Holly’s throat tightened as she reached out to knock on Pam’s door. The point of no return. If things go wrong, my career’s over.
She gripped the laptop to keep her hands from shaking as she took a seat at Pam’s conference table. Can I really count on Prescott? Probably only as long as he needs me. But he wants this to work as much as I do. If not more.
Still, maybe it was worth giving Pam one last chance. Before crossing the line.
“I’m sorry I got so upset when we talked about the authorship before,” Holly said. “I know I got too emotional. But have you thought any more about it? I still feel like I should be first.”
Pam shook her head. “I’m sorry. I understand how you feel and I know you’re disappointed. But it was settled a long time ago.”
Holly nodded and forced herself to give Pam a half-smile. This is it then. Your own damn fault. “Alright, I get it. I won’t argue about it anymore.”
“I’m glad to hear you say that,” Pam said. “It’ll be better for everyone to put the authorship question behind us and move forward. So what do you think of the manuscript? Any problems?”
“No, it looks fine to me.”
“Great. Then all we need is to identify your compound 40492. Is the information on your computer?”
“Yes, everything is here.” Holly clenched her jaw as she moved her laptop so Pam could see what she was doing. Then she pulled up the spreadsheet and scrolled down to 40492. Her stomach fluttered, but she felt a sense of determination. Pam had left her no choice.
“Here it is. The library compound TP735.3480. Aneurinide.”
“That’s it, then,” Pam said. “We’ll just put the compound’s name and structure in the paper, and we’re good to go. I’ll send it off to Nature this afternoon.”
Holly’s heart was pounding as she left Pam’s office. She texted Prescott as soon as she got back to her desk.
Just met with Pam. It’s done!
His reply came quickly.
Congratulations! How about I come over for a drink tonight?
• • •
Prescott took a rideshare to within a few blocks of Holly’s apartment, then got out and walked the rest of the way, carrying a bottle of champagne for tonight’s celebration. Had she really pulled it off? He had to make sure. If she was telling the truth, she had no way out. Confessing to Pam would ruin her career. He just needed to keep the job in his lab dangling like a carrot in front of her until he had the real drug. After that she’d just be a liability. One he could do without.
He rang the doorbell and Holly buzzed him in. He climbed the stairs to her apartment on the third floor of a two-family house. A brightly patterned rug covered the hardwood floor in the living room, which boasted a comfortable looking white couch, two arm chairs, a coffee table, and a large screen TV. There was a small dining area off the kitchen, with the clutter of papers on the dining table indicating that it did double duty as her desk. A couple of Monet prints hung from the walls and exposed rafter ceilings made the living and dining areas look more spacious than a typical one-bedroom apartment. Not bad for a girl on a postdoc’s salary.
“Congratulations,” he said. “You’ve done it.”
“There was no problem at all. Pam fell for it without a second thought. She already submitted the paper this afternoon.”
“Do you have a copy?” he asked.
“Sure.” She opened a file on her laptop and moved the computer over to him. He scanned through it to find the name of the drug. Aneurinide.
He smiled. “Looks good. Now we just have to sit back and wait for the roof to fall in on her.”
“Yep. I almost feel a little sorry for her, even though I’m going to enjoy watching her get what she deserves.”
Prescott snorted. “She doesn’t deserve your sympathy. Not after what she tried to do to you.”
He opened the champagne and poured two glasses.
“To you. Today’s winner! Now we just have to get you ready for your testimony to the investigation committee.”
“And then my new job, right?”
He raised his glass again. “Right. And our joint discovery of the real 40492.”