Even though she doubted her pursuers would have enlisted security’s help after having tried to kill her, she’d trembled violently while signing out. She heard the guard hang up after he explained to the person he was talking to that the operators were busy searching for the head of the virology department.
“Hey!” yelled the guard, as Marissa started for the door. Her heart leapt into her mouth. For a moment, she thought about fleeing; she was only six feet from the front door. Then she heard the guard say, “You forgot to put the time.”
Marissa marched back and dutifully filled in the blank. A second later she was outside, running to her car.
She was halfway to Ralph’s before she was able to stop shaking and think about her terrible discovery. The missing ball of frozen Ebola couldn’t have been a coincidence. It was the same strain as each of the recent outbreaks across the country. Someone was using the virus, and whether intentionally or by accident, the deadly disease was infecting doctors and hospitals in disparate areas at disparate times.
That the missing sample from vial E39 was the mysterious reservoir for the Ebola outbreaks in the United States was the only explanation that answered the questions posed by the apparently long incubation periods and the fact that, though the virus tended to mutate, all of the outbreaks involved the same strain. Worse yet, someone did not want that information released. That was why she’d been taken off the Ebola team and why she had just been nearly killed. The realization that frightened her most was that only someone with maximum containment lab access-presumably someone on the CDC staff-could have found her there. She cursed herself for not having had the presence of mind to look in the log book as she signed out to see who’d signed in.
She had already turned down Ralph’s street, anxious to tell him her fears, when she realized that it wasn’t fair to involve him. She’d already taken advantage of Tad’s friendship, and by the next day, when he saw her name on the log, she would be a total pariah. Her one hope was that her two assailants would not report her presence in the lab, since they would then be implicated in the attempt on her life. Even so, she couldn’t count on their not devising a plausible lie about what had gone on. It would be their word against hers, and by tomorrow, her word wouldn’t mean much at the CDC. Of that she was sure. For all she knew the Atlanta police might be looking for her by morning.
Remembering her suitcase was still in the trunk of her car, Marissa headed for the nearest motel. As soon as she reached the room assigned her, she put in a call to Ralph. He answered sleepily on the fifth ring.
“I stayed up as long as I could,” he explained. “Why didn’t you come by?”
“It’s a long story,” said Marissa. “I can’t explain now, but I’m in serious trouble. I may even need a good criminal lawyer. Do you know of one?”
“Good God,” said Ralph, suddenly not sleepy. “I think you’d better tell me what’s going on.”
“I don’t want to drag you into it,” said Marissa. “All I can say is that the whole situation has become decidedly serious and, for the moment, I’m not ready to go to the authorities. I guess I’m a fugitive!” Marissa laughed hollowly.
“Why don’t you come over here?” said Ralph. “You’d be safe here.”
“Ralph, I’m serious about not wanting to involve you. But I do need a lawyer. Could you find me one?”
“Of course,” said Ralph. “I’ll help you any way I can. Where are you?”
“I’ll be in touch,” said Marissa evasively. “And thanks for being my friend.”
Marissa disconnected by pushing the button on top of the phone, trying to build up her courage to call Tad and apologize before he found out from someone else that she’d taken his access card. Taking a deep breath, she dialed. When there was no answer after several rings, she lost her nerve and decided not to wake him up.