Chapter 4
The sun shone while Matt took a walk around their small back garden showing Jack the plants. Although the baby was much too young to understand what he was seeing, Matt wanted him to take an interest in the world. But Jack was strangely quiet for such a small baby.
Zoé had stayed indoors and closed the back door, making Matt suspicious. Especially when he could hear her talking on the phone. He felt trapped in an ethical dilemma. No way was he going to check the call record on Zoé's phone. Well, not yet. But it couldn't hurt to move closer to the house and hear what she was saying.
Again he could hear the name Florian, and what for a moment sounded like Zoé giving instructions for finding their house. He picked out the French word for unhappy, malheureux, and something about being desperate. In her depression, could Zoé be planning to return to France to be with Florian Lefarge? And if she was, would she take Jack with her? Or even worse, in her depression do something to Jack before leaving?
He had to keep Zoé here and try to help her, as well as protecting their baby. Even if Zoé was in touch with Florian, and it certainly sounded as if she was, they could hardly have an affair over the phone. He thought of the jobs he'd done for Ken, checking up for suspicious partners. The enormity of what was happening with those couples hadn't really sunk in before now. Time to go back indoors.
Zoé pressed her phone off as soon as he came into the house, which was suspicious in itself. "Everything okay?" he asked.
Zoé burst into tears and pulled Jack away from Matt's arms. "What are we to do?" she demanded.
"I told you," Matt said, "I have to phone Simon Urquet. I'll do it now. And I don't mind you listening. I'm not the one making confidential phone calls." He wished he'd not added that last bit, but it didn't seem to register with Zoé.
The DCI secretary put him through immediately to Urquet's office in Switzerland. It was as though the call had been expected. Matt explained about Jack and the serious diagnosis.
"I'm sorry, Matt," Simon Urquet said, "but there's nothing in the DCI pharmaceutical inventory that could help, although we have been involved in financing and developing some advanced hardware. I really would like to help, but I can't see a way."
"When you called at Ken's office the other day, you talked about a reward."
"Yes, I did."
"I don't like to ask this, because I don't know what sort of reward DCI have in mind." Matt caught Zoé's eye, and she looked interested. He decided to dive straight in. Simon Urquet could only say no.
"Simon, there seems to be only one line of hope open to us to save Jack's left eye."
"Yes?"
"There's a clinic in New York that claims to have a technique where they can focus a beam of something straight onto individual cancer cells. And that includes eyes."
"Proton beam," Simon Urquet said.
"That's it. They say they've got the only piece of equipment in the States. We can't possibly afford the air fare, let alone the treatment."
Simon Urquet stayed silent for a moment.
"Are you still there, Simon?"
"Yes, still here. I can't make a decision off my own bat, to use an English expression, but I can't see the board being ungenerous. After all, you saved DCI from ruin. It's taken us a couple of years to get back even close to the big players in the pharmaceutical market, but, well, we wouldn't be there without you and Zoé."
"So is that a yes?"
"Proton beam therapy? Apart from any reward, DCI could have a definite interest in Jack's treatment. I suggest you contact the clinic in New York and discuss your baby's diagnosis with them. And check out the airline times. You'll be flying business class. I'll get back to you."