Читать книгу DeVille's Contract - Scott Zarcinas - Страница 8

The Grand Vision

HIDING his smile at the head of the table, Louis DeVille eyed the suit and ties filing into the boardroom. With a wink and a nod he greeted every one of the Vice Presidents as they sat down. Could say this was what he’d been working toward since the day he began the company, the culmination of his life’s work. He basked and took it all in. And why shouldn’t he? The company was about to burst onto the big stage. All thanks to him.

“I’d like to call this AGM open,” the company secretary said, glancing at his watch, “at 6:04, March 13, 2012.”

The secretary then read out the minutes of last month’s board meeting before asking Louis if there was anything he wanted to say before the vote. To the applause of the VPs, Louis stood and gathered his thoughts. He thanked them and gestured for silence, stretching the jacket lapels over his belly and squeezing a button into the eyelet.

“As you know, when I started out in the late fifties I was just a salesman doing the rounds for one of the drug companies here in New York. One of the ‘Big Four’ back then.”

Next to a pile of dossiers his PA had left on the table was a pitcher of cow juice and from it he poured himself a glass. God, he hated this stuff, but he needed it. Grimacing, he eyed his subordinates over the rim. They were chuckling. Everyone knew Louis DeVille had bought out that company when it hit hard times in the mid-eighties and stripped it of its assets. All that remained was the mahogany table they were now seated around.

He put the glass back down on the table and went on. “I was good at what I did, and what I did was sell the wonder drug of the day: Penicillin.” There were more chuckles. “Unlike most of you, I grew up in Brooklyn. The only education I got was on the street. College was never a consideration. Nevertheless, it turned out to be a goddamn blessing in disguise. Those years were my apprenticeship. I learned what it took to get to the top in the only school that matters, the school of hard knocks.”

Several gray and balding heads were nodding. The others, fresher faced and fuller on top, just stared back with polite interest.

“Without wishing to bore you with details,” he said, “I hated making money for someone else. Plus, I wasn’t getting promoted as fast as I wanted, so I figured the best thing to do was resign and start my own company. Best goddamn thing I ever did.” The gray heads chuckled and nodded some more. “The market was tough, let me tell you. I had to plead with the banks to call off their goddamn hounds more than I care to recall. Nevertheless, DeVille Pharmaceuticals was in the black within four years. Within ten we’d broken into the south and Midwest. Within twenty we’d stretched right across the country. We then started looking across the Atlantic, and in the eighties we even changed our name to Global Resolutions Network. Now, almost forty years to the day it was born, the company is approaching another milestone. Listing on the Dow. The goddamn Holy Grail.”

Louis brought the glass to his lips again, hesitating before he took another sip. Then he passed around the dossiers from the pile next to him and waited until everyone was ready. He held up his ring-bound copy, a sky-blue cover across which was written in white: THE FUTURE OF GLOBAL RESOLUTIONS NETWORK. Glaring beneath it in red: STRICTLY CONFIDENTIAL. “Each of you now has a dossier of my vision for GRN,” he said. “Everything I’ve learned about the pharmaceutical industry is in here. The secret of my success. The secret that will rocket GRN to global dominance of the drug market.”

The Vice Presidents each picked up a copy and began flicking through it. Louis could see a couple of wry grins. This was going to make every goddamn one of them wealthier than they had ever imagined, and they were entitled to raise a few eyebrows at what they read. They were welcome to the money. Some of them though, the older boys, the ones with a third wife and second coronary understood that it was more than just the number of zeros on the bank statement. The game was about dominance. Proving everyone else wrong. Making a goddamn success of your life despite the odds.

He nodded toward the company secretary, one of the fresher faces with a full head of hair but not too far from hiding the double chin behind the hairy mask of a goatee. “Stop taking minutes for a moment. Go on, put your pen down. Tell me what the gurus at Yale taught you about marketing.”

The secretary put his pen to his mouth and leaned back in his chair. “Uh… to identify and target a niche, I guess.”

Louis hit the table with the soft part of his fist. “Exactly. Find a gap in the market and exploit it. Give the man in the street what nobody else can, and he’ll make you rich. That’s basically what it means, isn’t it?” The secretary nodded, his eyes darting from side to side, wondering why he was the target of the boss’ sudden attention. Louis glanced around the table. “And it’s all horseshit. Every one of you who went to Harvard, or Yale, or MIT, you’ve all majored in horseshit,” and he sniffed the air. “I can even smell it.”

The secretary wiggled in the seat, looking for a means of escape. The VP next to him hooked down his tie. No one else said a word, staring down at the dossier in front of them, not daring to make eye contact with anybody, let alone the boss.

“But it’s not your fault, and I don’t blame you for what those idiots taught you.” Resting his knuckles on the table, Louis hunched forward. “If you want to earn a lousy million, then targeting a niche might do it for you. But if you want to earn hundreds of millions, even billions,” and he trailed off, reeling them in, “then you create a niche.”

The Vice Presidents looked at one another and shrugged. It was the secretary who broke the awkward silence. “I’m not sure I follow.”

Louis had been glaring at some of the grayer heads, hoping they would be the first to catch on and speak up. He flashed his gaze onto the secretary, and said, “How did Bill Gates become the richest man in the world?”

The secretary didn’t answer. Louis eyed the rest of them. The question, as he had expected, was met with blank faces.

“Well I’ll tell you. He didn’t find a niche in the software market. His creation became the software market.” Still nobody spoke, but Louis could tell a few of the older boys were now starting to cotton on. “What about Henry Ford? He didn’t find a niche in the motor vehicle market. The invention of the assembly line created the market for him.”

“So you’re saying we have to do the same?” the secretary said.

Louis straightened his back, flattening the length of his tie with his knuckles. “Exactly.”

“But how? The pharmaceutical market is flooded.”

Louis fisted the table again. “By creating our own disease.”

The secretary stroked his double chin. At first a blank, his face began to lighten as the concept slowly dawned. Louis smiled, opening his confidential dossier to the first page. The sound of flicking paper filled the room as everyone else did likewise.

“That’s the first step in our four-step plan. We need a disease for which only GRN has the product to cure. We have to monopolize an illness, patent it if we have to, and then flood the market with our wonder drug.”

Louis lifted his glass and took another sip, a small one, barely wetting his lips this time. When no one offered a comment, he said, “We turn the tables on the current approach to curing illness. Most pharmaceutical companies waste millions in research and development, all competing for the same thing, all hoping to find the magic bullet that will put an end to cancer or AIDS or whatever. We’re not going to spend a goddamn cent. We’re going to create a disease to fit the drugs we already have.”

The silence continued, then the secretary said, “I hope you’re not thinking of poisoning the water supply.” His candidness elicited a few nervous snickers around the table. “I mean… uh… something like that wouldn’t be ethical, would it?”

Louis grinned. “What has ethics got to do with the pharmaceutical industry? We’re in the business of making money. Simple as that.” He planted his forefinger on top of the dossier. “But to get back to the point, to create a disease all we need do is turn something that’s normal into something that’s abnormal. Something that has to be treated. You’ve heard of Münchausen’s Syndrome, haven’t you?”

The secretary stoked his double chin again. A few VPs wiggled in their seats and pretended to concentrate on the dossier.

“Let me explain. Someone who’s a Münchausen is perfectly healthy, but they make the doctors believe they have an illness that needs treating. They’re con artists. They have thousands of dollars spent on investigations and medical intervention. And for what? There’s nothing wrong with them. So if one individual can divert thousands of dollars from the insurance companies, imagine how much we can make if a whole city like New York, or the whole country for that matter, is convinced they have an illness they don’t really have.”

The secretary glanced up from his dossier. “You want GRN to create a pretend illness?”

Louis nodded. “A pretend illness with a real drug. We already have a range of anti-depressants. We’ll use one whose sales have dipped. Repackage it to save on costs,” and he smiled. “Of course we’ll have to come up with a savvy name for what it’s treating. DeVille’s Syndrome, or something like that.”

The secretary had the pen in his mouth again. “But… will it work? I mean…”

“Of course it will. The trick is to make the consumers feel worse about themselves than they already do. That our magic pill will take away their problems and make their life more bearable.” He paused to take stock. “The pharmaceutical industry has moved into the next phase of its evolution, and we have to move with it, if not take the lead. Pills are no longer just about treating life-threatening conditions. They also improve our quality of life.”

The secretary had a wry grin. “Pills for a lifestyle?”

The comment was greeted with a murmur of chuckles around the table.

“That’s not such a silly idea. People are always looking for something that will make them happier, or increase their sense of security, even feel more popular. Pills already exist to treat anxiety and stress, why not have a pill that can treat our everyday sadness? Or even guilt? You’ve just cheated on your wife and are feeling bad about it. Take a pill! Wash away those unwanted feelings. Next, take a pill to save the marriage. Even the career that’s on the ropes. The consumer needs to believe that a pill will save them in their hour of need. Step in GRN.” The flash of an idea momentarily stunned him. That’s brilliant, Louis. Just goddamn brilliant. “In fact, here’s our criteria for the diagnosis of DeVille’s Syndrome. A triad of symptoms: sadness, insecurity, loneliness.”

The secretary glanced at the dossier. “You’re sure the public will fall for it?”

Louis had been waiting for that question and almost jumped on the secretary in his eagerness to answer. “Look at ADHD, Attention Deficit Hyperactive Disorder. According to some statistics over one in three kids have it. We’re in an epidemic of hyperactive brats jumping all over the furniture and climbing the walls. Sure, some of them might have an underlying pathology that actually needs treatment, but thirty percent? Goddamn ludicrous. That was a disease created to sell more amphetamines. The medical profession has swallowed a lie and the pharmaceutical companies are making a fortune out of it. Which leads to the next step.”

Everyone flipped the dossier to Step Two: BUILDING CONSENSUS WITHIN THE MEDICAL COMMUNITY.

“An integral part of the plan involves winning over the hearts and minds of the medics and any other legalized drug pusher in the community,” Louis said. “The basic platform is already established. We don’t have to do much more than what we’re already doing. I’ve highlighted the main points on the page,” and he pointed to the list. “First, we need a marketing strategy to educate doctors in the triad of DeVille’s Syndrome and what to do about it. We’ll stress the need for early diagnosis, and of course the correct drug to treat it. Next, we’ll foster interactions between our patients with the mysterious ‘new disease’ and those doctors or scientists we get on board early, the ones who’ll become our experts in DeVille’s Syndrome. Of course we’ll have to bankroll a few conferences across the country to get our message across. Vegas. Aspen. San Fran. Even here in Manhattan.”

Louis paused again. He had to stop getting too far ahead of himself. Man, he was flying, but he had to remain calm. He had balls between his thighs, after all, not goddamn ovaries. He asked the table if there were any questions before he went to Step Three: Reaching The Consumers.

When no one spoke up, he said, “The next step involves increasing the public’s need for our drug, which we’ll call Hypnocal for the time being. As you can see in the dossier, I’ve outlined a few means of achieving this. We need a tab line. Something to perk the interest like, “By the time you’ve reached retirement, it’s likely you will have experienced the detrimental effects of DeVille’s Syndrome at least once.” Or even, “Lonely, frightened or blue? Hypnocal’s for you!” Anyway, you know what I’m getting at. You’ve seen it before. Remembering of course we need to use a lot of medical jargon to confuse the average monkey in the street. The more confused they are, the more likely they’ll think they’ve got the disease and need treatment for it. We won’t say someone’s sad. We’ll say they’re suffering “severe hypo-affectation.” Loneliness will be “intractable agoraphobia.” Insecurity will be, what? Help me out here…”

“Psychosomatic Delusional Complex,” the secretary said.

This time every VP was laughing. Even Louis smiled.

“You’ve got the picture,” he said. “We’ll also use the media to give us free publicity for Hypnocal, just like we’ve done before. We’ll run items in the papers and brief the radio and TV channels. Marketing disguised as news. You know the things. Something like, “A new drug has been found to significantly reduce the harmful effects of DeVille’s Syndrome.” That usually gets the public going. We’ll hammer home the fact that it’s a “breakthrough treatment” and get our experts interviewed on how it’s improved their patients’ life. Of course, if we can get a celebrity endorsement of the product, someone big who’ll come out and say they’ve had DeVille’s Syndrome for years and didn’t know it until they improved with Hypnocal, then we’re laughing all the way to the bank.”

Louis rubbed a clenched fist down his tie, then reached for the jug of goddamn cow juice and filled his empty glass. One of the VPs inquired as to whether or not he was feeling okay. Grimacing a little, he nodded that he was doing fine. It was just a little gastritis. Had had it for years. All he needed was some antacids to calm the flames.

Excusing himself, he went to the intercom on the side-table abutting the wall behind him. He lifted the handset and punched the call button. When his PA finally answered, he told her to fetch a bottle of Kwel-Amities he kept in his office desk. Once done, he went back to the head of the table. “Okay, where were we?” he said, clearing his throat and glancing at the dossier. “Ah yes. Step Three. An important channel for promoting awareness of DeVille’s Syndrome is the use of supporter groups. We’ll set them up in every major city and town. Forums on the Internet are also the way to go, especially if we want to go global with this thing. We’ll encourage free screenings for people who are worried they might have the disease. We’ll assist government lobbying for grants to help the poor.”

The secretary perked up. “I’ve just thought of something. What about a National Day for DeVille’s Syndrome?” He glanced around the table. “An awareness day. Like they do for AIDS and breast cancer. We can get people to wear a pair of wacky sunglasses to raise money for future research. You know, the ones with the funny nose and moustache that make you look like Groucho Marx.”

The VPs chuckled at the thought of the whole country wearing them. At that moment, Louis’ PA entered with the bottle of antacids. Ash-blonde with melons like Dolly Parton, and not an inch over five foot, even in sneakers, she made him feel like a giant cat about to pounce on an unsuspecting mouse. While she put the bottle of Kwel-Amities on top of the table, he maneuvered himself so that his elbow rubbed her breasts. Then, as she turned to leave, he let his hand fall to his side and brush her gorgeous ass. Running his forefinger across her skirt, he wondered how long it would be before she would give in to his advances. They always did, in the end.

She lifted her face to stare into his eyes. “Will that be all, Mr. DeVille?”

“For now,” he said, absently toying with the ring on his wedding finger.

Once the door had clicked shut, he opened the bottle of Kwel-Amities (one of his competitor’s products, ironically, but goddamn it they worked wonders) and took two of the little blue diamonds, chasing them down with a swig of milk. He then flicked the dossier to the last page: RESEARCH AND CLINICAL TRIALS.

“Your last suggestion is more valid than you think,” he said to the secretary. “Step Four is concerned with the scientific validation of DeVille’s Syndrome and its treatment. Probably the most difficult stage; the scientific community is as cynical as hell. Goddamn bunch of assholes if you ask me, but we need them. If we have to bin research that’s less favorable than others, then so be it. It’s common practice anyway. If we have to manipulate the statistical data in our favor, then we’ll do that too. Again, it’s common practice. In today’s world, clinical trials are nothing but marketing trials anyway. Every scientist knows that. As long as the data reflects positively in favor of Hypnocal, then we’ll do everything we can to push it into the public arena.”

Louis took another sip. Every face at the table was turned to him. He then held up the dossier, and said, “Deep down human beings are nothing but an organic process of chemical reactions. Chemicals determine how we feel, how we act, and how we think. Even love is nothing but a chemical reaction. Why not give the goddamn public what they want, control over their own chemistry? Surely we owe them the best possible life they can get. Because you know what, once the reactions stop, there’s nothing else.”

He felt like ending his talk with a big, hearty “amen.” Instead, he put the dossier down and returned to his chair, bringing his speech to a close. The next few minutes would tell whether he’d done enough.

“Well, I think that brings us to the vote,” the secretary said, standing and glancing around the table. Louis drew a deep breath, suppressing the urge to fidget in his seat. “I put forward the motion to keep Mr. DeVille as CEO. I need a second.”

The VP next to him shot his hand in the air before anyone else got the chance. “I second it.”

“Then lets call the vote.”

Louis kept holding his breath, maintaining an air of absolute seriousness. How long did he have to put up with this goddamn theatrical nonsense? Not long, it seemed. All thirteen hands shot up in unanimous agreement and it was done. As quick as that; a goddamn rubberstamp. Louis slowly released the air in his lungs and closed his eyes to collect his thoughts, barely heeding the call for votes on the remaining board positions. Should he really have been so worried? Maybe. Maybe not. Despite the feeling that everything was going according to plan, there was always a niggle of doubt in the back of his head. He guessed he had never truly recovered from that time he had almost lost it all in the early eighties, in this very same room, if you could believe it. That was a lesson he wouldn’t forget in a million goddamn years. No sir-ree. Nothing in life was a guarantee, except death and taxes, if you believed that horseshit. But what the hell, it was all in the past. He was re-elected as CEO and had survived another year. And, oh, what a goddamn year this was going to be.

After the vote for the position of secretary, the meeting was called to a close and the Vice Presidents slowly dispersed, patting him on the shoulder as they passed and telling him what a fine job he was doing; GRN was really going places. Despite the burn beneath his chest, he smiled and thanked them and said he hoped he could count on their support in the coming months. If not, they’d all be out the door so goddamn fast their feet won’t touch the ground.

Finally, the last suit and tie exited the boardroom. Louis opened the bottle on the table and took two more blue diamonds, thinking he had better get his PA to book him in for another checkup. He rubbed his knuckles up and down his chest, wondering what in hell had changed of late. The gastritis just wasn’t responding to treatment like it used to.

He let the thought slide. There were more important things to worry about, like how to get his PA into bed before any of the younger VPs beat him to it. He leaned back and clasped his hands behind his head.

Now that would be something, wouldn’t it?