Kathy Reichs - Virals

No time for celebration.

The warriors bolted from their hiding place.

Raced the darkened streets.

Didn’t slow until they hit the water.

CHAPTER 50

“Where have you been? We’ve been waiting for hours!”

Venting felt good. I still had adrenaline up the wazoo.

“Sorry,” Hi said. “The research took longer than we expected. And the hit men slowed us down.”

“Right.” I rolled my eyes.

“Two dudes tried to cap us!” Shelton was wired higher than I was. “We took one out, gave the other the slip.”

Hi and Shelton bumped fists.

Ben held up a hand. “Stop. Explain.”

They stepped all over each other telling the story.

“Who’d be after you?” Ben asked.

“The same fools from Loggerhead,” Shelton said.

“Why?”

“We know about Heaton’s murder, so now they want us dead. Right?”

“Maybe.” I wasn’t so sure. “Seems like a lot of trouble over a forty-year-old crime.”

“Tory, we used our flare this time,” Hi said. “The change gave us powers. Super senses and super strength.”

Shelton concurred. “It was amazing.”

“You’re not the only ones.” Ben shared our adventure at LIRI.

“So Karsten is banking cash to run secret experiments?” Shelton whistled. “And we walked right into it.”

“Whatever he’s doing, records of the project aren’t in his office,” I said. “Must be in the lab. Did you guys learn anything useful?”

“Could be.”

Shelton and Hi took turns explaining the findings.

“So some parvoviruses do transfer between species,” Hi summarized, “and there are human-infecting strains. But the human form doesn’t infect dogs, and the canine form doesn’t infect people.”

Something bothered me. What? The answer stayed hunkered deep in my brainpan.

“What’s the human form called again?” I asked.

“Parvovirus B19,” Hi said. “The scientist who named it found the first example in his nineteenth petri dish.”

“B19,” I repeated, more to myself than to the others. Was that the message that was nagging? Why? The name was as generic as mud.

Still the answer refused to surface.

I closed my eyes.

Think. Think.

No go.

Just then Coop bounded into the bunker. Now that he was stronger and more spirited, we were allowing him free run of the nearby dunes.

The puppy wormed figure eights around my legs.

“Coop, whoa!” I barely kept my feet.

Tucking his tail, the puppy crawled beneath the table and whined softly.

I rubbed his back and made comforting noises. I hated when he got scared. He’d suffered enough at Karsten’s hands.

I was scratching Coop’s ears when the subliminal message finally broke through.

B19.

That’s it!

“Guys!” I yelled. “I know what happened! Karsten must have—”

Hackles rose into a prickly ridge along Coop’s spine. He growled, eyes fixed on the bunker’s entrance.

I whipped around.

From outside came scratching, then the unmistakable sound of someone squeezing through the opening.

A shadow appeared on the floor.

We drew back into one corner, shocked that someone had found our secret hideout. Whoever it was had us trapped.

A form emerged from the crawl. Straightened. Glared at us with undisguised malice.

It was the last person I expected to see.

CHAPTER 5

“Tory Brennan.”

Karsten spat my name as though it were something bitter on his tongue.

I gaped, thunderstruck.

Our bunker was practically invisible. How had Karsten found it?

The boys stared in dejected silence. Game over. We’d lost.

“So this is where you plot your little larcenies.” Karsten smirked, amused by his own wit. “How quaint.”

Karsten’s eyes suddenly widened, then narrowed to slits. I followed his sightline.

To Coop.

The puppy was planted before me, legs splayed, ears flat, fur bristling. His lips were curled, revealing glistening white teeth.

Coop’s eyes stayed on Karsten as a low snarl rose from his throat.

“It’s true.” Karsten’s voice trembled with rage. “You took him.”

“Yes,” I said evenly. “We did.”

I stroked Coop’s head. He remained tense, alert to Karsten’s every move. Ready to strike.

“Who told you to do it?” Karsten glanced about, dropped into a chair. His yellow sneakers were splattered with mud. “Who are you working for?”

“What are you t-talking about, m-man?” Shelton stuttered with nervous agitation. “We d-don’t work for an-anybody!”

“Bullshit!” Karsten’s outburst shocked me. I’d never heard him use profanity. “How did you get through the doors, the locks? Don’t insult my intelligence by claiming you acted alone.”

“Sorry, but it’s the truth.” I crossed my arms. “We weren’t even there for the dog. But when we found him, we had no choice.”

“Then why did you break in? And how did you do it? Tell me everything. Now!”

Seeing no other option, I did.

I explained the mad-bomber monkey. The crusted dog tag. The sonicator. Stumbling upon the secret lab. Discovering the story of Katherine Heaton. Finding the skeleton. Being shot at in the dark.

Karsten was quiet for a very long time. When he spoke again, his voice was calmer.

“You actually found a body?”

“We did,” Ben said.

“Katherine Heaton.” I watched for a reaction. “But gunmen chased us away. On your island.”

Karsten’s eyes went far away.

“Katherine Heaton.” Barely audible. “All my years on Loggerhead, she was there all the time.”

I was surprised. His sadness appeared genuine.

Nevertheless, I pressed.

“You were angry we brought the police. And you have access to monkey bones. That makes you a suspect.”

“Stupid girl!” The acid was back in his voice. “Katherine and I were classmates at St. Andrew’s High. She was a friend, a fellow lover of science.” A bony finger jabbed the air in my direction. “I was devastated by Katherine’s disappearance. Don’t speak of things you know nothing about!”

“I’m sorry.” I was. Karsten’s words rang true. “But someone buried Katherine Heaton on Loggerhead Island. That someone stopped us from revealing that we’d found her remains.”

Karsten’s eyes drifted. For a moment he seemed to debate with himself. Then he refocused.

“I have no idea. Katherine’s death is a very cold case. One unlikely ever to be solved.” Karsten stood. “You children have committed a serious crime. More serious than you know.”

“We’re not the only ones,” Hi shot back. “Your twisted experiment was unauthorized.”

Karsten straightened his glasses. “Is that so?”

“It is. We found proof this afternoon.” I couldn’t help myself. “Did you enjoy the aquarium?”

Karsten stiffened.

I poured it on.

“You don’t list your sick tests on the official register.” I pulled the deposit slip from my pocket. “And you’ve been taking money on the side. How’s that work, Dr. Karsten?”

Karsten’s face went ashen. His hands trembled, curled into fists.

For the first time, I felt fear. Was the man crazy? Desperate? We were alone out there, miles from help.

Instead of lashing out, Karsten removed his glasses and rubbed his eyes. When the thick lenses were repositioned, a different man peered through them.

“You’re right,” he said quietly.

Excuse me?

“My project was secret. Illegal.” He inhaled deeply. Exhaled. “I pray I haven’t caused irreparable damage.”

“Like torturing an innocent puppy?” I demanded.