Deadly intentions, p.25
Deadly Intentions, page 25
“You’re crazy. You both are.”
“I don’t think so.” Caitlyn had opened up a briefcase that had been sitting on the desk and pulled out four passports and an itinerary. “This is interesting. Looks like someone’s headed to San Juan on the 11:45 flight out of IAH.”
“Just a vacation with my family.”
“And a separate ticket for Ms. Jennings to Las Vegas at eleven.”
“She has a sister there.”
Caitlyn glanced at the bathroom door. “Your timing is what is particularly interesting, considering there’s a planned attack for tonight. It’s risky, but we’ve heard you have your eyes on the DA’s job, so you’re probably not planning to disappear. Just staying out of harm’s way in case things go wrong, I’m guessing.”
“Nothing you’re saying is true. Just tell me what you want and let us go. If it’s money—”
“I’m not interested in your money,” Josh said. “We need to know who’s involved in the scheme and who you sold the virus to.”
“I’ve already told you I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“Problem is . . .” Josh leaned forward. “I don’t believe you.”
“You don’t have anything on me. You’re a fugitive who killed his wife. Do you really think they’re going to listen to you after everything you’ve done? And now you can add kidnapping the assistant DA to your list of crimes.”
“Actually, I do think they will listen once we’re done here.” Caitlyn dropped a photo of Hayward and Shawn Stover she’d pulled from her bag on the end table beside him. “I’m sure you recognize Stover. He’s an opportunist, connecting buyers and sellers of black-market items.” She dropped another photo onto the table. “This is Toni Salazar. She was a reporter looking into your connection with Stover. She died in a hit-and-run before she could finish her investigation. And these . . . are Olivia Solomon, Dr. Walter Abbott, and Helen Fletcher.” She pulled out three more photos. “All dead because they discovered what you were doing. We can connect them all to you.”
He tried to laugh away her words, but fear registered in his eyes. “You’re crazy!”
“Am I? We’re waiting for new autopsy results, but I just received confirmation from his wife that someone switched Dr. Abbott’s medication, upping his potassium levels and causing irregular heart rhythms that have been connected with sudden death. As for Helen Fletcher—”
“Stop.” Hayward shook his head. “Like I said . . . You’re crazy. Because if you had real evidence you would have gone straight to the authorities. Instead you’re here trying—futilely, I might add—to get information out of me. Which tells me that you’re bluffing. So you really should forget whatever game it is that you’re playing, because I have nothing to say to you. But I can promise that my office will have plenty to say. As soon as you’re done here, I’ll be requesting warrants for your arrest that will send both of you to prison for the rest of your lives.”
“In case you’ve forgotten, I don’t exactly have anything to lose.” Josh stood up. “I’ve already been arrested for the murder of my wife and partner. Threatening the assistant DA with blackmail in his hotel room is nothing.”
“I hope you mean that, because you will pay.”
Josh took a step back in frustration. Hayward was scared. That was obvious, but he was right about one thing. They wouldn’t be here if they had the evidence they needed to go to the authorities. And they only had one card left.
“I do have something else to show you.” Caitlyn pulled a vial and syringe out of her bag and held them up. “Do you know what these are?”
Hayward shrugged. “Should I?”
“I work at MedTECH, where most of our work involves creating vaccines. Typically, what we work with isn’t dangerous, but there is always a very small chance for the genetic makeup of a virus to create a lethal one. And if that were to happen, you have the potential—with someone who knows what they are doing—for it to be weaponized. Now normally, if something like this were to happen, there are ethical boundaries we stand by. Except in this case, someone got greedy and decided to try and make a profit for themselves. Which is why we’re in this situation.”
“Interesting story, but how many times do I have to tell you that this has nothing to do with me?”
Caitlyn put the vial and syringe on the table beside him. “Then I’m guessing you really don’t know what this is.”
Hayward squirmed in his chair. “Why would I?”
“And I guess you don’t know this man I work with. His name is Jarred Carmichael. He’s one of those unethical employees who thought it might be advantageous to squirrel away a little nest egg of his own. I paid his wife a visit earlier today and found this in the refrigerator at his house. He must have pulled aside a few of the vials for a second buyer. Not a bad idea, considering how much they’re worth.”
“I still don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“Then let me explain. I’m not sure how much you know about this, but vaccines work on the premise of both keeping an individual from getting sick as well as stopping it from transferring to someone else. So you can imagine the problem we’d have if a vaccine not only produced a more dangerous strain of a virus but was also able to spread that virus.”
“Why are you telling me this?”
“Take for example, a disease like pneumonic plague or maybe smallpox,” she said, ignoring his question. “Pneumonic plague causes the infection to spread to the lungs through the bloodstream. That in turn causes a secondary issue. And here’s the problem with that. While the bubonic plague can surprisingly be treated with our basic antibiotics, pneumonic plague is different. Not only does it develop rapidly, the fatality rate is quite high. And it’s not a pleasant way to die. Especially when sepsis sets in. There will be organ failure, respiratory distress, hemorrhaging, and then death. Now can you imagine what would happen if something like this was created in a lab, not to stop the disease from spreading, but to cause it to spread?”
She picked up the plane tickets and dropped them onto the bed next to him. “It seems to me as if you believe you could leave the country for a week and walk away unaffected. The problem is, when you let something like this loose, you can’t pick and choose your victims. It will continue to spread rapidly without an antidote for days, maybe weeks. That means that the odds of you or your wife, your mistress, or your children getting it when you return are pretty high.”
“You’re bluffing and you’re crazy.”
“Am I?” She took the protective cap off the vial, pulled out the syringe, and shoved the needle through the rubber top before moving in front of Hayward.
“What are you doing?” he asked.
“Jarred Carmichael found a way to make this into a weapon, which would mean a death sentence to thousands of innocent people. And since you’re so certain that I’m bluffing, I say we try it out on you and see what happens.”
“Wait.” Hayward turned to Josh. “Stop her. Please.”
Josh stepped forward. “Who are you working with, and where are the rest of the vials?”
“I don’t know.”
Caitlyn drew up the dose with the plunger, then pulled it out and checked for bubbles.
“What are they planning to do with it, Hayward?” Josh asked.
“You’re too late. They’re gone.”
“Then who was your buyer?”
Hayward tried to pull away, but couldn’t. “Don’t . . . please don’t . . .”
Caitlyn swabbed his arm and injected the needle, her thumb hovering over the plunger. “I wouldn’t move if I were you. My finger might slip and accidently inject our little vaccine sample.”
“Tell me who it is.”
Hayward winced, and his hands shook in his lap, but he refused to answer.
“In case you hadn’t thought of it,” Josh said, “you and your family will be missing your flight tonight. If this virus gets out—”
Hayward was sweating bullets. “His name is Angelo Braddock.”
“Who else is involved?”
“Carmichael was our genius in the lab . . . Stover found us our buyer. He tried to get your wife involved, but she refused.”
“And so you killed her.” Josh frowned. “What about the precinct? Who was your inside person there?”
“No one. I put the pressure on the captain and fed him the evidence we planted.”
“If you’re lying—”
“I’m not.”
“Where can we find Braddock?” Josh asked.
“He didn’t exactly tell me his plans—”
“Hayward . . .” Josh glanced at Caitlyn. “All I have to do is say the word and you won’t need to worry about the virus getting out, because you’ll have it—”
“No! There’s a party being held at the Egyptian Consulate tonight. They’re planning to release the virus there as a test, but honestly, I don’t know any details.”
Caitlyn pulled out the needle without injecting the harmless saline.
Josh clicked on his earbud. “You’re up, Eddie. It’s time to turn ourselves in.”
33
Caitlyn stepped out of the taxi in front of the police station, her legs feeling as if they were about to collapse. After her stint in juvenile detention as a teen, she’d never gotten in trouble again with the law. And now she was about to turn herself in to the authorities as a wanted fugitive. If things didn’t go their way, she’d end up spending years in prison.
Josh took her hand as they walked up the sidewalk toward the precinct, giving her a slight measure of comfort, but it wasn’t enough. When she was twelve, she’d asked her mother if one day she was going to end up like her father, certain she carried in her blood the same demons he battled with every day. Her mother had pulled her into her arms and told her to never, ever believe those lies.
But now here she was, facing prison just like he had.
She shoved the taunting thoughts aside. Josh had copies of everything they’d discovered, but she still wasn’t sure if it was going to be enough to put an end to all of this and prove that they were innocent. Or make up for what they’d done trying to prove that innocence. All she knew to do was pray that the light would shine through the darkness and the truth would be revealed.
“You need to know what’s going to happen once we step inside.” Josh paused in front of the precinct’s front door. “We’ll be surrounded by armed officers, all of whom have been ordered to arrest us. Do exactly what they say. We’ll get a chance to explain our side, but in the meantime they will treat us like criminals.”
She swallowed hard, then nodded. She’d watched enough cop shows on TV to give her an idea of what was about to happen. Something that did nothing to reassure her. Instead, the thought that she was about to be arrested made her want to throw up. But they were out of options and to keep running would only make things worse.
They walked across the shiny tiled floor toward the main desk. The half-dozen people sitting on benches ignored them, caught up in conversations or their cell phones.
Josh stopped in front of reception and tapped on the glass. “Mary . . .”
Recognition fluttered in the woman’s eyes and her face paled. “Detective Solomon, I—”
“I need to speak to the captain.” Josh held up his arms while still holding the file. “I’m here to turn myself in.”
The receptionist grabbed her phone and called someone. Ten seconds later, doors on either side of them slammed open, and they were surrounded by six or seven uniformed officers, all pointing weapons at them.
One of the officers stepped forward and took charge. “Drop the file, Solomon. Both of you, put your hands behind your head and lock your fingers. Now!”
Caitlyn followed their instructions, her heart pounding as she fought back the tears. All she’d wanted to do was find out the truth, and this is where it got her.
God, I need you to put an end to this . . . please . . .
“We’re here to turn ourselves in, and we will cooperate.” Josh dropped the file on the floor. “But I have information that the captain needs to see immediately. We have evidence that a bioterrorism attack is imminent at the Egyptian Consulate. You can do what you want to me, but you need to look at what we’ve got. It will tell you exactly what’s going on.”
The sergeant grabbed the file from his hand, then took a step back. “On the ground. Both of you. Now.”
Josh fell to his knees, then lay down prone on the ground beside Caitlyn.
“I need you to call the captain,” Josh repeated.
Another man walked into the room. “What’s going on?”
“Captain . . . Detective Solomon’s just turned himself in.”
Josh hesitated, then looked up from the floor. “I have information on a bioterrorism attack tonight—”
The sergeant stepped up next to him. “Shut up and don’t move.”
Cold tile pressed against her cheek. Tears welled in her eyes, and she struggled to breathe. Josh put his head back down. What were they supposed to do if no one would listen to them?
“Let him speak,” the captain said.
“There’s a virus with the potential of killing thousands about to be let loose,” Josh said, still keeping his head down. “We have hard evidence, plus a recording of a confession from ADA Nigel Hayward that he and others were involved in both the selling of the virus and framing me for my wife’s murder. But right now, there is an attack planned for tonight at the Egyptian Consulate. It needs to be stopped.”
The sergeant moved next to the captain. “Solomon’s a wanted man, sir, who just escaped from prison. I don’t think you need to be listening to him.”
“That’s my call, Sergeant, not yours. Give me the file and the recording.” He turned back to Josh. “You mentioned a bioterrorism attack.”
“According to Hayward, it’s going to be at the Egyptian Consulate. Tonight.”
“Explain.”
“A lot of vaccines use viruses to transport genes into the body, then those genes are able to alter the immune system’s response and eliminate whatever disease the vaccine is targeting. In this case, though, the virus created turns lethal when introduced into the body. And if let loose, this lethal virus will spread like the common cold.”
The captain dropped his hands to his sides. “Who’s the buyer?”
“Angelo Braddock.”
The captain frowned. “He’s on the FBI’s most wanted list.”
“Yes, sir, I believe he is.”
“Take them to separate interrogation rooms.” The captain headed out of the lobby. “Sergeant, you’re with me.”
“Yes, sir.”
Someone pulled her up off the ground. She groaned at the sharp stab of pain that shot through her shoulder and down her arm, but she bit her lip instead of crying out. She’d do what they said. She was innocent, and surely that was going to be enough in the end for the truth to come out.
It had to be enough.
Caitlyn stared at a long scratch on the metal table in front of her. She had no idea where Josh was or how much time had passed since an officer had brought her here. Had no idea if the captain planned to take what they’d said seriously. What she did know was that every minute that passed was another minute closer to someone letting the virus loose. They’d done everything they could to stop what Braddock was planning, but unless the captain believed them, it wasn’t going to be enough.
Numbness spread through her as her mind switched to Josh. He’d gone through so much both emotionally and physically. Seeing his partner’s murdered body. Taking the brunt of a prison beating. And now this—the frightening realization that everything they’d worked to fix might be coming unraveled.
She gnawed on the inside of her lip. For a moment she was fourteen again, sitting in the driver’s seat, terrified she was going to prison for her father’s crimes. Today had become a reminder of just how much there was to lose when you cared about someone. Why she’d learned at a young age how to close her heart so it didn’t hurt as much when it was broken.
Which was exactly what was going to happen if she let Josh in. The men in her life always left. She had no desire to repeat the cycle. A cycle that always left her with a broken heart. His kiss might have left her off-balance, but she’d meant it when she’d told him things wouldn’t work between them. He’d gotten emotionally caught up in the situation, something she couldn’t afford. Not if she wanted to keep her heart intact.
She shifted in the chair, her entire body aching from exhaustion. No. She couldn’t think about Josh right now. Just like she couldn’t give in to the fatigue or the fear. This wasn’t over. Not yet.
The door to the interrogation room swung open, and an officer stepped into the room with a badge and gun on his hip, startling her awake. “Get up. I’ve been ordered to transport you to a holding cell at the county jail.”
She glanced at the door, fear washing over her again. “Wait a minute . . . Why?”
“I’m just following orders.”
“I want to speak to the captain first. Where is he?”
“The captain’s not available.” He cuffed her, then led her out of the room, toward the elevator.
“I want to see the captain before I go. I need to make sure he understands—”
“Do you know how many people come in here with stories of why they shouldn’t be in jail? You’re not exactly in a position to make requests.”
She felt her heart pounding in her chest as they stepped into the elevator. The doors closed. She was starting to panic. Struggling to breathe. “Then I want to see a lawyer. I have the right to an attorney before you take me anywhere.”
He shook his head. “I’m just doing what I’m told.”
“I want to see a lawyer,” she repeated.
He stopped the elevator midfloor and pushed her shoulder against the wall. “Here’s the deal. You’re going to shut up and do as you’re told. If you scream or do anything to try and get attention, I won’t hesitate to shoot you. All I’ll have to do is tell them you tried to escape my custody and I had to shoot to stop you. And trust me, they’ll believe me. Do you understand?”
