Ilse saw worry despite his barely contained excitement about the Waterfall Reagent.

He has no idea.

"Where are we going, Ilse?" David asked as they rounded the fourth corner.

"Somewhere private, Uncle David," Ilse answered, looking impatient.

This will be hard to hear.

Her rationalizations were ready. She'd been raped. The trauma was made worse by the botched and likely corrupt prosecution. The animal who did it was released. A son of wealth and privilege.

They settled into two comfortable chairs she found in the corner of the conference center's lobby. She looked out through the window to the well-forested slopes of the mountains surrounding Sophia Antipolis.

Turning back to face David, she looked down and said, "I guess there's no way to sugarcoat this. About six months after arriving at WIPO, I started taking money to disclose information on promising water technology in the patent applications I reviewed."

Ilse paused, took a breadth, and looked at her uncle's face. She imagined his face twisting in hate, condemnation, a rebuke of their decades-long relationship. She deserved worse.

What she saw startled her.

"Tell me what happened, Ilse," David said evenly. Not pity, no judgment. Not yet.

She went on hastily as if stopping would return the genie she'd just let out of the bottle.

"One of my supervisors offered me a way to make some extra money. Geneva is expensive, and WIPO patent examiners barely get by. I needed the money, but that's only part of why I did it. I was bitter. The 'system' screwed me. Twice. This was my revenge."

She did not recognize the look on David's face.

"I knew it was wrong. I just didn't care. I was angry. That monster walks free."

The anger in her voice cracked like a wave crashing on the shore.

David remained silent. She took a deep breath to calm herself and continued.

"I'm not sure where this information goes nor what is done with it. I really didn't care. Until now."

David sat back in his chair and scanned the ceiling. While he knew Ilse had gone to a dark place, he never would have imagined her doing something like this. But it got worse.

"Why are we here, Ilse?" he asked quietly.

"Because I was assigned one of the Aboah patent applications. I recognized the name when we were looking for his panel discussion. The application I reviewed only covered a minor aspect of the overall technology. I didn't understand the implications. I reported it," she concluded in a detached voice.

"To whom, Isle?" David asked, worry and urgency growing in his voice.

She came to herself and looked David in the eyes. "I don't know, Uncle David. I never asked. It didn't matter. But Professor Aboah's presentation today shook me to my core. He's done what I always wanted to. You know this."

"Then maybe we should be celebrating, Isle," smiled David, his natural positivity kicking in. "No harm, no foul, right?"

Isle shook her head, "You don't understand, Uncle David. Whoever is paying for this information must know the full scope of Professor Aboah's invention." She lowered her voice, "If what I suspect is true, Professor Aboah is in danger. I am certain he has no idea. We have to help him."

"OK, Ilse," he said, stalling for time to think of the correct response. "Let me get this straight. You've been paid to disclose new water technology in patent applications you've examined for the past two and a half years?

"Right," she said, looking down at her hands before looking up at him again, eyes ablaze, leaning forward. "But none of that matters now. I'll accept whatever consequences may come. What matters now is protecting Ekow Aboah and his Waterfall Reagent."

"Even if everything you just told me is true, Ilse, I don't understand why Ekow Aboah needs protection," David answered reasonably.

"I haven't told you everything," she confessed. "I did care enough to look up three or four inventors whose inventions I reported. Three had passed away of natural causes, from what I could find. The fourth retired to Sardinia, or so it seemed. None of it seemed suspicious. They were all elderly. Today, with our talk in the exhibit hall and then the presentation, the pieces fell into place."

David looked unconvinced.

"You said it yourself," she argued. "Where is the progress in water purification? Inventors retiring or dying unexpectedly scares me. I think Ekow Aboah is in real danger."

David sat back again. Ilse saw concern ripple across his face, but not for her this time. He tried to act unconvinced.

"OK, Ilse," David sighed, conceding what Isle already knew in a look. "It can't hurt to talk with Professor Aboah. His session should have ended by now. Let's see what he says and then play it by ear. But I don't think you should alarm him with these stories unless we think something's really going on with him. Deal?"

Isle shook her head and smiled. "I won't promise anything, Uncle David, if it means leaving him exposed. I have to speak with him, and I have to tell him what I believe is happening. His discovery is too important."

David decided not to fight this battle now. "Alright. Let's track Professor Aboah down and have a chat."

They hurried back to the meeting room. As they entered the hall, the session ended. There was a palpable buzz in the air as the audience rose and burst into conversation. People crowded the podium, peppering the Professor and the other panelists with questions and exchanging contacts. Ilse and David waited patiently for the last of the audience to depart. David and Ilse approached him as the Professor gathered his things from a nearby chair and prepared to leave.

"Professor Aboah? "Ilse started. "Can we speak with you a moment, please? Perhaps somewhere less public?"

Ekow looked up and stopped dead in his tracks. The woman was stunning. He delivered his one-hundred-watt smile. Both David and Ilse smiled in return. It was infectious.

"Of course, Dr. Langstrom, "he said after glancing at the name on her conference badge. "I see you are a patent examiner at WIPO. You did not happen to come across any of my applications, did you?" he continued to smile. To David, he said, "And Dr. Jacobs, it is nice to meet you as well."

"Very impressive work, Professor," David complimented. "I'm anxious to learn more about it. It seems you've encountered some challenges getting noticed. That's what we'd like to speak with you about. As the Chief Science Officer of Burry Water Ventures, I always seek promising new technology. Frankly, I don't understand how you've kept it under wraps. If you have time, perhaps you could join me in my suite. We'd like to speak privately about the difficulties you've been experiencing."

"Of course," responded Ekow, smiling at them still. "How could I refuse?"

As they began walking toward the elevator, Ilse uncomfortably tried to make small talk, "So how was your flight in, Professor?"

"Uneventful," he responded. "Thank you for asking. But what was curious was the near cancellation of our panel discussion today. I was puzzled as to why the organizers of the conference wanted to cancel when everyone was here and prepared. That was strange."

Ilse looked at David knowingly. "That is strange, "she agreed.

They arrived at the elevator bank. There were three to choose from. David ordered, "Open and take us to the third floor, please."

"Yes sir," answered a voice emanating from a speaker above the doors. "Please watch your step entering the elevator."

David led the short walk from the elevator to David's room. He opened the door to his "Meeting Suite," a well-appointed conference room with a full bar and a casual seating area. The floor-to-ceiling window overlooked the campus and the Mediterranean in the distance. The sleeping room was off to the right.

"I must say, Dr. Jacobs, this is a very nice suite," Ekow observed. "They must pay very well at Burry Water Ventures." They all smiled at his attempt at humor. An awkward tenseness built as they took seats around the coffee table, settling into expensive leather chairs.

"Would you like a drink, Professor?" asked David.

"A glass of water would be wonderful, Dr. Jacobs. Thank you," Ekow responded. "I am always in need after a lecture or presentation. I know it is expensive. I genuinely appreciate you serving it.

But not for much longer."

"Yes, about that," David said, coming from behind the bar and sitting opposite him. "I'm afraid we didn't ask you here to license your reagent."

Ilse looked at David, suddenly frustrated, and said, "What he means is we want to see your Waterfall Reagent distributed far and wide. We are afraid others in this world would rather that not happen. That's why we asked you up here. I believe you are in danger."

Ekow stood an instant later, all manner of friendliness gone. "Dr. Langstrom, you misled me. Is this some kind of bad joke? Good day." He headed for the door.

"Professor Aboah, wait! Please hear me out. I am not joking. I wish I were." She spoke quickly in clipped English, enunciating each word.

Ekow stopped and turned to face her. The genuine concern in her voice spoke to him. "Dr. Langstrom, now you seek to frighten me?"

"Oh yes, Professor. You should be terrified. That is why we're here. Please listen," she pleaded.

Ekow was not happy. At the same time, an oddity that had been bothering him came into focus. The voice in his head recited and ordered otherwise random events over the past couple of years in and around the University. He looked back at Ilse.

"You have my attention. Please go on, Dr. Langstrom," Ekow answered, returning to his seat.

"I suppose I should begin at the beginning," said Ilse for the second time that day. "For the past two years, I've been disclosing information from patent applications I was examining to some unknown benefactor."

Ekow looked at her, stunned. And confused.

Ilse stood and moved to the window to gather herself.

"About a year after I began passing this information, I attended a monthly meeting of the local chapter of the Chemistry Society. I rarely attended meetings like this, but the presentation was on the lack of progress in water purification technology." She and David shared a look. She continued, "That surprised me, given what I'd seen in those applications."

Ilse looked at David and then at Ekow.

"Curious about the inventors whose applications I'd flagged, I checked on their applications only to find they were abandoned or assigned. That's not unusual in and of itself, but there were no exceptions. I then tried to find the inventors themselves. All of them had retired or died unexpectedly. Again, they were older, so nothing seemed to be out of the ordinary. I didn't think I was doing any damage. I kept on doing it."

Ilse took a breadth.

"Which brings me to you, Professor. Not long ago, one of your patent applications was assigned to me. The methods looked promising, but the real breakthrough must be in one of your other applications. I reported it but didn't understand the true impact until today. What some call the 'Water Cabal' in whispers around the office undoubtedly knows all about you and your inventions. I fear they will not allow access to the Waterfall Reagent freely. Your Waterfall Reagent might put them out of business."

She paused to allow Ekow to absorb all he'd heard. He looked from Ilse to David.

"No disrespect intended, Dr. Langstrom, but Dr. Jacobs, is this true?"

"I wish I could say it wasn't, Professor. I'm afraid I can corroborate at least a part of Isle's story. I've heard mention of a group of water industry executives over late-night drinks at industry conferences rumored to be buying up new technologies. I never thought much about it since, like most industries, executives can be very aggressive. But Ilse's story is consistent with others I've heard. Hers is the first time there's been any hard evidence of anything like it really happening."

"Professor Aboah, "she began again, satisfied he was listening and understanding the magnitude of what she was telling him. "As far-fetched as this may sound, I have reason to believe that you are in terrible danger. I believe there is an organization whose mission is to seek out, control, or suppress any new technology that might impact the price of water. I don't know who these people are, but I have a pretty good idea. I willfully ignored it," she confessed.

"Your presentation clarified the magnitude of your discovery for me. It all clicked when you described your licensing challenges, and my Uncle David here had not heard of you or your invention. Your invention is more than compelling. How could it be kept off David's radar without powerful forces conspiring to make that happen?"

"At this point, I need to confirm my suspicions about these other inventors' fate," she concluded. "I truly hope I'm wrong, but I don't think so."

Ekow shook his head to clear his thoughts.

Ilse took it as a denial. "Please believe me, Professor. I wish this was just a fictional thriller. But it's not. It's real. Your invention is too important. You are too important. I want to make this right for my part in it."

Ekow raised his hand, "Dr. Langstrom, I am not shaking my head because I do not believe you, although I am having difficulty doing so. I am shaking my head in wonder. You have woven quite a tale, so please give me a few moments to digest this most unpleasant dish."

Ilse returned to her seat, looking dejected but determined.

David looked at Ilse and said, "I can confirm, strange as it sounds to me as I say it, that there has been an unusual lack of progress made in water purification for over ten years. It is inexplicable, given the steady progress made in other fields. As much as I don't want to believe Ilse's story, I'm having a hard time dismissing it. Based on our long relationship, I've known her to be honest and forthright.

She has nothing to gain and everything to lose by admitting what she's done. Her first-hand knowledge of the information being bought and sold is serious enough to warrant caution. You spoke of the lack of interest in your Waterfall Reagent by industry players in your presentation. Anything else you can recall over the past few months, maybe years, that seems unexplainable to you?"

Considering the gravity of David's words, Ekow stood and took Ilse's place at the window. He turned and said, "Dr. Jacobs, please call me Ekow. I know of your work and admire it. It is the only reason I am sitting here with you now. I normally do not follow people to a hotel room at a conference like this. Your presence here is and was reassuring."

"I appreciate your faith in me, Ekow. Call me David. I'm sure Ilse would prefer the same."

Nodding, Ekow continued. "Back to your question then. Upon reflection, I have to admit that it seemed fate was trying to keep me from coming here and participating on the panel we just held. Flight delays. The near cancellation of the panel itself for no apparent reason. Just before the panel began today, I received a call supposedly from my mother, which nearly kept me from making it to the session. It was not my mother, so I hung up but did not have time to consider it until now. There is more."

"The Waterfall Reagent should be extremely interesting to the industry. Each attempt at collaboration or licensing was quickly declined without more than a cursory review of our science. None of it makes any sense to me, but I am no expert on the commercial aspects of science. I thought it the usual large industry intransigence that resists all change not some nefarious plot to keep my Waterfall Reagent from the world. I still have a hard time believing anyone would care so much about an obscure professor from Ghana."

Ekow sat back down, looking at the two of them in turn. It was David's turn to stand by the window.

"No longer obscure, Ekow," quipped David. "Whether we like it or not, Ilse has brought us into a dangerous situation."

Ilse's face reddened as the realization dawned on her. "That was not my intent, Uncle David. I am so sorry."

"Ilse, it's OK. I'm glad you came to me. Ekow had to be warned. You've done that. Let's contact the authorities now. I know your father has connections to the World Police Force. That's where we need to go."

"Dr. Jacobs, I mean David," Ekow raised his hands to slow them down. "Going to the World Police Force with this story and our only proof being the testimony of, forgive me, Ilse, a compromised patent examiner, seems like it would be a challenge. Do you really think they would believe us?"

"It's a good point, Ekow," David conceded. "More evidence would be helpful."

Ilse raised her hand to get their attention and said, "Here's what I think we should do. Ekow, you return home to Accra as if nothing happened and no discoveries made. I'll head back to Geneva and confirm the fate of the other inventors whose patent applications I reported. If they, unlike the others, are alive and well, I'll give you a call to let you know how much I enjoyed meeting you at this conference. If I find what I expect, I'll email you saying I am not interested in collaborating with Asseshi University. In that case, I'll arrange to join you in Accra within the week. You can decide then if you want to go to the World Police Force and if you will accept my help. It's all I can do to make this right."

"Uncle David, I'll copy you on the email so you know where things stand."

She turned to Ekow, her eyes glowing, "I'd be surprised if you aren't being monitored at this moment, including the fact we three met here today."

Ekow looked around, uncomfortable.

"Ekow, I suggest you leave alone and return home as soon as possible. Uncle David, I'll leave a few minutes later and return to Geneva. If I go to Accra, we'll count on you to let Father know what's going on. We'll set up a secure way to communicate so you can let us know how the World Police Force responds and what we should do."

"Of course, Ilse," David said. "If you're right, your father and I will see about getting you two help. Let's pray you don't need it."

"Well, it was nice meeting the two of you," Ekow smiled again, his optimism irrepressible. "I hope we do not meet in the near future!" He flashed his bright smile, his gallows humor surprising them both as he walked out of the room. They watched the door close behind Ekow.

David then said, "Ilse, this is crazy. You know that, right?"

"I know, but as crazy as it seems, for the first time in a very long time, I feel more like myself. Ekow is going to need help. I may not be the best person for it, but is there time to find someone else?"

"Fair enough for now, Ilse," David agreed. "I don't like it, but let's run this play as you suggest. I will return to the States and do some digging. Watch your email."

He kissed her on the forehead. It was time for her to leave.

***

It was gray and drizzling as his Lincoln limousine pulled up to the entrance of the Prague Renaissance Hotel. Lars Kunta was troubled as he walked into the plush hotel lobby and was directed to the private meeting rooms in the north wing. Bert Gheel and Omar Gezi both arrived a few minutes earlier. The view of the Prague Castle and Charles Bridge hardly registered as he addressed them.

"Ekow Aboah spoke in Sophia Antipolis last week despite our mild discouragements and flat-footed buffoonery," he looked pointedly at Gezi. "Since when do we use crank calls from someone's mother?"

Gezi did not appreciate being addressed this way. "I would be careful how you speak to me, Lars. None of us is above the other. All of us are in this together. Plans fail, and new ones are made. Rest assured, we will take care of this Ekow Aboah once he returns to Accra."

"It better be handled, Gezi," Lars continued, ignoring the threat. "His Waterfall Reagent is powerful. Perhaps the most significant threat to our position ever. I hope you appreciate the gravity, Gezi. Please see to it."

"Of course, Lars," Gezi responded with fake subservience. "So it shall be written, so it shall be done." He nodded his head to over-emphasize the point.

Bert Gheel listened to the exchange with growing annoyance. "Now, If you two are quite finished spraying at each other, perhaps you would be interested to know that this African Professor was seen speaking with David Jacobs and Ilse Langstrom. While Jacobs should be of no concern, Dr. Langstrom is one of our patent examiners at WIPO. Please do not underestimate the importance of what I'm telling you. While I'm sure she does not know for certain that we exist or are interested in Professor Aboah, in my experience, there are no coincidences. Do not leave that loose end untied, Gezi. I will monitor Dr. Jacobs' activities just in case."