seat. “Nobody insisted. DOJ offered to investigate but Jankowiak refused. I can't blame him. By that point he might have developed some paranoia. Or perhaps he fully understood the risk of keeping the incident alive—he certainly didn't want to be tried again by a manipulated court of public opinion.”
“He cherished his privacy,” Ryan affirmed, “but what happened to the police?”
“They wanted to keep it quiet. They'd been duped into strong-arming a respected citizen, a Nobel laureate, and they didn't want the scrutiny either. The DA buried it, he wouldn't budge without Jankowiak's insistence.”
“Why not?
Robb shrugged. “Even if the DA wanted to, GenCorp wasn't passive. They were a major contributor in his subsequent reelection.”
Ryan exhaled, long and slow. “He nearly quit his research, you know.”
“Yes, I know. Pawluk told me that too.” Robb's eyes affirmed his sincerity. “The work you did here for my old boss helped convince Jankowiak to stay in the field—and create a business out of it instead.” Robb chuckled. “Being a businessman was the last thing Jankowiak wanted to become. He was really glad you came along.”
Ryan was taken aback.
“You never realized it,” Robb remarked.
“No.”
“That's water under the bridge.” Robb dismissed the conversation. He seemed embarrassed. “There are more important issues to address today.”
Interference
They entered a dim conference room, reflectively lit by the square of a white board and an overhead projector. A woman sat at a table staring into a laptop. She punched a key and room's glow changed.
Robb flipped a wall switch to turn on the room lights, startling the woman. She stood to greet them. She was professionally and fashionably dressed in a business suit, blazer and skirt.
“Robb,” she said brusquely, “I was beginning to wonder if you were coming at all.”
The woman was attractive in a disconcerting way. Her face was beautiful but her expression was severe. Her radiant blond hair was pulled tightly in a bun and her piercing steel blue eyes stared at Ryan.
Intelligent and ambitious. Thought Ryan.
“Just living the dream,” Robb smiled. “What else do I have to do on a Saturday?”
“I wouldn't know,” the woman laughed sharply. “I'll probably have to break up with my boyfriend soon. Bigamy is illegal in this country.”
Robb grunted in agreement, “Will he understand it's only a job?”
“Hardly. His suspicion knows no bounds.”
She turned to address Ryan. “Ryan, I'm Natalia Dioumaieva.” She extended a hand.
Ryan shook it. She had a firm grip, unlike most scientists he met. “Pleasure to meet you, Dr. Dioumaieva.”
“Likewise, but just Natalia, please.” Her voice was friendly but professionally firm. “Or if you prefer, Dr. Dioumaiev—we're not that formal in this lab.”
“Hey!” Robb threatened with mock seriousness. “Policies can change.”
“Not if you want to keep your best help.” Natalia smiled wickedly, her eyes briefly lighting. She addressed Ryan. “Please take a seat. I'm ready to start.”
“Thanks Natalia, what have you found?” Ryan steered the conversation to business. It was Saturday, he preferred to be elsewhere.
“It's pretty complex. And it's a bit different than Robb and I discussed this morning.”
Robb arched his brows. He did not like surprises. “Can you summarize?”
“I don't think so—at least not right away.” Natalia denied.
“Why not?” Ryan put on his CEO hat.
“The conclusion is merely suggestive,” Natalia was resolute. “I've called in additional help.”
There was a knock at the door. Robb frowned in surprise. Natalia stood quickly and hurried to open the door for the newcomer. An older man stepped in. He was casually dressed in tan khaki pants and a royal blue polo-style shirt. He had a full head of curled gray hair and a matching beard that was neat and trim. A distinguished man. Ryan recognized him immediately. It was Pawluk.
“Thank you for coming on such short notice,” Natalia greeted him.
“Not at all, Natalia,” Pawluk deferred. “I trust you're keeping Robb honest.”
“An impossible project.”
“Of course. Some things never change.”
“Why should they?” Robb rejoined. “It was good enough for me to take over your department.”
“Only because you knew where all the skeletons were buried,” Pawluk's eyes twinkled. Clearly he missed the camaraderie from his former colleagues. Then he noticed Ryan.
“Oh, look what the wind blew in,” Pawluk spoke to Ryan. “It's good to see you again.”
Ryan stood up and shook Pawluk's hand. “Likewise.” He beamed. “How are you keeping? How is retirement?”
“One can golf only so much,” Pawluk lamented.
Ryan smiled politely. “Of course. I'm very curious to hear what you and Dr. Dioumaiev have cooked up.”
Pawluk looked confused. “I'm not sure I can be of that much help in that department.” He sounded apologetic.
“But I thought?”
“You do want to hear what he has to say,” Natalia assured him.
Ryan sat down. It was his turn to look confused.
“Sorry, I'm late,” Pawluk began, “but I had to first make sure I ran this by the department Derivative Classifier first—“
Ryan shot Pawluk a questioning glance.
“—You have no idea how hard it was to locate a DC on short notice, especially on the weekend.”
“Wasn't one on call?” Robb grunted.
“Maybe,” Pawluk replied. “I really don't know the current protocol—but it took an hour to hunt this one down and then he was slow to respond.”
“Malicious compliance.” Robb made a mental note.
“Something like that.” Pawluk agreed.
“How does this affect CI?” Ryan interjected with a small measure of impatience.
“The DC has allowed me to relay only the briefest of details,” Pawluk said carefully. “It concerns an interaction we had with GenCorp from some ten to twelve years ago.”
“That was about the time they threatened to sue us,” Ryan recalled.
“Wasn't it an odd maneuver?” Pawluk asked.
Ryan understood. I've got to figure as much of this out on my own as I can. “I thought so at the time,” he replied. “Our Legal Counsel took it pretty seriously. He kept saying that 'it was about what could be proved, not what was true.'”
“What wasn't true?”
“GenCorp claimed that Jankowiak had agreed to a JDA with them,” Ryan replied. “As proof, they sent us a copy of an agreement as well as a number of so-called communications between Jankowiak and one of their Technology Directors.”
“That was after his death?” Natalia asked.
“Nearly two years.”
“Were the documents real?”
“Not at all,” Ryan huffed. “But they had been fabricated well.”
Natalia's face turned inquisitive but she refrained from speaking.
“Dr. Jankowiak always felt that GenCorp had invaded his life,” Ryan addressed Natalia's question, “and kept doing so during the first trial. Though he repeatedly changed his passwords, he never stopped being paranoid.”
“Why would GenCorp wait so long?”
“CI was making progress but had not yet become profitable. We were financially vulnerable. The easiest way to make progress is to steal it.”
“Do you recall how it ended?” Pawluk kept Ryan talking, confirming a well-used tactic: the more he steered the conversation the less he would need to divulge.
“Our Counsel wrote a letter and disputed their claims,” Ryan laughed harshly. “As I understand it, he legally suggested they had forged the documents.”
“Did they?” Natalia asked. Pawluk shot her a glance to remain quiet.
“We believed so,” Ryan answered. “We realize
d that if GenCorp had had access to Jankowiak's computers, then creating documents that appeared authentic would be possible—and difficult to defend against.”
“You didn't just write a letter to GenCorp,” Pawluk prompted.
“What do you mean?” Ryan shifted in his seat.
“What else did you do?”
“We hired a PI...” The admission made Ryan flinch again.
“No, not that,” Pawluk rolled his eyes in warning. “You contacted me.”
“You didn't return my calls,” Ryan's relief was apparent.
“No,” Pawluk said flatly.
“Why not?” Ryan queried.
“Was there anything else unusual in GenCorp's letter?” Pawluk sidestepped Ryan's question.
“I'm not following you.”
“What else did GenCorp claim?” Pawluk made it clear he wouldn't yet entertain Ryan's complaint.
Ryan sat back and thought it through.
“Something that went beyond a simple JDA?” Pawluk prodded his memory.
“Yes, there were forward-seeking claims.”
“Forward-seeking?” Robb asked, receiving a similar 'keep quiet' glance from their former boss.
“Since GenCorp was broadly claiming intellectual rights to CI before its inception, they demanded a share in everything in the pipeline—both present and future.” Ryan explained.
“Yes.” Pawluk agreed.
“How did you know this?” Ryan asked.
“We helped Jankowiak to extricate himself from his hackers.” Pawluk replied.
“Why... When did you do this?”
“In the process of hiring you.”
“Of course,” Ryan understood. “Why didn't you tell me?”
Pawluk was silent and looked away.
“You can't say,” Ryan stated. “Is that what you obtained permission to tell me today?”
“One more thing,” Pawluk's voice was serious but in no way illuminating. “No questions and I will say this only once.