Free Hounded by David Rosenfelt Page B

of a sudden and massive heart attack.
    Blackman was of course very pleased with the progress that Mathis reported, and they planned a slow rollout of the drug, starting in major markets, and expanding into smaller ones. International would come later, once it was established in the U.S. The rollout was at least a year away, since more testing was necessary.
    Mathis had one concern, which was that the drug could have human application. Many human drugs are also widely used by veterinarians, especially antibiotics and pain medications. The only difference in production is that the composition of animal meds is not required to be as precise.
    But this drug was different. Human euthanasia has always been a hotly debated topic among medical professionals, bioethicists, etc. This drug would make suicide much easier to accomplish, and therefore could create controversy. Mathis discussed it with Blackman, and they agreed that they would have to get their legal ducks in a row before moving forward. It was another reason that the rollout would not be commenced quickly.
    Once the first phase of testing was completed, even the limited production of the drug was halted. There were seventeen pills remaining unused, and Mathis considered destroying them, but was advised by his legal team that he should keep them secure in his office.
    And then came that horrible day, almost a year ago, when he discovered that they were gone, along with the records of his work. He went straight to Blackman, and they agonized over what to do. Blackman thought that he might be mistaken, that the pills could have been destroyed. Or more likely, the pills and records were misplaced, and would turn up later.
    Also, Blackman pointed out with some accuracy, they could not be sure the drug would work the same way on humans as on animals. Not all drugs did, and certainly no human tests had been conducted. Perhaps the natural compounds would be harmless to humans. Mathis was positive that his drug would be equally lethal in humans, as it was in animals, but Blackman was not convinced.
    Mathis went along with the ultimate decision not to say anything. He believed it to be a business decision; if the worst happened and these pills fell into human hands, the revelation of the company as the source could provoke lawsuits large enough to destroy the company ten times over.
    So Mathis did and said nothing.
    Except worry.

 
     
    Emails have ruined my life.
    Okay, that may be an exaggeration. Maybe they haven’t ruined it entirely, but they’ve certainly had a very negative effect on it.
    First of all, they control me. My computer beeps whenever I receive an email, and I am incapable of ignoring it. I can’t help but going over and checking it out, despite the ninety-nine percent probability that it’s going to be of no interest to me.
    Sometimes it’s a banker in Nigeria, trying to figure out a way to get me eight million dollars, or it’s a company trying to sell me something, or it’s my bank or credit card company telling me my statement is available for viewing.
    Those things are uninteresting, but much preferable to the emails from people I know. Those are the ones that have caused a complete overhaul in my entire social structure.
    Prior to emailing, my relationships were built on leaving messages on people’s phone machines, and having them leave messages on mine. That way we could stay in touch, without ever having to actually interact.
    But email messages are different. They have actual content, with questions that require answers. Often they send me links to long articles, or seemingly endless videos, which I feel an obligation to read and watch.
    Even though it seems technology driven, all of this has the effect of adding depth to relationships, or at least it does to mine. Unfortunately, I’m not a big fan of depth in relationships; I like to keep my friends in the shallow end of the pool.
    Then there are the acronyms, collections of letters that I