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At least our secret was safe. Though it also meant we were on our own to find a cure. “Did you test the Paxibiotic?” I asked. “Was it poisoned?”
“It was untainted.” The lines in his face seemed to deepen. “But he was, indeed, murdered.”
“By Saberton,” Pierce said. “Why?”
“I don’t know for certain, but it is well within Saberton’s methodology to kill for no reason other than to give themselves an advantage. My guess is they acquired the samples they needed, then killed Connor so I would not have access to a live patient.”
Pierce scowled. “Why do they care? What’s their game?”
“Exploitation is ever their underlying motivator. I wish I knew more.”
“If it wasn’t the antibiotic, what killed him?” I asked.
“The earwax sample contained an extremely high concentration of”—Dr. Nikas rattled off a long chemical name—“which is the primary ingredient in Saberton’s zombie tranquilizer. The compound had been encased in a wax with a melting point close to body temperature. This delayed the toxin’s delivery long enough for the murderer to be clear of the scene—and coincidentally corresponded to the administration of the Paxibiotic. I suspect what the nurse interpreted as taking an earwax sample was, in truth, the insertion of the tranq capsule into the ear canal, where it would not likely be noted on autopsy. Further testing revealed that, while the tranq merely slows the healthy zombie parasite, this particular compound is fatal to Eugene . . . and host.”
Silence fell as we digested the ugly news.
“How did Saberton know about Connor?” I finally asked. “Allen said the morgue isn’t bugged, but they were at the ER not even twenty minutes after we called for the ambulance.”
“We swept the entire Coroner’s Office building and vehicles thoroughly,” Brian put in. “I don’t know of any surveillance devices that could avoid detection by our equipment.”
“Perhaps the phones are tapped?” Shideh asked, voice a gravelly alto.
“Calls to and from the lab are encrypted and secured,” Pierce said. “Angel’s phone has been checked, and neither Ari nor I have sensed a mole among our people.”
Marcus tugged a hand through his hair. “We’re missing something.”
“Maybe we need to have a chat with Kristi Charish,” I said, lip curling on her name. “Baldy must be working for her.”
Pierce pressed a button on the remote, and my cell phone picture of the health department doctor and Baldy appeared on the wall screen. “We haven’t confirmed Dr. Garrison’s ties to Saberton, or determined whether she was coerced into assisting them. But Angel was right about her assistant. He’s Harlon Murtaugh, the Saberton operative from the boat incident. But even with that connection, I’m not convinced Kristi is pulling the strings.”
“We monitor her every movement,” Brian said and pulled up the message app on his phone. “This morning Kristi woke at 5:40 and went to the 6 a.m. yoga class in the studio at the end of her block. She returned home at 7:10, had a cup of coffee, showered, had another cup of coffee, and ate a boiled egg and half a grapefruit. At 7:45 she called for her car, and she arrived at her office at 7:58.”
I slouched in my chair. “Okay, I get it. She’s probably not being a horrible psychopath in this situation.”
“Actually, that brings me to my next point.” Pierce leaned back in his chair and laced his fingers across his stomach. “Kristi Charish is a brilliant scientist who has considerable research experience with our unique condition.” His mouth tightened into a smirk. “But, as we know, she would love nothing more than to fuck over all zombies and see to it that we become her test subjects. It’s only a matter of time before she takes radical action against us, especially if she finds a way to weaponize the mutated para—Eugene. Personally, I’d rather not wait for the axe to fall.”
“You want to take her out?” Brian asked.
“No. I want to turn her into a zombie. Make her work for us.”
Kyle tensed beside me.
I stared at Pierce in undisguised horror. “Are you fucking kidding?”
His gaze snapped to me. “I’m not fucking kidding. She is a potential asset and an existing threat. We remove her from Saberton and cut them off at the knees.”
“But turning her? No,” I said with heat. “That’s wrong.”
I swung around to look at the others. Kyle sat with hands clenched and expression dark. Brian was as unreadable as always, while Shideh could have given him lessons in “inscrutable.” Marcus looked tense and unhappy, but then again, he looked like that a lot lately. Dr. Nikas sat with his head bowed so I couldn’t see his face. Was he relieved that he might be able to work with Kristi again? He’d certainly been frustrated by his lack of progress while working alone.
I dragged my attention back to Pierce, the smug asshole. “There’s no guarantee that Kristi would help us under duress. She’s Kristi Fucking Charish! She’s killed, kidnapped, mutilated, and tortured for her own twisted purposes. If you bring her into our midst, she’ll find a way to take us down from the inside.”
“Your opinion is duly noted, Angel,” Pierce said with a mocking incline of his head. “Not that you have a vote in this matter.”
“However, I do.” Dr. Nikas lifted his head, face pale and eyes haunted. “It is but one vote of those gathered here, but I cannot support such an abhorrent and deeply offensive plan.”
Kyle stood, expression hard. “Another voice of dissent here.” His gaze bored into Pierce. “Not that my dissent mattered to you when you ordered me turned, but at least we had a common enemy in Saberton. I had a reason to work with you after I was . . . saved.” He spat the word.
