Dead Love (17 page)

Mark liked her clinical approach, but sensed she was holding something back. He hoped the investigation would expose what it was. He told her he needed the latest information and video on the delivery date of the H5N1 samples, including who received them.

“I received the samples, Agent Strickland,” she said. “And I personally placed them in the secure containment storage locker.”

“Show my men into the portal, suit them up, and let them check things out. I need to see the video of the delivery, and Hank, you stay with me, okay?” Mark requested of one of the team. Wally’s handpicked agents knew exactly what they were looking for.

Mark said, “Wally, you want to stay here for the moment?”

“Fine with me,” he said, looking around at the lab. It brought back some not so fond memories.

Mark turned his attention back to Chen and said, “Please show the guys how to safely access the storage unit so we can get this investigation moving.”

“As you can see, we are very busy, Agent Strickland. Is all this scrutiny absolutely necessary?” Chen asked. “We are a government facility and wish to fully cooperate, but we have our orders also. We must work on a vaccine, and our security is beyond reproach.”

“Your question is acknowledged. Now, let’s get on with it. We need to see the delivery records, now,” he emphasized. His patience was wearing thin.

She asked one of the lab assistants to show the FBI team into the safety portal.

Then Suzy said, “Follow me, gentlemen.”

Suzy remained coolly detached. She took Mark and Hank to the delivery dock, explaining how specific items were received, when the deliveries took place, and then proceeded to the storage room where the records and videos were kept. Hank began unpacking his equipment to search the files and video recordings. He could handle this on his own. Mark wanted to see the rest of the facility, including the vaccine storage area, so Suzy led the way. They entered the lab and walked to the rear of the room where the cold storage for vaccines was located. She opened the door, allowing Mark to enter. She was looking at the various vaccines, labeled and arranged in perfect order, in vacuum-sealed containers. Suzy began explaining about the vaccine storage.

“We store most vaccines between 36 and 46 degrees Fahrenheit. They are to be used within a certain time frame, specifically during current influenza outbreaks. They have a very limited shelf life.”

She stopped speaking, peering at one of the storage containers. The seal didn’t appear to be secure. That was odd. She mentioned her concerns to Agent Strickland.

“I need to let Dr. Adams know about this immediately,” and she asked Mark if he would join her in reporting this to Dr. Adams.

“Yes, and I better let my team know, also,” said Mark, thinking George and Wally would be interested in this development.

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55

A
s they were walking to Adams’s office, Dr. Chen explained to Mark and Wally that the previous fall, she, Adams, and several others from the lab had attended an international scientific conference in Wilmington, Delaware. The topic of the conference was various methods of developing vaccines. Normally, vaccine manufacturing can take up to six months using the standard egg-based method, but six months is a lengthy turnaround when dealing with a pandemic. The new technique involved using various resources. They learned that the plant-based approach offers a substantially shortened production time and cost. If an outbreak is reported and the vaccine is available, the CDC can distribute it on the first day from the SNS, or Strategic National Stockpile. Plus, developing a specific vaccine and having it available for use quickly would greatly impact the response time to life-threatening bioterrorism threats and infectious diseases. This was a major breakthrough. Suzy and the others from Edgewood found it exciting, as did all those in the scientific community.

She didn’t tell him what else had happened at the conference, which was held at the luxurious Tidewater Hotel and Conference Center. The meetings would start in the morning, giving the attendees plenty of free time in the afternoon, for recreation, committee meetings, or relaxation.

Suzy and Eric, as she called him then, had been seeing each other for several months. It was inappropriate for her to be dating her boss, and she knew the dangers. But he was intriguing, handsome, and their work interests gave them a common bond that added more depth to the relationship. This made the attraction even more interesting. Suzy had felt he was a perfect match for her, though he could be restrained and even distant at times. His elusiveness increased her desire. She tried hard to please and captivate him.

They had separate accommodations at the hotel, neither wanting their colleagues to know they were having an affair. But after hours, when they thought the others in their group wouldn’t notice, Eric would slip down to her room on the third floor and find Suzy waiting for him, dressed in a provocative see-through baby doll nightie, or just a satiny silver bustier, panties, garter belt with spiked heels, or nothing at all. It didn’t matter to Eric. Whatever she wore, or didn’t wear, drove him insane and gave him an instant, throbbing hard on. Just thinking of her made him hard. They had uncontrollable sex, and she pleasured him in every way he wanted. They shared exotic tastes and loved sexual exploration. He never got enough of her hot little ass and tits. He was an aggressive, demanding lover, often ripping her clothes off, unable to wait.

She craved his attention and need for her and believed that he meant all of his declarations of love, for her alone. She had started dating him, not just because he was her boss, but for the intense attraction she felt. It was quite a compliment to know that a man of such merit and intellect would be interested in her. She honestly enjoyed the status but wasn’t after anything beyond his love and the sexual excitement. She fulfilled every pleasure he demanded to win his love.

It wasn’t until after she had been promoted to assistant director that she found out the truth. They had a Saturday evening dinner date, and he was to pick her up at 6:00 p.m. at her condominium. He was going to take her to their favorite restaurant, a small bistro that featured not only delicious cuisine but a wonderful pianist and singer. Suzy loved going there, and as regulars, they had gotten to know the singer, who always played their favorite song. It was a sappy love song, but it was beautiful and expressed lyrically how she felt about him. Eric had said he was tired, though, and needed the afternoon to catch up on his sleep from their previous all night sex romp. Suzy decided to surprise him and stopped by his house, wanting to sneak into his bedroom, crawl into bed with him, and wake him up in a delicious, intimate way. Although she had no reason to suspect, she wanted to make certain he was home alone, as he had said.

Eric always left the side door open into his kitchen. His red Corvette was parked in the driveway so she knew he was home, which erased any doubts of his faithfulness to her. As she walked into the kitchen, everything looked orderly, as usual. Soft afternoon light was coming through the window. She slipped off her heels and walked quietly to the bottom of the stairs. Placing her purse on the floor, Suzy took off her leather jacket, slacks, and rose-colored sweater and left them folded on the linen-covered chair in his foyer. Wearing only her pink demi-cup bra and matching sexy thong panties, she crept up the carpeted staircase. She was getting turned on thinking of him, eager to make love. She reached the landing and turned left, passing the guest bathroom to reach the master suite at the end of the hall. His bedroom door was closed, but as she approached, she heard voices. She froze in place and tried to hear what was being said. She recognized Eric’s voice but not the other one, which was distinctly female.

Was this possible? The words weren’t clear, but they were clear enough. She grasped the door handle, turned it slowly, opening the door and saw the unthinkable. Eric was in bed, his back to the door. He was clearly naked, and there were a woman’s legs wrapped around his waist, and his movements made it obvious that he was fucking some whore, whoever she was.

He was so engrossed that he didn’t even hear the door open until Suzy forcefully slammed it and ran down the stairs, not able to leave quickly enough. Eric managed to catch her as she was struggling to get her shoes on while racing for the kitchen door.

He had his slacks on, unzipped, barefoot, shirtless, and he was saying, “Suzy, please, Suzy, let me explain. Please.” He was pleading with her, but she was crying and wouldn’t look at him, as he tried to grab her. He kept saying, “This means nothing. Please understand. She stopped by and came on to me. I barely know her.”

But Suzy heard nothing. She raced to her car, not even sure how she got in, and drove away, but that was the end. Without trust, there was nothing.

All of this was floating through her mind as she remembered the conference and how important it had been, not only the memories of the breathless love she had felt, which had shattered her heart, but the significance of the conference to her work. She had to quiet her random thoughts and her bubbling anger over the betrayal and her own stupidity for believing everything he had said. And it was only later that she realized, she had not been the only one he had betrayed.

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56

S
uzy and Mark walked past Beth’s desk. Beth was stressed by the events playing out around her. She hadn’t been questioned yet, but knew she would be at some point. She and Eric had exchanged numerous intimate emails and she didn’t want to lose her job, or worse, be implicated in whatever was going on around here.

Suzy knocked on Dr. Adams’s office door and he said, “Come in,” in a louder than normal voice. He was on his cell phone, but said an abrupt good-bye. He was obviously pissed off that this FBI geek was examining his computer.

Mark asked Ray, the FBI tech, “Got anything?”

Ray said, “We can discuss this later. Okay?”

Mark knew that meant something was up, and it had to be handled just right. Mark leaned down, over Ray’s shoulder while Suzy was talking to Dr. Adams, explaining the possible problem, a compromise in the vaccine storage room.

Suzy was standing next to Eric by the bookcase, saying, “Dr. Adams, one vial of H5N1 is missing from the containment room. A decoy vial was found in its place. We’ve had a security breach.”

“Oh my God.” He was stunned. “You received those vials, right?”

“Yes. All the vials were there when I placed them in the containment room. They were stored securely,” she stated.

Eric had no reason to doubt Suzy. She was a bitch but he was certain she was not involved.

“I need to check this out. Please come with me, Dr. Chen” Eric directed.

Things were hitting Dr. Adams from all directions. He was exhausted from the afternoon at the motel, which hadn’t gone exactly as planned. It had been a cat and mouse experience with the bitch and ended in a wrestling match, but he finally got her convinced that she was the only one. She had flirted with him and agreed to the lunch date, but then played hard to get. Fuck that shit.

Now he had to deal with the subway debacle and this fucking H5N1 outbreak. Dr. Adams was a womanizer, but he was also qualified for his job, had worked hard, and was a highly regarded and brilliant scientist, above all, who took his work seriously. His dedication and competence were the only reasons Suzy had stayed at Edgewood, though her motivation had changed abruptly after the Organization contacted her.

Adams said to Mark, “I need to accompany Dr. Chen to the lab.”

“Okay, I am going to stay with Ray.” Mark added, “Please report back here, both of you, after you have looked into the vaccine matter. It might be significant in the investigation.” He called one of the team to go with Chen and Adams to the lab.

Dr. Adams glared at Mark, not used to being told what to do by such a lowlife, and responded contemptuously,

“Certainly.”

Adams and Suzy left, walking quickly to the lab and the cold storage room.

Mark called George on her cell phone, telling her that she might want to check out the vaccine storage room with Dr. Chen and Dr. Adams.”

“Boy, I’m glad that asshole is out of my hair, for the moment, and I think I have found something,” Ray said to Mark.

Ray knew his way around a hard drive.

Mark asked, “What is it?”

After Ray explained, Mark said, “I want this laptop sealed, and we will take it back to headquarters as evidence.”

“I assume you got fingerprints,” stated Mark.

Ray scowled at Mark, “You’re kidding, right?”

“Let’s get Chen’s computer, and I think we need to start asking them some questions,” added Mark.

“How about the assistant’s laptop?” asked Ray.

“Yes, we will look at them all. Their phones, too.”

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57

T
he hospital beds were filled in the isolation unit at All Saints Hospital. Several of the staff members weren’t feeling well. They were being tested for the virus, lab results pending. They were in the isolation unit.

Dr. Grant had been on the phone with Dr. Ambrose. Grant knew that they weren’t the only facility dealing with the virus. The CDC tracked pandemics, and from their statistics, most hard hit would be the highly populated areas. It was too soon to gauge the spread of this outbreak.

Jim Lucas was making sure that the staff was being rotated with many resting in the lounges between shifts. The numerous disaster drills had paid off. Everyone was working at optimum level, and the professional atmosphere was beyond reproach. But there was an undercurrent of unexpressed fear.

Thank God people were heeding the Mayor’s request for calm, so far. New Yorkers took most things in stride and were doing what was necessary to handle an unusual situation. Some were skeptics and felt invulnerable. They had survived 9/11 and refused to let out of the ordinary occurrences rattle them. There was the occasional patient that arrived in an anxious state but most remained calm. They were being kept for observation and were comfortable staying at the hospital, “in case.” But to most New Yorkers, it was just another day in the Big Apple.