CHAPTER NINETEEN
“Wait, wait,” said Kennedy rubbing her temples. “You got this idea from Alvin? The alligator?”
“Is there another Alvin on the property?” asked Trak with confusion.
“No. There is no other Alvin. What exactly did he say again?” she asked.
“He said that all the patients had something in common. Mail and packages.”
“Kennedy, it’s possible,” said Ajei. “If someone touched the mail or package and there was something on it, a substance that became airborne or absorbed into the skin, it’s possible.
The journal Irene gave me had a note in it about an animal parasite that spread due to a contaminated fur that was sent from a ship. This could be possible.”
“I know, I know,” she nodded. “I guess I just never fully thought that one through. No one said they saw any powders or substances, so this has to be nearly untraceable.”
“We have to contact all of the patients again and ask them if they received any packages in the last few weeks,” said Riley.
“Listen, even if they all received packages with their regular mail, they live all over the area. It wouldn’t have come through one postal center,” said Ian.
“No,” said Ajei, tapping her head as if in deep thought, “but the packages could have traveled through one hub. Mail doesn’t just go to your local post office. It passes through a hub in your city, parish, county, and then to your local postal carriers.”
“Damn, she’s right,” said Luke. “Let’s find out who received packages. From there we should be able to track where those packages came from or which hub they went through.”
“Sounds like we’ve got some work to do,” said Cam. “Let’s go.”
With the list of patients in hand, they called each one on the premise of simply asking how their recovery was going.
“Mr. Osgood, I’m thrilled that you’re feeling better and yes, I agree with you. Our medical team are nothing short of miracle workers. I just had a question. Did you receive any packages the week before you started to feel sick?” asked Eric.
“Of course, I did. I get a package a week with my meals. It’s got all my food ready for me so I don’t have to cook.”
“That’s good to know sir. Please let us know if you start to feel sick again.” He looked at the others on their phones and held up one finger. Ajei made a tick mark on the board as the calls continued.
“Yes, Mrs. Curry, that handsome new nurse is going to be here for the foreseeable future,” smirked Luke staring at Quentin. “Yes, ma’am, he can always check your blood pressure for you.”
Quentin flipped the bird to Luke, remembering the rather large, elderly woman who kept touching his ass.
“Mrs. Curry, we were just wondering if you received a package the week before you started feeling sick?”
“Sure. I get a package every week with my medical supplies in it. Comes ready for me, all dosed out so I don’t mess anything up.”
“That is good to know,” said Luke. “Please let us know if there’s anything else we can do for you.”
It took them nearly six hours to call everyone on the list. The last one was Mr. Rabalais.
“Mr. Rabalais? This is Jeremy from the Belle Fleur clinic. I’m just calling to see how you’re feeling.”
“I appreciate that. I’m doin’ fine. I owe you an apology too. I wasn’t myself when I was in the hospital. I’m not usually quite that cranky.”
“It’s alright, sir. We all get that way when we don’t feel good. Especially doctors and nurses,” chuckled Jeremy. “Mr. Rabalais, I was just wondering if you received a package maybe the week before you started feeling sick.”
“You know, I did. I get me a new puzzle every week. It keeps my mind sharp and gives me something to do. In fact, I got one delivered yesterday.”
“Did you touch it, Mr. Rabalais?”
“Sure I did but I feel fine. No fever, no dizziness, nothin’.”
“That’s good to hear, sir. If you start having any symptoms at all, I want you to call me right away.”
“No problem at all. Thank you, son.”
“That’s a total of sixty-one people who received a package in the mail the week or two before becoming sick. Only nineteen had not but they could have had inadvertent contact with other patients,” said Kennedy.
“How do we figure all this out?” asked Eric. “All these packages came from different vendors and went to different people.”
“It’s not the vendors,” said Kennedy. “It’s something else.”
“What?” asked Ally. “How do we figure out the outlier here?”
“I’m not sure but I think we start with interviewing the handlers at the carrier hubs.”