Unnatural Exposure

The spread of pellets was tight, forming a large hole with scalloped edges in the center of his chest. White plastic filler from the shotgun clung to clothing and skin,

which again did not indicate a contact wound. Measuring the gun and his arms, I did not see how he could have reached the trigger. I saw nothing to indicate that he had rigged up anything to help him. Checking pockets, I found no wallet, no identification, only a Buck knife. The blade was scratched and bent.

I spent no more time with him but came outside, and the team from USAMRIID was restless, like people waiting to go somewhere and afraid they're going to miss their flight. They stared as I came down the steps, and Marino hung back. He was almost lost in trees, orange arms folded across his chest, the ranger standing beside him.

'This is a completely contaminated crime scene,' I announced. 'We have a dead white male with no identification. I need someone to help me get the body out. It needs to be contained.' I looked at the captain.

'It goes back with us,' he said.

I nodded. 'Your guys can do the autopsy and maybe get someone from the Baltimore Medical Examiner's office to witness. The camper's another problem. It's got to go somewhere it can be worked up safely. Evidence needs to be collected and decontaminated. This, frankly, is out of my range. Unless you have a containment facility that can accommodate something this big, maybe we'd better get this to Utah.'

'To Dugway?' he said, dubiously.

'Yes,' I said. 'Maybe Colonel Fujitsubo can help with that.'

Dugway Proving Ground was the Army's major range and test facility for chemical and biological defense. Unlike USAMRIID, which was in the heart of urban America,

Dugway had the vast land of the Great Salt Lake desert for testing lasers, smart bombs, smoke obscurance or illumination. More to the point, it had the only test chamber in the United States capable of processing a vehicle as large as a battle tank.

The captain thought for a moment, his eyes going from me to the camper as he made up his mind and formalized a plan.

'Frank, get on the phone and let's get this mobilized ASAP,' he said to one of the scientists. 'The colonel will have to work with the Air Force on transport, get something here fast because I don't want this thing sitting out here all night. And we're going to need a flatbed truck, a pickup truck.'

'Should be able to get that around here, with all the seafood they ship,' Marino said.

'I'll get on it.'

'Good,' the captain went on. 'Somebody get me three body bags and the isolator.' Then he said to me, 'I'll bet you need a hand.'

'I certainly do,' I said, and both of us began walking toward the camper.

I pulled open the bent aluminum door, and he followed me inside, and we did not linger as we passed through to the back. I could tell by Clark's eyes that he had never seen anything like this, but with his hood and air pack, at least he did not have to deal with the stench of decomposing human flesh. He knelt at one end and I at the other, the body heavy and the space impossibly cramped.

'Is it hot in here or is it just me?' he said loudly as we struggled with rubbery limbs.

'Someone turned the heat up as high as it would go.' I was already out of breath. 'To hasten viral contamination, decomposition. A popular way to screw up a crime scene. All right. Let's zip him in. This is going to be tight, but I think we can do it.'

We started working him into a second pouch, our hands and suits slippery with blood. It took us almost thirty minutes to get the body inside the isolator, and my muscles were trembling as we carried it out. My heart was pounding and I was dripping sweat. Outside, we were thoroughly doused with a chemical rinse, as was the isolaton which was transported by truck back to Crisfield. Then the team started work on the camper.

All of it, except for the wheels, was to be wrapped in heavy blue tinted vinyl that had a HEPA filter layer. I took off my suit with great relief, and retreated into the warm, well-lit rangers' station, where I scrubbed my hands and face. My nerves were jangled and I would have given anything to crawl into bed, down shots of NyQuil and sleep.

'If this ain't a mess,' Marino said as he came in with a lot of cold air.

'Please shut the door,' I said, shivering.

'What's eating you?' He sat on the other side of the room.

'Life.'

'I can't believe you're out here when you're sick. I think you've lost your friggin'

mind.'

'Thank you for the words of comfort.' I said.

'Well, this ain't exactly a holiday for me, either. Stuck out here with people to interview, and I got no wheels.' He looked frayed.

'What are you going to do?'

'I'll find something. Rumor has it Lucy and Janet are in the area and have a ride.'

'Where?' I started to get up.

'Don't get excited. They're out trying to find people to interview, like I gotta do. God, I gotta smoke. It's been almost all day.'

'Not in here.' I pointed to a sign.

'People are dying of smallpox and you're bitching about cigarettes.' I got out Motrin and popped three without water.

'So what will all these space cadets do now?' he asked.

'Some of them will stay in the area, tracking down any other people who may have been exposed either on Tangier or in the campground. They'll work in shifts with other team members. I guess you'll be in contact with them, too, in case you come across anyone who might have been exposed.'

'What? I'm supposed to walk around in an orange suit all week?' He yawned and cracked his neck. 'Man, aren't they a bitch? Hot as hell except up in the hood.' He was secretly proud that he had worn one.

'No, you won't be wearing a plastic suit,' I said.

'And what happens if I find out someone I'm interviewing was exposed?'

'Just don't kiss him.'

'I don't think this is funny.' He stared at me.

'It's anything but that.'

'What about the dead guy? They going to cremate him when we don't know who he is?'

'He'll be autopsied in the morning,' I said. 'I imagine they'll store his body for as long as they can.'

'The whole thing's just weird.' Marino rubbed his face in his hands. 'And you saw a computer in there.'

'Yes, a laptop. But no printer or scanner. I'm suspicious this is someone's getaway. The printer, the scanner, at home.'

'What about a phone?'

I thought for a minute. 'Don't remember seeing one.'

'Well, the phone line runs from the camper to the utility box. We'll see what we can find out about that, like whose account it is. I'll also tell Wesley what's going on.'

'If the phone line was used only for AOL,' Lucy said as she walked in and shut the door, 'there won't be any telephone account. The only account will be AOL, which will still come back to Perley, the guy whose credit card number got pinched.'

She looked alert but a little tousled in jeans and a leather jacket. Sitting next to me, she examined the whites of my eyes, and felt the glands in my neck.

'Stick out your tongue,' she seriously said.

'Stop it!' I pushed her away, coughing and laughing at the same time.

'How are you feeling?'

'Better. Where's Janet?' I said.

'Talking. Out somewhere. What kind of computer's in there?'

'I didn't take time to study it,' I replied. 'I didn't notice any of the particulars.

'Was it on?'

'Don't know. I didn't check'

'I need to get in it.'

'What do you want to do?' I asked, looking at her.

'I think I need to go with you.'

'Will they let you do that?' Marino asked.

'Who the hell is they?'

'The drones you work for,' he replied.

'They put me on the case. They expect me to break it.'

Her eyes never stopped moving to windows and the door. Lucy had been infected and would succumb from her exposure to law enforcement. Beneath her jacket she wore a Sig Sauer nine-millimeter pistol in a leather holster with extra magazines. She probably had brass knuckles in her pocket. She tensed as the door opened and another ranger hurried in, his hair still wet from the shower, eyes nervous and excited.