“Schneller!” she cried. “Schneller!”
Her body began to shudder. “Ah, jetzt!” she screamed. Es kommt! Es kommt!”
The spectator nodded, and the cameraman cried, “Now!”
The man’s hands moved up toward the girl’s neck. His enormous fingers closed over the windpipe and squeezed. She looked up into his eyes and saw what was there, and she was filled with terror. She tried to scream, but she was unable to breathe. She fought desperately to fight free, her body jerking in great, orgiastic spasms, but he had her pinned down. There was no escape.
The spectator sat there drinking it in, feasting on it, looking into the dying girl’s eyes, watching her being punished.
The girl’s body shuddered once, and then was still.
CHAPTER 23
Zurich.
Monday, October 4.
Ten a.m.
When Elizabeth arrived at her office, a sealed envelope marked “CONFIDENTIAL,” with her name on it, was lying on her desk. She opened it In it was a report from the chemical laboratory. It was signed “Emil Joeppli.” It was full of technical terms, and Elizabeth read it through without understanding it Then she read it again. And again. Each time more slowly. When finally she had grasped its significance, she said to Kate, “I’ll be back in an hour.” And she went to find Emil Joeppli.
He was a tall man about thirty-five, with a thin, freckled face, and a scalp that was bald except for a tonsure of bright red hair. He fidgeted uncomfortably, as though unused to having visitors in his little laboratory.
“I read your report,” Elizabeth told him. “There’s a great deal in it that I don’t understand. I wonder if you would mind explaining it to me.”
Instantly, Joeppli’s nervousness vanished. He leaned forward in his chair, sure and confident, and began to speak rapidly. “I’ve been experimenting with a method of inhibiting rapid differentiation of the collagens, by using mucopolysaccharides and enzyme blocking techniques. Collagen, of course, is the fundamental protein basis of all connective tissue.”
“Of course,” Elizabeth said.
She did not even try to understand the technical part of what Joeppli was saying. What Elizabeth did understand was that the project he was working on could retard the aging process. It was a breathtaking concept.
She sat there, silent, listening, thinking about what this could mean in terms of revolutionizing the lives of men and women all over the world. According to Joeppli, there was no reason why everyone sould not live to be a hundred, or a hundred and fifty, or even two hundred years old.
“It would not even be necessary to have injections,” Joeppli told Elizabeth. “With this formula the ingredients could be taken orally in a pill or a capsule.”
The possibilities were staggering. It would mean nothing less than a social revolution. And billions of dollars for Roffe and Sons. They would manufacture it themselves, and license it out to other companies as well. There was no one over fifty years of age who would not take a pill that would keep him or her young. It was difficult for Elizabeth to conceal her excitement.
“How far along are you on this project”
“As I wrote in my report, I’ve been doing tests with animals for the last four years. All the recent results have been positive. It’s just about ready for testing on human beings.” She liked his enthusiasm.
“Who else knows about this?” Elizabeth asked.
“Your father knew. It’s a Red Folder project. Top security. That means that I report only to the president of the company and to one member of the board.”
Elizabeth suddenly felt chilled. “Which member?”
“Mr. Walther Gassner.”
Elizabeth was silent for a moment. “From this time on,” she said, “I want you to report directly to me. And only to me.”
Joeppli looked at her in surprise. “Yes, Miss Roffe.”
“How soon could we have this on the market?”
“If everything goes well, eighteen to twenty-four months from now.”
“Fine. If you need anything—money, extra help, equipment—let me know. I want you to move as quickly as possible.”
“Yes, ma’am.”
Elizabeth rose, and instantly Emil Jeoppli jumped to his feet
“It’s a pleasure meeting you.” He smiled, and added shyly, “I liked your father.”