Chapter 26
“I'm going to ask again, and I’m going to be clear about it," the sheriff said. "What the hell is going on here?"
"Are you trying to tell me that everyone in these pods is frozen, and theoretically still alive?"
"Except for the two deceased," Dr. Cameron said.
"Is this even legal?
"I can assure you it is, Sheriff. This is considered an experimental treatment for those with terminal conditions.
Under the Right to Try Act, this type of treatment is permissible, even without FDA approval, as long as the patient enters into it voluntarily with full knowledge of the risks.
We have obtained all the necessary waivers and consent forms." Dr. Cameron paused.
“May I remind you, Sheriff, that in some cases, these patients are weeks or months from death. This is a proprietary metabolic suspension therapy that we believe fully complies with both state and federal law.”
The sheriff gave him a skeptical look. "I'm sure it isn't cheap."
"No, it's not. This is high tech, state-of-the-art equipment that requires constant monitoring."
"So why wasn't someone alerted the minute the temperature fluctuated?" the sheriff asked, his eyes glaring at Dr. Cameron.
Dr. Cameron cleared his throat, clearly uncomfortable. "That's what we are trying to ascertain at the moment. We have a technician and a security guard on staff at night.”
The two gentlemen stood around, staring at the floor, looking guilty.
"I take it you've got security footage," the sheriff said, looking around for cameras.
"We do, and I'm happy to provide you with that footage and cooperate with your investigation fully. I can assure you, we are operating to the letter of the law and taking every precaution possible to ensure patient safety.”
"It seems every precaution wasn't enough,” Daniels muttered dryly.
"Have you had any security breaches on the island lately?" I asked.
"No," Dr. Cameron replied.
"How is your network security? Is it possible your computer systems could have been hacked?”
"I guess anything is possible at this point.
I really don't understand it. We put in multiple failsafes.
Someone should have been notified right away," Dr. Cameron said, glancing at a technician who stood nearby.
It was clear the doctor wasn't happy about the situation and had some theories of his own.
I told the sheriff to get the IT guys out here ASAP. "They need to go through the system and see if there are any signs of intrusion.”
He agreed.
I asked Dr. Cameron if anything had been taken.
"Not that I'm aware of, but I haven't been able to do a full inventory yet. As you can imagine, this has been quite unsettling.”
I told the other deputies to search the property and see if they could find any signs of forced entry.
I asked Dr. Cameron if he could think of anyone who might want to sabotage his operation. “Competitors, disgruntled employees, ex-wives, jealous husbands?"
Dr. Cameron's face tightened as he thought about it for a moment.
"It's taken a lot of work, long hours, and plenty of ambition to create this facility. You don't achieve this level of success without pissing somebody off. We’ve had to let people go who weren’t team players over the years.
But I can't think of anybody recently.” He took a breath and paused.
"As for competitors, I know that X-Finivive is trying to develop a similar system, but they are nowhere near our level of advancement.”
"Where were you at the time of the malfunction?" I asked.
"I was at home, asleep.”
"Can anyone verify that?”
His brow wrinkled, and his eyes narrowed. "Why would you ask me something like that?”
“I’m just trying to get a full picture of the situation.”
"If you need to verify my whereabouts, you can talk to my wife.”
I smiled. "Great. I’ll need contact information for her.”
"Of course. Anything I can do to facilitate your investigation.” Dr. Cameron paused and chose his words.
"Gentlemen, this is very concerning for me.
Not only did we lose two valued individuals, but this will call into question the validity of what we're doing here.
It will draw an extreme amount of scrutiny.
I don't know if you have been keeping up with our operation over the years, but it has drawn an immense amount of backlash. We've had to fight tooth and nail to be able to offer this life-extending treatment to our patients. Not everybody agrees with what we’re doing. An incident like this is just fuel for our detractors. There are people out there who will do anything to bring us down.”
"Are you a publicly traded company?” I asked.
"We are not. Everything is private at this point, and I want to keep it that way.
I don't want to lose control. This is my baby.
I truly believe we are helping people enhance the quality of their lives.
Imagine someone facing a terminal disease, knowing that it's just a matter of time before they pass on.”
Kara flashed in my mind.
“Now imagine giving that same person the ability to wait until a treatment is available. There are so many exciting new drugs in the pipeline to treat terminal diseases. It is my firm belief that by the end of the decade, we will have cured most cancers and diseases. Gentlemen, we are approaching a time in history where death may become a thing of the past.”
It was a bold statement, and one I’d heard before. I’d believe it when I saw it.
The sheriff looked on with a great deal of skepticism. “What resuscitation attempts were made?”
Cameron shook his head. “There is no way to resuscitate them at this point. Bringing them out of stasis is a complex process and must be done with the utmost care. As I mentioned, their cellular structure is compromised.”
Daniels glared at him.
“Look, my priority right now is to determine the cause of the malfunction and make sure we don’t lose any more patients. Twenty lives are at stake, gentlemen.”
That hung there for a moment.