‘She was killed in a car accident three weeks ago.’
‘Three people are dead: Madison, her brother and Julian Denver. And they all have a connection to Rheladrex?’
Rachel couldn’t help but smile. ‘You’re beginning to sound like those nuts that populate the internet.’
‘You were a reporter yourself, Miss Miller. I googled you. Isn’t that what they teach you at journalism school? Consider things from every angle?’
‘The angle I want to know, the angle I think you can help me with, is the Denver Group and Rheladrex. What if Madison Kopek was right? What if the drug that her brother took was dangerous? What happens next?’
‘How long have you got?’ scoffed Megan, standing up and pacing around her shoebox-sized office. She was like a trial lawyer performing in front of the jury. ‘In America at least, complaints about a drug go through the FDA, the Food and Drug Administration. They have a division called MedWatch. The drug is investigated, then the FDA can request that a company add labelling information about side effects. In extreme cases the drug can be pulled from the market, but it can be a long process. And obviously the Big Pharma companies will fight their corner to keep their drugs on the market and protect themselves against paying enormous sums in damages.’
‘How enormous can they be?’
‘There was a diet drug called Fen-Phen several years ago. It was linked to heart valve problems in hundreds of patients who took it. More than nine thousand lawsuits were filed against it. Damages claims ran into the billions. There are court cases involving it still going on . . .’
‘So the stakes are high.’
‘It’s every pharma company’s worst nightmare. You spend millions developing a drug, get it to market, only to pay out billions.’
‘But these drugs are tested, approved.’
‘It’s not an infallible system. One that has many flaws, in fact.’
‘Do yo
u know anything about the Rheladrex clinical trials?’
‘Not off the top of my head. But I can find out.’
‘Can you let me have what you get hold of?’
‘What’s it worth?’ she said shrewdly.
‘You’ve got to trust me. But I’ll make it worth your while.’
Megan’s phone started ringing.
‘I should get this,’ she said quickly.
‘And I should go,’ replied Rachel. ‘Trials. Information. As soon as possible.’
‘I’d better not be working for the enemy.’
‘I promise you’re not,’ grinned Rachel. She was suddenly feeling more motivated to get to the truth.
25
Diana urged the horse onwards, leaning low over his neck, loving the sound of the beast’s hooves thumping against the grass.
‘Here we go, Nero,’ she whispered. ‘You can do it.’
She gripped the reins as the horse leapt the fallen tree, thrilled by the brief feeling of weightlessness as she left the saddle, almost as if time had stopped as they flew. Then they pounded down on the other side and the world shook back into motion.
‘Bravo,’ shouted Patty Reynolds from the other side of the paddock.
‘Good boy, Nero!’ said Diana, patting the colt’s neck. ‘We did it!’
She dismounted and led the horse over to Patty, who gave him lots of encouraging strokes on the nose.