Pam squared her shoulders and took a deep breath as the administrator opened the door to DeSilva’s office. I’ll finally see the results. Neither Holly nor George had told her how the experiment had turned out. Holly said she couldn’t talk about it. George was a little more forthcoming and at least told her that everything was fine technically. But he didn’t know which samples were really aneurinide, so he couldn’t interpret the results.

Pam had tried twice more to contact O’Connor, to no avail. Not even the courtesy of a response. So this meeting was almost a relief. Presumably DeSilva would tell her the results and rationally she assumed they would verify her own. Aneurinide will work and the nightmare will be over. But that didn’t stop the churning in her gut.

DeSilva sat at his conference table with a woman Pam didn’t recognize. He made no attempt to greet her and motioned her to a seat with an unopened envelope in front of it. She felt the chill in his voice as he introduced the woman across the table as Caroline Rifkin, the Langmere’s Research Integrity Officer. Rifkin was fiftyish, with short black hair and a dark blue business suit that marked her as an administrator rather than a scientist. She stared at Pam without expression, her pale thin face and long hooked nose giving her a cold cruel look. Pam wondered if she cultivated the image.

DeSilva continued, “We’ve called you here to inform you that the Langmere Institute has initiated a formal investigation of research misconduct. Mary O’Connor’s attempt to repeat your published results was unsuccessful and we’ve received credible allegations of fraud. In accordance with the policies of the Institute, I’ve appointed an inquiry committee whose responsibility will be to review the evidence and determine whether a full investigation is warranted. Dr. Rifkin will work with the committee and be present at all meetings. Mary O’Connor will be an ad hoc member representing this office in her capacity as Associate Director of Research. The envelope in front of you contains a statement of the allegations and a summary of the procedures that will be followed. Do you have any questions or anything you’d like to say at this point?”

Pam mouth opened and the blood drained from her face. No! This can’t be real. She searched DeSilva’s face for some sign of sympathy. Nothing. “I don’t understand. Are you saying I faked the aneurinide results?” Her heart was pounding and she fought to breathe. “That’s absurd.”

“We’ve reached no conclusion yet. But your experiments can’t be reproduced and allegations of fraud have been made.”

“Aneurinide’s always worked in my lab.” She tightened her grip on the arms of her chair. “It doesn’t make sense that it didn’t work when Mary O’Connor supervised a repeat of the same experiments. Nobody’s told me what was done or what the results were. Can I see the data?”

Caroline Rifkin broke in. “Yes, you’re entitled to see the data.” She passed a thumb drive across the table to Pam. “The entire experiment is on here, including pictures of all the cultures. You can examine it at your leisure. But I’ll show you the main results now.”

Rifkin opened a file on her laptop, which she moved so that Pam and DeSilva could see the screen. It showed photographs of six brain cell cultures, all filled with Alzheimer’s plaque and dying cells. “Two of these were treated with aneurinide,” Rifkin said. “Can you tell me which?”

Pam stared at the screen. Impossible. They all looked the same.

“So you see what we mean. Contrary to what you published, aneurinide had no effect. And apparently, this is what all of your colleagues elsewhere who try to repeat your work also find. Can you explain this?”

Pam’s tongue felt thick. Her eyes were becoming moist. Something terrible’s gone wrong. “No, I can’t explain it. But remember, we did a double-blind experiment ourselves. How can our work be fraud after that?”

“That will be one goal of the investigation,” DeSilva said.

“But it doesn’t make any sense.”

Caroline Rifkin spoke again. “While we’ve been talking, my staff has moved to sequester your laboratory data so that all of your records will be available for our investigation. The research notebooks of your laboratory personnel will be held in my office until the investigation is concluded. You’ll be free to examine them upon request, under supervision of course. Your laboratory computers have been taken for forensic imaging, which will give us a complete copy of all the hard drives. They’ll be returned within a few days. You’ll also be hearing from the committee soon to arrange a time for an interview.”

This can’t be happening.

DeSilva asked, “Is there anything further you wish to discuss? If not, you may go.”

There was nothing left to say. She got up and left the office, going directly to her car in the garage. Only then did she let the tears come.