Carol sighed dramatically. “Ten months, give or take. I thought he was—you know—the one. But I was wrong, as always. I seem to pick the same type, over and over again.” She paused, staring at him. “I should aim higher, my therapist says. Someone with a bit of ambition.”
Caleb nodded. “You get what you settle for, so they say. Maybe you should take that advice.”
Carol laughed. “Easier said than done,” she replied. “I’ve done it all—girls nights out, internet dating, the works. There aren’t many good ones out there. And it’s not as if I am about to find anyone working in this place.” She took a deep breath. “It’s slim pickings for a single girl, here. Which is why...”
“You’re probably right,” Caleb interrupted quickly. “I think most of the guys are married here, or married to their work. Dr. Morgan strikes me as that type—devoted to his career. He’s not married, is he?”
Carol shook her head. “No. He’s never been married. Sad, really.” She lowered her voice, leaning further over the counter towards him. “He did have a girlfriend, a while back. She came in here, once or twice.”
“Really?” said Caleb, in a neutral voice. He took a sip of the coffee in his hand. “But it didn’t work out?”
Carol shrugged. “Beats me. She came in here to wait for him to finish work, and he seemed happy to see her. Introduced her to me. He looked like he was in love. But I haven’t seen her in over six months, so I assume it didn’t work out.” She paused. “Dr. Morgan isn’t exactly effusive about his love life.”
Caleb nodded. “That might be the woman I saw in a photo on his desk,” he said. “A dark-haired woman? Hispanic looking?”
Carol tossed back her hair. “Yeah, Spanish or something. She talked with an accent. Her name was…Gloria? Something like that.” She frowned. “Oh no, I got it wrong. It was Mariana. Obviously it didn’t work out, anyway. And who could blame her? Dr. Morgan is always working. It wouldn’t be a very fun life.”
“I suppose not,” said Caleb. “Nice chatting with you, Carol. I’d better get up there. Work to do and all that.”
Carol looked dismayed. “If you must,” she said, sighing. Then she boldly stared at him. “Are you married to your job, Mr. Stone? I don’t see a wedding ring on your finger.”
Caleb laughed. “A little. And no, I don’t have a wedding ring. And too busy to date at the moment! See you around.” He walked off, bounding up the stairs.
Carol stared after him. He was a strange one, Caleb Stone. As handsome as sin, and charming. But he didn’t seem to respond at all to her attempts to flirt with him. Maybe he was just like Dr. Morgan. Obsessed with his job. Boring old science. She would be able to show Caleb Stone that there were other things in life, if he would only give her half the chance.
***
Allie walked into the office, putting her bag on her desk and switching on her computer. Everyone seemed withdrawn, as if the strain of the last few days was catching up with them. Even Carol, whose job it was to be personable, seemed distracted, smiling at her vaguely when she had walked into the foyer.
At least there were less reporters hanging around. That was something. They had obviously decided that no one was talking here, and high-tailed it away. But even that fact didn’t seem to lift the moods of everyone.
Well, who could blame them? Allie peered around the room. One of their beloved team members had just died from a mysterious illness. Another had supposedly come down with it. And on top of that, they were like everyone else in the city—fearful of catching it. Of being the next victim of it. And that was added to the fact that their department had the responsibility of trying to find out what was causing it.
She walked to the coffee pot, pouring herself a cup. All her grand plans to drink less of the stuff seemed to have flown out the window. She was as close to being a caffeine addict as everyone else in here.
She stopped suddenly. Caleb was sitting at the table, flicking through a newspaper. She noticed that he had bought himself a coffee this morning.
Her heart started to thump, painfully. She should be used to this reaction that she always had when he was around her by now. It was like flicking a switch as soon as her body detected he was in range.
He looked up, gazing at her. His green eyes were impenetrable.
“Allie,” he said slowly. “Good morning. You’re looking well today.”
She stared at him. Was he a habitual liar? She knew she didn’t look well at all; she had tossed and turned all night, and she had seen the dark circles underneath her eyes when she had looked in the mirror this morning. She had thrown on a white blouse and dark skirt, without even looking at the clothes, and hastily assembled her hair in a high ponytail to get it out of the way.
“Thank you,” she said, not smiling. “So are you.” Where was this going? She didn’t think that she had ever felt more awkward around someone in her life.
The kiss. It lay before them, unexamined. The elephant in the room growing larger with every moment.
And she wasn’t about to bring it up. Certainly not here, in this space, with people all around them.
And besides there were other, more important, things to discuss.
“I had a thought,” she said. “It might be nothing…but I wanted to bring it up.”
He sighed, as if he knew she wanted to avoid talking about what had happened between them. But he nodded, quickly, and stood up.
“Do you want to go to the lab? We can talk more privately there.”
They walked into the lab, side by side. Caleb switched on the lights. Then he turned to her.
“What was your thought?”
She walked over to where she usually worked, staring at the microscope.
“Could whatever be causing this be in the water?” She turned back to him. “What if the water supply has been contaminated or polluted?”
He stared at her then nodded slowly. “It is possible, of course. There are many viruses that are spread through contaminated water. And parasites that live in water. But the water is regulated in the city. It would have to be deliberate.”
Allie nodded. “Yes. It is regulated for the usual things, but if this was deliberately introduced and is unknown, it might have gotten through.” She paused, frowning. “Or some kind of pollution spillage that has been unreported.”
“You mean a cover-up?”
She sighed. “Just theories, at this stage. But if we could test the water, and something unusual comes up, then it would mean we could test for it in the victims. It might not show in regular blood samples.”
Caleb nodded quickly. “Yes. It’s a good theory. We should do it, urgently. If it is a parasite, it could live in water. Quite a few do, although they are not usually found in this part of the world.” He paused. “But if someone has cultivated it, and deliberately introduced it…”
They were interrupted by the sound of the lab door opening. Dr. Morgan walked in.
“Ah, here you both are,” he said, walking over to them. “I checked around the office but couldn’t find you. Ready to get to work?”
Allie smiled. “Of course, Dr. Morgan.” She paused. “I was just telling Caleb that I have a theory that the cause of this illness may be waterborne. Can we get the city water supply analysed as soon as possible?”
Dr. Morgan stared at her. “A waterborne pathogen? But our water supply is rigorously purified, Allie.”
Allie nodded. “I realise that, Dr. Morgan, but it could be something new that has filtered through the purification process. It’s worth a shot, isn’t it? I am getting nowhere retesting the samples for pathogens. If something unusual is found, it would mean we could test those that are sick. It might require a more sophisticated test.”
The doctor frowned. “I see where you are going,” he said slowly. “But I think it extremely unlikely. As I said, our water supply is purified. This country has one of the most vigorous screening processes in the world.”
“Dr. Morgan,” said Caleb sharply. “A
test of the water would not take much effort. We must eliminate as much as possible. You are the one who has said that we are under pressure here.”
“Yes, yes, of course,” said the doctor, still frowning. “I will order the test, as you say, and get back to you with the results. But keep doing what you are doing. I think that a virus will be found in the samples and be the solution we are searching for.”
Caleb stared at him, unblinking.
“Leave it in my hands,” Dr. Morgan said, walking to the door. “Good theory, Allie, but low probability. Still, it is worth a shot, as you say.”
He smiled at them in a vague manner, then left.
“Well, that was odd,” said Allie. “I’m starting to feel like Dr. Morgan is almost resistant to discovering this, as much as he presses us to find a solution.”
Caleb looked at her. “I’m feeling the same way, and have for a while now. He certainly isn’t as open-minded as I would have expected in a scientist of his reputation and considering the pressure we are under to get results.”
“Why?” asked Allie, turning to him. “It makes no sense.”
Caleb hesitated. What could he tell her? That Dr. Morgan might have been compromised and could be the one responsible for all this? That there was a possibility that he was being blackmailed?
No. There was no proof, yet. There were suspicions, but he had to dig deeper. He had found out this morning from Carol that the woman in the photos he had discovered in the doctor’s desk was a previous girlfriend. Carol hadn’t known what had happened between them. But she had said that the doctor broke up with this Mariana over six months ago.
About the same time that the large sums of money had started being transferred from Dr. Morgan’s account. It could be a coincidence…or maybe not.
Caleb’s head spun with the possibilities. Mariana might be blackmailing the doctor. Or, perhaps, Mariana was the reason for the blackmail?
If there was any blackmail, of course. It might all be a false lead.
Caleb thought again of the doctor’s trek in the Amazon, with Mariana. Why had they gone there? Yes, it might have just been to see the rainforest. Nothing unusual about that. But just as Dr. Morgan hadn’t struck him as the boating type, he didn’t seem like the trekking type, either. He wasn’t athletic in the slightest, and he obviously suffered from asthma. He had an inhaler in his drawer.
Perhaps they had gone there for another reason. Research. Or to find something. There were many undiscovered creatures and plants living in the Amazon.
Including parasites. Many unknown, deadly parasites that were not found here.
He had been on the cusp of realising that, last night, after he had left the doctor’s office. The photographs of the Amazon. A scientist…or two. Was Mariana also a researcher? Was that how they had met?
“It doesn’t make any sense,” Caleb said, staring at Allie. “Let’s wait for the results of this water test. And I’ve got a bit more research to do.”
He walked out of the lab before she could respond.
***
Caleb walked into the musty basement library, flicking on the switch.
He wasn’t going to look at any more books or journals. They had already looked through enough, and it had gotten them nowhere. The only reason he had come down here was to work privately, undisturbed. Away from Dr. Morgan, if he was being totally honest. He didn’t want the doctor seeing what he was doing and breathing down his neck, telling him that he was barking up the wrong tree.
He settled on a bench and opened his laptop, connecting to the internet.
Parasites. Waterborne. That originate from South America, specifically around the Amazon.
He scrolled through the findings. Most were intestinal and could be nasty. But one in particular struck him.
Naegleria Fowleri was its scientific name. Or, as it was commonly called, a brain-eating amoeba. It was a single-celled organism that thrives in warm water and causes a brain infection. Severe brain inflammation, with a fatality of almost one hundred percent. The first symptoms occur about a week after infection, and they included loss of balance, seizures, hallucinations, and finally, coma and death.
He sat back, thinking fast. The symptoms were not exactly the same, but the patients did experience headaches and seizures. It could be this parasite, or it could be something similar. He kept reading.
The diagnosis was made by microscope, using the fluid present in the central nervous system. The amoeba could still be present there. In other words, a lumbar puncture and an analysis of the fluid.
Not a regular blood sample.
He stood up, closing his computer down. He had to get the spinal fluid of the casualties tested. It was still a long shot, but it was worth a try. Yes, this amoeba thrived in warm water, and the city water supply that was drunk was not warm. But it might be able to be warmed, to allow the amoeba to thrive. It was possible. And anyway, it might be a different amoeba; similar, but able to thrive in cold water.
He would go to the hospital and request the sample himself; get it back to Allie as quickly as possible. He instinctively resisted the idea of going through Dr. Morgan. It was bad luck that the doctor had walked in when he had, this morning, and said that he would handle the water analysis.
Dr. Morgan didn’t want them to find it. He was certain of it now.
He walked out of the library, switching off the lights. For the first time since he had walked into this building, he felt hopeful.
***
Dr. Morgan watched Caleb Stone stride past his office, laptop in his arms. He looked like a man on a mission. A very important mission.
He sighed and flexed his fingers. He had just finished emailing them, to appraise them of the current situation. He never saw them, had not met any one of them. But he knew that they were always watching him. Sometimes they would call and tell him what he had done that day, in minute detail. Right down to what he had eaten for lunch.
Dr. Morgan flicked his eyes nervously around the office. Had they installed cameras somewhere? How was it possible that they knew everything? Or had they planted moles in the office, who reported back to them?
He leaned forward, sinking his head into his hands. It was a nightmare. He sometimes still couldn’t believe how his life had come to this. He had been at the top of his field, passionate about his work. The world at his feet. Until he had met the wrong person.
With shaking hands, he opened the draw, taking out the photos. He slowly went through them, staring at each one intently, as if it might contain an answer. But the photos were silent. They were merely images pressed on a glossy sheet of paper, and they could not help him.
Nothing could help him, now. He was in too deep. Even if it stopped tomorrow, he had blood on his hands now. He had done too much for them, and every little thing he did added up to the whole. More that they had over him. An endless supply of misdeeds that they could blackmail him with.
He smiled, staring down at the photos. Mariana.
He remembered when he had first met her. At a conference. He had been smitten at first sight. She was beautiful, as well as one of the smartest women he had ever met. A doctor in biology, just like him, from Sao Paulo, in Brazil.
He had never been successful with women, before her. He had resigned himself to the fact that he would probably never marry, and he was too old to start a family. Before Mariana de Salles, it hadn’t really bothered him. He had his work, and that was enough.
Mariana had smiled at his bumbling attempts at conversation. She had seemed to like that he was shy, and it had made him feel comfortable around her. They had started dating. And then, she had to return to Brazil. He had been crushed, but he accepted it.
But it hadn’t been the end of their relationship. She had invited him on a research hike through the Amazon. The chance to discover new organisms in a beautiful place; one of the most amazing rainforests on earth. He had taken the first flight to her, almost as soon as he got the invitation.
They
had a wonderful time. He wasn’t a natural trekker, and he had to use his inhaler for his asthma a lot as they climbed higher, but he managed.
They had taken samples from the water, and after the hike had studied them together at her lab. There, they had discovered a totally new amoeba, one that had never been found before. He had wanted to publish their findings straight away, but Mariana had said no. She wanted to keep it their little secret, for the time being.
Dr. Morgan put the photos back in the draw, closing it sharply. If only he hadn’t listened to her and published. But he had been in love, and really, the world could wait for their discovery. There hadn’t been any urgency.
She had flown back to see him, and they had continued to go out. She had even come to work a few times, waiting for him to finish. He was at the point where he was going to propose to her. He wanted her to be by his side, forever.
And then…it had happened. The point of no return.
He had received a phone call. A muffled voice, telling him that they had Mariana. They knew how much his savings account held, and they wanted all of it, or they would kill her. They said they would know immediately if he contacted the police, and she would die immediately. And they would kill him, too.
He had given it to them. But they hadn’t released her. Instead, they had kept her for ransom, telling him they needed more. Always more. He had kept paying, but they never released her. He had barely been able to cope, struggling to come to work and put on a face every day. Knowing that they had the woman he loved, and they might kill her. And kill him, too.
It had gotten worse then. They told him that they knew of his and Mariana’s discovery. And what they wanted him to do with it. They knew that the discovery hadn’t been published; that the world had no idea about this new amoeba.
They wanted him to cultivate it and feed it into the city’s water supply. Or else Mariana would die.
What choice did he have?
He had done it. He hated himself for it. And still, they didn’t release her.
He knew now that they never would. And worse—that it had all been for nothing. The money. The amoeba in the water. Because Mariana had never been held for ransom. She was a part of their organisation, whatever that was. He had taken a call from her, just yesterday, and she had told him everything. She had been laughing.
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