Chapter 548
Jelson Pharmaceutical Company.
Blackie stepped down from the car, looked at the tall, imposing office building, and sighed, “Wow, I didn’t expect a pharmaceutical company’s building to be built so well.”
Luke said, “The pharmaceutical industry is a profiteering industry, where the cost of production of drugs tends to be low, but their market selling price is very high. A drug that costs only a few dollars can be sold for tens of dollars dollars or even hundreds of dollars.
Do you think they would lack money?”
The two walked into the lobby, and at the front desk sat a young white woman in a professional dress, wearing delicate makeup, her eyes fixed on the computer in front of her.
Black knocked on the desk, “Hey, beautiful, is the president of your company in?”
The white woman looked up and surveyed Luke and Blackie, “What can I do for you?”
“We’d like to see the president of your company.”
“Sir, do you have an appointment?”
“No, but we have this.” Blackie flashed his badge.
The white woman smiled, “Sorry, I can’t help you guys.
If you want to see our president, you have to make an appointment in advance.”
“Is it okay if I make an appointment now?”
“I’m sorry, I’m at the reception here, I don’t take care of appointments.”
Blackie looked at the empty first floor hall, “Then who should we ask for an appointment?”
The white woman didn’t answer and continued to look down at her computer.
Blacky looked aside at Luke, “She doesn’t give a shit about us.”
Luke said, “Gelson Pharmaceuticals is a big taxpayer, so of course they can not give a shit about us.”
Blackie spread his hands, “Then what do we do?”
Luke said, “I don’t know, maybe wait until the strange death of their company’s drug tester hits the news.
It would be more appropriate for us to come back with a warrant.”
“With news that powerful, it’s bound to make headlines in Los Angeles, no, all over America.”
Luke said, “You’re underestimating the influence of Gelson Pharmaceuticals, which sells its medicines worldwide, and is likely to make headlines around the world.”
“Congratulations in advance to your company, I’m sure your boss will give you a promotion, a salary, and congratulations in advance as well.” Xiao Hei smiled and finished to the white woman at the reception desk, making a gesture to leave.
The white woman was a bit unable to sit still, “Wait, what did you guys just mean?”
Luke said, “Your company’s drug tester is dead.”
The white woman asked, “I haven’t heard anything like that, can you give us the details?”
Luke asked back, “Are you the president of the company?”
The white woman said with some reluctance, “Just a moment, I’ll get in touch.”
The white woman picked up the landline next to her and made a call, said a few words, then turned to Luke and asked, “What are your names?”
“Captain of the Heist and Murder Division, Luke Lee.”
Ten minutes later, a middle-aged white man in a suit with a thinning head walked over, took the initiative to shake Luke’s hand and smiled, “I’m Royce Woodman, Vice President of Jelson Corporation.
Captain Lee, it’s an honor to meet you, and I’m dreading meeting you.”
“I’m sorry, Vice President Royce Woodman, we came a bit suddenly.”
“Please follow us both, we’ll talk in a quieter place.” Royce Woodman made the gesture of please and led the two up to the third floor parlor, the female assistant served coffee to the three and closed the door and left.
Royce Woodman took the initiative to ask, “Captain Li, I heard the receptionist at the front desk say that you suspect that our company’s drug testers have been killed?”
Luke tried, “Has there been anything like that?”
“Not that I know of.”
Luke pulled out a file on the dead man, Roher Horn, “Here’s the file on the drug tester.”
Royce Woodman called for his assistant, “Go and find out if this man is our company’s drug tester.”
After the assistant left, Royce Woodman asked, “Captain Lee, how do you know he is our company’s drug tester?”
Luke took out a copy of the results of part of the forensic test report, “According to the police department’s laboratory tests, five drug ingredients were found in the deceased’s body, four of which matched the ingredients of the Nebivolol antihypertensive medication produced by Jelsen’s company.”
Royce Woodman carefully read the report and said, “Nebivolol antihypertensive drug is already on the market, there is no need to test the drug, you guys must have made a mistake.
Moreover, the drug ingredients are only similar, not exactly the same, it’s likely that other companies are developing similar antihypertensive drugs that have nothing to do with our company.”
Luke tried, “Then is your company developing a similar drug?”
Royce Woodman smiled, his tone certain, “There is absolutely no need, Nebivolol is the best antihypertensive drug.”
After a while, the female assistant returned to the parlor again and said, “President Woodman, the person on the profile is not our company’s drug tester.”
Royce Woodman spread his hands, “Captain Lee, you heard me.”
Luke pursued, “Then which company do you think is developing a similar antihypertensive drug?”
Royce Woodman bristled, “Whoa, that’s an offensive topic that I don’t really want to answer.
What I can tell you accurately is that this person has nothing to do with our company.”
Luke stood up, “President Woodman, thank you for your assistance and I take you at your word.
However, I will caution you.
It’s best to be careful of those pervasive reporters, we can find out that Roher Horn worked as a drug tester, so can those reporters.
I’ll take your word for it, but those reporters may not, and they won’t be as nice as I am.
If they write nonsense, it’s likely that it will have some negative impact on the Jelsen Company.
A kind reminder.”
“Wait.” Royce Woodman also stood up, “Are you saying that those reporters will also think that the deceased was our company’s drug tester?”
“I don’t know, maybe …… that’s exactly what some people would like to see happen, just like we will investigate here.
You should know more about the pharmaceutical industry than I do, I think.”
Royce Woodman rubbed his cheeks and said to his assistant, “You go out first.”
The assistant closed the door to the room, and Royce Woodman continued, “Look, I don’t know who’s behind this, but the dead man certainly wasn’t a drug tester for our company, and had nothing to do with our company.”
Luke said, “So what company do you think he was a drug tester for?
Come on, tell me.”
“I don’t know.” Royce Woodman licked his lips and whispered, “However, I’ve heard that Kalman Pharmaceuticals has also been working on a new antihypertensive drug recently, with ingredients that may be similar to the Nebivolol antihypertensive drug.”
Luke had an impression of Kalman Corporation, also a pharmaceutical company in Los Angeles, “Thank you for the clue, we will look into this matter as soon as possible.”
“I’m glad I could help.” Royce Woodman smiled, and turned his words around, “If there are any media reports that are indiscriminate and implicate our company in this matter, I also hope that the police department can clarify it in a timely manner.”
“I will.”
“Thanks.” Royce Woodman shook Luke’s hand and sent the two out of the parlor.
Black glanced at his assistant who was standing not far away and sighed, “I don’t like dealing with these people.”
Luke said, “Suspects don’t work to your liking.”
“You’re right, at least we got what we wanted.”
Half an hour later, Luke led the team to Kalman Pharmaceuticals.
The car was stopped by security guards when they drove up to the entrance of Kalman Pharmaceuticals, and Blackie flashed his badge before the police car was released.
Upon entering the courtyard, Luke smelled an unusual odor.
Luke got off the car, the ground was wet, looked up at the building in front of him, the whole building is ten storeys high, the lower four storeys are intact, the upper storey seems to be on fire, burnt in black, from the outside, the fire layer is likely to be the sixth storey.
Xiao Hei also looked at the office building, “It looks like a company with a story.”
Afterwards, the two of them went into the lobby on the first floor, Luke went straight to the front desk and flashed his badge, “I’m looking for the person in charge here.”
“Please wait.” The female employee at the front desk picked up the landline and made a call.
A few minutes later, a white man wearing glasses came over, “I’m Fred Kramer, I’m the head of research and development at Kalman, which officer is looking for me?”
“It’s me.
I’m the Captain of the Robbery Murder Division, Luke Lee.”
“Hello, Captain Lee, are you here about the arson case?”
“No, I’m here because of Roher Horn.”
“I’m sorry, that name doesn’t ring a bell.”
Luke said, “He was a drug tester.”
Fred Kramer frowned slightly, “A drug tester?”
“Yes.”
“What kind of drug?”
“An antihypertensive drug similar to Nebivolol.”
“Can I see Roher Horn’s profile?”
Luke handed him the photo and information on Roher Horn.
Fred Kramer read it and gave it back to Luke, “His profile looks a little familiar, but I can’t be sure.”
Black urged, “Then check your company’s list of drug testers.”
“I wish I could, but ……,” Fred Kramer spread his hands, his tone growing more and more angry, “As you can see, our company building caught fire, and the labs and data for developing the new antihypertensive drug were all destroyed by a fire was consumed.
The data of the drug testers was also inside.
All the results of our years of hard work went up in flames.”
“In other words, your company was indeed developing a new type of antihypertensive drug?”
“Yes. There are more than a billion people with high blood pressure in the world, and our company hoped to develop new drugs to improve their condition, or even help them cure their disease.
But a fire destroyed it all, a lot of data was lost, we still need to start from scratch.”
Black said, “Does your company not have network data?”
“No, the network is the most insecure, I don’t want the results of my hard work in research and development to be stolen by someone unknowingly, all of our research and development data is stored in the hard disk, which is the most secure.
But unfortunately, someone doesn’t want this kind of drug that can benefit the whole world to be released.”
“You think someone deliberately fireproofed it?”
“You should have seen how badly the building burned.
This building uses fireproof materials, under normal circumstances even if it caught fire, it wouldn’t be able to burn so badly.”
“What do you think set the fire?”
Fred Kramer’s tone was certain, “Obviously those who don’t want the development of the new antihypertensive drug to succeed.”
Luke raised one eyebrow, “Looks like you already have a target of suspicion?”