“Is that it?” asked Tad.
“That’s it,” said Marissa. “Will you help me, Tad?”
“I guess,” said Tad. “Sounds reasonably innocuous.”
“Thank you,” said Marissa. “I’ll be able to explain everything in a few days.”
She hung up and called the Westin Hotel toll-free number and reserved a room at the Plaza for that night under the name of Carol Bradford. That accomplished, she scanned the Palmer House lobby. No one seemed to be paying her any heed. Trusting that the hotel would bill her on her credit card, she did not bother to check out.
The first stop was a Federal Express office. The people were extremely nice when she told them it was a special vaccine needed in Atlanta by the next day. They helped her pack her plastic bags in an unbreakable metal box and even addressed it, when they saw how badly her hand was trembling.
Back on the street, she flagged a cab to O’Hare. As soon as she was seated, she began checking her lymph nodes and testing her throat for soreness. She’d been close to Ebola before, but never this close. She shuddered to think that the man had intended to infect her with the virus. It was a cruel irony that the only way she’d escaped was to have infected him. She hoped that he realized the convalescent serum had a protective effect if it was given prior to the appearance of symptoms. Maybe that was why the man had left so precipitously.
During the long ride to the airport, she began to calm down enough to think logically. The fact that she’d been attacked again gave more credence to her suspicions. And if the vaccination gun proved to contain Ebola, she’d have her first real piece of evidence.
The taxi driver dropped Marissa at the American Airlines terminal, explaining that they had hourly flights to New York. Once she got her ticket, passed through security and hiked the long distance to the gate, she found she had nearly half an hour to wait. She decided to call Ralph. She badly needed to hear a friendly voice, and she wanted to ask about the lawyer.
Marissa spent several minutes struggling with Ralph’s secretary, who guarded him as if he were the Pope, pleading with the woman to at least let him know she was on the line. Finally, Ralph picked up the phone.
“I hope you’re back in Atlanta,” he said before she could say hello. “Soon,” promised Marissa. She explained that she was at the American terminal in Chicago, on her way to New York, but that she’d probably be back in Atlanta the following day, particularly if he’d found her a good lawyer.
“I made some discreet inquiries,” said Ralph, “and I think I have just the man. His name is McQuinllin. He’s with a large firm here in Atlanta.”
“I hope he’s smart,” said Marissa. “He’s going to have his hands full.”
“Supposedly he’s one of the best.”
“Do you think that he will require a lot of money up front?”
“Chances are he’ll want a retainer of some sort,” said Ralph. “Will that be a problem?”
“Could be,” said Marissa. “Depends on how much.”
“Well, don’t worry,” said Ralph. “I’ll be happy to lend a hand.”
“I couldn’t ask you to do that,” said Marissa.
“You’re not asking, I’m offering,” said Ralph. “But in return, I’d like you to stop this crazy trip. What’s so important in New York? I hope it’s not the new Ebola outbreak. You don’t want a repeat of Philadelphia. Why don’t you just fly back to Atlanta. I’m worried about you.”
“Soon,” said Marissa. “I promise.”
After hanging up, Marissa kept her hand on the receiver. It always made her feel good to talk with Ralph. He cared.
Like most of the businesspeople who comprised ninety percent of the passengers, Marissa ordered herself a drink. She was still a bundle of nerves. The vodka tonic calmed her considerably, and she actually got into one of those “where you from?” and “what do you do?” conversations with a handsome young bond dealer from Chicago, named Danny. It turned out he had a sister who was a doctor in Hawaii. He chatted so enthusiastically, Marissa finally had to close her eyes and feign sleep in order to find time to put her thoughts in order.