Vector

Chapter 23

Wednesday, October 20

11:50 p.m.

“Do you think they’re gone?” Jack whispered.

“I think so,” Laurie whispered in reply. “I believe I heard an outside screen door slam over the sound of the fan ten minutes or so ago.”

Jack and Laurie were enveloped in utter darkness in the storeroom. When Yuri had gone upstairs he’d switched off the basement lights, which had also shut down the lights in the storeroom. For the entire time the People’s Aryan Army had been there, the two imprisoned medical examiners had stayed frozen in their respective spots, afraid even to breathe. In the strained silence both had been violently startled by the sudden sound of the gunshot. Up until then they’d heard bits and pieces of the conversation through the thin floorboards and its linoleum covering.

“I’m afraid our favorite Russian got shot,” Jack said in a more normal voice. He was still afraid to move or make much noise in case the People’s Aryan Army’s departure had been a ruse.

“I’m afraid so, too,” Laurie said. “I could tell he didn’t trust whoever it was who was coming to visit him.”

“I think it was the same men who’d come after me,” Jack said. “My apologies to Paul. This whole mess is a lot bigger than Paul’s being angry at me. I’m afraid I was guilty of jumping to conclusions.”

“Maybe so,” Laurie said. “But for the moment it doesn’t much matter. What are we going to do?”

“Try to get out, I guess,” Jack said. “But I don’t have a lot of confidence. Did you happen to notice the door? It’s three-quarter-inch plywood reinforced with steel.”

Laurie shuddered in the darkness. “I don’t like being shut in here like this. It reminds me of all the terrible things that happened in connection with that series of drug overdoses I had to handle back in 1992.”

“Come on, now!” Jack said. “I’m a bit claustrophobic myself, but this is nowhere near as bad as getting nailed into a coffin.”

“It’s a pretty close second,” Laurie said. “And do you smell that fermentation odor along with the bleach?”

“I do,” Jack said. “There must be a fermenter down here with a sizable, active culture of anthrax. Today when I walked around this house I saw a vent and heard a large circulating fan. I could kick myself for not guessing what it meant. I thought it was from a furnace, for crissake.”

“This setup is the product of someone who knew what he was doing,” Laurie said.

“Unfortunately, that’s true,” Jack said. “And that’s what makes this threat tomorrow so very real. Bioterrorism briefly went through my mind with the Papparis case until a plausible source became evident. Even then it bothered me, because it was so convenient. I could kick myself again for having been so complacent and not more suspicious.”

“You can’t fault yourself,” Laurie said. “After all, you did call the city epidemiologist. It was his job to do the follow-up.”

“That’s true, I guess,” Jack said without much enthusiasm. “It’s also true I called the director of the Mayor’s Office of Emergency Management, but it doesn’t make me feel much better.”

“What was his name?” Laurie asked. “He was the one who gave us the lecture on bioterrorism.”

“Stan Thornton,” Jack said.

“Right,” Laurie said. “That was a disturbing lecture.”

A short period of silence ensued. The two people felt confident enough to adjust their weight. They were both leaning against the concrete foundation wall and hadn’t moved a muscle since the PAA’s arrival.

“Oh, God!” Laurie exclaimed, breaking the lull. She shuddered again. “I can’t believe we’re having this relatively normal conversation locked in this dark, tiny dungeon knowing what’s going to happen tomorrow in the Jacob Javits Federal Building. I wish to hell I’d brought my phone in here with us.” Laurie had left her purse locked in the glove compartment of Warren’s car, believing that carrying it would have made her appear unprofessional.

“That would have simplified things,” Jack agreed. “But I think Yuri would have taken it away if you’d had it. He seemed to know what he was doing. I’ve got a tiny flashlight on my key chain. I’m going to turn it on.”

“Please do,” Laurie said.

The meager cone of light barely lit up a corner of the room. Laurie’s troubled face came into view. She was hugging herself as if to ward off the cold.

“Are you all right?” Jack asked now that he could see her anguish.

“I’m hanging in,” Laurie said.

Jack moved the small beam around the room. He stopped on the bottles of distilled water and moved them to a convenient location where they’d be able to find them easily later in the dark. “We might need these,” Jack said. “I don’t like to be pessimistic, but we could be in here for some time.”

“That’s a happy thought,” Laurie said. She laughed mirthlessly.

The light played against the door. Since the door opened out, the hinges were on the other side. Jack felt around the door frame.

“Do you think it is okay for us to make noise?” Jack asked.

“If the neighbors might hear, we should make as much noise as possible,” Laurie said.

“I was thinking about the People’s Aryan Army,” Jack said.

“I think they’re long gone,” Laurie said. “They got what they came here for, and they’re probably busy with tomorrow’s plans to assault lower Manhattan.”

“You’re probably right,” Jack said. “There certainly was no reason for them to be suspicious we were here.”

Using the heel of his hand Jack pounded the jamb around the door, probing for any sign of weakness. Unfortunately, it was all very solid. He put his shoulder to the door, backed up a pace, and then rammed it. He did it several times, each time upping the force with which he hit. The door didn’t budge.

“So much for the door,” he said. He turned the light to shine against the whitewashed concrete walls. He tapped them lightly with his knuckles in various locations, searching for evidence of deterioration. The walls were sound.

“I’m surprised this house has this kind of solid foundation,” Jack said. “Looking at it from outside, it appears so flimsy.”

“What about the ceiling?” Laurie asked.

Jack shined the light up between the joists. Almost immediately the tiny flashlight began to dim.

“Uh oh,” Jack said. “I’m afraid we’re about to be plunged back into darkness.”

No sooner had he said that than the light brightened for a moment and then rapidly dimmed again. A minute later it went out altogether.