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Tommy was dead and she feared that Grant might also be in danger. She just couldn’t figure outwhy. What had they found and why hadn’t Grant told her immediately?
Her cell phone rang and it was Terri Granger, returning her call.
“I’m sorry I couldn’t get back to you sooner,” Terri said. “I had rounds all afternoon—this is my first real break of the day.”
“I told you it wasn’t urgent,” Regan said. “And it doesn’t really have anything to do with Tommy’s murder. It’s more about your line of work.”
“Oh?”
“Are you involved in the Godwin Group?”
“Involved? No, but I’m very familiar with their work. They raise money for pediatric cancer research. I believe they’re the number-two-ranked private donor in the country.”
“Do you know any of the principals? Someone I might be able to talk to about their donors?”
“Most charitable groups won’t talk about their donors. Privacy rights and all that. But most of the donors are listed on their webpage. Why are you interested?”
“The name came up today, and I’m just crossingt’s. I was talking to my ex-husband at his office and the head of BioRise Pharmaceuticals came in, and I remembered meeting him at a charity event that the Godwin Group put on.”
“BioRise? That’s not surprising. They specialize in cancer research and therapeutics, and have done some groundbreaking research into actual cures.”
“Curing cancer?” Regan asked, surprised.
“Not cancer as a whole, but specific cancers. They uncovered a gene that is involved in a rare cancer, and developed a screening test that is ninety percent effective. If we can prescreen for high-risk patients, we can intervene at the earliest stages.”
“Like if a woman is at high-risk for breast cancer, we know because there’s a history in her family?”
“Similar, but more focused. Soon, we’ll be able to screen children for a large range of potential cancers and genetic disorders that don’t manifest until later in life. Once we can identify the at-risk population, we can develop therapeutics to stop the cancers or disease before they develop. It’s very state-of-the-art gene therapy and I’m cautiously optimistic.”
Regan mulled that information over, but she didn’t know if it was important. She might ask Grant more about BioRise and Seidel when she talked to him tonight.
“BioRise is a pioneer in this field,” Terri continued, “and I’m, personally, very excited by the early trials that they’ve conducted. Of course it will take years before we have answers, but I believe it’ll be in my lifetime. They will save lives.”
“Good to know,” she said.
“How are you?” Terri asked.
“I should be asking you that question.”
“I’m okay, and I have Grace. Are you sure you’re okay staying at the house alone? Sometimes the memories—they can be haunting.”
Had Tommy shared with his sister anything about his more personal relationship with Regan? That made her a bit uncomfortable. What could she say?
“Actually,” Regan said, “it’s been cathartic. I mean, I miss him—I’m always going to miss Tommy, he was one of my best friends and my mentor. But I feel... I guess...at peace being in his house, with his things, knowing that I’m going to solve his murder.”
“You think you will?”
“Yes.”
“Do you know—”
“No,” Regan interrupted. “I don’t have answers yet. But I’m making progress. I know what he was doing, what he was looking at, and I’m quickly retracing his steps. I’m not leaving until I know who killed him, Terri. I promise.”
“Tommy is watching over you,” Terri said. “I know my brother wasn’t very spiritual, but he was a good man and I know he’s in Heaven and I know that he’s watching out for both of us. I can feel it. I can feel him. Be careful.”
“Thank you. For what it’s worth, I can feel him, too.”
She ended the call and felt, oddly, at peace after talking to Terri. She had that way about her...her calm was contagious.
