Page 41 of Airborne
“I don’t blame you.”
She navigated to a secure site on her phone. “Give me a moment to check for new developments.” She finished and glanced into Jordan’s wide-set eyes. “I’m sorry. There’s nothing new to report confidential or secured. All the passengers, flight crews, and families or significant others in Chicago and Houston remain under scrutiny. Those near the aircraft five days prior to the virus’s release are being questioned and thorough background checks conducted.”
“I assume the FBI has scrutinized cameras positioned during the boarding process to connect passengers and employees for a possible link.”
“Yes, and I’m sure the FBI continues to replay the footage for missing details,” she said. “An associate of our person could have boarded a different plane with a separate virus container.”
His jaw tightened. “Our worst scenario is an outbreak in another area. With death occurring in a matter of hours for so many, the idea shakes me to the core.”
Heather believed in a future built on good, not evil. “I’ll do everything I can from here. My attempt to mingle and observe behavior today got me nowhere. Most people are afraid, a mental paralysis.” She stared out the window behind Jordan’s desk to the dark unknown. “The devastation of Chad leaving me took a backseat to the virus outbreak.” She shoved aside the surge to assume control. “I pray God will guide me to the right people.”
“We’ve all been on our knees.”
One of Chad’s criticisms of Jordan was his bold faith. She’d not ask Jordan why God allowed the virus to attack those on the flight—he wouldn’t have an answer either. God was God, and the why was His. Senseless to protest and rant when God didn’t ask humans to help Him make decisions.
An idea soared into her mind. “Is it possible for me to talk with those in the hospital who are stable? We have a connection, have gone through the same ordeal. They might confide in me.”
He appeared to contemplate her request. “We could establish an audio or video link.” He offered his first smile of the evening. “I agree your bond is stronger than anyone within the CDC or FBI.”
“It’s a small thing and has potential to bring huge results.”
“I’ll check to ensure we have no roadblocks. The patients must be willing to talk to you, and some aren’t physically able. Best time to arrange the calls is early afternoon tomorrow.”
CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE
CHAD BELIEVED THE FORCES OF LIFEheld on to secrets, mysteries that unlocked cures for catastrophic diseases. Viruses were evil incarnate that added to the world’s suffering and created useless deaths. Relentless resolve intensified Chad’s struggle to overpower the evil, a vicious tug-of-war between science and whatever spearheaded the contagion. In his thirty-five years, whatever had approached him as evil never turned to good. That proved Jordan and Heather’s answer to life wasn’t a deity.
Heather despised his rants against Christianity. She said God is love, righteous, and just. So very wrong, but he no longer had to hear her uninformed inadequacies. His parents had the religious mantra going. Mom died in a nursing home with Alzheimer’s, and Dad died of a broken heart. Where had faith gotten them?
The exterior door of the lab buzzed with someone requesting entry. Chad glanced at his computer screen for a visual. They seldom had visitors and never unannounced ones, especially this timeof evening. He groaned. Agent Rivera and other agents wearing FBI jackets and weapons were there.
Andy peered over his shoulder. “The FBI, huh? Want me to welcome them? Shake a test tube full of green goo at them?”
Chad wished for a semblance of humor. “My dilemma. I’ll handle the Feds.”
“Make sure they’re told a lab tour isn’t for Boy Scouts.”
Chad made his way through one set of locked doors where he removed his protective gear before he opened the door to the front office. He pressed the intercom. “Lawrence Laboratories.”
“Special Agent Javier Rivera with a search warrant. The FBI has probable cause to suspect criminal activity may be found here that relates to the H9N15 virus. Five agents are with me to search your lab.”
He’d been betrayed by the legal system. Reality shook him with a fusion of bitterness and unfairness that knotted his stomach. The reasoning behind his implication in the FBI’s investigation, and the irony, fueled his anxiety. He squeezed the doorknob and faced Rivera. Agent Laura Tobias and four other agents joined him. All were ready to pursue invisible evidence. Javier handed him a document.
Chad looked for a federal judge’s signature on the warrant, and it appeared large, legible, and recognizable.
Not a muscle twitched on Rivera’s face. “Sources within and outside the FBI point to probable cause.”
“Who besides the FBI lied and placed me in a vulnerable position?”
“Dr. Lawrence, as I told you previously, the information is unavailable.”
Chad glanced away to slow his heart, pounding loud enough to summon the dead. The accusations about his ability to develop a virus provided motivation for murder. “Excuse me while I check with my lawyer.” Chad made the call and had to leave avoice message. Resistance crawled inside his resolve to cooperate. Everything he knew about himself defied their intrusion into hislife.
Drawing in a breath destined to rid his rattled nerves, he gestured the investigators inside his front office. “Search every inch of my office and lab. When you’re finished, take apart my car. Then I’ll direct you to my apartment. Trust me, you won’t find a thing.”
“We will proceed as stated in the search warrant.” Rivera’s tone reflected a professional investigator. “We’re equipped to conduct the sweep.”
“Did your sister die of flu or did you fabricate the story to gain my sympathies?”
