D Carpenter - Infertile Grounds

The phone was ringing as he stepped into the nurse’s office and shut the door. Arthur picked it up. “Kent,” he said curtly. He hated being tracked down when he was in the field. He carried a Bureau enhanced iPhone that was capable of secure communications. Why would someone have to get him on an unsecure line? Particularly some dink from State. It couldn’t be good news.

“Is this Arthur Kent, Director of Criminal Investigations for the FBI?” A deep, unfamiliar voice said.

“Yes, who’s this?” A premonition-knot formed instantly in his stomach.

“My name’s Jack Long. I’m with WOTN in Boston, and before you hang up the phone on me, I want to tell you something.”

“What’s that?” Arthur said, having an ominous feeling he knew what he was about to hear.

“I was told an incredible story this morning about a group of people who have developed a virus that’s going to sterilize the world.”

“A virus? What are you talking about?” Arthur said. Shit!

“You know what I’m talking about, Mr. Kent. That’s why you’re here in Boston, isn’t it. The agent who’s been working the case is in Mass General. I know all about it. I wanted to get your comments before we break the story.”

Arthur glared down the hall at Carl and his men. One of them, Pell, or one of those two doctors had talked to the wrong person, and now he was on the brink of his worst nightmare.

“What was your name again?”

“Jack Long.”

He took a long pause before saying, “I don’t know what you’re talking about, Jack. I’m here to interview an agent that went bad and shot a cop. That’s it, plain and simple. Whoever told you that story about viruses, or whatever the hell it is, was obviously taking you for a ride. Hope you didn’t pay them too much.”

“I don’t think so, Arthur. Why would you come all the way to Boston for a bad agent? You’ve got people to deal with that sort of thing. You must be here for something more substantial. Something with bigger implications. I’ll tell you what, though, I’m willing to make a deal.”

“A deal?” Everyone wanted to make deals today.

“I can see how a situation like this requires complete secrecy. If the public found out about it,” he paused for a moment. “Well, I can only imagine what would happen. You give me the exclusive on the investigation, and I’ll wait until you say it’s okay to run the story.”

Blood rushed to his face as his heartbeat doubled. If there was one thing he hated more than anything else, it was being pressured like this, especially by some media schmuck. “Who told you about this?”

“A friend,” the reporter replied.

“Well, even if there were any truth to what you’re saying, I certainly wouldn’t discuss it over the phone like this. And, don’t get me wrong, there is no story here, but I’d like to hear what you have to say in more detail. Could we meet to discuss it?”

“Sure,” Jack replied. “When and where?”

“I’ll send a car for you now. Are you at your office?”

“Yes.”

“They’ll be there directly.”

Before hanging up the phone, Arthur said, “One more thing, Jack.”

“What’s that?”

“Have you told anybody else about this story?”

There was a hesitation. “No.”

“Good, don’t or you lose any exclusive on anything.”

“Damn,” Arthur muttered as he slammed the phone into its cradle. He furiously pounded out a message on his phone and then stepped out of the office.

“May I use your office for a bit longer?” He asked the nurse who was sorting through patient records outside.

“Of course,” she replied.

Arthur walked down the hall to Carl, Irving, and Steve. “I need to speak with you three in private. Come with me.”

They piled into the small office. Arthur let the tension, his ally, build for a minute before he said, “I just got off the phone with a reporter at WOTN. He knows what’s going on here with this suspected virus. I want to know how this information has got out. Right now.”

His eyes blazed as they moved between the three men.

Carl spoke first. “None on my team has spoken to anyone. It must have been Pell. He probably contacted the media just to get this out there, to distract everyone from the real issue about him shooting a cop.”

“I have the news reporter being picked up now and believe me, by the time I’m done with him I will know exactly where the trail leads. So if any of you has anything to say, you’d better say it now. It’ll be your jobs if I find out I’m not being told the truth.”

“I’m telling you, Arthur. This sounds just like the sort of thing Pell would do,” Carl said. “We’re professionals. None of us have said a word, have we?” He turned to Irving and Steve for support.

“Well?” Arthur asked as he stepped into Steve’s and the Irving’s personal space, glaring at each man fearsomely.

“Well sir,” Irving began tentatively. “Pell was babbling about the virus and the doctors—”

“I know about that,” Arthur said. “It was a stupid move by Carl to tell them anything but that’s done. Right now, I want to make sure none of you is the leak. Look me in the eyes and answer that question.”

Each man professed their innocence satisfactorily and Arthur glared at Carl for a long moment. He made a slow hissing sound as he took a long intake of breath between clenched teeth and shook his head. “So that means your foolish decision to talk to those doctors is the reason we’re in this mess.”

Carl opened his mouth to say something but Arthur shut him down. “I’ll deal with you in due course,” he said before opening the door of the office and heading outside.

Dr. Epstein was right there, talking on a phone at the nurses’ station. Arthur walked over and pressed down on the hook switch, disconnecting the Doctor’s call.

Dr. Epstein began, “What the—”

“I want you and that intern in here. Now.”

“Page Lasu and have him meet us,” Dr. Epstein said to a nurse as he stepped into the office.

Arthur stood silently in the office, keying a message into his iPhone for an update from the agents that were on their way to get Jack Long as he waited impatiently for Lasu to arrive.

After a few minutes, the door opened and Lasu walked in. The tension in the room was palpable, and the young doctor looked like he was going to crumple under the invisible pressure. This kid’s never going to make it through his internship, Arthur thought as he glared at the most likely candidate for the Loose Lips award.

“I’ll get straight to the point,” he said. “The fact that Agent Moscovitz here, for whatever reason, decided to share information with you about an active investigation is unfortunate, but we need to know exactly who you might have told about this.”

“I didn’t tell anyone!” The intern screamed as he looked wildly at the men around him. “Nobody.”

“I didn’t say you did,” Arthur said. “And what about you, Doc? Did you talk to anyone about this?”

Dr. Epstein shook his head back and forth.

“You didn’t even tell your wife about it?”

The now visibly nervous man continued to shake his head.

Arthur stepped forward, stood directly in front of the doctor and Lasu and said, “Do you realize how important this is? If this gets out in the media, we’re going to have a crisis. Hysteria in the general public is not a good thing, gentlemen. I need to corral anyone who knows anything about this until we can either confirm or deny the whole thing. Do you understand? This isn’t a game.”

He waited for one of them to talk.

“I talked to my wife about it last night,” the doctor said finally, his face turned down in disgrace. “I’m sure she didn’t tell anyone else, though.”