by Robin Cook
Clutching the newspaper he’d confiscated, Jack gave up trying to convince a crowd that had no intention of listening to him. He even felt a twinge of fear being at their mercy, so he recommenced heading for the OCME’s front door. He was now determined and wasn’t going to be denied. People plied him with questions, which he ignored. He even literally shoved a few people aside who tried to block his way, insistently thrusting microphones in his face and yelling out questions. When he got to the front door, he found it locked. Luckily, a few frantic knocks on the glass brought into view a member of the building’s night security force, a reassuringly large uniformed African American man. He unlocked the door for Jack, and with commendable proficiency made sure none of the reporters came in with him.
Jack thanked the security person. For a few moments before the man had appeared, Jack feared he might be forced to turn around and fight the crowd again to get around to the receiving dock.
Once inside the building’s reception area, which at this time of the morning was missing Marlene, the ageless receptionist, Jack sat on the faux-leather couch to quickly scan the Daily News article. As he assumed, it was an over-the-top example of yellow journalism. For sheer tabloid-style sensationalism, it even mentioned that he had claimed the subway pandemic would not only rival the 1918 Spanish flu but probably would be as bad as the Black Death that ravished Europe in the fourteenth century. To Jack’s utter annoyance, he was quoted multiple times as the source of all the misinformation in the article, even the outlandish comparisons.
As Jack’s anger mounted, he tried to imagine who was the supposed “anonymous, highly qualified inside source.” It surely couldn’t have been one of the other medical examiners. Although there were a couple lackluster M.D.s on the staff whose knowledge and judgment Jack openly questioned, he didn’t think any of them were remotely capable of carrying off such travesty. He had the same thought concerning the medical-legal investigators. The consequences and turmoil of setting off the city’s Pandemic Influenza Preparedness and Response Plan were much too serious. Jack imagined the city was probably almost in a lockdown mode. What he found particularly mystifying was the description of the anonymous source as an experienced employee of the OCME.
“Carlos!” Jack abruptly sputtered. Coming to him like a bolt out of the blue was the strong suspicion it had been Carlos who’d been the source for the article, despite Carlos hardly being a qualified or experienced employee of the OCME. With a burst of anger and indignation, Jack couldn’t even remember the man’s last name. But the more he thought about it, the more convinced he was and the more he regretted his decision to help Vinnie get the man to quit. Jack hadn’t had a good feeling about the new hire from the start and hadn’t been surprised when Vinnie described him as a jerk with zero initiative.
“Holy crap!” Jack yelled as he loudly swatted the paper and crumpled it in frustration. Then he guiltily looked around to see whom he might have offended with his outburst. Luckily, at that time in the morning no one else was in the room. Pulling out his mobile phone, he placed a call to Vinnie. At 6:25 A.M., he should have been on his way in to work. It took longer than usual for the call to go through, making him think the circuits were overloaded.
“Good morning, Doc,” Vinnie said.
“Have you seen the Daily News?”
“Yeah, I’ve seen it,” Vinnie said. “And I’m experiencing it.”
“What do you mean?” Jack asked.
“No public transportation,” Vinnie said. “I’m having to drive in to work. Is it all right to park at 421?”
“I suppose,” Jack said. “But leave your keys in the car. It might have to be moved if they go ahead and erect the autopsy tents.”
“Has there already been a flood of cases?” Vinnie asked. “I’ll be there in twenty minutes, tops. There’s zero traffic.”
“There’s been no cases as far as I know,” Jack said. “I’m sure this whole thing is a huge mistake. There might be a subway pandemic in the near future, but there certainly isn’t one right now to justify what’s happening. My question to you is whether you think your charge, Carlos, could have been the source for the Daily News article.”
“I hadn’t thought about it,” Vinnie said. “But yeah, he could have sold it. I certainly wouldn’t put it past him. The guy is a dick, like I said.”
“Did you see or talk to him after he walked out of the autopsy?”
“I didn’t. Nor did I expect to. Nor do I think he is going to show up today.”
“Okay,” Jack said. “I’ll see you soon.”
Jack had the hunch that heads were going to roll because of the seriousness of the situation. He also had the nagging worry that some might think he was the source of the misinformation, as wound up as he’d been about the two subway deaths. With that thought in mind, it might be important to pin down the true source.
After uncrumpling the paper, Jack went back and read the Daily News article more carefully, in case there might have been subtle hints or suggestions of who the source was. But there weren’t. What he realized with a more careful reading was how clever the article was in terms of scaring the bejesus out of the reader. It actually accurately described the clinical course of the two subway deaths and the autopsy findings. The article went on to say that the OCME had been contacted to confirm the details. Jack wondered who the reporter had spoken with, as it certainly wasn’t him. He shuddered. Inwardly, he knew there was going to be hell to pay for this debacle.
31
THURSDAY, 6:23 A.M.
With some trepidation, Jack entered the front office area. None of the secretaries had come in yet, and he wondered if they were going to have trouble running the reporter gauntlet. As he passed their desks he felt a little like he had in years past when he’d been summoned to Bingham’s office, knowing full well he was going to be tongue-lashed for his out-of-office shenanigans. The difference was that back then he’d been guilty. This time he was innocent, so he didn’t feel quite so vulnerable. Even more reassuring was that Laurie was now the chief. And in contrast to Bingham, he thought he could count on her recognizing his more positive personality attributes, even though at the moment he was hard put to think of any.
Laurie was sitting behind her desk. Dr. Paul Plodget, the deputy chief, was sitting directly across from her, taking advantage of the fact that Bingham’s desk was a partner’s desk. Both were on separate phones and both were mostly agreeing with whomever they were conversing. On the desk was a copy of the disturbing Daily News. Also in front of Laurie was a copy of the bulky OCME Pandemic Influenza Surge Plan and a notepad filled with her scribbling.
Jack walked over to the couch and sat down. It wasn’t long before both Laurie and Paul were off their respective phones. They looked across the room at Jack. Both looked shell-shocked and not happy.
“What a mess,” Laurie said. She shook her head. “This is a freaking disaster. The city has practically shut down. I can’t believe it.”
“I heard the subways and buses aren’t running,” Jack said.
“That’s only half of it,” Laurie said. “Just as I feared, it’s been like dominoes, with one knocking over the next. Schools are closed. Most businesses are closed. All gatherings are canceled, including movies, plays, and concerts. Everybody who can is trying to get out of the city. All incoming flights are being diverted. It’s craziness.”
“Does anyone know how this disaster came to pass?” Jack asked. He knew Laurie’s fear that something like this would happen, with all the preparedness efforts creating what she called a “wound-up spring.” But how could a piece of yellow journalism have such an effect, especially in an era familiar with supposedly “fake news”?
“It was definitely this article,” Laurie said, slapping the copy of the Daily News.
“I can understand that on a theoretical level,” Jack said. “But it still challenges believability that a single tabloid
article unleashed this kind of reaction.”
“The proof is in the pudding,” Laurie said. “What Paul and I already learned was that the scheduled supervisor for the NYC Emergency Management Watch Command in charge of the city’s Emergency Operations Center had called in sick. In his stead was an underling who got ahold of the Daily News early this morning or had been informed of it, and he made one call here to the OCME to confirm there had been subway deaths as described. We still haven’t found out whom he talked with, but it was enough for him to throw the switch. Here in NYC it was to HAN, or the Health Alert Network, but once that happened, the alert arborized to unleash the whole kit and caboodle of the Pandemic Influenza Preparedness and Response Plan.”
“That’s absurd,” Jack said.
“Maybe so,” Laurie agreed. “But it’s what we have to deal with.”
“Does NYC Emergency Management know that it is a false alarm?” Jack asked.
“They do now,” Laurie said. “Paul and I made sure of it. So does the Department of Health. We talked with both commissioners at length, and we are all on the same page.”
“So is the problem essentially over?” Jack asked, suddenly feeling a bit of encouragement.
“We wish it were that easy,” Laurie said. “It’s going to have to run itself out. Even FEMA was notified. The Department of Health Incident Command System took over mobilizing all the agencies under its jurisdiction, including both the NYPD and the NYFD, as well as all sixty-seven acute-care hospitals. Each one of those organizations are involved in their preplanned organizational strategies and have yet to be notified it’s a false alarm. Also, now that the subway system was shut down, it will take days to reactivate. The bus system is a little easier in that regard, but even that will take more than twenty-four hours before it is up and running. It’s all so much more complicated than one would imagine.”
“No one even considered the possibility of a false alarm to prepare for it,” Paul said. “Everyone is learning on the job.”
“Which brings me to a question I have to ask you,” Laurie said. “Did you have any contact at all with either the Daily News or the reporter who wrote this story?”
“I’m shocked you’re even asking,” Jack said, immediately taking offense.
“I was told I had to ask you by the Commissioner of Health,” Laurie said in her own defense. “And she is my boss. Please answer the question so that I can honestly respond to her.”
“Well, they only paid me fifty bucks,” Jack said. “But I also got a free year’s subscription.”
“Please, Jack. This is no time for your acerbic humor. We’ve also learned that a CDC epidemic intelligence officer and team are already on their way here. We tried to say their presence wasn’t needed, but we were told that they had already been involved, trying to identify an unknown virus from New York City, which I presume is from the initial subway death, and they want to look into that. Have you been in contact with the CDC when I asked you not to involve them?”
“The virologist from the Public Health Laboratory contacted them unbeknownst to me,” Jack snapped. “She said she wanted them to help identify the organism since they were so good at it. It certainly wasn’t my idea. And she said she gave them no details of the origin of the samples. If the CDC has associated them, that’s their business.”
“All right, back to the newspaper issue,” Laurie said. “How did the Daily News get your name? I mean, yours is the only name in the article.”
“Obviously, as it says in the article, they got it from the highly qualified, experienced inside source,” Jack shot back. “Certainly that lets me off the hook.”
“So you did not contact the Daily News,” Laurie said. “Please, just tell me straight out so I can pass it on. Sometimes you can be such a child.”
“I did not in any way, shape, or form contact the Daily News,” Jack snapped. He stood up and started for the door. He’d had enough. He needed a moment by himself before he said something he’d regret.
“Where are you going?” Laurie demanded. She, too, was losing patience.
“I need to let you adults sort out this unpleasant fiasco,” Jack said. “It’s above my pay grade. Hopefully I can find some work to do being a medical examiner to keep myself on an even keel. If you have any more questions, don’t hesitate to call.”
Jack walked out of the front office, marveling at the irony. He’d started his mini-crusade to avoid obsessing over Emma’s tentative diagnosis, which was responsible for turning his home life into an emotional trial. Now his crusade was turning his work life into something almost as bad.
32
THURSDAY, 6:56 A.M.
As Jack headed for the ID room, where all the OCME medical examiners started their day, he continued to fume about Laurie having the nerve to ask him if he had talked with the Daily News. Yet the more he thought about it, the more he could understand her position, if it was indeed true that the Commissioner of Health had gotten involved. Honestly, he didn’t know if that part was true. Nevertheless, his comment that he needed to find some work to do to keep his mind occupied definitely was. That meant going through the cases that had come in overnight and finding a case to autopsy. He remembered Janice saying there had been a homicide. That might be interesting, as Lou Soldano would be involved on some level.
To avoid the reception area in case any of the press had managed to get in, Jack used the back route. Because she had been called earlier, Dr. Jennifer Hernandez was already at the desk, where the folders were stacked up of the cases that had come in overnight. Jack was also pleased to find Vinnie had made it in and was busy making coffee in the common coffeepot, which most people thought was possibly his most important responsibility.
“Have you heard that the pandemic influenza emergency has been called off?” Jack asked.
“I have,” Jennifer said. “Thank goodness. The idea really terrified me.”
“It is still a disaster par excellence,” Jack said. “It is going to take days for the city to recover.”
“True, but nothing like a real pandemic,” Jennifer said.
“We could still have one with these subway deaths,” Jack said. “There still isn’t a specific diagnosis of the virus involved. At least it wouldn’t be a pandemic spread by aerosol, meaning it wouldn’t spread as rapidly.”
“It still could be bad,” Jennifer said. “Ebola and Marburg don’t spread by aerosol, either.”
“Good point,” Jack said. “But with only two cases in three days, we certainly aren’t dealing with the likes of Ebola.” Then he called over to Vinnie: “Did you leave your car in the 421 lot?”
“I did. And I left the keys with security in 421.”
“Did either of you guys have any trouble getting into the building with all the reporters outside?”
Both Jennifer and Vinnie said no simultaneously.
“We came in the back way,” Jennifer added.
“Smart move,” Jack said. “Vinnie, any sign of our friend Carlos?”
Vinnie laughed sardonically. “No. Nor do I expect to see him.”
“I’d like to slap him around a bit if he was the source of the Daily News article,” Jack said, and meant it.
“You’d have to wait in line,” Vinnie said.
“Are you looking for a case to tackle?” Jennifer asked. She had already gotten to know Jack and his work habits fairly well.
Jack was about to answer in the affirmative and inquire about the homicide when he felt his mobile ring in his pocket. He motioned for Jennifer to hold on as he pulled out the phone. It was the night-shift MLI, Janice Jaeger.
“Dr. Stapleton, I’m glad I got you,” Janice said. “Right after Dr. Montgomery phoned me this morning, I got a call on another case that was clinically similar to the two subway deaths but also slightly different. I assumed it was the first of many until I learned the pandemic infl
uenza emergency had been canceled. Anyway, I know you asked to be notified when and if there were any more, so that’s what I’m doing.”
Jack moved a few steps away so he wouldn’t bother Jennifer. “How do you mean ‘clinically similar’?”
“It involved the rapid onset of respiratory distress in an otherwise healthy individual that very quickly resulted in death.”
“And how was it different?” Jack asked.
“Well, first of all, it wasn’t on a subway,” Janice said. “It happened in someone’s apartment. And second of all, it was a male in his late twenties, not a female.”
“Was the case handled at the Bellevue ER?” Jack asked.
“Yes, and it was treated as potentially contagious, just like the other two,” Janice said. “It is already in the morgue cooler in a sealed body bag.”
“How about the identification situation?”
“Not a problem,” Janice said. “The victim was accompanied by a friend, and I spoke with her at length. She’s there at 520 as we speak, ready to make a formal identification as soon as photos are available. I thought you might like to talk with her.”
“I would indeed,” Jack said. “One more question: Was a transplant involved?”
“Not that I am aware of,” Janice said. “Should I have asked?”
“No, we’ll find out soon enough,” Jack said. “Thanks for letting me know.”