Page 62 of Airborne
Why question Chad about Parker and Sonya Karey?
If Chad wanted Heather dead, he’d have cut her brake lines, arranged for an accident at the condo, or poisoned her. Those methods negated placing him center stage. Yet someone disposed of evidence in a sewage tank, but the FBI hadn’t announced where on the plane or the type of container. Why? Did they conclude they should deny the public details while they worked a different angle? A person or people on flight3879 had an agenda for murder?
At 12:15, he navigated to the CDC website and read the manifest. He checked the list of deceased and infected people, confirming a suspicion. How many investigators arrived at the same stats? Surely media had made the deduction. Some reports added Heather to the list of accomplices, using her business class presence and noncontraction of the virus with her tie to him.
Chad paced across the small room. Opening the blinds tempted him, but a reporter in at least one building waited to tap into the next story with a fresh pic of Dr. Chad Lawrence. Where did he gofrom here? His experiences with crime limited itself to evaluating cells under a microscope.
A conversation with Heather was impossible with her ultimatum, but Rivera might drop a few bread crumbs. The clock read after three on a Friday afternoon.
He texted the agent.
Are you available to talk?
Tonight’sfine. 6:30 okay? I’ll bring dinner.
Good news?
FBI will announce fake photo of you and Braden Taversty.
I’ll take it. When?
10p.m. news.
Do you have thefinal word on my lab?
Not until 6. I’ll bring the determination with me.
Agent Tobias?
Not sure.
CHAPTER THIRTY-SIX
HEATHER CHECKED THE TIMEon her phone and the clock on the dorm wall. Nearing 5p.m. in Houston, she waited for ASAC Mitchell’s call to give her the FBI’s stand on Chad’s lab.
She craved answers, but where were they? If traces of the deadly virus were found, her husband faced imprisonment... her son’s father.
She rubbed her arms. How could she ever return to her job with any confidence? She might not have a job. Then what? Cowards refused to face the truth about themselves, and the label crushed her. How could she ever explain to their son what his father had done and how she’d been too blind to recognize the signs?
She was overreacting. Hormonal.
She’d do whatever was asked of her to end the turmoil.
An antiviral found.
An arrest made.
An end to the helplessness of quarantine.
A twinge of white-hot pain seared her abdomen. She jerkedand grabbed her stomach. What had happened? What did it mean? The knife-piercing intensity lessened and disappeared. Could be something she ate.
“Are you all right?” Catherine eased onto the side of Heather’s bed.
“I’m okay. Must have been a muscle spasm.”
“Shall I call for a nurse?”
Heather shook her head. “It’s gone.”
