Page 39 of Airborne
“One hundred twenty-five ill and twenty dead.” The madness swung back and forth like a pendulum. “I need to be doing something, but what?”
“Pray for guidance, God’s grace, and mercy. And a quick determination of how we can help the victims.” She promised, and he went on. “The CDC is calling the virus H9N15, a new strain. Once researchers identify the virus’s genetic sequence, we can create the diagnostic test to pinpoint patients who have been infected with the virus.”
“Thank you for filling me in.”
“Friends do what they can for each other.” Jordan paused. “I also received an update on the virus investigation. This has been cleared for your ears only through all channels, but the informationmust remain private.” His graveled voice and slumped shoulders pointed to the hours already invested in the panic. “I preferred you hear the news from me first. The CDC and FBI have uncovered a critical piece in the investigation. A team searching the plane discovered how the virus infected the passengers and crew.”
Heat rose in her face—Parker’s words stomped across her mind. “How and where?”
“We found a crushed breath freshener in one of the plane’s sewage tanks. When the pieces were tested and compared to blood samples from victims, we confirmed a high concentration of the new virus strain.”
She blinked with the realization. “Someone sprayed it throughout the cabin and disposed of it down a toilet?”
“It appears so.”
“If spreading the virus was a deliberate act, is the murderer among the dead, the sick, or here in quarantine?” she said.
“Good question.”
“Which restroom was the container found?”
“One in business class,” he said.
“Were fragments found anywhere else?”
“Not yet.”
Which meant investigators were scouring the area. “A piece could have been kicked or carried elsewhere by attaching itself to someone’s shoes, which means finding who’s responsible is slim.”
“Currently it’s our singular piece of evidence.”
“It’s a high probability the one who unleashed the virus sat in business class or was a member of the crew.” Heather pictured her original assigned seat. She’d tended to the sick all over the aircraft and later sat in economy when she took Taversty into custody. She didn’t recall a passenger or attendant using a breath freshener. But she’d also been asleep.
“Where are your thoughts?” Jordan said.
“A suicide mission implicates Braden Taversty, except he wasn’tseated in first class. A flight attendant policed the restroom in business class, and no one got past her.” She paused to review the facts. “Nothing in his background indicates he had the skills to develop the virus. But he does have contacts who are capable. If he had the whole suicide thing going on, why isn’t everyone dead including himself?”
“Or was this a trial run to spread contagion to other flights or areas of the world?”
“I wish we had answers because this is complex. You’ve seen the results of what viruses can do. Not anything to mess with. If how the virus passed through security is leaked to the public, we’ll have copycats. Another nightmare.”
“Heather.” Jordan caught her gaze. “Don’t you think the findings clear Chad?”
“Do they?”
He startled. “You still have doubts about his innocence?”
CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR
HEATHER HATED THE PERPETUAL LUMPin her throat. “At first I denied Chad’s involvement—an incredulous idea. But I applied my investigative skills, and uncertainty consumed me. Had I been blind to deceit? What kind of agent misses the signs of a potential criminal, a man who has the ability to plan her death and display no conscience?” She breathed in to gain control. “If he’d threatened me that he’d develop a killer virus if I didn’t agree to his demands, I’d have arrested him. And signed his papers.”
She shook with the words. “I’ve chosen to deal with this through an agent’s eyes. He’s intelligent, ambitious, and the FBI uncovered enough data to bring him in for questioning.”
“Chad is like a brother. I can’t go along with it.”
“Really? Who told you about the separation and request for a divorce?” Jordan didn’t answer, and she spilled more into the conversation. “His feelings for me are gone. If I were dead, he’d be a free man.” She lifted a finger. “I’m being cynical, but it’s true.”
“I’m convinced he’s wrestling with a tough jolt of reality.”
