by Daniel Kalla
“Things change.”
Their ride pulls up out front of the warehouse, and they climb in the back of the nondescript sedan. Fiona doesn’t stop fidgeting during the whole ride. She never mentions where they’re heading, and he doesn’t bother to ask or attempt any small talk.
The driver drops them off at Alki Beach Park, one of Seattle’s westernmost points, where the isthmus juts out into Elliott Bay. It’s a warm late-summer day, but a canopy of unpredictable gray clouds hovers overhead and keeps the stunning waterfront trail clear of most other visitors.
It’s not until they step onto the path that Fiona speaks again. “An FBI agent came to interview me,” she says. “Not just any agent, either. She’s assistant head of the Seattle field office.”
“About the database?”
She nods.
“What did she ask you?”
“Questions about my level of access and admin rights. That kind of stuff. She also wanted to know how often I logged on. And from where.”
“All information she could easily find out for herself.”
“She was also very curious about my level of technical expertise.”
“In what sense?”
“Whether I had any web design or programming experience.” She looks over to him. “Which I don’t.”
“How did she seem to you?”
“Hard to tell. Friendly enough, but she has a good poker face.” Fiona pauses. “She must assume we’re the ones who doctored the website.”
“Why do you think so?”
She walks a few feet farther before she answers. “Because I would, if I were her.”
Nathan slows, as does Fiona, but she doesn’t look at him. “You didn’t, though, did you, Fee?”
She shakes her head.
“You think I did?”
Fiona kicks at a pebble. “I think someone on our side would’ve been very motivated to cover up the connection between Darius Washington and Neissovax.”
“And you think it was me?”
She finally looks up at him. “Was it?”
He grimaces. “How long have you known me?”
“Five years.”
“And you think I’m capable?”
“Not really. But people surprise you, Nathan. Sometimes in the most terrible ways. Do things you couldn’t even imagine them capable of.” She begins to move again, and he follows in step. “I can’t think of anyone outside of the company with a reason to have done it. Can you?”
Nathan sighs. “Neither can Lisa, apparently.”
Fiona stares off to the horizon for a while before she says, “You like her, don’t you?”
“She’s married.”
“My sense is that’s not going to last.”
“Even if that were true, what would be the point? She lives three thousand miles from me and is convinced I’m a conspirator.”
“And yet you still like her.”
He snorts. “I’m a sucker for hopeless predicaments.”
“No, you’re not, Nathan. You just need something substantial. And Lisa is definitely that.”
“A substantial pipe dream.”
“Not so sure about that.”
They tread along the trail in silence for a while, passing benches, gardens, and even a small replica of the Statue of Liberty. On most days, Nathan would have found peace and comfort in the stroll along the practically deserted trail, with the soft sound of waves lapping at the beach and the cries of the gulls gliding overhead. Not today. The volatile clouds have begun to darken and sputter, reflecting his internal uneasiness. And like the weather, he expects his own situation only to worsen.
“I don’t think it’s just about the website breach,” Fiona says apropos of nothing.
“What do you mean?”
“Special Agent Kennedy. I think there might be more to her investigation.”
“What makes you say that?”
“She demanded samples of Neissovax.” Fiona’s pace begins to increase as she speaks. “Why would an FBI agent be interested in testing our vaccine?”
“It’s probably standard procedure.”
“Yeah, but Lisa already confiscated samples. Why does the FBI need them, as well? What do they have to do with a potential cybercrime?”
“I don’t have the faintest clue.”
“Have you heard anything else about this?” she asks. “Do they have concerns about the vials themselves?”
“I haven’t met this agent, Fee.” He holds up a hand. “I’m as much in the dark as you are.”
“I mean, I could understand why Lisa wouldn’t trust my—our—quality-control measures. But the FBI? What could they possibly be looking for?”
Fiona doesn’t appear indignant as she has in the past when her performance has been questioned. Rather, she seems worried.
“It’s going to be OK, Fee.”
She turns to him with a foreign look that’s somewhere between hurt and anger. “Just don’t tell me everything happens for a reason. I’ve heard that lie before.”
CHAPTER 57
“Thanks for coming so quickly,” Lisa says to Eileen, when she arrives at her office within thirty minutes of receiving her text.
“It sounded important.”
“It is,” Lisa says, lowering her voice and glancing over to the closed door. “We found a person of interest.”
Eileen chuckles. “You’re stealing our terminology now?”
Lisa’s smile is fleeting. “There’s this vehement anti-vaxxer. He’s medical—a naturopath. And his girlfriend is one of our public-health nurses.”
Eileen’s neck and shoulders straighten. “Who administered some of the shots?”
“Yes.” Lisa goes on to explain what they’ve discovered about Max, including Tyra’s recent revelation that one of the other public-health nurses, Katerina, spotted him at a different vaccine clinic from the one Lisa had seen him at.
“A person of extreme interest, I’d say,” Eileen says. “Would he have had access to the vaccine through his girlfriend?”
“Yolanda swears not. She says she only sent him a photo of the vial.”
“And why would he want that?”
“Can’t think of a legitimate reason.”
“As a naturopath, would Dr. Balfour be able to prescribe the medications that were found in those tainted syringes?”
“Not the antibiotics or antiseizure drugs, no. They’d be considered outside his scope of practice.”
“How would he get his hands on them?”
“Same as anyone else. He could have taken them from a friend or a loved one’s bottle. Also, he could have gotten them prescribed to himself through his own doctor. Or, more likely, at a walk-in clinic or an urgent care.”
Eileen nods. “He could’ve just told them he ran out, right?”
“Exactly. None of these meds are narcotics or potential drugs of abuse. And they’re generally considered fairly safe. So most MDs would be far less reluctant to prescribe them to a stranger.”
“OK, let’s say he did get prescriptions for himself. Could we track them down?”
“Yes! Like most states, Washington has mandatory e-prescribing now. In other words, there’d be an electronic trail of any of his prescriptions that should be accessible. Although I don’t know the legality of accessing them.”
“Let me worry about legalities.”
“So what’s next?”
“This is a really strong lead, but he’s not our only suspect,” Eileen says. “And I still have to interview Yolanda and the other nurses who worked the vaccine clinics in question.”
“Understood,” Lisa says, feeling a bit deflated at the prospect of exposing her staff to potential interrogation.
“I’ve already begun to interview the employees at Delaware.”
“Including Nathan and Fiona?”
“Only Fiona so far. Nathan was in New York when I went to their warehouse.”
“What did you make of her?”
Eileen lea
ns back in her chair, considering it for a moment. “She was relatively forthcoming, but she seemed… worried.”
“As if she were hiding something?”
“Not necessarily. Just concerned about the situation. Particularly the allegations you leveled against Nathan and her.”
Lisa sighs. “I should never have gone to see them.”
“What’s done is done. Besides, Fiona doesn’t seem to know about the tainted vaccines yet. She was upset when I told her that we were seizing the entire vaccine supply.”
“I already had the tox lab test the unopened vials, and none of them were contaminated.”
“We’ll have to retest them in our own forensics lab for legal chain-of-evidence purposes.”
“Makes sense,” Lisa says, feeling sheepish for overstepping her bounds.
“I also checked to see if any of the gyms where the clinics were held had any kind of video surveillance systems. But sadly none of them did.”
“I bet they do at the warehouse where Delaware stores the supply.”
“They do. But getting those files will require a court order, which will take a bit longer.”
“Damn.”
“We haven’t had much luck on the website tampering. Our cybercrime experts have reached the same dead-end trail as your guy did.”
“Which confirms it had to have been a pretty sophisticated hack, right?” Lisa asks. “Unlikely a naturopath could have pulled that off. At least, not without help.”
“Even if he could have, I still think the hack of the website happened because of the tainted vaccine. Which would mean the two parties were acting independently.”
“I think so, too. If Max did poison those vaccines, it’s almost certain he wasn’t behind the cover-up.”
“Agreed.” Eileen hops to her feet. “Let’s go find out if it was him.”
CHAPTER 58
Max breaks into a smile as he steps into his private office and recognizes the first of the two visitors waiting for him. Based on what his spooked assistant told him, he assumed both women must be from the FBI. But he’s somewhat relieved to see Lisa standing beside the statuesque federal agent.
“Good to see you again, Dr. Dyer,” Max says, and Lisa nods a curt greeting in return. He turns to the other woman with an extended hand. “And you must be the special agent in charge.”
“Agent Kennedy.” Eileen shows him a professional smile. “Thanks for taking the time to meet us, Dr. Balfour.”
“My pleasure.” Max walks around his desk and lowers himself into the chair behind it, motioning for the women to sit down across from him. “This must be important to bring such high-ranking officials to my humble office.”
“Not necessarily, Dr. Balfour,” Eileen says. “The FBI has been asked to look into certain irregularities regarding the recent vaccination program. Since Dr. Dyer managed the campaign, I’ve asked her to join us for perspective. I hope that’s all right?”
“Absolutely. I always enjoy my chats with Dr. Dyer.” Max crosses one leg over the other knee, trying to appear as casual as possible. “You mentioned irregularities. Can you be more specific?”
Lisa opens her mouth, but Eileen answers before she has a chance to speak. “To be clear, we haven’t confirmed there is substance to these concerns.”
“Sure. I get it. But what kind of concerns?”
“Let’s start with the website,” Eileen says.
“Start with? My website?” Max uncrosses his leg, and then puts it back again.
“No, the Seattle Public Health’s website. The app that was created for reporting adverse reactions to the new meningitis vaccine.”
Max leans back slightly. “And how can I help with that?”
“We believe somebody tampered with the records on its database.”
He frowns. “As in altered the data?”
“Potentially, yes.”
“And you think it might have been me?”
“We’re exploring all possibilities.”
He looks directly at Lisa and asks, “Why would I hack your database?”
“You do hold some strong views on the subject of vaccines,” Eileen says.
“You mean the dangers of vaccines, don’t you?”
“Is it fair to say that you’re a prominent anti-vax activist?”
“We prefer the term ‘vaccine hesitancy.’ But yes, I’m committed to raising awareness about the issue. Still, even if I were the most ardent vaccine opponent alive, how would hacking the database help me advance our cause?”
“Our investigation is in the early stages. But we’ve come here because many consider you to be a leader of the local anti-vaxxers.”
“Leader? We’re a loosely affiliated community, not a military organization.” He laughs. “Besides, no matter how motivated I was, I couldn’t hack my way into my own website. And I have the admin password for it. I think tampering with a government website would be a bit beyond my skill set.”
Lisa views Max impassively, but Eileen accepts the explanation with a simple nod. “On another note,” she says, “I read a few of your most recent blog posts. Sounds as if you viewed the complications from the vaccine as a big victory for the cause.”
“Victory?” Max purses his lips. “It would be morbid to gloat over something like that. Kids got very sick. At least one of them died. As a parent of a child who suffers from a severe vaccine injury, I’m very sensitive to that. I feel awful for those families.”
“Maybe, but the posts read like you were celebrating what happened.”
“Not the complications from the vaccine. Only that they were uncovered early. This time. And that our cautionary voices were finally heard. It’s way overdue.” He glances again at Lisa, whose expression is still blank. “Our cause has been marginalized forever. It’s kind of rewarding to be finally validated.”
“But last time we met…” Lisa speaks up for the first time. “You told me you were seriously considering getting your son vaccinated.”
“I was concerned about this meningitis scare. I still am.” Max shrugs. “Then, after seeing the clinic for myself, I decided against it.”
“You mean clinics,” Lisa says.
“Sure. Whatever. I decided it wasn’t worth the risk to expose my son to another vaccination.” He grins. “I think you’d have to concede that it wasn’t such a bad decision in retrospect.”
“What I meant is that you attended multiple clinics.”
The smile involuntarily slips off his face. “Who told you that?”
“Your girlfriend works for Public Health, doesn’t she?” Eileen asks.
“And that’s relevant how?”
Ignoring the question, Eileen says, “We understand you hounded her for the specific details about those clinics.”
Max feels his neck tightening. He tries to summon an indifferent tone, but he realizes he can’t. The words topple out of his mouth. “Of course I was interested in this new vaccine! As you keep pointing out, this cause is my passion.” His eyes dart to Lisa. “And Seattle Public Health has tried to force not one but two toxic vaccines down our throats in the past month alone.” He forces himself to take a deep breath. “Since when did activism become a crime?”
“Activism isn’t a crime,” Eileen says. “Not even spying on the clinics would constitute one.”
He waits for her to continue, but she leaves the argument half-finished. “Where is the crime, then?” he asks.
“Can you tell us why you wanted vials of the vaccine so badly?” Lisa asks.
“Yolanda never gave me a single vial!”
“Not from your lack of trying.”
Max only scoffs in response.
“What were you planning to do with those vials, Dr. Balfour?” Eileen demands.
He plants his hands on the desktop and pushes himself upright. “What’s this really about?”
“We’re looking into the possibility that the vaccine was sabotaged.”
“Sabotaged?”
“As i
n someone poisoned the vials, Dr. Balfour,” Lisa says. “And that’s why those kids reacted as badly as they did.”
“And you’re accusing me?” His voice rises with each word.
“We are just asking,” Eileen says. “At least, for right now.”
His rage explodes as if a detonator had been tripped. “Isn’t this just fucking typical? Big Pharma is worried about their precious bottom line. They need a fall guy. And so they sic the feds on me. Make up some absolute bullshit about poisoned vials. How the hell do you poison a poison, anyway?”
“Dr. Balfour, you should—”
Max shakes a finger at them both. “Kill two birds with one stone, huh? Big Pharma gets to save their huge profits and frame the anti-vaxxer. How fucking convenient!”
“You need to calm down, Dr. Balfour,” Eileen says in an even but stern tone.
“You really want to know what I was doing at those clinics?” Max yanks his desk drawer open. Out of the corner of his eye, he sees Eileen’s hand dart inside her blazer. He throws his hands up, realizing she’s reaching for her gun. “No. No. It’s OK. I just want to show you something. In the drawer.”
The agent keeps her hand where it is.
“To explain what I was doing at those clinics,” he says, forcing the civility back into his tone.
“Slowly,” Eileen says, relaxing her arm.
Max carefully extracts what looks like a pen from the drawer. He holds it out to them.
The two women share a confused glimpse.
“A pen?” Lisa asks.
“It’s certainly supposed to look like one,” Max says.
“What is it?”
“A spy cam.” He holds it up as if filming them with it. “I was using a hidden camera to secretly record the clinics.”
Lisa grimaces. “What for?”
“To make an exposé.”
“Of what?”
“Anything that would paint those clinics and the vaccine in a bad light.” Max stares at her defiantly. “I got footage of a girl passing out right after she got her shot. Another time, I got a clip of nurse who didn’t change her gloves between injections. And then I got this video of one dad who barely spoke English being basically bullied into signing the consent form.” He moves the pen back and forth between the women. “I spliced the clips together in a video we were going to post. We were planning to use the empty vials as visual aids. Maybe even dramatize them a bit with some crusted blood or whatever. But things turned out just fine even without the vials.”
