Page 60 of Airborne
I’m alone.
Good news or devastation? What if Heather had been stricken with the virus? He typed.Okay. Not in the mood for a trick.
He opened the door, and true to his word, Rivera was solo. The agent took a step inside and Chad locked the door behind them.
Rivera scrutinized the apartment as though weapons were stashed in the woodwork.
“Do you have an official apology?” Chad said.
“Depends.” Rivera studied him. “I smell coffee. Mind if I get myself a cup?”
The agent used audacity as a platform. “Sure, why not? You’re not worried I’d add a deadly virus to it?”
“Nope. That would be stupid on your part.” Rivera walked into the kitchen and grabbed a mug from the cabinet.
“Cream’s in the fridge. Sugar beside the coffeemaker. Spoons are in a drawer on the left.”
“Thanks.” Rivera opened the fridge door.
“The FBI has exonerated me?”
“Not yet. Let’s talk, figure out the who and why of the virus.”
Chad blew out his frustration. “Excuse me for my lack of trust.”
Rivera turned to him and gulped a drink. “Great coffee.”
“You’ve finished the last of my beans. Learned last night that I can’t venture outside with reporters perched.”
“The disruption won’t end until someone stamps the caseSolved.” Rivera pointed to the kitchen counter. “As you’d expect, questions lie beneath the surface.”
The agent thought he had the situation under control. Chad grabbed his own mug and pulled out a stool. “I’ll give you five minutes.”
Rivera led the market in impassive stares. “The official word won’t be until after 6p.m. tonight, but so far you’re cleared of H9N15 in your lab, office, home, and vehicle. I don’t have the jurisdiction to approve reopening the lab. Medical authorities may impose the closing for the total twenty-one-day period.”
“I told you my lab held no traces of H9N15. Eighteen to nineteen additional days is extreme.”
“Not my call and the virus is as fatal as Ebola or Marburg.”
Rivera had done his homework. “What else? Why didn’t you send me a text with the update?”
“I have questions. How are you connected to Braden Taversty and Decker Anslow?”
Chad rose from the stool and sent it crashing to the floor. “I keep up on the news, and I’ve never seen or talked to either of them. The photo of me with Taversty is a fake.”
Rivera glanced at the floor. “Lose your temper much?”
“When I’ve been falsely accused of murder.”
“Then help me.”
Chad’s labored breathing slowed, and he righted the stool while Rivera observed him. “Taversty and Anslow are strangers to you?”
“Yes.”
“Do you know Parker or Sonya Karey?”
“Names don’t sound familiar. Do you have a photo?”
