THE ALEX FLETCHER BOXSET: Books 1-5

by Steven Konkoly

  “Just get over here and pick him up,” she was saying as she appeared in the hallway from the kitchen.

  “What’s up?” he asked, keeping the storm door propped open.

  “Nothing…let’s just say that she isn’t a big fan of the Fletchers either,” Kate said.

  Alex shook his head and continued to monitor the situation outside. A few minutes later, the Bishops’ gray Nissan Pathfinder pulled up. Stephanie Bishop, dressed in blue sweat pants and a light brown hooded winter jacket, got out and ran to her husband. Todd helped her get him into the front passenger seat of the SUV. Stephanie stepped around and walked toward the Fletchers’ house.

  “Here it comes,” he said to Kate as she joined him at the front door. Stephanie got halfway across the sidewalk in front of their house and launched into a tirade.

  “You and your buddy over there,” she screamed, pointing at Ed’s house, “can take care of Jamie’s girls. I’m taking all—” She broke into a coughing fit that took her at least thirty seconds to overcome.

  “Wow,” Kate whispered.

  “Yeah,” he responded, never taking his eyes off Stephanie.

  Stephanie continued, a little more subdued. “I’m taking my entire family over to the state triage center immediately, so the girls are going to have to find a new place to stay. I’m sending them over to your house in a few minutes. You and Ed can figure it out,” she said and turned around abruptly walking away.

  Alex closed the door, and before he could even open his mouth. Kate spoke.

  “They can’t stay here.”

  “I wasn’t about to suggest that. They can stay in their own house. We can bring meals over to them and keep a close eye on the house. They’ll be fine over there. They can call us if something happens. Amanda is almost Ryan’s age. She can take care of Katherine, as long as we help out. They have electricity, water, TV…they’ll be fine.”

  He wasn’t so sure about what he’d just said. The two girls would be terrified without their parents, or another adult at the house. Given all that they had been through over the past few weeks, Alex couldn’t imagine how this could work. Still, he didn’t want them in the house, just in case they were still shedding the flu virus. It had been about two weeks since Jamie dropped them off at the Bartletts’ house, and Alex thought they were just getting sick at that point, so it was conceivable that they were no longer contagious, though he couldn’t be sure about the timing. He certainly would never risk his family to figure out if he was correct.

  CDC virologists confirmed that a patient exposed to the Jakarta flu would typically demonstrate symptoms within three to four days of exposure and remain contagious for about seven to ten days after that. He quickly thought through the timing of their family’s illness, as he knew it. The girls might be no longer shedding the virus. Then he remembered that children could remain contagious for up to three weeks after showing symptoms.

  “I don’t think two pre-teen girls should be left alone like that, without their mother,” Kate said.

  “I know, but there’s a possibility that they could still be contagious, so we can’t have them here.”

  Kate paused, clearly struggling with the thought of the kids staying over there alone. “I don’t know. Could they stay in the basement, or…never mind, that’s silly. They’d be better off in their house with us checking on them,” she conceded.

  “I agree. We can’t keep them locked up in the garage or basement like animals. They’ll be better off in a familiar setting. I’ll head over there later today and make sure the house is okay. They still have some food and snacks over there from what I remember, and we can bring them hot meals. It’s not perfect for them, but it’s the best we can do for them while protecting us.”

  “All right,” Kate finally agreed.

  “I’d better call Ed and let him know what’s going on.” Alex sighed.

  “Do you think it’s all right for you to be walking around their house?”

  “You mean because of the flu?” he asked, and she nodded emphatically.

  “Yeah, it should be fine. At the most, the Jakarta flu can survive for forty-eight hours on a non-porous surface, less on a porous one. I can’t see any way that it could still be a danger in the house…however, I’ll be sure to wear gloves and scrub down when I’m done. I’m calling Ed and going over right now. If the girls show up, explain the situation and keep them in the garage. They can use the camping chairs in the sports bin. I’d wear a mask just in case, and give them some leftovers,” he said.

  “Got it,” Kate said as Alex dialed Ed’s number.

  Chapter 26

  Alex called Kate as he made his way across the McDaniels’ lawn. Ed Walker waved goodbye and nodded to Alex as he split off and headed toward his own home directly across the street.

  “Open sesame. I’m crossing the street,” he said to her when she picked up.

  “What took you so long?” she asked.

  “I’ll tell you when I get in the house.”

  He jogged up to the mudroom door as Kate unlocked the deadbolt and the doorknob. He took off a pair of surgical gloves and balled them up in his hand. Kate held the door open for him, and he walked in, careful not to touch anything.

  “Can you do me a favor and open the door to the garage? I want to throw these in the trash,” he said.

  Kate opened the door and he walked into the garage, right up to the town garbage container, used his elbow to lift the hinged green plastic top, and dropped the gloves into the quarter-filled container. Both this trash bin and the recyclables bin were located side-by-side in the garage. Normal trash pickup was scheduled for Tuesdays in their neighborhood, but he wouldn’t even bother to put the half empty bins out tomorrow.

  Alex dropped the lid and walked back inside the open door, catching a glimpse of Ryan and Emily sitting at the island eating leftover pizza as he ducked into the bathroom to thoroughly wash his hands. When he was finished, he sprayed the sink’s hardware with a sanitizing cleaner.

  “All clean,” he said, walking into the mudroom.

  Kate was waiting for him to hear what he had to say. She walked over to him and they both snuck into the library.

  “So, what’s going on?” she asked.

  “I didn’t want to freak you out earlier, but the reason I took longer than I expected was that someone broke into their house through the back garage door and stole all of their food. Nothing else was touched, but every last bit of food is gone and stuff was everywhere. Nothing broken, but clearly the house was searched for hidden stashes. Every room. I wanted to put the house back in order before we let the girls in,” he said.

  “Gee, I wonder who did that?” she whispered sarcastically. “Do you think it’s safe for the girls to be over there?”

  “The girls will be fine. I did what I could to patch up the garage door window. Their mudroom door has a deadbolt, so they shouldn’t have to worry about it. I am done messing around with Todd and the rest of those losers. If they show up here again, I promise you I’ll put an end to their game,” he said.

  “All right, let’s calm back down and have some lunch with the kids. They were really curious about the girls being over here,” Kate said.

  “I wish they could stay here, but it’s too risky. I’m just glad to see that they look fine. They’re both still pretty beat from the flu, but not as bad as I expected. They aren’t coughing, or anything, so I think they’ll be fine. They just look exhausted. I can tell they’re relieved to be back in their house. Katherine was already playing with her Barbies by the time we left. We’ll keep a close eye on them,” Alex said, as they joined their kids for reheated pizza.

  ***

  Alex heard the doorbell ring. He stood up from the couch, put his book down on the coffee table, and picked up his pistol, tucking it into his jeans. A dozen scenarios flashed through his head before the doorbell rang again. The timing between rings didn’t alarm him. Perfectly normal delay. He checked his watch and walked over to the
bottom of the staircase, looking up just as Kate appeared.

  “Can you see who it is?” she whispered.

  “No,” he said, leaning over to peek through the windows on each side of the front door. “Not from here. Mudroom. I’ll check it out. I’m sure it’s fine. Doesn’t sound too insistent,” he said, as the bell rang again.

  “Three rings qualifies as insistent. Be careful.”

  “As always. I’ll be right back,” he said and walked through the dimly lit kitchen into the mudroom. He kept the light off in the mudroom and peered through the door. He recognized Derek Sheppard immediately, and his tension level dropped. He opened the interior door, keeping the storm door between them, quickly scanning the area around the stoop and determining that Derek was alone.

  Alex cracked open the door. “What’s up, Derek?”

  “Nothing really. I’m just really sorry about earlier today. I got caught up with Todd and his crew. I said some bad stuff to Ed about you. I’ve really felt terrible about it. I…my youngest two are sick, and I…I’m sorry, really. You’ve always been a good friend. Both you and Kate,” he said softly.

  “No problem, man. I wasn’t even there to hear it. This is a bad time for everyone. Seriously, it wasn’t on my radar, but I appreciate you coming over. Sorry to hear about the kids. How long have they been sick?” Alex asked, stepping outside.

  Derek stepped back off the stoop onto the walkway. “I don’t want to get you sick. I feel fine, but you never know. The kids…not long, about three days. It came on kinda slow. Slower than we would have thought, so we hoped it was maybe just a cold or something, but then it picked up pretty fast with the fever and coughing. The fever’s scary. Nothing’s really cutting it. The coughing hasn’t been so bad, but it’s been miserable, and we can’t take the kids anywhere for treatment.”

  “Have you tried to get any help?” Alex asked.

  “They won’t see new patients at any of the flu triage sites right now. We sat on the phone for hours trying to get through the HHS patient care line with no success, so we drove around for a couple of hours trying to find a site that would help. Everything’s locked down hard by the National Guard. Really creepy, like right out of a horror movie. All we got were some homecare instructions, which quite frankly aren’t very inspiring. I can deal with the fever, but the coughing has me worried.”

  “How’s Ellen?”

  “She just spiked a fever yesterday, and she’s having a nervous breakdown. I honestly don’t know which is worse. She’s got Owen on the third floor, away from Gavin and Taylor. We’ve all been exposed, right? I mean, is there any point to keeping Owen separated?”

  “She has the right idea to keep Owen separate. Again, how long since they started with the fever?” Alex repeated.

  “Three days, tops.”

  Alex paused to consider an idea that was just materializing.

  “I’m gonna call you in like ten minutes. I’m thinking about something that could help. I need to…let me call you in a few minutes.”

  Derek looked confused. “All right, Alex. Sounds good. Hey, I’m really sorry I didn’t stand up for you, but…it just wasn’t a good night with the kids. Sad excuse, I know, but…”

  “Derek, seriously, I know it’s gotta be scary for you guys, especially with Ellen getting sick. Really, I’m not angry at all, and I appreciate you coming over here like this. Apology accepted.”

  “I would’ve come by earlier, but Todd and those guys scare me. Enough to wait until dark. I thought about sneaking around back to your deck, but I didn’t want to get shot,” Derek said.

  Alex suppressed a laugh. “I’m not at the point where I’m shooting people yet, but it’s probably a good policy not to be sneaking around at night.”

  “Be careful with those guys. It’s not over for them,” Derek warned him.

  “I know. Believe me. Hey, I’ll be in touch in like ten minutes.”

  “All right. Thanks again for being cool about this. I really feel bad.”

  “No need, man. Talk to you in a few,” Alex said and stepped back inside.

  Derek turned and walked briskly back to his house across the street.

  ***

  Thirty minutes later, returned from delivering anti-virals to Derek Sheppard. He also stopped by Jamie’s house to check on Amanda and Katherine, who seemed to be handling their situation well. While inside their house, Alex smelled the meal prepared and delivered by the Walkers. He didn’t ask, but it smelled a lot like lasagna.

  Kate poked her head into the mudroom. “How did it go?”

  “Uneventful, which is how I like it. The girls seem fine. Whatever the Walkers cooked up for them smelled a hell of a lot better than what we had tonight. It was some sort of Italian dish, and I swear I smelled cheese,” he said.

  “Really? Cheese. Huh. How about the rest of your journey?” she asked.

  Alex stepped into the darkened library and removed a walkie-talkie radio from the left cargo pocket of his tan desert camouflage pants, placing it on a high, unused shelf, along with his pistol and a spare clip of ammunition.

  “Good. Derek’s doing all right given the circumstances. I gave him three courses, and he’ll be using two of them tonight. Owen’s sick too. It started off really rough, but Derek thinks he might be doing a little better.

  “His wife’s a different story. She just started with the high fever, and she’s already extremely congested. Having trouble breathing. He’s really worried about ARDS, and I agree. It’s been hitting mostly healthy young to middle-aged adults, taking a lot of them down within a few days,” he said, standing up from the mudroom bench.

  “Why would he use the drugs on Owen, if he’s getting better?”

  “I don’t know. I recommended he wait and watch. If he’s stabilized and hasn’t been hit with pneumonia, then I think he should save the drugs. It’s a tough call. I gave him some antibiotics too, just in case. What are the kids up to?” he asked, moving into the kitchen to sit on one of the island stools.

  “They’re both up in the attic watching a movie. Would you give Derek more drugs if he needed them?” she asked, settling on to a stool across from Alex.

  Alex met her eyes as she took a sip of her tea. “I don’t know. We have ten courses left. I’d have a hard time refusing him.” He cast his eyes down and exhaled in resignation.

  “Hon, you shouldn’t feel like that’s the wrong answer. I feel the same way. I wish we could help more people,” Kate said.

  Alex looked up at her and saw a warm, compassionate smile that eased his regret. “I know you do. Sometimes I think about all of the drugs I gave to Dr. Wright. If I had just kept more of those, we could have made a huge difference around here,” he said.

  Kate leaned forward, sliding her cup of tea across the island with both hands. “Giving those to Dr. Wright was the right thing to do. Keeping them for all of us at that point would have been totally illegal and would have yanked the moral and ethical chair right out from under you when it came to your final dealings with Biosphere,” she said.

  “Yeah, well, I was already teetering on that chair. I’d hardly call it a moral or ethical high ground,” he said laughing.

  “You’ve never done anything clearly out of bounds. Taking a few samples here and there. So what? Every other rep out there does it, and so do the doctors and their staff. Please don’t tell me you think that all of the TerraFlu samples sitting in those office bins went to patients. You and I know exactly where most of those samples went. You could have kept most of those samples and forged Dr. Wright’s signature, but you didn’t. You delivered them to the right place at exactly the right time.”

  “I still kept an extra case from that load,” he reminded her.

  “And you think Dr. Wright didn’t? He’s got a family, too.”

  “We have ten more courses of therapy left. Four of those stay here for us. That’s non-negotiable, no matter who crawls up onto our porch. The other six we can give out. I have no problems with that. H
on, I don’t want you feeling guilty about this. You’ve been doing an unbelievable job with all of this,” she said, getting up from her stool.

  “I’ve been doing what I think is right, given the circumstances,” Alex said.

  “And you’ve done an amazing job.” She wrapped her arms around his chest from behind, nestled her head over his shoulder, and leaned her body into his, squeezing him tightly. Alex nuzzled his head against hers.

  “I’m just worried that the situation out there is going to deteriorate as the winter gets worse. God forbid the power goes out. The decisions will get tougher, and they’ll have to be made quicker. If things get really bad in the neighborhood, we need to be prepared to make some tough calls, right on the spot. My mission is to keep you and the kids safe at any cost. I need you to understand what this might come to mean,” he said softly.

  “I’m a mother, believe me when I say that I understand what it means to protect our kids unconditionally.”

  Alex believed her every intention, but was still not convinced that she truly understood the full scope of what each of them might have to do in order to ensure survival in the face of a worst-case scenario.

  “Nobody messes with the momma bear?” he asked.

  “Damn right,” she said and gave him an extra tight squeeze before letting him go and walked around the island to grab her cup of tea.

  “What are the kids watching?”

  “I don’t know. Probably something borderline inappropriate, like every other movie they want to see nowadays,” Kate replied.

  “Still no Nightfall on demand?”

  “No. They haven’t put a new movie on that feature for a couple of weeks now. Not since the theatres closed.”

  “I hope Emily’s forgotten about it,” Alex said, wincing.

  “No, she had another emotional blowout earlier today about it. She checks the on-demand menu like three times a day for it,” Kate said, grabbing her book.

  “Great. Is she still blaming me for not seeing it?”