Doctored Death

by P. D. Workman

  “She’s got it.”

  “Yeah. So it isn’t just old, sick people who can get it. And it progresses very fast. Everyone kept telling us that the victims had only had symptoms the last few days, and we thought that they had just missed the earlier symptoms. But maybe... it actually does progress that rapidly. That once it gets a foothold, there are only a few days until it is fatal.”

  “What did you do about this nurse?”

  “I called you. I am going to the masquerade. I get that the CDC won’t act that fast, and I’m going to go get that dog out of there before she infects half the state. I’ll leave dealing with the nurse to you. Her name is Camille Jackson. Nurse Summers is there if you want to give her a call. She might have already called for an ambulance.”

  “Where are you now?”

  “Heading back to the office to get geared up. Then we’re going to Burlington.”

  “Okay.” Dr. Wiltshire didn’t say anything for a minute. “I have news for you too.”

  His tone of voice indicated that it wasn’t good news. Kenzie wasn’t sure she could take any more bad news. Maybe she should hang up and pretend that they had been disconnected accidentally. Her phone had died, so she couldn’t talk to him until later, when they had dealt with the dog and everything was okay. But she couldn’t do that.

  “What did you find out?”

  “The police did a welfare check on Joe Abernathy. When they couldn’t raise him on the phone, they tracked down his address and sent someone over there.”

  Kenzie had a growing sense of unease, her chest and stomach muscles tightening. She was suddenly nauseated. When was the last time she had eaten? Was she going to be sick?

  “Tell me he’s not dead.” She pictured them finding Joe Abernathy in his bed, dead from the virus. His body lying there, putrefying while Ducros waited for his eventual return to the office.

  “He is dead,” Dr. Wiltshire agreed.

  Kenzie let out her breath and held one hand to her forehead, as if by doing so, she could keep her brain from exploding.

  “He was a competitive swimmer a few years ago,” Dr. Wiltshire said, seeming to go off on a tangent. What could being a competitive swimmer have to do with his death from the virus?

  “Oh. Was he?”

  “So there were pictures of him in his home, dressed in swimming trunks.”

  “Uh-huh?”

  “He had a large port-wine birthmark along the outside of his right thigh.”

  Kenzie swore under her breath. Zachary glanced over at her, one eyebrow cocked, wondering what she was upset about.

  “He is our other John Doe. The one from the motel room.”

  “Yes.”

  Kenzie’s head whirled. “Why would he be checked into a motel? He had a house or apartment in town, right? So why would he check into a motel?”

  “According to the manager the police talked with, his behavior was erratic. He was grumpy, didn’t want anyone to talk to him. Had requested a room that was farthest from the motel office. Insisted that there couldn’t be anyone in the room next to his. Yelled at passersby for spying on him.”

  “So he had the virus.”

  Of course he had the virus. She knew from the start that was why he had been so paranoid and moody when he was at Virutek. Not because of the stress of his job. Not because he needed a vacation. But because he had the virus.

  “He was paranoid about people being after him, so he left his house,” she offered, not waiting for Wiltshire’s confirmation. “He thought that by going somewhere else, he could escape… whoever he thought was after him.”

  “Whoever he thought was after him?” Dr. Wiltshire repeated.

  And then the full implication of that statement hit Kenzie. Abernathy hadn’t just been paranoid. He hadn’t, as she had imagined, died in his own bed after the virus had clogged up his brain with tangles of proteins. He had been tortured. His face was beaten in. So that not only could he not tell anyone what was going on at Virutek, he couldn’t even be identified.

  “Do you think Dr. Ducros is involved?” Kenzie asked. “He is the one who should have asked for a welfare check. If someone silenced Abernathy, isn’t it most likely someone at Virutek?”

  “It’s... worth considering. The police will be looking into it. They’ll look into Virutek and anyone else who might have threatened Abernathy. Because his death was clearly not accidental or natural causes.”

  67

  Zachary pulled up to the building. It might have been quicker to go in the back way, but Kenzie didn’t have a clicker for the ambulance bay door and her electronic pass card for the parking garage was in her car, not Zachary’s. So he pulled into the loading zone in front of the building.

  “Do you want me to come in?”

  “You’d better stay here to make sure we don’t get ticketed or towed. That would really put a crimp into our plans. I’ll get everything we need. I know where it all is, so it really wouldn’t be any faster for you to come in than it is for me to just grab everything myself.”

  “Okay. Is there still security around down there?”

  “I don’t know. Dr. Wiltshire didn’t say.”

  “If there isn’t... maybe you should get someone to escort you down. Just to make sure that you’re safe.”

  “There isn’t going to be anyone there after what happened yesterday. They already got everything they needed. And the police have been there and still could be. Someone would have to be stupid to go back there.”

  “Don’t discount it. And they didn’t get everything.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “It sounded like you said this body that has been identified as being Abernathy is still in your morgue.”

  Kenzie stilled and thought about that. “Well... yes. We didn’t know until now that he was part of this.”

  “But you can bet that they do.”

  “Who is they?”

  “Ducros. Or the person or people who killed Abernathy.”

  “How do you know it was homicide?”

  Zachary shrugged. He could read her, even if he hadn’t been able to hear everything that Dr. Wiltshire had said to her on the phone. She had to be pretty careful if she wanted to keep him from seeing what she was thinking and feeling. He’d cultivated his ability to read people not just as a private investigator, but also as a child in the foster system, having to evaluate strangers every time he was transferred to a new home or school. To get a feel for who was safe and who was a threat. To read all the hidden undercurrents that ran through a family.

  He was very good at what he did.

  Kenzie put her hand over Zachary’s, still resting on the gear shift after putting the car into park. “I’ll make sure someone walks me down.”

  “Good.”

  Kenzie got out and entered the building. After being admitted through the security checkpoint, she told the guard that she was hoping someone could escort her downstairs just to make sure everything was safe and secure. “I’m not going to be there long; I just need to pick some things up. But I’m kind of nervous after the break in. I was attacked, you know...”

  He looked sympathetic. “We’ve got a guard down there already. He’s stationed outside of the Medical Examiner’s Office, but you show him your ID and he’ll go in with you. I’ll call ahead.”

  “Thanks. I appreciate it. I suppose... it’s going to be a while before I feel safe down there alone.”

  “Well, usually there are other people around. No one today because of all of the problems.”

  “Yeah. That’s true. I probably won’t be staying late, though. Until I feel like all of this is behind us.”

  “We have beefed up security. You can no longer get in through the loading dock without showing your identification to the camera first. So we know exactly who is there. No more clickers.”

  “That’s good.” And anyone coming in through the front had to go through the security checkpoint. “How about the parking garage?”

  “We ha
ve a guard down there like we always have. And someone doing a regular walk around to look for anything suspicious.”

  “Good. Thanks.”

  Kenzie did as he had instructed and met another guard when she got down to the office. He checked Kenzie’s identification and walked her in. “I’ve been here all day, and there hasn’t been anyone else in,” he assured her. “And they’ve changed the ambulance bay protocol.”

  “Yeah, he was telling me upstairs.”

  “Let me go ahead of you.”

  Usually, a man would stay back a step to allow Kenzie in ahead of him. But he did the opposite this time, motioning for her to stay back. He unlocked the door and walked in with his hand on his firearm, looking around alertly for anything that was out of place.

  “Looks all clear, doctor.”

  “I’m going to need some gear from the supply room.”

  He led the way, again opening the door first and peering around to make sure that everything was safe. “Clear.”

  Kenzie went into the room and started to pick up everything she needed. The guard watched her for a moment and then withdrew into the autopsy room. Ten minutes later, Kenzie was headed back up the elevator to Zachary’s car.

  They didn’t discuss what they were going to do in detail. Their main goal was obvious, to get Lola out of the ball, away from where she could contaminate people. Put her in the car and get her over to Savage’s lab to be properly isolated until they were finished running all the tests they needed to. Kenzie didn’t anticipate that it would be difficult to get into the ball. Her mother and father had both been begging her to attend. All she had to do was drop their names. Even though she hadn’t responded that she would go, there were always last-minute cancellations or appearances at such an event.

  “We don’t have a kennel for the dog,” Zachary pointed out.

  “No. But if we can talk Ellie into it, she must have a kennel in her car. She had to transport Lola there somehow.”

  “But some people just let their pets roam free in the car.”

  “If that’s what she did, then that’s what we’ll have to do. And she must be used to riding. So she shouldn’t get all wild because she’s not kenneled.”

  “Unless she has doggy dementia. Why hasn’t she been affected by the virus?”

  “That happens sometimes. The same virus can cause a bunch of problems in one animal family, and yet have practically no effect in another. So this one causes dementia and possibly death for humans... but dogs seem to just be carriers. If you can judge from just one case, which is pretty presumptuous.”

  “Or maybe she’s just like... what’s that expression? Typhoid Mary?”

  Kenzie nodded. “Yes. She wasn’t affected by the typhoid pathogen that she carried, but she passed it on to dozens of other people. Because she wasn’t sick, she didn’t believe them when they told her that she could make other people sick.”

  “So what if Lola has been to a dog park and passed it on to a bunch of other dogs?”

  Kenzie shook her head. “Don’t make any more suggestions, okay? I’m pretty freaked out about this already.”

  “Okay. Sorry.”

  “It’s okay. There’s nothing wrong with suggesting it, but I’m going to shut down the conversation anyway. I just don’t want to talk about it.”

  He nodded. He stared at the road ahead, and she wondered whether she had upset him. But Dr. Boyle had encouraged them both to share their feelings to be fair to each other. Hiding their emotions was bad for the relationship. If Zachary were bothered by her asking him not to discuss it any further, he would get over it.

  It didn’t take too long to get to Burlington. Nothing in Vermont was too far and Zachary tended to have a lead foot out on the highway. He usually tried to curb it when he was with her, but Kenzie had made it clear that they were in a hurry. She wanted to limit Lola’s exposure to all the other guests as much as possible. She didn’t think she would be able to get there before the event was in full swing, but she would sure try.

  They pulled up to the conference center. Kenzie got out and separated the gear into two piles. She suited up, showing Zachary how to get into the protective coveralls, and to put on the gloves and the helmet-like face mask with integrated breathing apparatus.

  “Aren’t you worried about what people are going to think when we walk in there?” Zachary asked. “Your father’s warning about not panicking people...?”

  Kenzie smiled. “This is a costume ball. Aren’t these great costumes?”

  Zachary’s eyebrows went up as he struggled to get everything properly fastened. “I pictured... big ball gowns and those little decorative eye masks on a stick.”

  “I’m sure we’ll see that too,” Kenzie agreed. “And tuxedos. Vampires. But other people will have plain old Halloween costumes too. Not everybody goes for the highbrow masquerade stuff.”

  “Then I guess we’ll fit right in.”

  Kenzie finished fastening her mask and checked her breathing. Then she helped Zachary with his.

  “How does that feel? Good?”

  Zachary nodded, testing his movement and range of vision and taking a few experimental breaths. “Yeah, it’s okay.”

  “No claustrophobia?”

  “No.”

  “All right. Let’s go in. Follow me.”

  They walked together, drawing some looks and pointing fingers, but pretty much everyone was getting the same as everyone checked out each other’s outfits. As Kenzie had predicted, there was a full range of costumes, from superheroes to French ballgowns. Kenzie stopped at the check-in counter.

  “Do you have your invitation?” the elderly woman at the desk asked, peering at Kenzie through glasses on a chain and then looking down at her list.

  “No, I didn’t get a printed invitation. My name is Dr. Kenzie Kirsch. My parents are Walter Kirsch and Lisa Cole Kirsch. I’m sure you have us all on your list.”

  The woman checked it slowly, flipping through pages. She nodded when she reached the K’s. “Walter and Lisa, yes. I see them here.”

  “I don’t know if there is space at their table or not. We can sit somewhere else if not.”

  The woman had to check. She stood up to discuss the matter with one of the event planners circulating behind the check-in counter. Kenzie sighed and rolled her eyes at Zachary. It was difficult to see facial expression behind the face shields, so she tipped her head to the side slightly and shrugged dramatically. “I’m sure they’ll sort it out.”

  Zachary’s posture was less confident. He shrugged his shoulders slightly. “If not, you can show them your ME identification.”

  “I’m not sure that would gain me admittance anywhere.”

  The man the name-checker had whispered to approached the counter, smiling a cultured smile at Kenzie. “Miss Kirsch?”

  “That’s Dr. Kirsch,” Kenzie corrected sharply. She rarely corrected people on her title, but the circumstances warranted it. She wanted to put the man off-balance, if he weren’t already.

  “I’m sorry, Dr. Kirsch. I don’t have your response on our official list...?”

  “No. I didn’t expect to be able to be here today. But things were fluid, and I found myself available. It’s such a good cause. I’m sure you know that my younger sister died of kidney disease. Our family is very passionate about raising awareness for kidney research. And funds, of course. I was told the governor would be here tonight?”

  He looked startled by this. “Uh, yes, certainly. We’re hoping that he will be available.”

  “It will be great to talk to him again. Are my parents here?” Kenzie mimed looking at her watch. If she had been wearing one, it would have been under her coveralls, but the gesture was just to nudge him forward. “They’re always very prompt, so I’m sure they made it ahead of me. I cut it a little closer than I meant to. You know how doctors’ schedules are.”

  “Yes.” The man looked toward the dining room. “They are just going to make sure there is room at the table for you
... and your guest?”

  “Yes. Zachary is here as my plus one. He’s looking forward to meeting the governor.”

  “I will go check on that seating. Feel free to mingle for a few minutes while we arrange everything.”

  Kenzie nodded politely. She looked back at Zachary, and they broke away from the check-in counter, walking into the ballroom without any problems from security.

  “We’re in,” Kenzie told him with a smile.

  “I can see that. Well done.”

  “I’ve attended enough of these things. I know how they work. As long as you have money and know the right people, you can get in anywhere, no matter how exclusive the invitation list was or how late you are in responding. They don’t care about pushing extra chairs up to the table. They want your money.”

  “So, will you make a donation tonight?”

  Kenzie was a little surprised by the suggestion. They were only there for one reason, and that was to get Lola. But Zachary did have a point. She had made out that she would make a donation, and her family name was well-known. And kidney research was important. “If I don’t get a chance tonight, I’ll mail them a check.”

  68

  They looked around the ballroom at the chattering crowds. The helmet of the protective gear limited their range of vision. Kenzie found it necessary to turn her whole body, rather than just her head. Zachary was doing the same. They were both scanning for Lola or the nurse. Kenzie didn’t know if the nurse was costumed or would be recognizable. The dog, however, would be a dead giveaway.

  “Mackenzie!”

  She turned right into her mother, dressed like some fairy godmother out of a Disney movie, with a pretty blue eye mask obscuring part of her face.

  Kenzie’s mouth dropped open. Even though she had known that her parents would be there, she had not expected to run into them. She was so focused on getting Lola and getting her away from the crowds that she had tunnel vision, everything else forgotten.