The Deadliest Strain

Chapter Forty-Nine

Federal agents, local police, representatives from practically every health-related branch of government swarmed the buildings and grounds of Reynolds Pharmaceuticals. David Link's suspicions were confirmed. Out of sixteen individual cases that were reported and the victims who'd already been autopsied, all had had strep throat, and a piece of the Strep-Tester — be it the outer paper or the tester itself — was found in all but one case.

Bill and Ned Reynolds were already going back and forth between the facilities. The packaging phase was identified as a probable source of the problem. Agents were focusing on a possible heat-induced chemical reaction between the clear plastic strip and the tester ingredients.

The important thing was that the shipment of the ten thousand testers had been halted, and an emergency announcement had been made regarding the initial five hundred.

At noon on Monday, however, 273 of them were still unaccounted for.