“What’s happening?” asked Harper.
“Come here,” replied Becker. “This is a news feed from LA.”
A local Las Vegas station was simulcasting breaking news from KTLA, Channel 5, in Los Angeles. The chyron indicated they were interviewing LA County Department of Public Health director Dr. Barbara Chandler.
“Dr. Chandler, what can you tell us about this patient?” asked the reporter, who was out of the camera’s view.
“The person who died was a woman, aged sixty-seven, who had recently traveled extensively throughout Asia. Passport records indicate she’d visited Kathmandu, Nepal; Hong Kong; and Taipei before returning to Los Angeles.”
The reporter interrupted her. “Are you able to release her name? Is she an American?”
“Her identity is being withheld pending notification of family. I can confirm she is an American.”
“Do you believe this case is related to the mysterious disease outbreak in Las Vegas in recent days?”
Dr. Chandler shook her head and then shrugged. “It’s way too early to make that determination. For one thing, unless she left LAX directly for Las Vegas and then immediately returned within hours, that’s highly unlikely. From our interviews with her family, she’d felt ill on the twelve-hour flight.”
“Which airline?”
“EVA Air, I believe.”
“Dr. Chandler, what is it about this woman’s death that causes you concern? I mean, if there is no connection to the Las Vegas patients, why would you—?”
The public health official cut her off. “Her symptoms are very similar to those reported by the Clark County medical examiner. Therefore, I can’t rule it out.”
The reporter persisted. “Is there any indication that the family members, or anyone she came in contact with during her travels back to the U.S., have become ill?”
“We’re conducting our own interviews and contact tracing, but the regional office of the CDC in Los Angeles County has been notified as well. Thank you very much.”
Dr. Chandler walked away from the interview and immediately approached a representative of the Los Angeles mayor’s office. The reporter turned to the camera.
“Well, there you have it. LA may have its first case of this mysterious infectious disease that appeared in Las Vegas initially and somehow, inexplicably, infected this traveler who spent the last month or so in Asia. Back to you.”
Harper shook her head and addressed the group. “This was my concern. The local cases have everyone spooked. There is no way to confirm that this woman died of the same virus as our four men from China. Despite the lack of information, the media will start to tie every mysterious death to the disease.”
“Do we need to send part of our people to LA?” asked Becker.
“No, that’s Reitherman’s call,” replied Harper. Then she scowled. “Aw, shit. I forgot to call him.”
She walked away from the group and called him without checking her text messages or voicemails first.
When he answered, he was salty. “Harper, where have you been?”
“I’m so sorry, sir. I was cornered by the mayor, and she was demanding answers and advice.”
“Okay, fine. But you have to keep your phone on. We have a situation. Well, multiple situations, actually.”
“I know. I just caught a glimpse of a news report from LA.”
He exhaled into the phone. “Add Seattle and Dallas to your list. Seoul and Tokyo, too.”
“Gee, are they sure? How can they possibly connect the dots to these patients already?”
“All of a sudden the director-general of the WHO is driving the frenzy. He’s afraid to catch the kind of heat his predecessor did during the COVID pandemic.”
“Can’t blame him there. However, a knee-jerk reaction can be just as problematic.”
“There’s more,” said Dr. Reitherman. “China has clammed up, and they’ve expelled our personnel from their CDC complex in Beijing.”
“They can’t do that!” exclaimed Harper. “That was part of the deal for their malfeasance during COVID. It was the least they could do since we couldn’t wrangle any reparations out of them.”
“I can’t disagree, but remember, they’re a communist country. They do anything they damn well please.”
Harper looked for Becker and got her attention. As soon as she was finished talking with Dr. Reitherman, she wanted to get the troops to work.
“We’ll step it up on our end.” She began to explain her plans for the day. “Our team’s tired, but they’re motivated.”
There was a brief silence on the other side of the call. Finally, Dr. Reitherman spoke up. “About that. You’re not gonna like this.”
“Come on, Dr. Reitherman,” Harper immediately began to protest what she anticipated was coming. “I just got back here. I’m not a yo-yo.”
“Harper, you know how these things are. In the early stages, the entire situation is very fluid.”
“Yes.” Her dejection was obvious.
“Just trust me on this. Bring Dr. Becker with you. The jet’s ready for you.”
Part II
Who is Patient Zero?
No one wants to be the Patient Zero of their village. Just because you are the first to be diagnosed doesn’t mean you started the epidemic.
~ Professor Robert M. Grant, MD
Chapter Fifteen
CDC Headquarters
Atlanta, Georgia
Within hours of her arrival at her home late last night, several vehicles full of the press managed to follow a news van through her community’s gated entry. Soon, others followed suit, resulting in camera trucks and reporters stalking her house, looking for comment. After calling the police, they were removed from the neighborhood and camped outside the gated entry. Much to her chagrin, their backups were waiting for her at the CDC.
Harper shoved her way through the media scrum that blocked her access to the entrance of the main building at the CDC’s Roybal campus.
“Dr. Harper! Dr. Harper!”
“Are you denying that you suggested the quarantine of Las Vegas?”
“Did you speak with the governor directly?”
“Are you being reassigned?”
“How is this affecting your husband on Capitol Hill?”
Damn! That last question stung the most. Harper considered herself levelheaded with nerves of steel. Some considered her to be cold. Aloof. Unapproachable. Even too perfect. She’d heard the whispers before. She always sloughed off those criticisms and refused to carry a chip on her shoulder for who she was. They didn’t know what she’d been through as a child.
What was important to her, above all else, was her relationship with her husband. She thought she could handle the political games played by Joe’s adversaries. She just had no idea how dirty they could be.
Harper took a deep breath and set her jaw. With a determined look on her face, she soldiered through the crowd, ignoring the questions and comments laced with innuendo. She refused to make eye contact with the vultures wishing to pick at her damaged body.