Chapter Eighteen Ava Angelhart #3
I had reviewed. It’s being touted as a miracle drug that essentially cures PTSD. That’s a simple way of describing it, but
practically that’s what it means. It went to Phase 2 and 3 trials because of the incredible success of the limited Phase 1
trial. Phase 4 is now complete, and the drug should get preliminary approval next week to go to market. Once a drug goes to
market, it can be worth a small fortune. Then, I thought about what Devin suspected, and if the Phase 1 trial was falsified, I couldn’t let this drug be approved. But I had no evidence. I thought Cooper could tell me more, at least point
me in the right direction, but he wouldn’t take my call. So I flew out to Arizona to meet him in person. That’s when he told
me that he didn’t kill Devin, and explained why he confessed.”
“He told you about the threats made against our family.”
“Yes.”
Ava looked at Margo and her heart fell. Her daughter looked shocked, and Ava knew exactly what she was thinking. That Cooper
had trusted this woman more than he had trusted his children. Which wasn’t true, but Ava didn’t know how she would be able
to explain that to Margo.
Nadine continued. “At first, he said I needed to stay far away from it because the people who killed Devin were ruthless. But after we talked for a while, he admitted that he had been following the trials after the murder, trying to figure out who would profit from the rollout. He didn’t know for certain that this was the reason Devin was killed, but based on what was going on at the time, it’s the most logical. ”
“Who profits?” Ava asked.
“A lot of people, of course, but only someone who worked at the VA in Phoenix would have known about Devin’s suspicions. We
talked things out, I shared my insight based on other trials I’d been involved with, and mentioned that fewer people in Phoenix
had a stake in the trial because it was so small, plus only someone internally could have known that Devin planned to blow
the whistle on the entire clinical trial. Maybe that’s what did it—he mentioned that to the wrong person, someone he trusted.”
“Who?” Mom asked.
“Cooper didn’t give me a name, but he definitely had a short list. He was worried about you, about your daughter, about me,
because I came to visit him. He felt that someone was watching him.”
Ava’s heart skipped a beat. Cooper thought someone was watching him in prison? And he hadn’t told her?
“My daughter?” Ava glanced at Margo before Nadine confirmed.
“Margo. The one who was digging around from the beginning.”
“He called you the other night?”
“Yes. To ask if I had said anything to anyone about our suspicions. I haven’t. I read everything I could find, I pulled files,
researched the biotech company who was making the drug, and planned to submit a letter to the committee next week at the hearing
to request a delay in approval. I hadn’t spoken to Cooper after I left the prison. I didn’t say a word to anyone, not even
my husband.”
“Okay,” Ava said. “Thank you.”
“I wish that someday we have the opportunity to meet, Ava,” Nadine said.
“Likewise,” she said.
“If you need anything, please call. At a minimum, I’m good at reading trial data. I’ve learned how pharmaceutical companies
hide bad data. It’s usually all there in the notes, but the summaries always give the best-case scenario. If Devin was right
and the bad data was deleted, I don’t know how to re-create that. Anything he may have pulled aside likely disappeared after
he was killed.”
Ava said, “If you can send my daughter Tess the research you have done, it will make her job easier since she’s been going
through the trials as well, but she doesn’t have a medical background.”
“Send me her email, I will get it out this morning.”
“Thank you,” Ava said. “I’m heading to Colorado shortly to see Cooper.” If they let me, Ava thought, but didn’t say. “I will tell him we spoke.”
She ended the call and was grateful that no one said anything for a good minute.
Then, Margo said to Luisa, “We need a list of everyone at the VA who may profit off this drug. Mom, when you see Dad, ask
him who is on his short list. Text me.”
Luisa said, “I’ll go over to Tess’s because she might already have a list of names. When we get Nadine’s information, we can
compare.”
“If you locate Willa Blankenship, let me know,” Margo said. “Otherwise I’m going to Honor House to see if they know how to
reach Jim Novak.”
Luisa shut down her computer. “We’re going to solve this, Mom,” she said. “We’re going to get Dad out of prison.”
Then she left.
“Mom?” Jack said, his voice both kind and concerned. “Are you okay?”
“I will be when I see Cooper,” Ava said. “Until then, I feel like I’m in limbo.”
“I’ll take you and Aunt Rita to the airport, then I’m meeting Nico at the lab to see what he was able to learn about the shooting.”
Again, Jack and Margo exchanged looks and Ava wondered if there was more that they weren’t sharing with her.
She grabbed both their hands and squeezed. “Please be careful. I feel like we’re on the edge of a precipice but can’t see
the bottom because it’s a long way down.”