know better.”
“Then what happened?”
“Paramedics took him to Ben Taub and that was it. Never heard another word out of him. After we dumped him at the hospital and filled out the paperwork, I went back out there and found his clothes and car ’bout a block from the school. I had the car impounded. That’s how we ID’d the perp. I got off about ten minutes later, gave the info to the next shift, and went home. Someone didn’t follow up with the paperwork so he was carried as a John Doe.”
When Shelby stood and shook Ramirez’s hand, he saw the bandage on the young patrolman’s right hand. Poor guy. “Thank you, Ramirez, I’m sure everything is okay. What little I know about this sort of thing is that it’s almost impossible to pass HIV through biting.”
When the door closed behind Ramirez it was quiet again, and the emotions of the last twenty-four hours flooded through Shelby’s body. Coupled with the flu and exhaustion, there was now an overriding sense of foreboding. When the phone rang, he stared at it through the fourth ring and was almost afraid to answer. It was the assistant chief and the news wasn’t good.
“Captain, the media is on this virus thing like ducks on a June bug. Get over to the Ben Taub. The hospital’s going to hold a press conference at six p.m. and I want you there.”
Shelby felt a chill settle around him as he filled in the assistant chief on what he suspected and about the call he had received on his car phone.
“You’d better choose your words carefully, Captain. Don’t give them anything you don’t have to. From what you’re telling me, I think we’re in a position where you and Ms. Kendrick could be in real danger. Let’s go ahead and tell the press we’ve had contact from a man who claims to be responsible for these acts of violence and that he said it’s being done for revenge. Word it any way you think will satisfy him. I’m not sure I want to answer the phone again.”
When Shelby stepped out the rear door of the department’s main building, the sky was turning a brilliant orange in the western sky. He looked at his watch. Five-thirty. He thought he’d drive to the hospital, do the news conference, fill Kendrick in, and then get a burger and go home to bed. For the first time in maybe ever, he would let the answering machine screen his calls.
Traffic was horrible. By the time he made the few blocks to Ben Taub, it was 6:00 p.m. and the press conference was underway.
“As of now, we’re looking at an unknown virus,” Salinas was saying. “We don’t know how it’s transmitted and we don’t have a prognosis as to its outcome. Not yet. At this time, we don’t feel there is anything for the general public to worry about. We do know that four of the men worked at the Johnson Space Center and tomorrow, Ms. Kendrick from the National Disease Control Agency in Atlanta, Audi Duke, who is with NASA, and Captain Shelby of the Houston Police Department will begin an investigation to determine any health risks at the Space Center. I see the captain has just arrived, so I’ll turn the meeting over to him at this time.”
Shelby suddenly felt very uncomfortable, though he had often faced TV cameras and reporters. Maybe it was the surroundings, a hospital rather than the usual dingy back alley where most of his interviews took place. Or maybe it was because he was so unsure of what this case would bring. Perhaps it was knowing that his own life was on the line. Whatever it was, he shuddered as he walked to the podium.
There were several people standing behind Dr. Salinas, who stepped back into the group to make room for Shelby at the row of microphones. Kendrick was standing near the back next to a tall man with stylishly long, graying hair. The man’s dark eyes were intent and he had a lean, hard look about him. All business, must be Duke. The man’s gray mustache made him look surly.
Kendrick had changed into a conservative dark blue suit, but still looked as if she could be on the cover of a fashion magazine. She smiled at him as he stepped in front of the cameras and he knew her life was on the line, just like his. There seemed no way out of this trap. Shelby realized that if Michelangelo could strike over a telephone, he could reach anyone, anytime, and there wasn’t a thing he could do to prevent it.
“Ladies and gentlemen, I’ll make a brief statement, but I won’t answer any questions at this time,” Shelby said. “As I’m sure Dr. Salinas has already told you, we now have six white males who have been struck with some unusual virus. I cannot tell you anything about the medical facts or implications. I’ll have to leave that up to the doctors. However, I can tell you we are reasonably sure this disease is being intentionally transmitted.”
Shelby paused and waited for what he had just said to register. There was a stir, both from the group of people in front of him as well as the medical people behind him. I wish I’d had time to brief Salinas and Kendrick before the whole world finds out, he thought.
“Today, the Houston Police Department received a call from a man who has claimed responsibility for the transmission of this virus to these six victims. He said that he infected them in revenge for their actions. He did not elaborate. At this time we have classified these cases as attempted murder and will proceed accordingly. I have nothing further to say at this time, but you will be informed if there are any other developments.” Sure, when cows fly.
Shelby stepped away from the podium as a hundred questions were asked at once. He ignored the questions and the flashing strobes and turned to Dr. Salinas. “I’m sorry I didn’t have time to fill you in before all this. Can we find a room where we can have some privacy? Ms. Kendrick, will you and Mr. Duke please join us?”
Followed by Salinas, Kendrick, and Duke, Shelby pushed his way through the shouting, shoving mass of reporters. When the door slammed behind them, the roar of excitement dulled and, after a few steps down the hospital hall, the noise disappeared.
“Here, this way,” Salinas said. “We can use the physicians’ lounge.” He moved into the lead and the two men and Dr. Kendrick fell in behind him. They were silent and somber as they scurried to keep up with the fast-stepping doctor. Salinas stopped in front of a door and quickly pushed it open, then motioned for the trio to enter. He looked grim as he held the door for them. Kendrick was first, followed by Shelby, then Duke.
“Let’s sit over here,” Salinas said as he motioned to a table near the back of the room. Three other people in the room, a man and two women, dressed in lab coats each with a stethoscope hanging out of one of the pockets, looked up when they entered.
“Coffee?” Salinas pointed to a coffee machine in the corner. Shelby shook his head and had just sat when he heard Salinas’s pager beep. The doctor excused himself quickly and went to a phone mounted on the back wall. No one said a word, waiting for Salinas to return.
“Shelby, it’s for you,” Salinas announced.
Chapter 5
Shelby’s heart almost jumped out of his chest when Salinas said the call was for him. His hands started to perspire and a horrible sense of doom rattled his body. He prayed it wasn’t Michelangelo. It took all the willpower he could muster to walk over and pick up the receiver that hung like a death noose. He was sure everyone in the room was staring at him, but when he glanced around they were all listening to Dr. Salinas, who was saying something about an EMI by the neurophysiology department to check for brain stem-evoked response.
The phone receiver felt cold in Shelby’s hand. Slowly, he lifted it to his ear. He held his breath. “Shelby,” he said.
“Captain, I just saw the news conference and you did well,” the voice said. Shelby sagged with relief
