Page 32 of Smoky Lake

She wiped her face, her mouth, then splashed water on her cheeks and eyes. Poor girl. Or woman, rather. Ani thought she was in her mid-twenties, with tilted dark eyes and skin a few shades lighter than her own. Native Alaskan, at a guess. The fluorescent lights picked up a streak of green in her hair, and a stud in her left nostril.

“Can I help?” Ani asked when the girl had straightened up. “I’m a doctor.”

The girl shot her an indifferent look. “No, I don’t need a doctor. I gotta go.”

She turned around and headed for the door. Ani called after her. “Wait. You work for one of the flight services, right? You fly back and forth from Firelight Ridge.”

“So?” At the door, the girl turned around. She really didn’t look well. Beads of sweat dotted her forehead.

“A friend of mine came through here about a week ago. He had just come from Firelight Ridge, and I’m pretty sure he used your flight service. I was hoping I could talk to the pilot who flew that plane.”

The girl’s expression changed so suddenly that Ani wondered if she’d misunderstood the question. “You can’t.”

Taken aback, she asked, “Why? How do you even know who it was?”

“We only have one pilot. He’s the owner. And he’s dead, and so now we have no pilots and I have to find another job. Sam probably won’t take me back because I quit on him, cuz the other guy paid me better. So I’m shit out of luck and now I have to go home anyway.”

Shocked, Ani gripped the sink counter behind her. “What do you mean, the pilot’s dead? When did that happen? Did he…” She drew in a quick gasp. “Did he crash?”

“No, he didn’t crash. The plane is sitting right there on the tarmac just like normal. He just didn’t come into work today. I had to call all the passengers and refund them. Another pilot went to his house to see if maybe he overslept or his phone was off or something. He was dead in the backyard.”

“My God. Was he…do you know what…how he died?”

“I don’t know, but he was fine when I saw him—” She clenched her teeth. “Why is it your business? Shit, I’m out of here.”

As the girl disappeared out the door, Ani felt a shudder travel through her.

Victor’s pilot was dead.

Was his death connected to all of this? If not, it would be another very strange coincidence, that the pilot who had flown Victor to Blackbear had now turned up deceased. And the girl who had checked him in was now sick too.

The girl had said “he was fine when I saw him,” which made it sound as if some medical crisis had killed him. She hadn’t said that he was murdered or that a bear had gotten into his yard, or that he’d eaten peanuts even though he was allergic. “He was fine when I saw him.”

Suddenly it all fell into place. Victor, the military presence, the high security, the pilot…

She pulled out her phone and texted Gil. It’s not a drug. It’s a contagion.

15

When she got back to the makeshift interview room, she slid back into the chair next to Gil. His phone was nowhere to be seen. He probably hadn’t turned it on yet. Under the table, she passed her own phone to him, with the text she’d sent him displayed on the screen.

He scanned it, stiffened, then gave a curt nod.

Contagion.

That explained the alarm, the high security, everything. But it still didn’t entirely make sense. For instance, she hadn’t gotten sick after spending time with Victor. No one had warned her that she should monitor herself for symptoms.

She remembered the way the trooper had assessed her so carefully. Had he been told to look for signs of illness, without saying so?

So many questions…

Before she could spin her wheels into even more wild directions, the door opened and five people strode in. Two of them were in uniform, and three in civilian clothes. All wore badges.

Under the table, Gil took her hand reassuringly. Sergeant Thomson stood at attention, her gaze fixed on the wall, while a ponderous man who must be her superior officer took her seat. A woman with graying blond hair in a clip claimed the chair next to him. She wore a simple striped blouse with the sleeves rolled up and pleated slacks. The casualness of her outfit relaxed Ani, as did her concerned smile.

All that vanished as soon as she spoke.

“Hi, I’m Dr. Christianson with the Centers for Disease Control. These are members of my team. You’re Ani Devi and Gilbert McGowan?”

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