Ladyfish

by Andrea Bramhall

  “To do this on a large scale, you’re talking about adding quantities of the E. coli toxin to either a water source or a major food supply.”

  “Not airborne?”

  “Not using the E. coli bacteria. It’s passed on through physical contact, not inhalation. It isn’t like a cold or anything, though that does look like the next stage of development. They’re trying to incorporate the toxin into a flu virus, but it doesn’t look like they’ve had any luck so far. The toxin is killing the virus before they can get it stable.”

  “Do you know if he has the quantities required for this kind of attack?”

  “He does. But you need to understand that by engineering the toxin into the E. coli bacteria, they have made the toxin communicable.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “On its own, botulinum toxin isn’t communicable. The victim has to be infected with it. E. coli is communicable. You can catch it. They’ve basically made it a lethal tummy bug.”

  “How lethal are we talking here?”

  “The results of their tests show that any infection of the bacteria causes botulism in one hundred percent of cases. Without treatment, ninety-eight percent of cases are proving fatal. With treatment, they show fifty-four percent fatality rate. The forecast is dependent on where they release the bacteria and so on. If they were to target a third world country with poor sanitation, improper water and sewage treatment, they have enough already stockpiled to cause an outbreak that would decimate the entire population of Africa.”

  “Are you kidding?” Charlie paced the room, his hand on the back of his neck.

  “I wish I was. If their forecasts are to be believed, release in the US would lead to millions of deaths with at least twice that number infected.”

  “How does this kill?”

  “Botulism causes muscle weakness and paralysis. That’s why it’s so popular with aging women. It freezes the muscles, which irons out the wrinkles. It also paralyzes all other muscles to greater or lesser extents. The respiratory system, the swallow reflexes, and the heart are the most common causes of death. If the lungs don’t give up, the epiglottis stops working. If that doesn’t, then the heart becomes so weakened that it goes into arrhythmia and fails. The awful thing about this is that even those who survive are incurable.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “It is a nerve toxin, making the paralysis and muscle weakness permanent. The victim is trapped in a weakened or paralyzed body. For life.”

  “You mean that the whole population who survived would be paralyzed?” Oz couldn’t get her head around the possibilities

  “Then why would anyone want to release it? They would die too,” Billy said.

  “Not if they had the vaccine.”

  “And if they create the airborne flu virus?” Charlie said.

  “You don’t even want to think about that. I certainly don’t. This is bad enough.”

  “Finn, are you sure about this?”

  “Yes. As I said, there is more in there I need to read, but I’m sure.”

  He nodded and stepped out of the room pulling his cell phone from his pocket as he went.

  “Finn, baby, this is where we have to be prepared for things to get ugly.” Oz took hold of Finn’s hand.

  “Things are already ugly, Oz. How can it get any worse?” The tears welled in her eyes. “My father is behind all this. He couldn’t do it himself. He doesn’t have the knowledge. But I do. This bacteria? The E. coli delivery system? This is my work. These are sequences I decoded and methodologies I developed to incorporate other gene sequences. He’s made me a part of this. I had no idea what his intentions were. I was working to help cure illnesses, medicinal protocols. I feel so stupid. He used me just like he used everyone else.”

  “I know, baby, but you didn’t put the toxin into the bug.”

  “It doesn’t matter. If I hadn’t discovered how to—”

  “Of course it matters. You were trying to help people who were and still are dying every day of a terrible disease. You weren’t hurting anyone. You had no intention of hurting anyone.”

  “We have to stop him. I wish I could stop him. Right now, I want to kill him. If I had it in me, I’d do it myself.” The tears spilled down her cheeks.

  “You’re strong enough to do anything you want.”

  “No, I’m—”

  “Baby, listen to me.” Oz knelt before her. “It isn’t about strength. You don’t have to be strong to pull a trigger. It’s about courage. And you’ve got that. To read all that and tell us not only what it says, but the implications of that, knowing what it means for your own father, takes more courage than I will ever have.” She wrapped her arms around Finn and pulled her into a tight embrace. “I don’t know that I could have done that.”

  “Yes, you do. You know that you’ll always do the right thing. Whatever it takes.”

  “And that’s exactly what you did tonight.” Oz ran her hands down Finn’s back, soothing her. “Don’t belittle what you’ve done here. This fight was always going to happen at some point. You know that, right?”

  “I know.”

  “You’ve given us the knowledge to fight on an even playing field and hopefully stop a tragedy from happening.”

  “Do you really believe that?”

  Oz looked at her seriously. “Yes, I do.”

  Finn leaned forward and kissed her gently on the lips. “Thank you.”

  Charlie came back in the room. “I can only imagine how difficult this was for you tonight. Thank you.” He pulled her into a quick hug before he closed down the laptop and slipped it back into its case. “I really need to go now. I’m going to be in meetings all night.” He and Billy went to the front door, where they stopped for a moment while Charlie took a call.

  “Will it be tonight?” Finn asked.

  “Will what be tonight?”

  “They’re going to have to destroy that lab. The research. The bacteria. Will it be tonight?”

  “I don’t know, baby. It depends on what intelligence they have on the lab and where the stuff is being kept.”

  “It’s in the lab at the moment. It’s being kept in a huge refrigerator unit that takes up one whole floor.”

  “Uncle Charlie, wait.”

  Charlie ended his call and turned back to them.

  “Tell him.”

  “The bacteria stockpile, it’s in a refrigerator unit that takes up a whole floor of the building. It’s all there until they sell it.”

  “How do you know that?”

  “There’s an e-mail in the documents. It’s actually from my father to the doctor at the lab. It says all that, but you might have missed it because it’s all in jargon.”

  “Thank you, Finn. That gives us everything we need to get your father officially brought in.”

  “Meaning arrested and prosecuted, right?”

  “That’s what I’m planning.”

  When Charlie and Billy had gone, Finn rested her head on her arms.

  “You okay?”

  Finn lifted her head and looked at Oz. “Honestly?”

  “Always.”

  “I’m not even close.”

  Chapter Thirty-five

  William Sterling stepped off the plane into the ninety-degree heat. Flies buzzed around his head. He waved them away and slid sunglasses over his eyes. Jack was waiting with the limousine on the tarmac. The door was open and the air-conditioned haven awaited him. He sat in his seat and took the glass Jack offered as the door closed behind him.

  “So where are we, Jack?”

  “The information that was copied was extensive, and I’m still waiting for confirmation as to the source of the leak.”

  “So we’re nowhere. Is that what you’re telling me?”

  “Not quite, sir.”

  “Three days, Jack. In three days I will be selling off the bacteria in those drums, and you don’t know anything. Not who broke into our files. Where they’re from. Where my fucking daughter is.”


  “We’ve actually had a breakthrough on that one, sir.”

  “Well? I’m waiting, Jack.”

  “It seems she has ties to the US Navy.”

  “The navy? How?”

  “The woman she’s with has extensive connections, and the number on Peter Green’s hand was that of a sat phone to an admiral on the naval base where your daughter appears to be staying.”

  “Extensive ties indeed. So we know where she is, but this doesn’t exactly help me get to her now, does it?”

  “I believe they’re being picked up by boat from there every day, sir. A dive boat.”

  “And how do you know this?”

  “I’ve been watching the dive center. They’re taking out far more tourists every day than they can cope with for the number of dive leaders on the boat. So I talked to one of the tourists after they returned. She told me that they went to the naval base and picked up two more divers. The description fits.”

  “Excellent work, Jack. What are you planning to do about this?”

  “I’ve booked myself on a dive trip. I’m not a diver, but they take tourists along for the ride too.”

  “That gets you on the boat. Daniela will recognize you as soon as she sees you.”

  “I’ll keep my head down, sir. I’ll have Decker standing by with a speedboat to come and pick me up when I have subdued her. She hasn’t seen me in a very long time.”

  “I want them both. Perhaps we can work this navy connection for ourselves. I wouldn’t be surprised if this is where our leak is coming from. It’s imperative I speak with my daughter. Her knowledge of the mechanics of the product make her and Lyell the only ones who could develop any kind of countermeasure. Lyell won’t be a problem for much longer. I need to know if she will be. Her continued existence outside my control is a threat to my profit line. If Masood discovers she’s not working for me and can undo this work in any way, he will be a very unhappy man. Am I making myself clear, Jack?”

  “Yes, sir, perfectly.”

  “You’ll need to take someone else with you too. To make sure they don’t get away.”

  “Yes, sir.”

  “When you have them, bring them to the house. I don’t want my daughter harmed, yet. I need to know what she knows and what she’s done. If there’s any chance she has already begun working on a countermeasure, I need to know, and I need to know now. Do what you want with the other bitch.”

  “I was hoping to convince Daniela to cooperate and come in peaceably.”

  “And how do you plan to do that?”

  “I plan to use Peter Green. If she thinks he’s waiting for her, I presume she will come with me of her own volition.”

  “And if she knows that he has passed away?”

  “I’ll deal with the situation differently.”

  “Very well. Just remember, I want her unharmed.”

  “Of course. I have also located a hacker. I was planning to visit him today to gain his assistance in tracing the leak at the lab.”

  Sterling smiled. “Jack, there may be hope for you yet. This hacker, can he do what we need?”

  “If he’s half as good as his reputation, he could do it with his eyes closed.”

  “Good, good. What kind of persuasion do we need here?”

  “The old-fashioned kind, sir.”

  “Ahh, money.”

  Jack nodded. “He’s young and ambitious. He’ll be a valuable asset to your organization, I think.”

  Sterling leaned back against the car seat. “Very good, Jack. Today just got a little bit brighter.”

  Chapter Thirty-six

  Jack watched them step off the back of the boat one by one before disappearing beneath the waves. He checked his watch and set the timer on the stop watch. He’d listened and knew that Oz and Finn we’re doing a deep dive and were expected to surface before any of the other divers who were staying shallow and enjoying the top of the reef. He had thirty minutes to get the boat under control, call Decker, and have everything ready when they got back on board.

  He watched as Carlos walked into the galley, then he followed him inside.

  “Hello, can I get you something?”

  “Yeah, do you have any beers on this tub?”

  “Yes, sir. I will get you one.” He turned around and stooped to the fridge.

  Jack reached into his pocket and pulled out the gun he had hidden. He aimed carefully before bringing it down on Carlos’s skull. The sickening crack was followed swiftly by the dull thud as his body hit the deck.

  The metallic tang of blood hit the air as Jack pulled a large cable tie from the left pocket of his shorts. He pulled Carlos’s hands behind his back and used the tie to secure his wrists. He used three more to secure his ankles and gagged him with a dishcloth. He dragged him across the floor of the cabin and dropped him next to the bench seat that ran the length of the cabin.

  He made his way to the cockpit. The boat was secured to a mooring buoy. The captain was sitting in the chair behind the wheel, poring over charts and a yachtsman’s almanac. Jack gripped the gun tightly in his fist as he approached, raised his fist above his head, then struck.

  Jose slumped over the console.

  Jack pulled the cable ties from his pocket and secured Jose’s wrists and ankles before pulling him from the console chair and rolling him to the edge of the cockpit. He pulled his phone from his pocket and hit the speed dial.

  “Yeah.”

  “Set off now. By the time you reach me, I should have them secure.”

  “What are the coordinates?”

  Jack checked the readout of the GPS console and rattled off the numbers before disconnecting. He went back down the stairs to the dive deck and waited.

  Chapter Thirty-seven

  Oz and Finn broke the surface of the water and made their way to the boat. When they reached the dive ladder, there was no sign of Carlos to help them from the water.

  “Carlos! Are you there?” When he didn’t answer, Oz pulled her flippers from her feet and handed them to Finn. “Will you hold these for me? I’ll get on board and ditch my BCD then I’ll give you all a hand out. Okay?” Finn took hold of the flippers as Oz climbed up the ladder, sat down, and unclipped her BCD. She quickly unfastened the tank and stowed it as she headed back to the ladder for Finn.

  “Carlos?” she yelled toward the head. “We could use a hand out here. Hurry it up. Jose, where’s that good-for-nothing boy of yours?” she hollered up the stairs before going to help Finn at the back of the boat, the hairs at the back of her neck standing on end. Something was wrong. Very wrong.

  She took her flippers from Finn and waited a minute as Finn took off her own gear and handed it up. She pulled herself up the ladder, and Oz helped her out of her BCD when she got on board.

  “Where’s Carlos?”

  “Don’t know. I can’t actually hear anyone at all. Something doesn’t feel right.”

  Finn’s eyes widened and her focus shifted to the left of Oz.

  In the next instant, Oz felt cold metal press against her temple and the clicking metallic ring as a gun was cocked.

  “Thank you, Decker. If she does that again, feel free to shoot her. Ms. Zuckerman, I presume.” The British accent was silky smooth. “Daniela, you have caused your father no end of heartache over this woman. He has something of a dilemma to deal with now. Peter is so very upset about all this business.”

  “Communing with spirits now, Jack? I thought you were my father’s bodyguard, not a communications expert.”

  “So you have heard the unfortunate news. He flicked the gun toward the benches lining the back of the boat. “Take a seat, ladies.”

  Oz didn’t move. The blow was quick and hard against the back of her skull. She staggered forward before dropping to one knee. Finn held out her hands to catch her, but Oz shook her head and rose quickly, using the back of her head to connect painfully with the bridge of Jack’s nose. The nauseating crunch of bone and cartilage filled the air, and blood poured down his face
. She started to turn, ready to face him, but the blow to the head slowed her reaction time.

  “Fucking bitch!” He raised the gun and struck the back of her head again, laughing as she stumbled to the deck.

  “Oz, no!” Finn reached forward, but Jack grabbed her and shoved her roughly onto the bench seat.

  “I said, take a seat.”

  Finn stared defiantly at him as she reached out and helped Oz to the bench next to her. Oz pressed her hand to the back of her head and winced as blood oozed through her fingers.

  “What do you want, Jack?”

  “Your father sent me to bring you home.” He pointed the gun at her as he moved closer, leaning forward to bring his eyes level with her as he smiled.

  “He could have asked me himself. He knows the number.”

  “He didn’t feel you would be receptive to the idea. What with new developments.” He waved the gun in Oz’s direction, without taking his eyes off Finn.

  “That doesn’t explain what you’re doing here. We’re on a boat, if you hadn’t noticed?”

  “You didn’t make it easy to find you, Daniela. Moving from the hotel to that old lady’s house and then to a naval base. I should have remembered how much you liked those aquariums as a child, but I’m here now. That’s all that matters. Quite a good bit of detective work, if I do say so myself.” He sounded proud of himself. His chest puffed out. Just a bit.

  “Aren’t we lucky.” Finn didn’t see the blow coming as her head whipped around. Her cheek stung, but she refused to raise her hand despite the uncomfortable heat that grew. “Careful, Jack. Did my dad give you permission to do that?” He blanched and she knew she’d hit a soft spot. “Better be careful. I understand my dad isn’t someone you want to cross.”

  “No, he isn’t. You should have thought about that before you decided to desert him.”

  “Yeah, but I’m not on his payroll. I can afford a thought of my own.” She knew if she could keep his attention fixed on her, he wouldn’t hurt Oz. It seemed that while her father wanted her unharmed, he didn’t have the same concerns for Oz.

  “You don’t have a clue, little girl.”