The Vesuvius Isotope (The Katrina Stone Novels) by Kristen Elise Ph.D. Read Free Book Online Page A

believe it reveals the true source of her power over the most influential men of her era.”
     

    After his lecture, Jeff steps down from the podium. The audience begins exiting the lecture hall, buzzing with conversation about the rapid advances the Nobel laureate has recently made in superheavy isotope technology. Several eager audience members approach Jeff to shake his hand and express their interest in his work.
    “Impressive,” I hear a man say as he walks past me. “Wilson can’t possibly be very old.”
    “He’s forty,” another voice responds.
    An elderly woman approaches Jeff and lays a hand on his shoulder. “You should start a biotech company, son,” she says.
    Jeff smiles politely and shakes her hand. “Thank you, Dr. Bower.” A number of heads turn to witness the dialog between Jeffrey Wilson and Sara Bower, who has just cured HIV.
    But Jeff’s smoky blue eyes are on me. He steps away from Sara Bower and approaches me.
    “So what did you think, Doctor?” he asks.
    “Brilliant,” I say, and I cannot control my grin. “Except for the colossal fuck-up.”
    “Excuse me?” Jeff exclaims, drawing back in surprise. His face is bright red, but he is smiling. “What colossal fuck-up?”
    “I know you’re a chemist and all,” I say, “but I have to assume you at least have a couple of biologists on the payroll. They should know better than what you just said.
    “Tell me something,” I say with a cocked head. “How are those anthrax studies coming along?”
    Jeff frowns. “We’ll get there.”
    “I know a thing or two about anthrax,” I say.
    “Um, yeah, I realize that.”
    “How are you targeting a specific biological and pathological niche when no specific biological and pathological niche has been defined?” I ask.
    Jeff pulls me aside and lowers his voice. “You’re right! The cells are killing me. Or rather, I can’t kill them!”
    I laugh. It is the most confusing paradox in anthrax research. Despite the devastating effects of anthrax in the body, there are really very few human cell types that can be killed by anthrax. Until only somewhat recently, the only cells known to be susceptible to infection were a few types of immune cells that in no way could produce the symptoms of anthrax when infected.
    The biological terrorist attacks of 2001 and beyond triggered a massive increase in funding for anthrax research. This increase in focus led to the demonstration that additional cell types can respond to anthrax infection, but research in these cell types is still incomplete. The total picture is still a mystery.
    Except to me.
    “You just bluffed to an audience of five thousand scientists,” I say, grinning. “Ballsy.”
    “I didn’t bluff!” Jeff says. He is still red in the face, but laughing. “I said we’re working on it, and we are. We’ll get there! Just wait!”
    I shake my head. “So your lab is going to single-handedly solve this puzzle that the Department of Defense has been struggling to solve since 2001?”
    “YES!”
    “You’re one of those guys who won’t ever ask for directions, aren’t you?”
    “What do you mean by that?”
    “Just that you’re the type of person who won’t accept anyone’s help.”
    “How do you know that? You don’t know me!”
    “Oh, I think I do. It’s like looking in a mirror. But what if I told you I already know the answer? What if I said that I have proven the complete mechanism of action for anthrax in an entire panel of new cell types?”
    “I’d think it’s a huge bummer that the woman I was just thinking of inviting out to dinner turned out to be a total crackpot.” This time, he is the one with the smug grin on his face.
    “Oh, really? So then, you’re convinced that you can solve it, but it’s absolutely impossible that I could have?”
    “Pretty much,” he says, but he jumps back as if I might hit him.
    “OK,” I say. “I’ll make you a deal. Take this crackpot to dinner, and I’ll bring some of my