Pandemic

Sabri pointed from Kabaal to himself. "That we had been seen together. And that several of us had gone missing in the past weeks." He shrugged. "He didn't know much else."

"Much or nothing else?" Kabaal pressed.

"Gamal had heard mention of a desert base, but he swore he knew none of the details."

"Maybe he knew more than he was willing to tell?"

Sabri shot him a fleeting half smile. "After a couple of hours spent in my company, I don't think Mr. Gamal was capable of lying," he said as matter-of-factly as if the two of them had gone for a stroll.

"Did Gamal know if Sergeant Eleish had told others?" Kabaal asked.

Sabri shrugged.

Kabaal stared at his empty cup. "It would be foolish to assume Eleish is acting alone. If he disappeared now it would only raise suspicions and bring us even more attention."

"So what?" Sabri exhaled. "They couldn't find us if they wanted to."

"And neither will Eleish," Kabaal said. "For the time being, we should just keep an eye on him."

Sabri looked as if he might yawn at any moment. "There are many ways that Sergeant Eleish could go without raising suspicion. Cars crash. Police raids go awry. And the difference between poisons and heart attacks can be very subtle."

Kabaal hesitated, but then said, "Not yet, Abdul."

"As you wish."

Kabaal reached for a small stack of papers on his desk. "Our second wave has landed in America." He sighed. "Not without problems."

Sabri raised an eyebrow. "Problems?"

"Not in Chicago, but Seattle, yes." Kabaal reached for a paper on his desk and waved it at Sabri. "An e-mail from Sharifa Sha'rawi."

Kabaal read it aloud:

"Dear Tonya,

Arrived in Vancouver, Canada, with all our baggage. The line at the border crossing was too long. I never made it across to Seattle. I had to leave the present in Vancouver. We had a lovely time, but we couldn't stay. I'll be in touch. Love, Sherri"

Sabri nodded impassively. "So they turned her away at the border."

"Security is so tight these day. We should have flown her directly to Seattle." Kabaal shook his head. "I could have predicted that the logistics were too complicated."

Sabri shrugged. "Canada, America, what's the difference?"

Kabaal shook his head. "Canada didn't participate in the invasion of Iraq. We never intended to involve them."

Sabri's blank face broke into a slight smile. "Hazzir, you do realize that we have involved the whole world now?"

Kabaal looked down at the e-mail and nodded. "The Western world, anyway."

Sabri laughed bitterly. "You think the virus respects borders or religion? I doubt it will differentiate between the righteous and the infidels. And I know that the American bombs that follow will not."

"That is not the point, Abdul!" Kabaal looked up. "This is not about creating chaos. We will give them the chance to choose. To make amends. And once they do, we can stop spreading this unholy plague."

"God willing," Sabri said, straight-faced, but his eyes were loaded with doubt. "So when do we contact them?"

"Soon. Very soon," Kabaal said calmly. "But first, we must make them realize just how vulnerable they are."

CHAPTER 21

THE SHERATON SUITES, LONDON, ENGLAND

By the time Noah Haldane got back to the hotel, he had reached a slow boil. In his career, he had seen Ebola slaughter an entire village, a close friend die of SARS, and people perish in third-world hospitals for want of antibiotics readily available in any first-world drugstore. He had seen people put politics, stupidity, greed, and self-interest ahead of the welfare of victims, but never before had he suspected anyone of willfully propagating an epidemic.

Lost in his rage, he walked through the hotel lobby with his eyes cast to the ground. At first, he didn't register that it was his name being called out. "Noah?" the voice called again.

He looked up to see a woman striding rapidly toward him despite her slight limp. It took him a moment to place her. "Gwen?"

Gwen Savard shot out her hand. "I've come from Washington to see you."

He met her firm handshake. "Gwen, I am not sure I've ever needed a drink as badly as I do tonight."

"You too, huh?" She turned and headed for the lobby bar.

They chose a comer table by the crackling flames in the huge stone fireplace. They could have picked any seat in the bar. With widespread news of the virus's grip in London, it looked to Haldane as if the city had emptied overnight. While the traffic had seemed light to him yesterday, today the streets were largely deserted on what normally would have been a hectic workday. Of the few people he had spotted on the streets, several wore medical masks and most darted and dodged past as if air raid sirens had blown.

The waiter was at their side before they touched their seats. Haldane was tempted to invoke McLeod's twohighballs-at-once policy, but he refrained, ordering a bottle of Heineken instead. Savard asked for a double gin and tonic.