Deadly Deception by Moll K.A

Author:Moll, K.A.
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: KAM Books, LLC
Published: 2024-10-15T00:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO

Rylee checked her watch. “Come on, Frank, it’s been two hours. How long can it take to run one GPS report?”

“Must’ve hit a snag,” Claire responded, looking up from her CDC update. She’d printed it within moments of receiving an email notification that it was out. “Something urgent, I mean more urgent than us, had to have come up. Because it’s just not that hard to pull location data off a phone. I could almost do it myself.”

“Yeah, me too,” Rylee said, “but maybe not so easy in a mask and gloves.”

“Yeah, that’d be my hang-up as well.”

“But it shouldn’t have taken him this long,” Rylee continued, shaking her head slowly, “even suited up, it just shouldn’t.”

Claire met her eye. “So, something else came up.”

“But I know he wouldn’t have put something else in front of us,” Rylee answered. “I just know it. I mean, Kenzie’s baked him pizzelles for Christmas. He’s been to our house. He knows we’re worried sick about Abby. I just don’t think he’d put us off.”

Claire’s eyes widened. “So, you need to stop stewing and call him.”

“But it won’t do any good to interrupt him if he’s still working on it,” Rylee responded, returning her gaze to the screen of her laptop, and looking back up. “I’m sure he’ll call the minute he’s done.”

“I’m sure he will,” Claire answered, rereading the line she’d read three times.

“No choice but to wait,” Rylee said, opening the list of scientists who’d traveled to hot zones during the previous year, with the years prior awaiting her attention. In two movements of the secondhand, she looked up again. “So, are you learning anything new over there?” she asked, shutting her laptop.

Claire marked her place. “Yes, and all of it depressing.”

“Let me guess,” Rylee responded, “they’re saying the virus is more contagious.”

“Yep,” Claire said. “R-naught’s up from two-point-six to four-point-five.”

“I didn’t really get what that was at first,” Rylee said, “but now that I do, that scares me to death.”

“Yep, me too,” Claire responded. “And still, no one with natural resistance. No one. Not one solitary person or Rhesus Monkey.”

“So, it’s basically everyone,” Rylee answered, “absolutely everyone is gonna be vulnerable.”

“Yep, every single person who gets it is gonna give it to four-point-five other people. And they’re predicting an R-naught of six by the weekend.”

“Shit. Six new cases for every infected person,” Rylee responded. “Depressing’s an understatement. It’s getting to the point where it’s downright terrifying.” She thought about Kenzie—Abby—her grandma—her grandpa—Rich—her mom—the people she loved.

“Yeah, terrifying,” Claire repeated quietly, “really, really terrifying.” She bit her lip “And even if we catch the doer today—”

“Which is unlikely.”

“With no vaccine, it’s gonna spread like wildfire.”

“Makes me want to lock Kenzie and Abby in the house,” Rylee said. “And order Grams and Gramps to stay home.”

“I’m sure,” Claire responded, her eyes losing focus.

Rylee sighed, checking her watch for the umpteenth time. “Man…if I don’t get what he’s got pretty soon, I’m gonna run out of daylight.”

Claire’s eyes narrowed. “What?”

“Abby,” Rylee said. “It’s gonna be harder if I have to follow her trail after dark.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.