The Clock is Ticking

Joel Feiss

Description

The Clock is Ticking is a contemporary, character-driven murder mystery that takes place in the heart of the biotech industry in Cambridge, Massachusetts during the Covid-19 Pandemic. Police Detectives Danny Quinn and Joy Seiden are called to investigate the death of Dr. Arthur Rosen, a geneticist who was found under the M.I.T. Boathouse ramp on the Charles River.  Dr. Rosen worked for DNA Therapeutics, a biotech company on the cutting edge of CRISPR technology which is used to find cures for diseases utilizing gene editing.  At the time of his death, the company was waiting for approval to start their human clinical trial designed to treat Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis, Lou Gehrig’s Disease. 

William Martindale, a wealthy entrepreneur living in Aspen, Colorado has the hereditary form of ALS. He has just begun to have symptoms and knows how long he has before the end stages of the disease ravage his body and cognitive abilities. His only chance is to get into the upcoming DNA Therapeutics clinical trial. He had recently divorced his wife for fear that she would leave him like his mother had left his father. He is in love and presently living with Marni Bloom a psychologist who is presently researching methods to treat PTSD, Depression, and Anxiety Disorders. 

Dr. Rosen’s wife, Anna is a beautiful and somewhat mysterious woman who was clearly not above suspicion. There were too many details about her past relationships and background to clear her as a suspect.  

The investigators are led through a web of legal and biotechnical intrigue in the backdrop of the Covid-19 Pandemic and political unrest not only in the United States but globally as well. By digging deep into the case and recruiting the assistance of the FBI and an unlikely private investigator, Detectives Quinn and Seiden believe they have finally found justice for Dr. Rosen’s death. The outcome of their efforts is not what they expected.

Sujets

• Policier & Thriller
• Policier
• Thriller
• Legal
• Psychological
• Police Procedurial
• Thrillers
• Detective
• Psychology
• Mystery
• Legall de Kermeur
• Fiction

Informations

• Publié par: Outskirts Press
• Date de parution: 10 août 2023
• Nombre de lectures: 0
• EAN13: 9781977267641
• Langue: English
• Poids de l'ouvrage: 1 Mo

Extrait

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The Clock Is Ticking All Rights Reserved. Copyright © 2023 Joel Feiss v4.0
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events, locales, and incidents are either the products of the author’s imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.
The opinions expressed in this manuscript are solely the opinions of the author and do not represent the opinions or thoughts of the publisher. The author has represented and warranted full ownership and/or legal right to publish all the materials in this book.
This book may not be reproduced, transmitted, or stored in whole or in part by any means, including graphic, electronic, or mechanical without the express written consent of the publisher except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.
Outskirts Press, Inc. http://www.outskirtspress.com
Cover Photo © 2023 www.gettyimages.com . All rights reserved - used with permission.
Outskirts Press and the "OP" logo are trademarks belonging to Outskirts Press, Inc.
PRINTED IN THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
This book could not have been written without the love, support, and editing skills of my wife, Pearl.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
CRISPR GENE EDITING
PROLOGUE
CHAPTER 1
CHAPTER 2
CHAPTER 3
CHAPTER 4
CHAPTER 5
CHAPTER 6
CHAPTER 7
CHAPTER 8
CHAPTER 9
CHAPTER 10
CHAPTER 11
CHAPTER 12
CHAPTER 13
CHAPTER 14
CHAPTER 15
CHAPTER 16
CHAPTER 17
CHAPTER 18
CHAPTER 19
CHAPTER 20
CHAPTER 21
CHAPTER 22
CHAPTER 23
CHAPTER 24
CHAPTER 25
CHAPTER 26
CHAPTER 27
CHAPTER 28
CHAPTER 29
CHAPTER 30
CHAPTER 31
CHAPTER 32
CHAPTER 33
CHAPTER 34
CHAPTER 35
CHAPTER 36
CHAPTER 37
CHAPTER 38
CHAPTER 39
CHAPTER 40
CHAPTER 41
CHAPTER 42
CHAPTER 43
CHAPTER 44
CHAPTER 45
CHAPTER 46
CHAPTER 47
CHAPTER 48
CHAPTER 49
CHAPTER 50
CHAPTER 51
CHAPTER 52
CHAPTER 53
CHAPTER 54
CHAPTER 55
CHAPTER 56
CHAPTER 57
CHAPTER 58
CHAPTER 59
CHAPTER 60
CHAPTER 61
CHAPTER 62
CHAPTER 63
CHAPTER 64
CHAPTER 65
EPILOGUE
DISCLAIMER

This is a work of fiction. All of the characters, names, incidents, organizations, and dialogue in this novel are either the products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously.
Other Books Written by Joel Feiss

Retribution for Acts of Terrorism The Formula In the Name of Honor Pickup Murder Desert Pawn THE WATCH LIST CABLE NEWS IN THE TIME OF COVID-19
CRISPR GENE EDITING
CRISPR gene editing is a genetic engineering technique by which the genome of an organism may be modified. The genome consists of DNA and includes the genes which make up the coding DNA, the noncoding DNA, and the mitochondrial DNA. Genes are the molecules that are housed in the nucleus of all the cells of our bodies and carry the instructions to make the proteins that comprise and are needed for our bodies to function. The technique of CRISPR editing is considered highly significant in biotechnology and medicine as it allows the genome to be changed in the living organism with a high degree of precision, small cost, and relative ease. It can be used in the creation of new medicines, the treatment of genetic diseases and infectious diseases, and cancer. It can also be used in the production of agricultural products when plant DNA is genetically edited.
In 2012 Jennifer Doudna and Emmanuelle Charpentier received the Nobel Prize in Chemistry for their development of the technique used to modify DNA. Their method worked by delivering the Cas9 nuclease complexed with a synthetic RNA into a cell’s nucleus to alter its DNA.
Viruses have been disarmed and redesigned to serve as vectors which carry the new genetic instructions into the patient which enable it to make therapeutic proteins.
Many bioethical concerns have been raised about the prospect of using CRISPR for germline editing in human embryos. Germline genome editing leads to issues such as; the occurrence of undesirable changes in the genome, from whom and how is informed consent obtained, and the religious and ethical debates concerning the breeding of the human species i.e., eugenics.
PROLOGUE
It was the middle of June, 2021, and it finally appeared that the Covid-19 pandemic was on its way to being defeated in the United States. There were still a significant number of cases occurring, and the critical number of those who needed to be vaccinated had not yet been reached, but the public was finally feeling that the worse was behind them. Masks were still required. People were coming back to work in their offices, public transportation was again operational, and schools were scheduled to open for in-person learning in September. President Biden was in the process of reuniting the United States with its former allies and taking a leadership role on the world stage. The administration had decided to adhere to the deal that former President Trump had made with the Taliban to pull out of Afghanistan, but he extended the deadline from May to August 31, 2021. Since that deal was made, the U.S. had not lost any lives, but many observers warned that by leaving, we would not have solved the problem of Afghanistan’s role as a safe harbor for terrorism. Right or wrong, a pullout was what the American public wanted. Those were the good things. But there was also a dramatic increase of crime and gun violence in most major cities. The border crossings from Mexico and Central America were increasing at alarming rates and contained not only asylum seekers from Mexico, Central America, and South America but also those from Haiti and Eastern Europe. Trumpism and false conspiracy theories were still flourishing in what appeared to be most people who identified themselves as Maga Republicans. This was causing an increased divide, not only among Republicans, but the general population as well. The Republican Evangelicals have continued to back Donald Trump, and in so doing, have chosen political power over moralism and the teachings of Jesus. There have been discussions taking place in the House of Representatives to begin a select committee to investigate the January 6th attack on the Capitol which was the culmination of then President Donald J. Trump’s attempts to overturn the 2020 U.S. presidential election. Tribalism was flourishing and some historians were fearful that Democracy was on the brink of destruction similar to the pre-civil war days. Political gridlock continued to plague Congress in Washington DC. Domestic terrorism, Anti-Semitism, and cyberattacks have risen to the top of the Homeland Security threat list. It was becoming obvious that there was a movement toward the extremes of the political spectrum not only in the U.S. but in Europe as well. The Russo-Ukrainian conflict over the Donbas and Crimea has continued since 2014 and most observers see no resolution in sight. If the conflict expands, then shortages of grain and oil will present an inflationary problem not only in Europe, but worldwide. China was celebrating 100 years of the Communist Party with an emphasis on its successes even though their handling of the Covid-19 crisis has been dismal. China has threatened the West to stay out of its internal affairs. There was also concern that the Chinese may invade Taiwan. In addition, North Korea’s Kim Jong-un was still an unsettling loose cannon. Lastly, the battle against Global Warming and its detrimental effects have not been universally accepted. China, India, and a significant portion of the Republican Party in the U.S. have been deniers, and they have not been willing to make the sacrifices needed to win the fight.

The Charles River in Massachusetts has a significant number of boathouses on its banks from its mouth at Boston Harbor to its source at Echo Lake in Hopkinton, Massachusetts. The boathouses are mostly situated along the Boston and Cambridge banks of the Charles River Basin, upstream as far as the Arsenal Street Bridge, and downstream as far as the Charles River Dam. Many of the boathouses belong to universities, including Boston University, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Harvard University, and Northeastern University. Other boathouses belong to private clubs, some of which date back to the 19th century. The Harold W. Pierce Boathouse was dedicated on September 9, 1966 to serve as the new home for the MIT rowing team. It boasts sixty-four ergometers, and a fleet of over fifty shells housed in four boat bays.

The sky was pale blue and clear. The streets of Boston and Cambridge were quiet as the sun was beginning to rise. The two-man sculling team from MIT entered their designated section of the boathouse, removed their racing shell from the hooks on the wall, and slowly walked down the ramp toward the Charles River.
Stuart Margot, a twenty-one-year-old senior engineering student was six-foot, two inches tall with short blond hair. He had broad shoulders, a large barrel chest, minimal body fat, and extreme muscular development of both his upper and lower body. He was in the front of the shell and stopped dead in his tracks as he approached the water.
Peter Harold was carrying the shell from the rear. He also had blond hair cut short, was a few inches shorter than Stuart, and had a similar body-build. He asked, "Why are you stopping?"
"Backup slowly." Peter’s voice had a forced calmness.
"What’s up, partner?"
"Just slowly back the fuck up." He paused for a few seconds and added, "There’s a dead body stuck under the ramp. We just walked into a crime scene. Let’s replace the boat, and I’ll get my cell phone out of my locker."
Stuart Margot made the 911 call. It was answered after the second ring.
" What’s your emergency?" The dispatcher’s voice was calm and she spoke clearly.
"I’m at the MIT Boathouse on the Charles River. There is a dead body stuck under the ramp." Stuart answered.
" Are you alone?"
"No. I’m