A Heartbeat Away

CHAPTER 46

“Rhodes, can you hear me?”

“Loud and clear. Listen, Angie’s been hurt. Genesis somehow followed her to New York, and tried to kill her. I haven’t called the hospital where she is because I really don’t trust that this line is secure. It doesn’t seem like anything is down here. I want you to have the FBI find out where she is and send some people to watch out for her. I’m not giving you the details, but send some men over to the Riverside Nursing Home. They’ll know where she is and what name she’s been admitted under. But do it quick. And make sure she has the best doctors.”

“What in the hell is she doing in New York?”

“I’ll tell you soon. I don’t have time for this right now.”

“Okay, I’ll call you back.”

Twenty minutes later, the video conference was renewed.

“We’ve got her,” Allaire said. “She’s in the ICU. Subdural hematoma—that’s bleeding between the skull and the brain. I have people on the way over there now.”

“Surgery?”

“I don’t think yet. Some subdurals don’t ever require it. She’s in a good hospital for trauma, but I’ll get a neurosurgeon over there right away.”

“Thank you, sir. I really appreciate that. So, what’s going on there?”

“The situation is getting worse here by the minute,” Allaire said. “What have you got for us?”

“Unfortunately, I still have lots of questions and few answers. But we’re working around the clock.”

The high-definition video transmission put Allaire’s raddled appearance in sharp focus. Dark stubble on his characteristically clean-shaven face made his ashen complexion and gaunt expression all the more disconcerting. Griff’s own image, as it was shown to him in a small square at the screen’s top left corner, looked no less bleak than Allaire’s.

“What’s your status?” the president asked.

“As of this moment, Angie’s made more progress than I have—or you, for that matter.”

“What do you mean?”

“She figured out that Sylvia Chen might be in New York, and she was right. Only Genesis must have somehow picked up on where she was going. Don’t ask me how they knew. They seem to know everything. They sent a man after Angie and tried to kill her.”

“What about Chen? Did Angie actually find her?”

Griff nodded.

“I believe so, but she’s dead. I have no details yet as to how or when. The guy Genesis sent is dead, too. It seems as if Angie managed to take him down before she lost consciousness.”

“We need to ID that body ASAP.”

“I assume the New York police have it.”

“I’ll alert the FBI right away. It might be the break we’ve been looking for to figure out who’s behind all this. She was supposed to be there in Kansas, watching you. Why couldn’t you have let me get the FBI on this?”

Griff could feel himself beginning to boil.

“Dr. Allaire,” he said, with forced control, “Angela Fletcher risked her life for you and the others in the Capitol. She just accomplished in a couple of days what all those FBI agents couldn’t do in a year. Let’s leave it at that. I just want to make sure that she’s protected.”

Allaire calmed himself with a deep breath, but his eyes flashed.

“Of course,” he said.

“Remember what Genesis has accomplished so far. It’s like they’re everywhere.”

Allaire sighed audibly.

“The FBI will be at Ms. Fletcher’s hospital room within the hour.”

“And, I want—”

“Enough, Rhodes! How are you progressing with your work?”

Griff brushed a knot of matted hair from his forehead. He tensed as he readied himself to break the news.

“I’m afraid at this moment I’m not much closer to a solution than I was before my arrest. This virus is from hell. Maybe we should rename it Genesis because it’s always a step ahead of us.”

With Griff’s weak attempt at levity, Allaire snapped.

His pallid complexion turned crimson in a blink. His mouth contorted, teeth bared. Glaring at the camera, he snatched up a glass of water from the Hard Room’s conference table. Griff watched with growing astonishment as the man with his finger on the nuclear trigger cocked his arm back, and then sent the glass shattering against a wall.

“You cannot fail!” Allaire screamed, his face a foot from the camera. “Do you hear me, Rhodes? Do you frigging understand me. I can put you back in prison right now. Right goddamn now! I’ll get someone else down there. Someone who has a clue. Give me some promise, some positive results, or I’ll destroy you. Do you understand me?”

His body was shaking, his eyes wild with rage.

“Sir!” Griff pleaded. “Please! Calm down. You need to calm yourself.”

Gary Salitas stepped in front of the camera, and Griff watched him place his hands on Allaire’s shoulders. The president grabbed his defense secretary by one wrist and rotated it until the man cried out in pain and released his hold.

Bethany Townsend suddenly burst into view, followed by a pair of Secret Service agents. With the camera angle and all the commotion it was impossible for Griff to follow the action. When the bodies cleared, Townsend was leaning over the conference table looking directly into the camera. The slightly built physician was breathless and flushed.

“Dr. Rhodes, we are going to have to reschedule this call,” she said. “The president is in no condition at the moment to continue. Secretary Salitas and I will see to it that Ms. Fletcher is looked after.”

“Wait! Wait!” Griff heard Allaire shout from off camera.

Moments later, the president returned to his seat. Townsend hovered close by, as did the agents. Allaire was still hyperventilating, but quickly his breathing slowed and his color became more sanguine. He straightened his tie, and used his hands as a comb—small gestures, but enough to restore some of his lost demeanor.

“Rhodes, I’m terrified my outburst is just the virus at work,” he said in a panicky, whispered voice. “It’s happening in small pockets in both A and B Groups. Irritability beyond what should be expected under the circumstances. Uncontrolled outbursts. Arguments. Even fistfights.”

“Sir, can you please hold your palms up to the camera?”

Griff breathed a relieved sigh when he saw they were unremarkable.

“We’re running out of time, Rhodes,” Allaire continued. “It’s getting worse. But I don’t have to tell you that, do I.”