Page 34 of Devil
“Okay,” Six drew out. “Don’t think you’re going to get away with not telling me all about Darius, but I’ll allow you to put that aside for now. And what the fuck? Smallpox?”
Walking upstairs to her bedroom, Devil relayed what she’d told Cyn. When she got to her closet, she toed off her shoes, then lay down on her bed. It was only midafternoon, but she and Darius had been up much of the night.
“So, nice. Interesting,” Six mulled when Devil had finished. “I’ll be honest, I’ve never been involved in a bioterrorism situation before. Drugs, sure. Espionage, more times than I can count. Weapons sales, terrorism, you name it. But not specifically bioterrorism. I feel like this might round out my career.”
Devil couldn’t help it, she laughed. “I’m so glad I could help. Now, do you have any updates on Sonia and Nadia? I know they didn’t do much yesterday, but what about today?”
“They drove down to New York today. Left midmorning. Cyn did some digging, and it appears they are going to a matinee on Broadway and staying the night.”
“All normal things empty nesters might do,” Devil murmured. For the life of her, she couldn’t figure out what role they played in whatever was going on. Then again, she could say the same thing about the Lam sisters. But theywereinvolved. All of them.
“What about Tina and Amy?” she asked.
“Having Sunday brunch with their parents,” Six answered.
“Hold on.” Devil’s phone beeped and she looked at the screen. “Cyn’s calling, I’ll join us.”
“I might as well bring Nora in, too,” Six said, and less than a minute later, they were all on the line.
Once Nora was up to date, Cyn jumped in. “The doctor didn’t order the smallpox test.”
The news didn’t surprise Devil; ordering a smallpox test would raise more than a few eyebrows. It was also possible her friend wouldn’t have been able to perform it even if he’d wanted to. The virus had been eradicated for decades; the hospital might not have the right resources to run the test.
“I’ll call him tomorrow and see if he and I can work something out,” Devil said. Although as she spoke, she realized she should probably call him now. She wasn’t sure how long they were planning to keep Gerard Pritchard, and she didn’t want to miss the opportunity.
“Also, Henry Goldstein had his personal physician visit him at home today,” Cyn said.
That got Devil’s heart beating. “He was sitting right next to Gerard. What about his wife, and are they okay?”
“Because it was a private visit and the doctor hasn’t entered her notes into any system yet, I don’t know. But both Henry and Jane are home and watching Netflix, so if they are under the weather, it’s probably not too serious.”
“You said Henry Goldstein sat on one side of Pritchard. Who sat on the other side?” Nora asked.
Devil had to think about that. The tables were ten-tops and she hadn’t spent any time talking to the man on the other side of Pritchard. “He was a pharma guy,” she said, recalling the conversation he’d had with Pritchard about vaccines and antiviral treatments. “Joe or maybe John something?”
“Joe Merrick?” Nora asked.
“Yes, that’s him. Receding hairline, big smile?” Devil confirmed.
“That’s him,” Nora said. “He is a pharma guy. But he has companies that work on both human and animal drugs, which is how I know him.”
“I’ll check into him,” Cyn said, and the clacking of her computer keys picked up.
“What are your plans for the rest of the day, and do you need any help with anything?” Nora asked and offered.
“I’ll tell you what she’s not going to be doing and that’s Darius, since he’s not with her,” Cyn muttered.
“Focus, Cyn,” Devil retorted. “Potential biothreat in the area.”
“I’m an exceptional multitasker, so shut up,” she shot back.
“I’m going to work out—” Devil started.
“Which you could do with Darius,” Cyn interjected.
“Oh my god, stop, Cyn!” Devil said, stunning her friends into silence. She was not a woman who was prone to outbursts, but Cyn had driven her there.
No one spoke for several seconds, then Cyn cleared her throat. “I’m sorry,” she said. “I just want you to be happy, and I think he could help with that. But I was out of line. I know this isn’t easy for you, and I shouldn’t have pushed.”
