“For sure,” Laurie said. “She said that one of the main reasons the company has been doing so well is that it established a huge primate farm. Initially, the farm was to do in-house research for GenSys. Then someone hit on the idea of creating an opportunity for other biotech companies and pharmaceutical firms to out-source their primate research to GenSys. Apparently, the demand for this service has trampled even the most optimistic forecasts.”

“And this primate farm is in Equatorial Guinea?” Jack asked.

“That’s right,” Laurie said.

“Did she suggest any reason why?” Jack asked.

“A memorandum she had from an analyst said that GenSys chose Equatorial Guinea because of the favorable reception they received from the government, which even passed laws to aid their operation. Apparently, GenSys has become the government’s major source of much-needed foreign currency.”

“Can you imagine the amount of graft that must be involved in that kind of scenario?” Jack asked Lou.

Lou merely whistled.

“The memorandum also pointed out that most of the primates they use are indigenous to Equatorial Guinea,” Laurie added. “It allows them to circumvent all the international restrictions in exportation and importation of endangered species like chimpanzees.”

“A primate farm,” Jack repeated while shaking his head. “This is raising even more bizarre possibilities. Could we be dealing with a xenograft?”

“Don’t start that doctor jargon on me,” Lou complained. “What in God’s name is a xenograft?”

“Impossible,” Laurie said. “Xenografts cause hyperacute rejections. There was no evidence of inflammation in the liver section you showed me, neither humoral nor cell-mediated.”

“True,” Jack said. “And he wasn’t even on any immunosuppressant drugs.”

“Come on, you guys,” Lou pleaded. “Don’t make me beg. What the hell is a xenograft?”

“It’s when a transplant organ is taken from an animal of a different species,” Laurie said.

“You mean like that Baby Fae baboon heart fiasco ten or twelve years ago?” Lou asked.

“Exactly,” Laurie said.

“The new immunosuppressant drugs have brought xenografts back into the picture,” Jack explained. “And with considerable more success than with Baby Fae.”

“Especially with pig heart valves,” Laurie said.

“Of course, it poses a lot of ethical questions,” Jack said. “And it drives animal-rights people berserk.”

“Especially now that they are experimenting with inserting human genes into the pigs to ameliorate some of the rejection reaction,” Laurie added.

“Could Franconi have gotten a primate liver while he was in Africa?” Lou asked.

“I can’t imagine,” Jack said. “Laurie’s point is well taken. There was no evidence of any rejection. That’s unheard of even with a good human match short of identical twins.”

“But Franconi was apparently in Africa,” Lou said.

“True, and his mother said he came home a new man,” Jack said. He threw up his hands and stood up. “I don’t know what to make of it. It’s the damndest mystery. Especially with this organized crime aspect thrown in.”

Laurie stood up as well.

“Are you guys leaving?” Lou asked.

Jack nodded. “I’m confused and exhausted,” he said. “I didn’t sleep much last night. After we made the identification of Franconi’s remains, I was on the phone for hours. I called every European organ allocation organization whose phone number I could get.”