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“But if you kill her, she’ll have to be the sacrifice,” Mike said evenly.
Alex could tell he was trying to placate Walker. Keep him calm.
“You can’t let that happen,” Walker said, his eyes wild. “We’re so close to the end.”
“Then let’s get on with it.”
“Wait a minute,” Alex said. She’d been trying to discern whom she should manipulate, and now she decided Walker was the better choice. He was psychotic and delusional, but if she appealed to his ego, he might be more willing to listen to her. His own sense of importance was driving him now. On the other hand, Mike was fueled by zeal and anger. A dangerous combination. He was more likely to respond with violence.
“What?” Walker said, his tone almost that of a petulant child. “No more delays. The world is waiting for me to fulfill the prophecy.”
“I can’t figure out how you intend to spread the virus to a third of the world,” Alex said quickly. “It’s impossible, you know. It will be contained before it gets out of hand. You’ll never be able to pull this off.”
Walker’s expression turned to one of superiority. He looked at Alex as if she were just too simple to understand his exceptional mental acuity.
“Don’t listen to her,” Mike said. “She’s trying to stall you.”
“Don’t be ridiculous,” Walker said. “She obviously came alone. If the police knew about this place, they’d be here already. Good thing they didn’t follow you after you took the virgin.”
Alex stared at Mike. “You kidnapped this girl? The police were looking for Walker. Not you. Not an FBI agent.”
“You’re right,” Walker said, cackling. “I located her, but Mike brought her here. We’ve fooled you all along the way.”
“But you killed the five victims, right?” she said to Walker.
“Yes,” he said. “I had to do it for the prophecy to come to pass.”
“And you have to kill this girl so you can release the virus. And the Circle supports this?” Alex asked. “They believe you’re the Destroyer?”
Walker’s face transformed to an image of uncontrolled rage. “They’re weak. They don’t want anything to do with the prophecy. They’re false!” He pointed at Mike. “That’s why we’re working together. We know the truth.”
Alex needed to calm him down again. She needed information in case backup came. Knowing Walker could be killed, she wanted to know where the virus was and what he had done already. “So explain it to me. How are you going to do this? There’s no way one sample can infect so many people. You would have to design an incredible plan to make this work.”
Walker smiled as he walked toward her. “You just don’t get it, do you? I’m the Train Man. The Destroyer. I’ve been chosen. The Master guides me with his strength and wisdom. I know what I’m doing. My friend in Ethiopia created a strain of the Zaire Ebola virus so powerful that it takes very little to infect one person. And it’s so contagious that one can spread it to a hundred.”
“Not everyone has a hundred friends,” Alex said. She tried to keep her tone level. She didn’t want to make Walker think she was making fun of him. That would really set him off.
“They don’t have to.” When Walker laughed, his high-pitched tone was almost feminine. “You see, this strain is airborne. All anyone has to do once they have it is ... breathe.”
“Ebola isn’t an airborne virus.”
“But this one is. After this last sacrifice, I intend to infect people in airports, train stations, even hospitals. My friend Mike has already proved that anyone can easily infiltrate a hospital. Once we infect patients, the nurses, doctors, everyone there will be contaminated too. And each time they treat a patient—”
Although she wanted to keep Walker talking, at the mention of hospitals, rage toward Mike flared inside her. “Why did you kill Nettie?” she spit out at him, unable to keep the anger out of her voice. But then she sat back almost in defeat. “My aunt too. You said she was your friend.”
“But she didn’t protect The Book. She showed it to Nettie. And then Nettie gave it to you.” He shrugged. “They both had to be punished.”
Although Alex accepted that Mike believed what he was saying, she realized his rage wasn’t for Willow and Nettie. It was for her. And not just because she’d left Wichita without telling him she was going. It was because he wanted to “be someone,” like he said. Alex had been promoted to the BAU. It was an honor to work for one of the FBI’s most elite divisions. But Mike had been belittled by someone at the FBI. Told he would never be promoted. Instead of blaming himself, he’d turned his fury toward Alex.
It was her fault. That explained his frenzy, his anger, when he killed Willow and tried to kill Nettie. It also explained why he’d written her name on the wall. Even though she was certain he didn’t know why he’d done it, she did. He’d written the name of the person he blamed for the murders he’d just committed. In Mike’s twisted mind, Alex was to blame for everything he did. The reason he was acting out.
Alex forced herself to turn her attention back to Walker. He was the one she feared the most. “You said something about doctors and nurses becoming infected. But when they become sick, won’t they stay away from patients?”
Walker stared at her as if she were pitifully stupid. “The virus has an incubation period. It can take two days before symptoms appear. Just think how many people can be affected in that time. And airline passengers take the virus to all different places and countries.” He shook his head. “I’m sure you can see the brilliance of my plan.”
Alex kept listening for any sound from upstairs that told her help had arrived. Nothing. Was she hoping for something that wasn’t going to happen? “How are you going to infect people?” she asked. “You can’t just walk up to someone and say, ‘Excuse me, may I inject you with a virus that may kill you?’”
“This is taking too long,” Mike snapped. “Come on. I’d like to get out of here someday.”
