy realm in check, grounded to the real world, and out of trouble for years. We had something special in Central American. I saved your life!” Ken began to speak in circles. He could find no way out. “I thought we had something special and a future together.” “I told you that the time we spent together in Brazil was special. It was a momentary spark but it wasn’t real. We were working long hours in terrible conditions. Kissing you was comforting in that environment, but it was also a mistake.” Her voice softened from the earlier attitude. “I thanked you for saving my life. I am eternally grateful for all you have contributed to my life, but it does not change my feelings.” “It should! You can still change.” Ken was confused by his own words. “That is how it was supposed to be!” “How was it supposed to be, Ken?” “Just you and me forever! Now back in the states, you are running around with Mr. Johns Hopkins the rich guy, giving everyone orders.” “That is not fair, I am doing my job. I do owe you my gratitude for saving my

life. It does not entitle you to anything more!” Erin stared at Ken. “You are my best friend, forever.” Erin’s heart sank with sadness. “Let’s not change that.” Erin’s cellphone that had been sitting on the desk in front of her with the charging cord dangling began to flash and vibrate across the oak surface. She had an extremely important incoming call. The telephone number did not flash on the iPhone screen as it normally would on a standard call. The identification for this call simply read ‘FBI’. “I have to take this call.” She looked up at Ken and then down at her phone again. The cellphone rang for the third time before Erin sent a signal from her brain to her hand to pick up the phone. The voice from the FBI agent was clear and direct. He was the young gentleman presiding over the Angela DiVita probe whom Erin met with previously, “Special Agent Mayfield, we have information for you.” Erin held the phone tight to her ear. No need to share information with informants at this point. “Yes, what do you have?” “A female named Angela DiVita was a witness to a violent crime in Brooklyn, New York. We saw the hit in our system when the NYPD filed the police report.” “Any other details?” “Special Agent, as it was reported to me, she stayed with the shooting victim until police arrived on scene and issued a statement including a full report of the incident. We have her current known address and name of her employer.” “Send it to me right away. I need that address. And send a copy of the police report. I want to interview anyone who saw and/or spoke to her.” “It is on its way to you right now. I will e-mail it to you and send a document copy to arrive later today.” The FBI agent was excited to have been able to locate the target and provide assistance. “Thank you for your help. The timing could not have been any better,” Erin

thanked the agent. “Special Agent Mayfield?” There was a pause from the FBI side. “Yes, what is it?” Erin asked. “The report was filed this morning, and we picked up the name instantly, but the crime was committed on Tuesday.” It was with great regret that he had to convey the facts of the matter. “It’s Friday! Today is Friday, right?” She was well aware of today’s date. “That is correct, ma’am.” “It took the NYPD three days to file their report?” She shouted. “Yes, Agent Mayfield, that is correct.” Erin stood up quickly and grabbed her government-issued black jacket. She opened her top right desk drawer, took out her Special Agent shield, and clipped it to the waistband of her belt. “You are coming with us!” she addressed Ken. “I don’t have time to get anyone else with your field research expertise. I need you to do exactly what I say. When it comes down to it, I hope I can trust you.” Ken jumped to his feet, ready for the opportunity to claim his redemption. Hurting Erin was never his intent, winning back her friendship was now his most important action.

Chapter 14

The Race to Brooklyn

The drive up I-95 North from Washington, D.C. to New York City is typically a three-hour and forty-five-minute drive. Erin pulled into the Brooklyn area in under three hours. The federal automotive pool had plain format vehicles such as the issued Suburban her team had used previously. The motor pool also had units decked out in lights and decals. For this high-speed drive, Erin lit up the interstate with a streak of red and blue flashes in a new Durango. Accompanied by David, Avery, and Ken, she ran with full lights blazing the entire distance. The marked Federal Investigation Unit Dodge Durango Pursuit vehicle cruised at ninety miles per hour plus with the legendary 5.7L HEMI V8 engine enjoying the pace. Most of the dialog consisted of Erin detailing the instruction to the team. She had ordered Avery and Ken to stay back a few paces until she called them into action. David was the best person to positively identify Angela. After many attempts to reach anyone by phone at the Chatham Brothers Drug Store, Erin finally got a call through. The young woman, Mary Kate, was unsure if Angela was on her off day or on vacation. She was only able to convey these basic details; telling Erin that many times she worked opposite shifts as Angela, she had not seen her this day and that Angela did, in fact, rent the upstairs apartment from the owners. Erin left the lights flashing as she slowed and parked the Durango in front of the drug store. She had little cooperation from the local police when she had asked them to secure Angela for their arrival. Again, she found herself on her own to find a solution to the problem at hand. Erin led the way through the door with David close behind. Thomas and Mary Kate were at the front checking out customers when they entered. Thomas’s first thought was that he was in trouble for refusing to come to the aid of a shooting victim. Upon seeing the vehicle with lights outside and the official badges, he called to his brother over the intercom. Markus was on his way to the front of the store to see how he could assist Thomas. Erin identified herself as Special Agent Mayfield with the Department of Health

and Human Services. She requested to speak to Angela immediately. Thomas and Markus led the team to the back of the store, away from the customers, so that they could shield the agents from sight. The competitive struggle for business would not be benefited if word got out that the store had legal trouble with federal agents of the Health and Human Services Department. Thomas was sad to inform them that Angela had packed her things and left the day before. She was heartbroken by Thomas’s actions and unwillingness to even attempt to save a life. Angela knew she could not bear to see the stain on the sidewalk day after day. The blood had leached into the porous concrete and created a dark, almost black circular pool. The Chatham brothers allow Erin and Ken to inspect her upstairs apartment in case there was anything that might lead them to her next destination. The apartment is completely empty. Everything is neat and clean. If Thomas and Markus had not informed them of a residing tenant for the past couple of months, you would never know someone resided there. The only detail that Thomas can add is that Angela mentioned she wanted to see the Pacific Ocean. New York was an adventure for her, but the memory of La’Dela set like a heavy weight on her heart. “Is Angela in trouble?” Thomas asked. “No, we need some information from here regarding a summer retreat that she attended. We think she was able to help a few of the campers, and we want more information from her. She is not in trouble, but she may be able to help us.” Erin could see the brother’s concern. Thomas’s eyes were sunken behind dark rings of remorse. His actions in that moment changed lives forever. “Helping people is all that girl does. I hope you find her soon,” Thomas exclaimed in an attempt to receive some repentance. “When you see her, please tell her that I am sorry. I should have listened to her. My life will be different forever because of that kid.” Thomas’s eyes welled up. “She is the best person I ever had the privilege of meeting. Our time together was too short because I was stubborn and stupid.” They made their way back downstairs into the store. David and Avery were speaking to Mary Kate. She could not offer any additional information. She did share the stories of Angela trying to save La’Dela both figuratively and literally.

The details were chilling, but having met Angela, David was not surprised in her effort to help a lost soul. Mary Kate did not know all the facts when she shared the tales of Angela saving customers by identifying the way she kept all of their medications memorized. Erin stood off to the side of the store by the entrance while she called into the FBI on her cellphone, “See if you can locate a purchased ticket from any airport in New York to Los Angeles or any city on the west coast. Probably a one-way ticket purchased with cash by Angela DiVita.” Mary Kate overheard the conversation between Erin and the FBI agent. She tapped David on the arm. “Sir, if she went to an airport, she would have gone to JFK. It is the easiest airport to get to from here. The best way to get there is by subway. Angela used the subway all the time. I’m sure she would catch the LIRR train from Penn Station to JFK.” David spoke up, addressing Erin. “Check JFK. Focus on JFK.” Erin understood, “Okay, we have new details. Concentrate your search on flights out of JFK.” She hung up the cellphone and addressed Thomas and Markus. “Here is my card and number. If Angela shows up back here for any reason at any time, call me.” The four made their way outside. Erin looked down at the street corner. “That must have been where the shooting took place. I have the police report in the truck if anyone wants to read it.” Her cellphone rang. “Hello, Agent Mayfield speaking.” “Mayfield, this is Greg White from the FBI. You spoke to another agent moments ago.” “Yes, sir.” “I have a confirmed airline ticket at JFK for Angela DiVita. Delta Airlines Flight L416 out of Terminal 8, Gate 12. She has seat 34B. The flight leaves at 3:14p.m.” “That’s in less than an hour. Okay, thank you.” Erin panicked slightly. “Can you

stop the flight?” “Not under the statute on file. Angela DiVita is listed as a witness, not a person of interest. You would have to get a judge to issue a warrant to stop a flight.” The FBI Senior Commanded itted that this is out of his jurisdiction at this point. “Get in the Durango now. We have to go to JFK!” Erin commanded.

Chapter 15

The Race to JFK Airport

Angela was waiting in line at the Brookstone Book Store in Terminal 8. She was purchasing a travel guide of Los Angeles and a drink for the plane. The lady in line behind her was speaking loudly into her phone. She was dressed more for a night out than to travel anywhere. Angela noticed the height of the woman’s heels on her bright red shoes, thinking it might be fun to try walking in them. They were at least four inches if not five inches high. “You better be there when her flight arrives. No excuses!” The young lady seemed emotional and in an extreme hurry. Angela motioned to her to go ahead. “Please, I’m not in any hurry.” As the lady moved in front of Angela in line, she nodded a sort of “thank you”. “Meet her at the actual terminal gate when her plane lands!” She looked at the two people in line ahead of her and motioned for them to hurry up. “No, don’t drive up to the Arrivals! She is only ten years old! Go in and wait for her, asshole.” Angela felt a lump of sadness in her throat. “Change your schedule and be there. Today! Oh my god, I’m putting her on the plane in forty-five minutes.” Angela motioned to her that the cashier was ready for her now. “Flight L416 out of JFK.” She paid for her items and moved only a few feet away. “This is your fault for always mentioning to her how great California is. Well, you shouldn’t have said anything if you really didn’t want her to visit.” Angela smiled at the cashier as she received her change. “She was excited, but now that she is actually going to visit her father, she is scared to go. I don’t care at this point; she is getting on that plane, and I am enjoying a few weeks of freedom.” The woman looked around for the Gate

number she needed. “Just be at the airport to pick her up.” Angela walked slowly to Gate 12. Looking for a seat in the waiting area, Angela saw the woman form the bookstore. She settled down across from an adorable little girl with long blond hair. The girl had her legs scrunched up with her knees near her chin. The woman handed her a bag with snacks and a bottle of water. “It is a long flight, so don’t eat everything at once. They should give you a free drink and maybe some pretzels on the plane.” Looking down at her cellphone, she seemed disinterested in comforting the girl. “Claire, did you hear what I said?” A new text came in. She jumped up and walked away. “Are you going to Los Angeles?” Angela asked the young girl. “Yep, I’m visiting my dad.” Her voice was soft and had notes of insecurity. “I’m on this flight to Los Angeles too.” Angela leaned closer to the girl. “Is that your mom?” “Yep.” “Is your name Claire?” “Yep. What seat are you sitting in?” Claire seemed to open up a little. “Oh, that is a good question. Let me look.” Angela pulled out her ticket. She was looking it over carefully and clearly struggled to find the seating information. “Let me see,” Claire asked. Angela got up and walked across the aisle. She sat down in the vacant seat next to Claire. “This is my first flight ever. I am so excited to go to LA,” Angela shared. “Here it is. See this number right here, seat 34B.” Claire pointed and sat up straight. “Wow, I am in seat 34A. It is the window seat!” “So, I am in the middle seat right next to you, cool!” Angela was genuinely impressed. “Well hello seat-neighbor, my name is Angela.”

The two new friends were talking about what they wanted to see in Los Angeles. They could overhear Claire’s mother’s conversation. Everyone in the airport could hear Claire’s mom’s conversation. “She is talking to my dad again.” Claire sounded a little sad. “They don’t get along.” “You promised a ten-year-old that she could come to LA, and see the movie stars, what did you think would happen?” Looking at Claire, she could see that her daughter made a friend. In an attempt to shield her voice, she turned her back toward Claire and spoke more softly. Angela heard every word. Claire was doodling on a notebook trying to take her mind off the current situation. It was not difficult to piece together the conversation from the other end of the line. “Because she hasn’t seen her father in two years, she has never been to your house in LA, that’s why she is scared. It seems pretty easy to figure out.” Angela shared with Claire that she worked as a summer camp counselor for a group of kids her exact age. Angela offered to tell Claire stories of the adventures at the summer camp and to tell her all about the kids she met while they were flying. The woman ended her call and walked over to where they were sitting. “Mom, this is Angela. We have seats right next to each other on the plane.” Claire did not let her mother speak. “Angela was a camp counselor at a retreat in the woods this summer!” “Hi ma’am, I’m Angela.” She extended her hand to the mother. However, the greeting was not returned. “Nice, a camp counselor. You look like a responsible person. Could you make sure that my little Claire gets on the plane?” Before Angela could respond and her response was clearly ‘yes,’ Claire’s mother had mentally found herself an insurance policy per se’ and blurted out, “In LA, would you make sure that Claire meets up with her father at the airport, too? You would be doing me such a huge favor if you could do that.”

“Yes, and yes. We will board the plan together and I won’t let her out of my sight.” Angela would not allow it to be any other way. The little girl obviously needed adult supervision. “Oh, that would be great to have someone look out for her during the flight and at the airport. Claire has pictures of her dad in her bag.” The woman did not look at Claire once during the conversation. Angela assured her that she had no timeline when arriving in Los Angeles so she would gladly stay with Claire until her father arrived. “Young lady, you are a life-saver!!” The woman sat for a second and awkwardly hugged Claire. She put her arm around the girl, and at the same time, kept her distance. “So, we are all good. Miss Angela will get you on the plane and make sure you find your father in LA.” “We are all good, Mom.” Something about the way she addressed the issue did not give Angela a great feeling of confidence that Claire’s father would be at the gate when they arrived. The woman stood for a moment, looked at her phone, and walked quickly off into the distance. Free from responsibility the clicking sound of her high heels danced through the corridor.

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Erin drove up to Terminal 8 at JFK Airport with the lights flashing and the siren blaring. The four of them jumped out of the Durango and headed in through the Arrivals entrance. Erin pointed to the vehicle and shouted for the airport security police to watch the vehicle. Her badge in hand, she paused until the security gave her a thumbs up.

“Stay close to us,” Erin shouted to David and Avery. “Ken, flash that badge of yours so we can get to the gate without worrying about TSA or the NYPD.” David was on her hip as they entered the terminal. Focusing on as many faces as he could, David had an epinephrin rush. Bodies blurred in his vision as his sense of sight pinpoints everyone from the shoulders up. The surrounding commotion became silent. “Good, if we get split up, David is with me. He is our best source to identify Angela quickly and from a distance.” Erin shouted to the TSA while holding up her badge. “Federal Investigator, we have a medical emergency. I need to get to a enger before she boards her flight.” Gate 12 was the destination. It was already 2:30p.m. so the flight may have started pre-boarding. They certainly drew the attention of the TSA. A few NYPD airport cops stopped Erin to ask if they could help. She informed them that if they could clear a path to Gate 12 and make sure they were not stopped that would benefit them greatly. Angela and Claire looked up as their boarding Group 4 was called by the gate attendant. “Our turn to board the plane. Make sure you grab everything,” Angela said sweetly. Claire smiled from ear to ear. She was happy to be with Angela and extremely nervous to be flying to Los Angeles. The two girls held hands. Claire interlocked her fingers and squeezed tight. They moved into position behind a family of four. The mom started to out everyone’s printed boarding es. The line was long but was moving surprisingly fast for the process of boarding. A mix of business travelers and families took their position at the gateway. Angela clutched her duffle bag, and Claire rolled her tiny suitcase along behind her. Erin hurried past Gate 9 and then 10 in an all-out sprint to the finish. She could see the line of engers with boarding es in hand at Gate 12. Ken caught up to her as her bad knee buckled. He put his arm around Erin’s waist and held the bulk of her weight. The pain was excruciating at this point, which made her voice all the more intense.

Erin called out, “Angela DiVita!! Angela DiVita!!” David sped past Erin and Ken, taking the lead. He could see Angela in conversation with a young girl. “Angela! Angela, it is Dr. Newman.” Angela turned quickly as it ed to her that people were shouting her name. It took a few scans across the terminal crowd before she saw him. “Dr. Newman, what an awesome surprise!” She remained close to Claire and did not let go of her hand. “Angela, we have been looking all over for you. We need your help.” David was out of breath. He bent over at the waist. Erin, Ken, and Avery pushed their way around and through the boarding line, which made a right angle turn down the corridor. Erin held up her badge. “Federal Agents, please step aside. Angela DiVita, you need to come with us.” Angela was a startled by Erin’s demanding tone. “Dr. Newman, what’s going on?” She addressed his friendly face instead of responding to Erin. “We need your help with an investigation regarding my Leukemia Retreat.” “Okay, once I get to Los Angeles, I will see how I can help you,” Angela said with a calming effect. “Oh no, you’re not getting on that plane. You have to come with us right now.” Erin shifted her weight so that her good leg could her. The pain had changed to numbness due to the adrenaline. “I’m sorry, I have to take care of my friend Claire. I promised her mother that I would get her all the way to LA, and make sure she meets up with her father.” Angela turned and continued toward the ticket agent to have her boarding scanned. Erin rushed forward and grabbed Angela’s wrist tightly. She jerked her around with significant force. Others in line moved forward to help Angela break free from her restraints. Several engers shouted angrily at Erin to leave her alone. Claire got startled. She lost her balance when her suitcase hit her heels. She was

pushed backward by the gathering crowd. Some folks were interested in helping Angela, and others had their phones out capturing the moment on video. Claire tripped and fell hard to the ground. She lay flat on her back she had the wind knocked out of her. Angela was not able to hold on tight enough to keep the tiny girl from tumbling down. A mother in line who had watched the entire episode unfold helped Claire to her feet. “How dare you attack this lady and the little girl!” She pointed her finger at Erin. “Federal Agent or not, nobody has the right to put their hands on a human being like that.” The crowd turned on Erin, Ken, David, and Avery. A few of the young business executives from the back of the line moved forward with force to assist. The concerned citizens made a wall between them and the girls. The shouting escalated as Erin attempted to move forward toward the boarding gate entrance. Two NYPD officers walked up to the scene and separated the parties. They started asking questions. The hail of varying independent responses made it difficult to collect any facts. The situation was heated, and voices were loud. Angela leaned toward David and Erin. “I have to go with this young girl to Los Angeles. Her father may not be there when she arrives. She is only ten years old. I promised her and her mother that I would take care of her. Please don’t make me break my promise!” Erin’s heart was not responding. Her mind kept telling her that if she lost track of Angela her case would end with David and Avery going to trial. Erin motioned to the police officers. “Arrest her! She is wanted for a federal investigation.” She held her shield high in the air. The crowd pushed forward in anger and shoved the officers back at least eight feet. The next action was an officer removing his ASP baton. Avery stopped the police officers by pushing his forearm into his midsection to create distance before he raised both hands high into the air. “Erin, wait!” He stepped back from the officers requesting them to give him a minute. “Erin, I have a better plan. You are probably only hours away from getting your federal authority pulled. The Department of Justice is all over this in a bad way for us. Any test results from Johns Hopkins or for that matter any laboratory on the East Coast will be seen as false evidence. They have it twisted against us.”

“What are you saying?” Erin could not believe he questioned her authority and could not imagine where he was going with this. Ken, David, Avery, and Erin huddled together, blocking the boarding path. The two offices stood close by and attempted to calm the crowd. “Think about it. We can’t win here. Not in New York, not in Baltimore, or DC. Every institution on the East Coast has my fingerprints or David’s all over it.” He inhaled as he motioned for David, Ken, Angela, and officers to come closer. “Senator Cooper has this case already tried, and we have all been convicted.” David spoke, “Erin, you heard all the evidence that we presented in the pre-trail hearing, and none of it will be considered without an independent test.” “So, what is the plan?” Erin gave in to their seasoning. “Take Angela to Caltech or UC Berkeley. Let her take the flight. It is the fastest way to get her out of Senator Cooper’s reach.” Avery looked at David. David nodded in agreement, “It is our best chance to prove our theory.” “The Caltech or UC Berkeley medical teams can confirm the results without bias. They would love to prove an ultra-conservative senator from Virginia wrong about anything. That bunch is super liberal and have a track record of pushing the envelope with medical analysis. We can give their research team one hundred percent of the notoriety and fame. They will have this printed in textbooks within six months.” “I’m going with her!” Erin stated. Ken volunteered, “Erin, I can go. It is a six-hour flight, and your knee is not in good shape. You will suffer the whole way.” “I am not letting her out of my reach, let alone out of my sight.” Avery suggested, “Don’t tell anyone we are coming. No advanced warning that might get intercepted.” Avery looked around as everyone agreed. “I can explain our way into their labs when I get there.” “Okay, that is the new plan.” Erin looked at Ken with concern for his continued betrayal. “Give me your cellphone.”

David explained to Angela and Claire that Agent Mayfield is really a good person. She is under a lot of pressure. They really need her to help by giving a blood sample and visiting Caltech Medical Center with them. David assured her that he would be on the next flight if he could not get on this one. “Special Agent Mayfield, call her Erin, can give you all of the details on the flight.” David touched Angela’s arm. “I can’t wait to tell you about Amanda, Jenny, Kari, and JR. They have all beat cancer and are perfectly healthy.” Erin walked slowly up to the ticket counter. “I am a Federal Agent, and we need to get on this flight.” “Miss, we have a full flight. I can only get one person on this flight per FAA regulations. As a federal agent, I can definitely get you a seat.” She began to click the keyboard like a symphony. “Oh, we have a seat in First Class available as standby that I can put you in immediately.” The reservation attendant cooperated fully. “Here you go. Use this as your boarding .” Erin pointed to the rest of the group. “Get them all on the next flight to LA.” “Yes, ma’am, I believe our next flight has plenty of options.” There are ten flights a day out of JFK to LAX. The others would use their federal status to make it on the next flight out at 5:36p.m. Erin entered the airplane minutes after Angela and Claire. The flight attendant looked at her boarding . “Excuse me miss, your seat is right here.” Erin kept walking toward the back of the plane even though she was clearly pointing to the seat 2C. “Miss, you are in First Class your seat is up here.” The flight attendant followed her past the main cabin into Economy. Erin did not look back or even acknowledge that she heard the young flight attendant. Erin stopped, tapped politely on the middle-aged man’s shoulder who was sitting in the seat she wanted. He had already made himself comfortable with an open magazine and fastened his seat belt. Comfort came as a chore for him. He had to make a major adjustment to the belt length to get it around his three-hundredpound belly. He looked over the top of his Gucci reading glasses up at Erin. “Yes miss, how can I help you?”

“It is your lucky day, sir. You have been selected to be upgraded free of charge to sit in first class. This nice flight attendant will show you your new seat.” Erin’s voice was full of sarcasm, but that didn’t matter to the man. He unbuckled, rolled up his magazine, and collected his belongings in the overhead bin. “Wow, thanks. You don’t have offer that option to me twice. I will take you up on that.” His voice could be heard as he squeezed between the seats on his journey with the flight attendant to his new seat.

Chapter 16

Her Final Stage

Seat 34 C was still warm from the gentlemen’s massive body. Angela had staged her and Claire’s snacks and drinks in the seat pocket in front of them. With Angela in the middle looking over Claire out the window, the two shared their nervous excitement. The plane lurched forward. Claire let out a sound, “Ohhhh, here we go!” Angela laughed, “I’m ready to fly.” Claire asked if she could hold Angela’s hand. The request was quickly granted. Angela looked at Erin, who was sitting silently. “I know you didn’t mean to hurt me when you grabbed my arm, or to knock Claire down. I can tell that you’re under a lot of stress. This must be very important to you.” Erin shook her head as an apology. “Anyone who is friends with Dr. Newman is a good person.” Erin kept quiet, staring straight forward. “This is my first time flying, how about you?” Angela asked. “I have been on a lot of flights. It is not my favorite thing to do.” Angela extended her hand to Erin, palm up. “You can hold my hand if you want to.” When Erin refused, she presented it again. Claire leaned forward in her seat. “Come on, let’s all hold hands.” Erin took Angela’s hand in hers. Angela squeezed tight. At that moment, Erin felt a calming ease fall over her. She actually displayed a facial expression that resembled a smile as the plane accelerated to speed for liftoff. Hand in hand in hand the three in Row 34 seat A, B, and C could have been sisters they looked so much alike. Erin was sorry that she did not trust Ken

with his cell phone. She felt the extra lump in her pocket. Sitting there attempting to relax Erin’s mind had cast momentary doubts on her theory. She pressed to reach any other plausible conclusion but couldn’t. The events and outcomes could be devoted to only one scenario. It had to be Angela. She was the key, the answer, the cure. Avery and David confirmed the idea and rationalized the medical possibility that a transfer of NK cells through viral transmission of a mosquito is entirely possible. Dr. Palmier’s remarkable recovery rate when injecting human subjects with Angela’s blood was a confirmed certainty.

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Waiting at Terminal 8, Gate 12 for their flight in two hours, time ed slowly. David and Avery had briefly discussed the plan of attack when they arrived in Los Angeles. Avery knew several of the professors at the school. The California Institute of Technology is in Pasadena, California, which is only a twenty-minute drive from the airport in Los Angeles. David and Avery discussed the advanced facilities such as, their Biochemistry and Molecular Biophysics’ laboratories at Caltech. They were outfitted with high-resolution microscopy technology that were second to none in the world. Ken had walked around inside the terminal looking for food. His absence was brief and not considered a threat to David or Avery. Whatever had transpired between him and Erin was their business. Finding Angela and knowing that Erin had her locked down gave a promising serenity to their future. Avery stood to stretch his legs. He had also hoped that the movement would keep him from falling asleep. He could see some activity at the gate agent’s desk. It looked as if a pilot and the two gate attendants were pointing in the guys’ direction. Ken returned from his run to get food. He settled for a McDonalds’ meal, cheeseburger and fries. Before he sat down, Avery got his attention and pointed to the airline desk at the entrance of their gate. “Did you catch what was going on at the desk when you walked by?” Avery said

to Ken. “No, I am so hungry I was not paying attention to their conversation.” David sat up and swiveled around to see what had Avery’s attention so peaked. Another pilot walked up to the group that was now four or five in a cluster. “Oh, hell. I bet our flight was delayed or canceled!” Avery said. “That must be it. They may be trying to figure out how they are going to get us to LA,” David added. Ken looked over, “Whatever the case maybe they are definitely looking at us.” Avery heard his cell phone ringing in his jacket pocket, which was folded neatly on the chair between him and David. His Lucas Spanish Merino Shearling Sheepskin jacket set him back about two thousand dollars. The heavily insulated lining in the pockets made the ring tone faint but audible. He bent over the seats, stretched, and picked up his phone. The number on the screen was the most recent addition to his favorites. “Guys, it is Erin calling me.” He shrugged his shoulders. “She must be checking in to coordinate our plan.” “Hey Erin, lucky me I get to hear your beautiful voice.” Her voice sounded clear and calm. “You are lucky. You would have been so lucky to have a relationship with a girl like me.” “I will see you soon. We can have a serious talk about how much I want this relationship.” Avery felt a slight pain in his stomach. “I’d like that very much.” Erin paused for a second, “Avery can I speak with Ken.” “Ken, she wants to speak to you.” Avery handed the phone to him. He tried to fight off the temporary fear he felt deep inside. “Hi, Erin, how is the flight?” Ken asked with hesitation, unsure of the friendship

status at this point. “Well, we may be landing in Cleveland. Did you guys get your flights booked for LA?” “Yes, we are all set with the tickets, but we might have a delay. They are working on something at the ticket counter that clearly involves us. It appears that they want us to them at the ticket counter now.” Ken walked a few steps away from the guys. “So why the need to land in Cleveland?” “Not sure at this point. We can smell something like a chemical leak after we heard a sort of banging noise.” Erin did not seem too confident that it was a minor issue. “We could probably check from our end to see if the Delta Agent has any information on your flight status.” “Yes, do that.” Erin held the phone down away from her ear. Ken could hear a message from the pilot over the phone addressing the engers. He was apologizing that they may experience some strong turbulence and said to make sure that their seatbelts were fastened tightly. Avery tapped Ken on the shoulder. He and David were heading up to the counter. A pilot had waved his hand and signaled that they approach. Ken followed a few steps behind. The three walked closer to the counter. Erin was not speaking. The connection was good, so Ken could hear the background sounds quite clearly. Erin was telling Angela and Claire that she was working on finding out more information from her friends at the airport. Suddenly Ken heard a loud noise over the phone. It was a low-pitched metallic sound, almost like hitting two pans together. It was loud enough to shock him into stopping and standing still. “Erin, what the hell was that?” “I’m not sure, but it sounded mechanical.” Erin had concern in her voice now. Not panic or fear but it took all her effort to get the words out which produced an aura of concern for Ken. “Hello, gentlemen, I am Delta Airlines captain Daniel McCormick. I understand

that you gentlemen are working with Federal Agents Mayfield. If you could please follow me.” The flight officer led them down a stairwell at the back of the terminal. He explained that they were headed to a Delta Airlines’ Air Traffic Control System Command Center underground. He was a pilot as well as a member of their Command Center Emergency Cohort for the airport and New York Region. “Erin, I’m still here. We are getting more information for you. Hold on a few minutes longer. We are being escorted to an emergency command center.” Ken wanted to keep her on the line so that he could hear her voice. “It would be nice to know what is going on. Our altitude is dropping significantly, and people are starting to panic a little bit up here,” Erin remarked and turned to check on Angela and Claire. Angela had both arms wrapped around Claire. She was whispering something to her. Whatever Angela was saying was keeping the little girl calm. Combining the command center for everyday operations, (such as weather and flight tracking, security, and environmental systems) with the dispatch center for emergency response by police, fire, and rescue personnel is expected to provide significant advantages during crisis situations. Everyone at the airport is now located in close proximity to one another for easy coordination of efforts, and they all work with the same real-time information. The room was approximately 2,600 square feet with over twenty computer terminals and a strategic command desk in the front of the room facing the operations staff. “Ken, we are really hitting some strong turbulence up here. My guess is that it is due to a mechanical issue. The weather looks completely clear outside.” “It sounds like they are planning to get you on the ground pretty quickly. We are in the JFK airline command center now.” “Okay, good!” “Hold on, let me see if I can get you the inside scoop.” Ken strained to hear any information that he could pick up from the foreground chatter. The guys stood in one spot waiting for guidance as well as details from the staff. Several of the technical crew ran to their stations and activated their headsets. David pulled Ken’s arm to move him back a few feet out of the main pathway.

“Oh crap, hey Ken!” Erin called out. “We just dropped like a thousand feet really fast, and they are not telling us anything.” The flight officer in charge, Chief Sam Downing, addressed David, Ken, and Avery. He confirmed Erin’s assessment that the airplane had a possible mechanical issue this is not weather related, and they had originally decided that landing in Cleveland was a viable option. Plans were becoming fluid and open to change, dependent upon the flight circumstance evaluation being relayed. Frantic but concise information was transmitted from every corner of the control room. Sensors indicating a pressure drop along with the pilot’s inability to engage autopilot for landing were major objections to bringing the flight down in the metro Cleveland area. The flight command Control Center Chief Downing listened to several recommendations. “We have already cleared the field in Canton, Ohio for a possible emergency landing, sir.” Chief Downing directed the proceeding. “Make it a clear path for them. Clear the airspace. Notify all flights over the Midwest Region that I am landing them in Canton.” “Flight L416, you are cleared at Canton. We have emergency units at the ready.” Ken was holding the phone up in the air to allow Erin to process the information as it came in. He let the air traffic crew know that he had Special Agent Mayfield on the line if they thought she could be of assistance. The information was coming in real time at blurring frequency to the untrained eye. To the observers, Ken, David, and Avery the sound was that of a symphony orchestra tuning up before a performance. Each member had a specific duty that appeared chaotic until the conductor gathered them onto the same page. Voices blared from several control towers along with an open microphone to the Delta L416 cockpit. “Ya, Erin, it might be another fun landing for you, girlfriend.” Ken tried to be reassuring. “Nothing you haven’t done before. This time no jungle to worry about, I promise.” He looked at David and Avery, hoping that they were processing the data coming in from the air traffic control tower in Canton. The co-pilot’s voice was loud. He was talking over the tower instructions with panicked inflection, asking for them to confirm the preparation of an emergency team. He did not concern himself with the flight plan data coming in from the

Canton Municipal Airport. Their call for maintaining altitude was meaningless. “This is Delta Flight L416. We had a possible bolt shear. Note the left-wing aileron has separated from the wing, so lateral balance is difficult. We have left wing flap drag and can’t stabilize. The spoiler is locked up. Captain is physically keeping us airborne. He is stabilizing the wing by forcing the yoke. We are shutting down the ring wing engine to prevent an uncontrolled roll-over. Give us an unobstructed path to Canton. Captain Miller has both arms wrapped around the yoke, pulling toward his chest. He is bracing the yoke and leveraging his strength with his legs. We don’t have options up here, nor do we have much fixed airtime remaining.” “Confirm the damage, Delta?” The elder statesmen of the group sitting front and center at his computer terminal asked. He adjusted his headset and cupped his hand over his ear. Motioning to the control room to lower the volume seemed unproductive. “Flight Command, the left-wing aileron is clipped in a sixty-degree angle rise from the top of the wing. We are without left-wing flap response. Captain is fighting the roll. I mean we have zero ability to correct the damage to the wing. The hydraulic gauge hit zero ten minutes ago.” Ken could hear people crying on the plane and few loud shouts of pain. The commotion on the phone and in the command room sent Ken into momentary shock. It took him a few beats to pick up on Erin’s voice. “Ken, are you still there?” “I’m here, Erin. I am here. I’ll be here until they get you safely on the ground.” “Not too bad for our first case on the new job, right? We were on the doorstep to finding a cure for cancer. That would have been something to brag about. I don’t know if we could have topped this act, but it sure would have been fun to step on another stage and try to give a bigger performance.” Erin’s voice was getting faint. “Please tell my dad I love him. I may have led him to believe that I did not at the end of our last conversation.” Erin cleared her throat a few times. “There are several people with serious injuries on the plane from the severe turbulence. We are really getting bounced around, so I am going to hang up now. I know I can do some good by providing medical attention while this ride lasts.”

“Okay, you go do what you can to help.” Ken was fighting off tears. “I will see you soon, Erin. We will get to Ohio as fast as we can. Maybe you could drive us all the rest of the way to LA.” Tear drops rolled down from the corner of his eyes. “Hey Ken, thanks for being my best friend.” The Control Center Chief ordered for everyone to be quiet in the room. “My voice only! No one else respond unless I address you directly.” The cell phone line to Erin cut out when she hung up. Ken put Avery’s phone in his pocket. His heart was beating in his throat. Avery braced himself against a desk with his hip and right arm extended. His face was completely white, and he was staring down at the floor. The numbness drifted throughout Avery’s body. All he could hear was a humming sound and the occasional beat of his own heart from deep within his chest. This was the first time is his life that he felt completely helpless. Nothing he had studied could provide a solution. No laboratory test could reduce the possibilities to the conclusion or reflect light on a method of recovery to this situation. David put his around Avery shoulders. “Cleveland, where is my plane?” said Chief Downing. “Keep me informed while they transition to Canton’s airspace.” The Air Traffic Control Center in Cleveland, Ohio responded. “Flight L416 dropped off our radar, sir. I don’t have them on screen.” “Canton, tell me what you see on your radar. Got them?” “No JFK, we lost the signal as well.” The Canton Municipal Airport control tower went silent for a minute, then a collective groan was heard. “What is it, Canton? Was that you guys?” “Oh Jesus, the tower just shook, but we don’t see anything!” A voice off microphone, from the background in the Canton tower could be heard declaring, “There! I saw a flash to the north.” “Do you have a visual?” “Sir, we have smoke now to our north. I will get the fire rescue ground crew

dispatched.” “Tell me exactly what you see, son.” “Sir, there is a lot of smoke north about twenty, maybe thirty miles out from the airport. Smoke and flames!” “Let me get this correct Canton, you are telling me the ground shook your tower from possible impact thirty miles away?” “Yes, sir it did.” “How can you determine and that distance, son?” “Command, I live in Cedarburg sir, next to the church. We can see the steeple from our tower that’s where it came down. My house is exactly twenty-five miles away.” The young man had fearful confidence in his voice. The smoke was blocking out the entire church now. It took seconds for the thick black smoke to reach that height and fifty feet above. “Keep the line open with us and let me know what information is coming in from the emergency ground unit,” the Chief demanded. Avery slid to a seated position on the floor with his knees bent. David and Ken listened to every word hoping for anything positive to be said. “We are getting a report right at this moment from the local police out of Cedarburg confirming smoke, flames, and a large debris field. They will have their local fire station on the scene in less than five minutes.”

Chapter 17

The End and The New Beginning

David and Avery attended the memorial service held in Maryland. The somber occasion gave David the chance to return the emotional that Avery had provided him over the years. Senator Mayfield sort out both gentlemen at the conclusion of the church ceremony. He offered little conversation other to share his gratitude for their ability to show his daughter such kindness in a circumstance that would have brought lesser men to feelings of disdain rather than that of for his career. A handshake and brief acknowledgment of sympathy was all that the two could extend to Ken, for he appeared to be in a state of depression. David had made plans to travel to Iowa City in a couple of weeks. He was not sure exactly what he could offer the fine people who had crossed Angela’s path as they knew her in a much deeper way than he, however, a conversation to explain her death and to provide closure may in some way be helpful to their souls. The Rochester office did not have the same feel to it this morning. The previous week’s events had scattered their memories throughout the confined walls of his clinic. David stood with his arms folded as he looked at the wall where Avery’s head had impacted with such force as to leave a significant mark. Sara walked into the lab unnoticed. “Let me get some ammonia and water in a bucket, and I will clean that off for you.” Although she had not been given the complete recap of the investigation from the look on David’s face, he was lost in thought or replay. “No, Sara, I will clean this up myself. You need to straighten up the front office first and foremost. Let’s get a new file system in place. We have a few patients coming in today.” “It is already finished, David. The front desk and lobby area are spotless. We have time for systems management operations. Are you doing okay?” “I am fine, thank you. Once the routine starts again, I will be able to focus better.” David attempted to be cheery.

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David had another hour before his examination room would be occupied by the next child, whose primary physician identified a disease consistent with lymphatic or leukemic cancer. Chasing a cure with new information that had presented itself and new gene structures that would always provide a baseline of hope was all that he could do to honor the loss that he felt in his heart. Chasing a cure and limiting the progression of the Stage with what seems to be hundredyear-old treatments was no longer acceptable. Amanda and her mother entered the office complex through the brushed nickel framed doors. Both were smiling as if this day was better than the day before. Amanda wanted to show Dr. Newman her report card, all A’s. She was curious if he would be her mentor as she wanted to become a doctor so that she could save kids’ lives like he does. Mrs. Johnson was not about to slow the determination of a fighter like her daughter. David was very happy to hear a familiar voice and a voice with so much life coming from his waiting room. The greeting changed his mood as well as provided him with optimism to move forward. He explained to Amanda how helpful her photo album was to an investigation by the Federal Government. Fighting back tears, he mentioned to her that she should look into not only becoming a doctor but to consider the value that she could bring to the world by ing an organization like the Center for Disease Control and Prevention. Amanda and her mother seemed extremely excited about that career recommendation. They both agreed to do some research on positions and qualification requirements on getting hired at the CDC. David mentioned that when the time comes and if Amanda maintained her good grades that he would not only write a letter of recommendation that he would involve a high-ranking politician in the efforts to get her a job at that agency. He winked at her as he told her that life sometimes introduces you to special people for the purpose of building relationships that can positively change the world.

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Ken officially withdrew his previous report, claiming it was filled with inaccurate information, and he provided bias, personal conclusions that obstructed the investigation’s integrity. He submitted his new completed report with the HHS, CDC, and Department of Justice stating all evidence provided was confirmed by Special Agent Dr. Erin Mayfield and the Department of Health and Human Services research team profoundly cleared the individuals listed in the government’s complaint of all misconduct charges. Dr. David Newman, Dr. Avery Carlson, and Dr. Linda Alivetta neither conducted nor withheld medical procedures to any patients participating in the Life for Leukemia Retreat from the previous year. Dr. Newman and Dr. Carlson were free to practice medicine and conduct research as required by their given profession’s code of conduct. Individuals listed in the original government complaint were cleared of all implications because of the lack of confirmed evidence of the origin of the extraordinary cellular phenomenon that was recorded in the many slides, images, and graphed gene structures preserved in the investigation. The documentation and medical records of those listed in the archives of the investigation would be held for further research at the Department of Health and Human Service should their review be required at a later time. Ken paused at the hallowed door. He touched the name on the brass plate before he entered the office. Knowing that his conduct moving forward must achieve the highest level of integrity if he was to dutifully respect the memory of his predecessor. This time, he entered with his own key. The room had been unoccupied for weeks, but her perfume still hung in the air. As he sat in the large leather, high-backed chair, the memory of Erin’s disappointment and anger glaring at him from this side of the desk made his heartbeat heavily in his chest. Reaching out for the cane that stood tilted on the desk with honor, Ken felt the tears rolling down his cheek. He turned slowly, looking for a place to display the sentimental artifact. It seemed like too much for his mind to handle at this moment, so he returned the cane to the place from which Erin had left it, tipped against the closed drawer. On his desk was a file folder approximately an inch thick with documents and a flash drive labeled HHS Case #173411. Ken pushed the file to the side and inserted the flash drive into his computer. He opened the Word document and prudently scrolled through the file. Department of Health and Human Services - HHS Case #173411 Sickle Cell

Anemia Cluster: Los Angeles, CA, Seattle, WA, and Portland, OR. Fewer than 200,000 cases per year of Sickle Cell Anemia are recorded in the United States. Sickle cell disease is not contagious. The disease is not transmitted from person to person like a cold or infection. Patients with the anemia have it because they inherited it through DNA. Sickle Cell Disease or Anemia is an autosomal recessive disorder that requires hereditary transmission of two sickle hemoglobin genes a gene for sickle cell disease from one parent and a normal gene with sickle cell trait from the other parent. The disease has progressed through generations in a predominantly African American community. This is a forgotten disease which does not have enough concentrated effort and awareness to promote the financial that the medical community needs to end its life-threatening symptoms. Community leaders and our trusted politicians should bring the disease to the forefront of our focus instead of devoting government funds to meaningly personal projects. The disease is hereditary, that is a fact. It is linked to genes coded in our DNA so, why have three hundred and thirty-five new cases developed on the West Coast in the past week with zero parental genealogical correlation. Why is the disease being found in wealthy suburban white teens ranging in age from fifteen to eighteen along this three states region in an ethnically diverse constellation? How is the anemia being transmitted if not through heredity?

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The End

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About the Author

Author BIOGRAPHY Michael Felty’s first novel, The Course of Fate, was inspired by a remarkably strong nurse who fought for his daughter’s life during complications at birth. Michael lives with his wife, daughter, and son in the Chicagoland area. Her Final Stage is the newest novel, in what hopes to be an exciting new career in writing Commercial Fiction. Growing up in a small rural town, the only source of books was an old fire-house library. The books had an unforgettable musty scent that added to the reading experience. He is a fastener salesmen and applications engineer who spends countless hours in hotel rooms throughout the Midwest, watching movies and writing fiction. His early inspiration was the novel by Charles P. Crawford, Three-Legged Race. After his wife surprised him with a first edition copy for Christmas, the desire to get published kicked in. Michael enjoys researching medical and biological data for his novels. More announcements to come regarding his next book, young adult book series, and web-site launch.