Chapter 32
32
Vivian stopped outside the plastic-covered door, sucking in a deep breath before her hand reached up to gently pull the tape from the doorframe.
She and Logan had spent yesterday working on their plans, practicing them in their house, and modifying them as needed until he was satisfied. He had his team back in Montana watch her as he videoed her practice, a tactic that made her so anxious she thought she might throw up. Finally someone named Sadie told him to stop acting like a nervous ninny and just to let Vivian do what she needed to do.
He had continued to grouse and grumble every step of the way, but she knew it was because he was worried. And the last few nights, he’d held her long after they made love, even in his sleep. It was as though his fears penetrated his dreams, and she would wake with his arms tighter around her.
He had planned her steps exactly. They had carefully watched and, on schedule, the Zamans left on Friday morning for their time at the mosque in Fairbanks, and none of the others showed up either. The Keepers had tracked them before on Friday mornings and reported to Logan that all five attended the same mosque. It was the only time they were all gone. And now, Friday morning, she was inside.
She noted her gloved hand shook slightly as she peeled the tape back slowly, not wanting to tear any of the setups in the Zaman’s house. Wearing a full chemical hazmat suit, complete with a mask, she finished peeling back the plastic. Knowing time was of the essence, she opened the door carefully and stepped inside. Having familiarized herself for weeks with the inside of the room, she moved with determination to the table on the left wall, ignoring the ones in the middle of the room.
Setting her tray on the floor, she took out the first test tube and dropper. The work was repetitive as she removed a few drops from one of the vials on the table, noted the label before depositing the drops to her tube, placed the stopper in, and then marked it with the chemical shorthand. Next, she replaced their vial back in its exact position, having noted it before she moved it the first time. Over and over, she moved down the table, taking the ones she was certain she needed.
“Babe, are you okay?” Logan’s voice came through her earpiece, causing her to jump but comforting her at the same time.
“Yeah. Just finished the table where Malik and Rashad work. I’m heading to Nafisa’s work now.”
She knew Logan’s team would watch for the group's return, but he’d added a small camera at the end of the road to let them know if anyone else approached. He couldn’t trust that they would use the vehicle with the tracker.
Vivian, battling the urge to keep talking to him, kept quiet, determined to focus on the job at hand. Moving to Nafisa’s lab table, she sucked in a deep breath, noting the difference in the vials and dishes she had. Not recognizing the labeling language, she returned to her task, taking drops of the liquids and depositing them in her vials, where she had to copy the labels onto her labels. A drop of sweat dripped down the side of her forehead, but she ignored it.
By the time an hour had passed, she stood, knowing she had all she had come for. Jumping when Logan spoke again, she bent to pick up her test tube tray. “Logan, I’m finished. I’m getting ready to leave now.”
“Okay, babe. I’m right outside.”
Stepping through the lab door, she gently set the tray on the floor and turned back to the door. Shutting it, she carefully taped the plastic back in place, making sure to fix it exactly the way it was found. Looking at her handiwork, she nodded in satisfaction. Her eye for detail helped, and she was certain they wouldn’t be able to see a difference.
Taking her tray, she walked down the hall and turned right into the kitchen. Their house was like the one she and Logan shared, only flip-flopped. Walking carefully, she was aware her booties were slick on the floor, so as she approached the counter, she set the tray down before pulling them from her feet. Stuffing them into her hazmat suit pocket, she picked up the tray and approached the back door.
Seeing Logan’s frantic eyes on her, she smiled. “It’s all good, honey,” she said as she stepped outside, avoiding his hand, which naturally shot out to assist. “No, don’t touch me. Not now.”
Logan nodded in acknowledgment and turned back to the closed door behind her, making sure it was secured exactly the way it had been when they first came. “Sixty-seven,” he muttered.
She threw him a questioning gaze.
“You were in there for sixty-seven minutes. I counted each one. I swear they were branded in my mind. Christ, I can’t do this again.”
Landon radioed, “The house looks good. She covered her tracks perfectly.”
“Thanks, everyone,” Logan managed to say. “We’re heading to the makeshift lab.”
He stepped back and viewed the area, and she carefully carried her tray around the back of their property. As soon as she could, she followed the path they had charted to give her the fastest way to the shed without being seen by anyone who might drive down the lane. She heard him jogging behind her, but she made each step as carefully as possible with her volatile chemicals.
Catching up to her, he said, “We’re safe. Even if they come now, we’re out of sight. She nodded but continued on the path into the woods, heading toward the shed. “You just focus on what you need, Viv, and I’m watching out from behind.”
Approaching the shed, he reached his long arm around her and opened the door. She lifted one foot, and he replaced her booties over her shoes, then they repeated the process for the other foot. Stepping past him, she entered the clean, plastic-lined interior. Turning, she said, “Close the door behind me, honey. You know you can’t come in.”
Grimacing, he stood with his fists on his hips, his unhappiness rolling off him. “I know, but I don’t like it.”
“We talked about this, Logan,” she added, her gaze holding his.
“But what if something happens? I don’t want to be back at the house with you out here alone.”
“I have my radio earpiece. And we’ve got your people on the radio, as well. I need to start, and we don’t have time to discuss this again.”
“She’s right, you know,” Landon radioed.
Vivian battled a grin at the narrow-eyed expression on Logan’s face. Blowing him a silent kiss, she watched as his facial muscles eased.
Nodding, he stepped back. His hand stayed on the doorknob, and he sucked in a deep breath before closing the door, leaving her to her task, all alone.
Vivian immediately got to work, almost positive she knew what Nafisa had been working on. Hours passed as she carefully analyzed the contents of the vials. Having set up her makeshift lab weeks prior, she moved efficiently from one table to the next. Logan had affixed a portable air conditioner inside, allowing her to keep a steady temperature.
Even a simple lab in an old shed was familiar to her. Finally able to complete the tasks she’d been trained to do, she found herself smiling slightly as she meticulously analyzed her data.
Back in the house, Logan waited impatiently, trying to keep from talking to her on their radio, afraid of startling her. Sitting down at the table, he propped his laptop in a position that allowed him to view the front window toward the Zamans’ house, but he found he couldn’t focus. Not knowing what the terrorists had been working on, his fears of what Vivian might be exposed to shook him to his core.
Akram and Farrah had returned from their Friday sojourn two hours ago. He anxiously monitored to see if anything appeared out of the ordinary, but they hadn’t been outside, nor had Akram made any calls or sent any emails. Knowing that they hadn’t been aware of Vivian in their home, at least on the outside of the lab, he breathed a sigh of relief.
“Honey?”
Smiling at the soft voice coming through his radio, he replied, “Right here, babe. How’s it going?”
“Good, I’m good. As you know, I had an idea of what she was working on so that was my starting point.”
“And…”
“And it looks like I was right. I’ve definitely discovered they are working with tularemia. The good news is, if you remember, it’s not lethal?—”
“I’ve gotta confess, I don’t remember much about the different diseases. Sorry, but?—”
“Don’t apologize, Logan. Not with all you’ve got to keep up. I just didn’t want to go into details about something you already knew.”
“No worries. Tell me anything and everything,” he assured, his mood lifting as he heard the excitement in her voice.
“Well, the low lethality is the good news. The bad news is that the bacteria can be stable for months and has a short incubation period.”
“I know all this is important, but, Viv, what I really want is for you to get the fuck outta there and back here.”
“I’ll be there soon. Now that I know what it is and that it’s stable, I can destroy what is here safely. I also need to dispose of my suit. Do you have the fire barrel ready?”
“All set for you, babe.”
“I’m going to bleach the shed and take down some of the plastic sheets to put in the bleach tub in here.”
Thirty long minutes later, he watched as she exited the woods. The evening sun had set, casting the yard in dark shadows as the sky above turned deep shades of blue. Her hair was still in a tight bun, exposing her tired face, but her smile was firmly in place. In her hands, she carried the tray of vials.
Bending, she said, “These chemicals are not dangerous, pointing at the ones near the back of the tray. I have added water to them to destroy them, and they can easily be added to the fire.”
He took what she handed him and dropped them in, one at a time. Next, she bent to choose the last vial, the one she had been studying. “It can be safely burned,” she assured. “The bacteria won’t be airborne, so we’re safe.”
Nodding, he watched as she destroyed it as well.
Peeling her hazmat suit from her body, she dumped the armload into the metal drum. Within a few minutes, the flames turned the suit to ashes. Looking up, she said, “There’s nothing left but the equipment.”
“You need food, baby,” he said, his voice full of concern.
She turned her gaze from the fire up to his eyes. “What I really want is a long shower. I feel gross.”
Grinning, he reached for her hand, linking his fingers with hers. “Come on. The shower’s small, but we’ll make it work.”
Wiggling her eyebrows, she laughed as he led her inside.