Acceptable Risk

7

Friday, July 29, 1994

Edward’s excitement escalated as the week progressed. The database on the new alkaloid grew at an exponential rate. Neither he nor Eleanor slept more than four or five hours each night. Both were living in the lab for all practical purposes and working harder than they had in their lives.

Edward insisted on doing everything himself, which meant he even reproduced Eleanor’s work in order to be one hundred percent certain of no mistakes. In like manner he had Eleanor check his results.

As busy as Edward was with the alkaloid, he had no time for anything else. Despite Eleanor’s advice to the contrary and despite mounting rumblings from the undergraduate students, he’d given no lectures. Nor had he devoted any time to his bevy of graduate students, many of whose research projects were now stalled without his continual leadership and advice.

Edward was unconcerned. Like an artist in a fit of creation, he was mesmerized by the new drug and oblivious to his surroundings. To his continued delight the structure of the drug was emerging atom by atom from the mists of time in which it had been secreted.

By early Wednesday morning, in a superb feat of qualitative organic chemistry, Edward completely characterized the four-ringed structural core of the compound. By Wednesday afternoon all of the side chains were defined both in terms of their makeup and point of attachment to the core. Edward jokingly described the molecule as an apple with protruding worms.

It was the side chains that particularly fascinated Edward. There were five of them. One was tetracyclic like the core and resembled LSD. Another had two rings and resembled a drug called scopolamine. The last three resembled the brain's major neurotransmitters: norepinephrine, dopamine, and serotonin.

By the wee hours of Thursday morning, Edward and Eleanor were rewarded by the image of the entire molecular structure appearing on a computer screen in virtual three-dimensional space. The achievement had been the product of new structural software, supercomputer capability, and hours of heated argument between Edward and Eleanor as each played devil’s advocate with the other.

Hypnotized by the image, Edward and Eleanor silently watched as the supercomputer slowly rotated the molecule. It was in dazzling color, with the electron clouds represented by varying shades of cobalt blue. The carbon atoms were red, the oxygen green, and the nitrogen yellow.

After flexing his fingers as if he were a virtuoso about to play a Beethoven sonata on a Steinway grand piano, Edward sat down at his terminal, which was on-line with the supercomputer. Calling upon all his knowledge, experience, and intuitive chemical sense, he began to work the keyboard. On the screen the image trembled and jerked while maintaining its slow rotation. Edward was operating on the molecule, chipping away at the two side chains he instinctively knew were responsible for the hallucinogenic effect: the LSD side chain and the scopolamine side chain.

To his delight, he was able to remove all but a tiny two-carbon stump of the LSD side chain without significantly affecting either the three-dimensional structure of the compound or its distribution of electrical charges. He knew altering either of these properties would dramatically affect the drug’s bioactivity.

With the scopolamine side chain it was a different story. Edward was able to amputate the side chain partially, leaving a sizable portion intact. When he tried to remove more, the molecule folded on itself and drastically changed its three-dimensional shape.

After Edward had removed as much of the scopolamine side chain as he dared, he downloaded the molecular data to his own lab computer. The image now wasn’t as spectacular, but was in some respects more interesting. What Edward and Eleanor were looking at now was a hypothetical new designer drug that had been formed by computer manipulation of a natural compound.

Edward’s goal with the computer manipulations was to eliminate the drug’s hallucinogenic and antiparasympathetic side effects. The latter referred to the dry mouth, the pupillary dilation, and partial amnesia both he and Stanton had experienced.

At that point Edward’s true forte, synthetic organic chemistry, came to bear. In a marathon effort from early Thursday to late Thursday night, Edward ingeniously figured out a process to formulate the hypothetical drug from standard, available reagents. By early Friday morning he produced a vialful of the new drug.

“What do you think?” Edward asked Eleanor as the two of them gazed at the vial. They were both exhausted, but neither had any intention of sleeping.

“I think you’ve accomplished an amazing feat of chemical virtuosity,” Eleanor said sincerely.

“I wasn’t looking for a compliment,” Edward said. He yawned. “I’m interested to know what you think we should do first.”

“I’m the conservative member of this team,” Eleanor said. “I’d say let’s get an idea of toxicity.”

“Let’s do it,” Edward said. He heaved himself to his feet and lent Eleanor a hand. Together they went back to work.

Empowered by their accomplishments and impatient for immediate results, they forgot scientific protocol. As they had done with the natural alkaloid, they dispensed with controlled, careful studies to get a rapid, general data to give them an idea of the drug’s potential.

The first thing they did was add varying concentrations of the drug to various types of tissue cultures, including kidney and nerve cells. With even relatively large doses they were happy to see no effect. They put the cultures in an incubator so that they could periodically access them.

Next they prepared a ganglion preparation from Aplasia fasciata by inserting tiny electrodes into spontaneously firing nerve cells. Connecting the electrodes to an amplifier, they created an image of the cells’ activity on a cathode ray tube. Slowly they added their drug to the perfusing fluid. By watching the neuronal responses, they determined that the drug was indeed bioactive although it didn’t depress or increase the spontaneous activity. Instead the drug appeared to stabilize the rhythm.

With mounting excitement, since everything they did yielded positive results, Eleanor began feeding the new drug to a new batch of stressed rats while Edward added the new drug to a fresh synaptosome preparation. Eleanor was the first to get results. She was quickly convinced the modified drug had even more calming effect on the rats than the unaltered alkaloid.

It took Edward a little longer to get his results. He found that the new drug affected the levels of all three neurotransmitters, but not equally. Serotonin was affected more than norepinephrine, which was affected more than dopamine. What he didn't expect was that the drug seemed to form a loose covalent bond with both glutamate and gamma-aminobutyric acid, two of the major inhibitory agents in the brain.

“This is all fantastic!” Edward exclaimed. He picked up the papers from his desk that recorded all their findings and allowed them to rain down like massive sheets of confetti. “This data suggests that the potential of the drug is monumental. I’m willing to bet it’s both an antidepressant and an anxiolytic, and as such it could revolutionize the field of psychopharmacology. It might even eventually be compared with the discovery of penicillin.”

“We still have the worry about it being hallucinogenic,” Eleanor said.

“I sincerely doubt it,” Edward said. “Not after removing that LSD-like side chain. But I agree we have to be sure.”

“Let’s check the tissue cultures,” Eleanor said. She knew Edward would want to take the drug. It was the only way to determine if it was hallucinogenic.

They retrieved their tissue cultures from the incubator and examined them under a low-power microscope. One after another they appeared healthy. There was no sign of cellular damage from the new drug, even those subjected to high doses.

“There doesn’t seem to be any toxicity at all,” Edward said with glee.

“I wouldn’t have believed it if I hadn’t seen it,” Eleanor said.

They went back to Edward’s bench area and made up several solutions of increasing strength. The starting point was a concentration that yielded a dose approximating the dosage of the unmodified alkaloid that Stanton had received. Edward was the first to try it, and when nothing happened, Eleanor took it. Again nothing happened.

Encouraged by these negative results, Edward and Eleanor gradually increased their dosages up to a full milligram, knowing that LSD was psychedelic at 0.05 milligrams.

“Well?” Edward questioned a half hour later.

“No hallucinogenic effect as far as I can tell,” Eleanor said.

“But there is an effect,” Edward said.

“Most definitely,” Eleanor said. “I’d have to describe it as calm contentment. Whatever it is, I like it.”

“I also feel as if my mind is particularly sharp,” Edward said. “It has to be drug-related because twenty minutes ago I was a basket case, thinking my ability to concentrate was nil. Now I’m energized as if I’d had a night’s rest.”

“I have a sense my long-term memory has been awakened from a slumber,” Eleanor said. “Suddenly I remember my home phone number when I was a child of six. It was the year my family moved to the West Coast.”

“What about your senses?” Edward asked. “Mine seem particularly acute, especially my sense of smell.”

“I wouldn’t have thought of it until you mentioned it,” Eleanor said. She put her head back and sniffed the air. “I never realized the lab was such a cacophony of odors.”

“There’s something else I’m feeling that I wouldn’t have even been sensitive to if I hadn’t taken a course of Prozac,” Edward said. “I feel socially assertive, like I could walk into a group of people and do whatever I wanted. The difference is that it took three months of Prozac before I felt that way.”

“I can’t say I feel anything like that,” Eleanor said. “But I can say my mouth is a little dry. Is yours?”

“Perhaps,” Edward admitted. Then he looked directly into Eleanor’s deep blue eyes. “Your pupils also might be a bit dilated. If they are, it must be the scopolamine side chain we couldn’t totally eliminate. Check your near vision.”

Eleanor picked up a reagent bottle and read the tiny print on the label. “No problem,” she said.

“Anything else?” Edward said. “Any trouble with your circulation or breathing?”

“Everything is fine,” Eleanor said.

“Excuse me,” a voice called.

Eleanor and Edward turned to see one of the second-year doctorate students had approached them. “I need some help,” she said. Her name was Nadine Foch. She was from Paris. “The NMR is not functioning.”

“Perhaps it would be best to talk to Ralph,” Edward said. He smiled warmly. “I’d like to help, but I’m rather involved at the moment. Besides, Ralph knows the machine better than I, particularly from a technical point of view.”

Nadine thanked them and went to find Ralph.

“That was rather civil of you,” Eleanor said.

“I feel rather civil,” Edward said. “Besides, she’s a nice person.”

“Perhaps this is a good time for you to resume your normal activities,” Eleanor said. “We’ve made fantastic progress.”

“It’s only a harbinger of what’s to come,” Edward said. “It’s good of you to worry about my teaching and supervisory responsibilities, but I assure you that they can slide for several weeks without causing anybody irreparable damage. I’m not about to forfeit any of this excitement with this new drug. Meanwhile I want you to start computerized molecular modeling to create a family of compounds from our new drug by substituting side chains.”

While Eleanor went off to work at her computer terminal, Edward walked back to his desk and picked up the phone. He called Stanton Lewis.

“Are you busy tonight?” Edward asked his old friend.

“I’m busy every night,” Stanton said. “What’s on your mind? Did you read that prospectus?”

“How about having dinner with me and Kim?” Edward said. “There’s something you should know.”

“Ah ha, you old rogue,” Stanton said. “Is this going to be some sort of a major social announcement?”

“I believe I’d rather discuss it in person,” Edward said smoothly. “What about dinner? It will be my treat!”

“This is sounding serious,” Stanton said. “I have a dinner reservation at Anago Bistro on Main Street in Cambridge. The reservation is for two, but I’ll see that it gets changed to four. It’s for eight p.m. I’ll call back if there is a problem.”

“That’s perfect,” Edward said. Then he hung up before Stanton could ask any more questions. Edward dialed Kim at work in the SICU.

“Busy?” he asked when Kim came on the line.

“Don’t ask,” Kim said.

“I made dinner plans with Stanton and his wife,” Edward said excitedly. “It will be at eight unless I hear back from Stanton. I’m sorry it’s such short notice. I hope it’s OK for you.”

“You’re not working tonight?” Kim asked with surprise.

“I’m taking the evening off,” Edward said.

“What about tomorrow?” Kim asked. “Are we still going up to Salem?”

“We’ll talk about it,” Edward said noncommittally. “What about dinner?”

“I’d rather eat just with you,” Kim said.

“You’re sweet to say that,” Edward said. “And I’d rather eat just with you. But I have to talk with Stanton, and I thought we could make a little party out of it. I know I haven’t been so much fun this week.”

“You sound buoyant,” Kim said. “Did something good happen today?”

“It’s all been good,” Edward said. “And that’s why this meeting is important. After the dinner just you and I can spend some time together. We’ll take a walk in the square like we did the evening we first met. How about it?”

“You’ve got a date,” Kim said.

Kim and Edward arrived at the restaurant first, and the hostess, who was also one of the owners, sat them at a cozy table wedged into a nook next to the window. The view was out over a portion of Main Street with its collection of pizza joints and Indian restaurants. A fire truck sped by with all its bells and sirens screaming.

“I’d swear the Cambridge fire company uses their equipment to go for coffee,” Edward said. He laughed as he watched the truck recede. “They’re always out riding around. There can’t be that many fires.”

Kim eyed Edward. He was in a rare mood. Kim had never seen him so talkative and jovial, and although he looked tired, he was acting as if he’d just had several espressos. He even ordered a bottle of wine.

“I thought you told me you always let Stanton order the wine,” Kim said.

Before Edward could answer, Stanton arrived, and true to character breezed into the restaurant as if he were an owner. He kissed the hostess’s hand, which the hostess endured with thinly disguised impatience.

“OK, you guys,” Stanton said to Edward and Kim as he tried to help Candice into her chair. The table was narrow, and each couple had to sit side-by-side. “What’s the big news between you two? Do I have to pop for a bottle of Dom Pérignon?”

Kim looked at Edward for some explanation.

“I’ve already ordered some wine,” Edward said. “It will do nicely.”

“You ordered wine?” Stanton questioned. “But they don’t serve Ripple here.” Stanton laughed heartily as he sat down.

“I ordered an Italian white,” Edward said. “A cool dry wine goes nicely with hot summer weather.”

Kim lifted her eyebrows. This was a side of Edward she’d not seen.

“So what is it?” Stanton said. He eagerly leaned forward with his elbows on the table. “Are you two getting married?”

Kim blushed. With some embarrassment she wondered if Edward had told Stanton about their plans to share the cottage. It wasn’t a secret as far as she was concerned, but she would have liked to tell her family herself.

“I should be so lucky,” Edward said with a laugh of his own. “I’ve got some news-but it’s not that good.”

Kim blinked and looked at Edward. She was impressed he dealt so adroitly with Stanton’s inappropriate comment.

The waitress arrived with the wine. Stanton made a production of examining the label before allowing it to be opened. “I’m surprised, old boy,” he said to Edward. “Not a bad choice.”

Once the wine was poured, Stanton started to make a toast, but Edward quieted him.

“It’s my turn,” Edward said. He held out his glass toward Stanton. “To the world’s cleverest medical venture capitalist,” he said.

“And I thought you never noticed,” Stanton said with a laugh. Then they all took a drink.

“I have a question for you,” Edward said to Stanton. “Were you serious when you said recently that a new, effective psychotropic drug could potentially be a billion-dollar molecule?”

“Absolutely,” Stanton said. His demeanor instantly became more serious. “Is this why we’re here? Do you have some new information about the drug that sent me on my psychedelic trip?”

Both Candice and Kim questioned what psychedelic trip Stanton was referring to. When they heard what had happened they were appalled.

“It wasn’t half bad,” Stanton said. “I rather enjoyed it.”

“I’ve got a lot of information,” Edward said. “All of it is superlative. We eliminated the hallucinogenic effect by altering the molecule. Now I think we have created the next-generation drug to the likes of Prozac and Xanax. It seems to be perfect. It’s nontoxic, effective orally, has fewer side effects and probably a broader therapeutic capability. In fact, because of its unique side chain structure capable of alteration and substitution, it might have unlimited therapeutic capability in the psychotropic arena.”

“Be more specific,” Stanton said. “What do you think this drug can do?”

“We believe it will have a general, positive impact on mood,” Edward said. “It seems to be antidepressant and anxiolytic, meaning it lowers anxiety. It also seems to function as a general tonic to combat fatigue, increase contentment, sharpen the senses, and encourage clear thinking by enhancing long-term memory.”

“My God!” Stanton exclaimed. “What doesn’t it do? It sounds like Soma from Brave New World.”

“That analogy might have merit,” Edward said.

“One question,” Stanton said. He lowered his voice and leaned forward. “Will it make sex better?”

Edward shrugged. “It might,” he said. “Since it enhances the senses, sex could be more intense.”

Stanton threw up his hands. “Hell,” he said. “We’re not talking about a billion-dollar molecule; we’re talking about a five-billion-dollar molecule.”

“Are you serious?” Edward asked.

“Let’s say a billion plus,” Stanton said.

The waitress interrupted their conversation. They ordered their dinners. After she’d left, Edward was the first to speak. “We haven’t proven any of this,” he said. “There’s been no controlled experiments.”

“But you’re pretty confident,” Stanton said.

“Very confident,” Edward said.

“Who knows about this?” Stanton asked.

“Only me, my closest assistant, and the people at this table,” Edward said.

“Do you have any idea how the drug works?” Stanton asked.

“Only a vague hypothesis,” Edward said. “The drug seems to stabilize the concentrations of the brain’s major neurotransmitters and in that way works on a multilevel basis. It affects individual neurons but also whole networks of cells as if it were an autocoid or brain hormone.”

“Where did it come from?” Candice asked.

Edward summarized the story by explaining the association between Kim’s forebear, the Salem witch trials, and the theory the accusers in Salem had been poisoned by a mold.

“It was Kim’s question whether the poison theory could be proved which got me to take some samples of dirt,” Edward said.

“I don’t deserve any credit,” Kim said.

“But you do,” Edward said. “You and Elizabeth.”

“Such irony,” Candice said. “Finding a useful drug in a dirt sample.”

“Not really,” Edward said. “Many important drugs have been found in dirt like cephalosporins or cyclosporine. In this case the irony is the drug is coming from the devil.”

“Don’t say that,” Kim said. “It gives me the creeps.”

Edward laughed teasingly. He hooked his thumb at Kim and told the others that she was wont to have occasional attacks of superstition.

“I don’t think I like the association either,” Stanton said. “I’d rather consider it a drug from heaven.”

“The association with the witch frenzy doesn’t bother me at all,” Edward said. “In fact I like it. Although finding this drug can’t justify the death o£, twenty people, at least it might give their sacrifice some meaning.”

“Twenty-one deaths,” Kim corrected. She explained to the others that Elizabeth’s execution had been overlooked by the historians.

“I wouldn’t care if the drug were related to the biblical flood,” Stanton said. “It sounds like an extraordinary discovery.” Then, looking at Edward, he asked, “What are you going to do?”

“That’s why I wanted to see you,” Edward said. “What do you think I should do?”

“Exactly what I already told you,” Stanton said. “We should form a company and patent the drug and as many clones as possible.”

“You really think this could be a billion-dollar situation?” Edward asked.

“I know what I’m talking about,” Stanton said. “This is my area of expertise.”

“Then let’s do it,” Edward said. “Let’s form a company and go for it.”

Stanton stared into Edward’s face for a beat. “I think you are serious,” he said.

“You bet I’m serious,” Edward said.

“All right, first we need some names,” Stanton said. He took out a small notebook and pen from his jacket pocket. “We need a name for the drug and a name for the company itself. Maybe we should call the drug Soma for the literary set.”

“There’s already a drug called Soma,” Edward said. “How about Omni, in keeping with its potentially wide range of clinical applications?”

“Omni just doesn’t sound like a drug,” Stanton said. “In fact it sounds more like a company. We could call it Omni Pharmaceuticals.”

“I like it,” Edward said.

“How about ‘Ultra’ for the drug,” Stanton said. “I can see that working well for advertising.”

“Sounds good,” Edward said.

The men looked at the women for their reaction. Candice hadn’t been listening, so Stanton had to repeat the names. After he did she said they were fine. Kim had been listening, but she didn’t have an opinion; she was a bit taken aback by the discussion. Edward had shown no awkwardness in this sudden and unexpected interest in business.

“How much money can you raise?” Edward asked.

“How long would you estimate it would take before you were ready to market this new drug?” Stanton asked.

“I don’t think I can answer that question,” Edward said. “Obviously I can’t even be one hundred percent sure it will ever be marketable.”

“I know that,” Stanton said. “I’m just looking for a best-guess estimate. I know that the average duration from discovery of a potential drug to its FDA approval and marketing is about twelve years, and the average cost is somewhere around two hundred million dollars.”

“I wouldn’t need twelve years,” Edward said. “And I wouldn’t need anywhere near two hundred million dollars to do it.”

“Obviously the shorter the development time and the less money needed means more equity we can keep for ourselves.”

“I understand,” Edward said. “Frankly I’m not interested in giving away much equity at all.”

“How much money do you think you would need?” Stanton asked.

“I’d have to set up a state-of-the-art lab,” Edward said, beginning to think out loud.

“What’s the matter with the lab you already have?” Stanton asked.

“The lab belongs to Harvard,” Edward said. “I have to get the Ultra project away from Harvard because of a participation agreement I signed when I accepted my position.”

“Is this going to cause us some problems?” Stanton asked.

“No, I don’t think so,” Edward said. “The agreement concerns discoveries made on company time using company equipment. I’ll argue that I discovered Ultra on my own time, which is technically correct although I’ve done the preliminary separation and synthesis on company time. Anyway, the bottom line is that I’m not afraid of some legal harassment. After all, Harvard doesn’t own me.”

“How about the development period?” Stanton asked. “How much shorter do you think you could make that?”

“A lot,” Edward said. “One of the things about Ultra that has impressed me is how unbelievably nontoxic it appears to be. I believe this fact alone will make FDA approval a breeze since characterizing specific toxicities is what takes so damn much time.”

“So you’re talking about getting FDA approval years sooner than the average,” Stanton said.

“Without doubt,” Edward said. “Animal studies will be accelerated if there’s no toxicity to worry about, and the clinical portion can be collapsed by combining phase II and phase III with the FDA’s expedited schedule.”

“The expedited plan is for drugs targeted for life-threatening diseases,” Kim said. From her experience in the SICU she knew something about experimental drug testing.

“If Ultra is as efficacious for depression as I think it will prove to be,” Edward said, “I’m confident we can make a case for it in relation to some serious illness.”

“What about western Europe and Asia?” Stanton asked. “FDA approval is not needed to market a drug in those areas.”

“Very true,” Edward said. “The USA is not the only pharmaceutical market.”

“I’ll tell you what,” Stanton said. “I can easily raise four to five million without having to give up more than a token amount of equity since most of it would come from my own resources. How does that sound?”

“It sounds fantastic,” Edward said. “When can you start?”

“Tomorrow,” Stanton said. “I’ll start raising the money and organizing the legal work to set up the corporation as well as to start the patent applications.”

“Do you know if we can patent the core of the molecule?” Edward asked. “I’d love the patent to cover any drug formulated with the core.”

“I don’t know, but I can find out,” Stanton said.

“While you’re seeing to the financial and legal aspects,” Edward said, “I’ll start the process of setting up the lab. The first question will be where to site it. I’d like to have it someplace handy because I’ll be spending a lot of time there.”

“Cambridge is a good location,” Stanton said.

“I want it away from Harvard,” Edward said.

“How about the Kendall Square area?” Stanton suggested. “It’s far enough away from Harvard and yet close enough to your apartment.”

Edward turned to Kim and their eyes met. Kim guessed what he was thinking so she nodded. It was a gesture imperceptible to the Lewises.

“Actually I’m moving out of Cambridge at the end of August,” Edward said. “I’m moving to Salem.”

“Edward is coming to live with me,” Kim said, knowing it would quickly get back to her mother. “I’m renovating the old house on the family compound.”

“That’s wonderful,” Candice said.

“You old rogue,” Stanton said as he reached across the table and gave Edward a light punch in the shoulder.

“For once in my life my personal life is going as well as my professional life,” Edward said.

“Why don’t we site the company somewhere on the North Shore?” Stanton suggested. “Hell, commercial rents up there must be a fraction of what they are in the city.”

“Stanton, you’ve just given me a great idea,” Edward said. He turned sideways to look at Kim. “What about that mill-turned-stables on the compound? It would make a perfect lab for this kind of project because of its isolation.”

“I don’t know,” Kim stammered. She’d been caught totally unawares by the suggestion.

“I’m talking about Omni renting the space from you and your brother,” Edward said, warming to the idea. “As you’ve mentioned, the compound is a burden. I’m sure some legitimate rent could be a real help.”

“It’s not a bad idea,” Stanton said. “The rent could be totally written off, so it would be tax free. Good suggestion, old sport.”

“What do you say?” Edward asked.

“I’d have to ask my brother,” Kim said.

“Of course,” Edward said. “When? I mean the sooner the better.”

Kim looked at her watch and calculated that it was about two-thirty in the morning in London, just about the time Brian would be getting down to work. “I could call him any evening,” Kim said. “I suppose I could even call him now.”

“That’s what I like to hear,” Stanton said. “Decisiveness.” He pulled his cellular phone from his pocket and pushed it across to Kim. “Omni will even pay for the call.”

Kim stood up.

“Where are you going?” Edward asked.

“I feel self-conscious calling my brother in front of everyone,” Kim said.

“Perfectly understandable,” Stanton said. “You go on into the ladies’ room.”

“I think I prefer to step outside,” Kim said.

After Kim had left the table Candice congratulated Edward on the progress of his relationship with Kim.

“We’ve been enjoying each other’s company,” Edward said.

“How much personnel would you need at the lab?” Stanton asked. “Hefty salaries can eat up capital like nothing else.”

“I’d keep the number to a minimum,” Edward said. “I’d need a biologist to handle the animal studies, an immunologist for the cellular studies, a crystallographer, a molecular modeler, a biophysicist for nuclear magnetic resonance, a pharmacologist, plus myself and Eleanor.”

“Jesus Christ!” Stanton exclaimed. “What the hell do you think you are creating, a university?”

“I assure you this is a minimum for the kind of work we’ll be doing,” Edward said calmly.

“Why Eleanor?”

“She’s my assistant,” Edward said. “She’s the person I work with the closest, and she’s crucial to the project.”

“When can you start to assemble this team?” Stanton asked.

“As soon as you have the money,” Edward said. “We’ll have to have first-class people, so they won’t come cheap. I’ll be enticing them away from coveted academic appointments and lucrative positions in private industry.”

“That’s exactly what I’m afraid of,” Stanton said. “Many new biomedical companies go belly-up from a hemorrhage of capital from overly generous salaries.”

“I’ll keep that in mind,” Edward said. “When can you have money available for me to draw on?”

“I can have a million available by the beginning of the week,” Stanton said.

The first courses of their dinner arrived. Since Candice and Stanton were having hot appetizers, Edward insisted they start. But no sooner had they picked up their forks when Kim returned. She sat down and handed Stanton his phone.

“I’ve good news,” she said. “My brother is delighted with the idea of paying tenants in the old mill building, but he insisted that we will not pay for any improvements. That will have to be up to Omni.”

“Fair enough,” Edward said. He picked up his glass in preparation for another toast. He had to nudge Stanton, who was momentarily lost in thought. “To Omni and to Ultra,” Edward said. They all drank.

“This is how I think we should set the company up,” Stanton said as soon as he put his glass down. ‘ We’ll capitalize with four and a half million and value the stock at ten dollars a share. Out of the four hundred and fifty thousand shares we’ll each hold one hundred and fifty thousand, leaving one hundred and fifty thousand for future financing and for attracting the best people by offering some equity. If Ultra turns out to be anything like it’s been described tonight, each share of the stock will end up being ungodly valuable.”

“I’ll drink to that,” Edward said, raising his wineglass yet again. They all clinked their glasses and drank, particularly Edward, who found himself enjoying the wine selection he’d made. He’d never had better white wine, and he took a moment to savor its vanilla bouquet and slightly apricot finish.

After the dinner was over and goodbyes had been said, Kim and Edward climbed into Edward’s car in the restaurant’s parking lot.

“If you wouldn’t mind, I’d like to skip the walk in the square,” Edward said.

“Oh?” Kim questioned. She was mildly disappointed. She was also surprised, but then the whole evening had been a surprise. She’d not expected Edward to have been willing to take an evening off, and on top of that, his behavior had been exceptional from the moment he’d picked her up.

“There’s some phone calls I’d like to make,” Edward said.

“It’s after ten,” Kim reminded him. “Isn’t it a little late to be calling people?”

“Not on the West Coast,” Edward said. “There’s a couple of people at UCLA and Stanford who I’d like to see on the Omni staff.”

“I gather you are excited about this business venture,” Kim commented.

“I’m ecstatic,” Edward said. “My intuition told me I was onto something important the moment I learned we’d stumbled onto three previously unknown alkaloids. I just didn’t know it was going to be this big.”

“Aren’t you a little worried about the participation agreement you signed with Harvard?” Kim asked. “I’ve heard about similar situations leading to serious trouble in this town, like during the 1980s, when academia and industry became much too cozy.”

“It’s a problem I will leave to the lawyers,” Edward said.

“I don’t know,” Kim said, unconvinced. “Whether lawyers are involved or not, it could affect your academic career.” Knowing how much Edward valued teaching, Kim was worried that his sudden entrepreneurial enthusiasm was clouding his better judgment.

“It’s a risk,” Edward admitted. “But I’m more than willing to take it. The opportunity Ultra offers is a once-in-a-lifetime proposition. It’s a chance to make a mark in this world and to earn some real money while doing it.”

“I thought you said you weren’t interested in becoming a millionaire,” Kim said.

“I wasn’t,” Edward said. “But I hadn’t thought about becoming a billionaire. I didn’t realize the stakes were that high.”

Kim wasn’t sure there was that much difference, but she didn’t say anything. It was an ethical question that she didn’t feel like debating at the moment.

“I’m sorry about making the suggestion of converting the Stewart stables to a lab without discussing it with you beforehand,” Edward said. “It’s not like me to blurt something like that out on the spur of the moment. I guess the excitement of talking with Stanton got the best of me.”

“Your apology is accepted,” Kim said. “Besides, my brother was intrigued with the idea. I suppose the rent will be helpful in paying the taxes on the property. They’re astronomical.”

“One nice thing is that the stables are far enough away from the cottage so the lab’s presence won’t bother us,” Edward said.

They turned off Memorial Drive and headed into the quiet, residential back streets of Cambridge. Edward pulled into his parking spot and turned off the engine. Then he hit his forehead with the palm of his hand.

“Stupid me,” he said. “We should have driven back to your place to get your things.”

“You want me to stay tonight?”

“Of course,” Edward said. “Don’t you want to?”

“You’ve been so busy lately,” Kim said. “I didn’t know what to expect.”

“If you stay it will make heading up to Salem in the morning that much easier,” Edward said. “We can get an early start.”

“You definitely want to go?” Kim asked. “I had the sense you won’t want to take the time.”

“I do now that we are siting Omni there,” Edward said. He restarted the car and backed out. “Let’s go back and get you a change of clothes. Of course that’s assuming you want to stay-which I hope you do.” He smiled broadly in the half-light.

“I suppose,” Kim said. She was feeling indecisive and anxious without knowing exactly why.