"How could you know that?" Reznikov said.
Farrington saw his heart rate shoot up to 182 BPM. They were entering dangerous territory.
"Our scientists examined samples of brain tissue that I personally recovered from Monchegorsk. They didn't think that you could have done the required genetic work in your makeshift lab outside of Kurchatov. You grew enough to weaponize it at the lab. Is this right?"
"Yes."
"How much did you weaponize? We assume you enclosed the virus in tablets that would protect the virus, but rapidly dissolve. How many tablets did you produce?"
"Enough."
"Enough to poison eleven cities in Europe? Twelve including Monchegorsk," Farrington said.
Reznikov's eyes widened, and Farrington realized that the easy part of the interrogation was drawing to an end.
"How could you…?"
"Two canisters for each city. Twenty-four total. How many more canisters were produced?
"You couldn't know this…unless…"
"Unless we have your notebook? What is the name of the German medical distribution company? Is this how they plan to ship the virus overseas to the United States?"
"Too many questions to answer at once. I need time to process this," he said, clearly trying to buy time that wasn't for sale anymore.
"By my watch, you have eight minutes. Let's start with the German company," Farrington said.
He nodded toward Petrovich, who picked up the fully recharged Automated External Defibrillator they had stolen from the Metro station. Farrington sliced open Reznikov's thin white gown and tore it open, exposing him from the chest down to his genitals. Petrovich started to attach the AED's pads to his chest.
"What are you doing?" Reznikov said.
"I plan to make this the longest eight minutes of your life. I just want to make sure you're here for every second of it," Daniel said.
He moved one of the electrical pads to Reznikov's genitals, which caused the Russian to shriek.
"Sorry. We'll save that for later."
"Now that you've had some time to organize your thoughts, let's start out with the name of the German company," Farrington said, increasing the pressure on the knife poking the man's eyelid.
Fifteen seconds later, the screaming began. It continued for another six minutes, which was longer than Farrington had expected the scientist to last.
Chapter 59
Jessica savored the sun on her face. She took a sip of raspberry infused iced tea and set the glistening glass down onto a wicker end table. She leaned back into the thickly cushioned, dark rattan chaise lounge and stared out at the small, private backyard. The terra cotta patio extended another fifteen feet beyond her chair, which was pushed up against the house. A lush green lawn bordered the patio on all sides, meeting with a thick layer of ferns and low palms that concealed most of the six-foot-tall stucco wall surrounding the backyard. The back of the house faced north, which provided constant sun exposure to the generous windows facing the enclosed yard and the French door leading to the patio.
"Jessica, you have a phone call," she heard from inside the house.
"Can you bring it out here for me?" she said, not budging from the chair.
"You got shot in hand, not the legs," Munoz replied.
She heard him muttering inside, which caused her to laugh. She had wondered how long it would take them to revolt against her constant demands for iced tea, warm towels and snacks. I guess this was it for Jeff. Maybe Rico would continue to wait on her. She'd have to play this one right.
"Enrique, can you help me out and bring the phone?" she yelled.
"Don't you dare move, Rico," Munoz said. To Jessica he called, "You want to talk to your husband, or shall I tell him to call back later?"
Jessica used her good hand to lift herself up and out of the chaise lounge and walked through the open patio door to the darkened interior. Jeffrey Munoz was talking on the phone.
"She's doing really well, man. Seriously…I'm glad we were there. Driving us fucking crazy, but what else is new, right? Here she is," he said and held the phone out to her.
"Amazing how fast you can move when you want to," he added.
"Hey, this is like a four star vacation for you guys," she said, taking the phone.
"This is the only vacation I've ever been on where you're locked in a house, waiting hand and foot on the Queen of Sheba," he said.
She walked back out onto the patio and breathed in the perfect seventy-five degree fall air.
"Danny, it's so good to hear your voice."
"I've been waiting all day to call. Had a few loose ends to tie up here that required my full attention. Sorry I didn't call earlier."
"I heard about your morning. The story made the headlines throughout Europe and the U.S. Sorry to hear about Sergei and Andrei. Schafer, too."
"Frankly, I'm not sure how we pulled it off, but somehow we did."
"I think that's becoming your specialty," she said.
"Impossible missions? I hope not. I need a break from Russian attack helicopters and Spetznaz. What's the weather like out there?"
"It's a beautiful day, honey. Just like the last weekend we were here together. I miss you," she said.
"I miss you even more. I would give anything to be there with you right now. Sanderson was smart not to tell me what happened to you. I would have been on the first flight out of Helsinki. How is your hand?"
"Luckily, it's my left. It'll be fine. I'll probably need some cosmetic surgery later. You know, to make it look a little less claw-like," she said.
"I'll love you just the same. Claw or no claw."
"You're always so romantic," she said.
"That's what gloves are for anyway," he said.
"Now that's not exactly nice. I suppose you'd buy me a mask if I had been shot in the face?" she teased.
"No. Then you wouldn't be allowed to leave the house and even then you'd have to wear a bag over your head inside the house…unless you're showering, I suppose."
"I'll make you pay for that one," she said.
"Promise?"
"I'm not sure I can do all of those things one handed," she whispered.
"I suppose we'll have to wait anyway. I'm headed to Germany to investigate Metzger Labs. Reznikov identified the company as a possible shipping point for the virus. The company specializes in live research samples for institutional and corporate use," he said.
"Wouldn't that be a task better suited for the German police?"
"Not if you want to have a candid conversation with one of the employees, or an after-hours tour of the facility. Hopefully, I'll have this wrapped up in a few days and will be on a plane back to Argentina. Does the house have a pool?"
"Hot tub. I've been told to stay out of it due to the painkillers. Whatever. I really wish you didn't have to go to Germany," she said.
"This should be a quick operation. They're already working on accessing the employee files. If we can get our hands on the right shipping manifest, we'll be able to determine where the virus is headed. We don't have the time to mess around with interagency politics on this. I'm technically working for the president of the United States now. Can you believe what Sanderson managed to pull off?"
"Not really. I'm not jumping to make travel plans any time soon. I'll let Sanderson test the waters first."
"I hear you there. Hey, I'm getting that impatient stare from Farrington. We need to be at the airport soon to catch a flight to Frankfurt. I'll call you when we get there. I love you so much, Jess."
"I love you more than that. Hurry back. I don't think Bert and Ernie here will last much longer," she said, raising her voice.