Lethal Savage

by Dave Edlund

  “Maybe,” she said. “But by now they’ll know you’ve both escaped. To be safe, we approach cautiously.” She faced Darnell. “Is anyone working in the warehouse at night?”

  “We normally run only two shifts, unless we’re behind schedule. There shouldn’t be anyone there between midnight and eight a.m.”

  “Then it should be easy,” Peter said with a raised eyebrow. “We watch from a distance and make sure everyone is gone. Mr. Price will open the door and turn off the alarm. Who’s going to drive the truck?”

  “I will,” Darnell said, earning a look of disbelief from Peter. “When you run a small company, you do a little of everything.”

  “All right. We load the truck and convoy to Bend.”

  “Why Bend?” Danya asked. “Why not just wait here and turn it over to the authorities?”

  “What authorities? I already told you the Eugene police are on Corbett’s payroll. We don’t know who to trust.”

  “What about the FBI or state police?” she pressed.

  “It’s too risky. If word leaked and got back to Detective Jackson or someone else in the department who’s on the take, it would compromise everything. Besides, who would believe us? This story is pretty crazy, and we’ve got no proof.”

  Danya pinched her eyebrows into a scowl as she glared at Darnell. “We’ve got him. We can make him tell his story.”

  “Trust me, we will,” Peter said. “But we need more. We have to have physical evidence. I don’t trust the people behind this. They have money and we know they’ve bought off the local police. Who’s to say they haven’t done the same with agents out of the local FBI office? They were pretty brazen when they snatched me from the parking lot in broad daylight.”

  “Then we’re on our own.”

  “For now, anyway. I can hide the cases of water at my company in Bend. No one will think to look for it there, and it will give me time to speak with Dr. Julia Zhong at the CDC.”

  “And you believe she can be trusted?” Danya asked.

  Peter nodded. “I do. The CDC became involved only recently, after I pulled in some favors and applied a little political pressure. She and her team conducted the field investigation at Warm Springs.”

  “I hope you’re right. It’s your head.”

  “What does that mean? I thought you were helping?”

  Danya cast a mischievous grin in Peter’s direction. “I am. But just to be clear, I have a thing about avoiding contact with law enforcement and government agencies. Do we have an understanding?”

  Reluctantly, Peter replied, “Yeah.”

  Chapter 31

  Eugene, Oregon

  March 29

  The overcast night sky held in the humidity, making the early morning feel even chillier than the temperature indicated. Darnell sat with Peter in his Wraith while Danya was parked a short distance away in her pickup. From their vantage point, they watched as the last of the swing-shift workers drove away from Cascade Aqua Company. It was approaching one a.m., and other than the last worker to leave, they hadn’t seen any foot or vehicle traffic at the business for the last forty-five minutes.

  Peter phoned Danya. “Darnell says they’ve all gone home. Looks clear. We’re going in.”

  “Okay. Keep your phone handy. If anything looks odd, I’ll call immediately.”

  The plan was simple. Darnell would enter the code to open the door and turn off the alarm. Then they would load the cases designated for shipment to Nigeria. If police or any visitors showed, Danya would report immediately to Peter so they could exit before being caught in an embarrassing situation. After getting all the water loaded and just before leaving, they planned to sabotage the filter housing that was used to dispense the viral agent so that production would not be restarted, if anyone was so inclined.

  Although not expecting trouble, Peter carried the pistol and a spare magazine he’d taken from the guard during their escape from the warehouse.

  He and Darnell jogged across the street. There was almost no traffic. At the entrance door, Darnell punched in the code from memory, and a moment later a click indicated the door had unlocked. “It’s on a timer, so the door will automatically lock after it closes.”

  Darnell walked directly to a control panel the same shade of off-white as the paint on the wall. He entered a different six-digit code to turn off the alarm system. Rather than turn on the lobby lights and run the risk of attracting attention from a passing patrol car, Peter used the flashlight app on his phone to illuminate the way as he followed Darnell.

  They took the same path to the bottling line as they had on Peter’s previous two visits. “Where are the cleaning supplies?” Peter asked.

  “Over here.” Darnell opened a door leading into a large janitor closet, complete with sink and floor drain. The walls were lined with industrial metal shelving piled with cleaning supplies, cases of paper products, a few cans of paint, and spare light bulbs. Still using his flashlight, Peter quickly found what he was searching for—bleach. He grabbed a jug in each hand.

  “Show me the filter housing where the viral agent was added to the water.”

  Darnell led the way past rows of machinery. Then he stopped and pointed. “It’s the last of these three housings. What are you going to do? It was cleaned and sterilized already.”

  “That’s what you say. But you’ve given me plenty of reason to doubt your moral character. So I’m going to do it again, to be certain.”

  While Peter studied the machinery, determining how to remove the cap to the filter canister, Darnell slipped a dozen feet away. In the dim glow from the flashlight, his finger found an illuminated button on a control panel. Without a second thought, he pushed the button.

  Peter startled at the sound of pumps whirring. Instinctively he pulled his hands away from the filter canisters. Only then did he realize Darnell was not at his side. “What did you do?” he asked.

  “You said you wanted to sterilize the line. This system is built with a circulation pump and holding tank so we can periodically clean the system using industrial sanitizing agents. I just started it up. The process is automated. After two minutes, it will shut down. We’ll need to let the day shift know they need to flush the line before bottling commences.”

  Pressing a hand against the piping, Peter felt a slight vibration. “I was going to pour this bleach into the filters,” he said.

  “That would have only sterilized that portion of the line. This process flushes all of the plumbing, the entire system.”

  Before they moved on, Peter opened both jugs of bleach and splashed the noxious liquid liberally over the three filter housings, setting the empty jugs on the floor where they would be easily seen when the day shift arrived to work. The smell of bleach combined with the empty containers would alert the workers that something was amiss. But to be certain the line wasn’t put into operation, Peter would place an anonymous call to Cascade Aqua first thing in the morning.

  The two men continued past the bottling line and to the back of the building where the warehouse was located. Since the warehouse had no windows, and it did not front the street, they turned on the overhead lights.

  “We park our trucks over there,” Darnell pointed to the far side of the warehouse, close to the overhead doors. “Used to have trouble with vandalism when they were left outside overnight.”

  Peter turned his attention to the stack of pallets that had previously captured his attention. He approached and checked the tag—Nigeria. Many of the other pallets slated for local delivery were gone. “Looks like your warehouse crew has been busy.”

  “Shipments go out several days each week. I expect these pallets for Nigeria will go out soon, probably tomorrow.”

  “Not anymore. You’re sure none of your employees know about your plan?”

  “Certain. I introduced the virus myself—at night, after everyone left. It’s a granular material designed for slow release. After a certain number of days, it completely dissolves along with the plast
ic bag it’s kept in. There’s no physical trace left to be found. After producing enough contaminated product, I instructed the day shift to clean and sterilize the piping, filter housings, and all the machinery.”

  “Naturally. You wouldn’t want to sacrifice quality, would you?”

  Darnell stared back in silence.

  “Come on,” Peter said. “Let’s get these cases loaded so we can get out of here.”

  “Why don’t we simply destroy the stockpile? Why do you want to confiscate it instead?”

  “We’ve been over this already. I want to have evidence for the CDC. Not to mention that I have no idea what would happen if we dumped all this contaminated water into the sewer system. Do you?”

  “No, I guess not. We never discussed that.”

  “Of course not. Until we know what the agent is, it’s best that we don’t release it into the environment. Enough talk. I need you to get on that forklift and get these pallets—”

  Peter’s phone vibrated in his pocket. He answered, knowing it was Danya. “Something wrong?”

  “Yeah. Two vehicles approaching. The lead one just turned into the parking lot and the second one is following. You need to get out of there.”

  “Are they police?”

  “No. Civilian. A sedan and an SUV like the one at the warehouse where you were being held.”

  Just then Peter heard the muffled sound of car engines outside the warehouse doors.

  He disconnected the call. “Come on Darnell,” his voice barely louder than a whisper. “I think your friends are here. We have to go.”

  Suddenly, an exterior door into the warehouse opened. Peter heard voices talking as he and Darnell scampered away using the stacks of palletized bottled water to shield their exit from the large, open room.

  “Someone forgot to turn the lights off,” a voice said. From just on the other side of the door adjoining the bottling line to the warehouse, Peter could not see the newcomers.

  “Maybe.” The voice was that of Roger Corbett. “Just to be sure, you search the warehouse while the rest of you find the Nigerian shipment.”

  Crouched in silence, Peter held the door from the warehouse to the bottling line open just a crack while he continued to listen. He glimpsed a man moving among the stacked cases, searching the shadows. It didn’t take long to find what they were looking for.

  “Here it is,” a deep male voice said.

  “Good,” Corbett acknowledged. “Get it loaded into one of the trucks. Dr. Ming can decide what he wants to do with it.”

  “Right away, sir.”

  Peter didn’t hear any machinery operating, and he assumed men were loading the cases of bottled water by hand into the same truck he’d planned to use to drive away with the product. Then he heard a familiar voice. “Nothing, Mr. Corbett. There’s no one here other than us.”

  “Good. Now give us a hand. I want to get this loaded and out of here. Still a long night ahead for me.”

  “Aren’t you going back with us?”

  “No,” Corbett replied. “I have to check in on our chemist and make sure he’s still on schedule. One of you can drive this truck over to Utopian-Bio. Put it in the parking garage and keep an eye on it. Once I’m on the highway, I’ll phone Dr. Ming and give him my report.”

  Peter silently closed the door and nudged Darnell, pointing to the front entrance. Together they used Peter’s flashlight to make their way around machinery as they ran for the lobby and out the door.

  “Get back to Danya, I’ll be right behind you,” Peter said.

  “What are you doing?”

  “Never mind. Just go!”

  As Darnell dashed across the street, Peter hugged the building and worked his way toward the warehouse entrance in back. As soon as he rounded the corner of the building, he saw the vehicles Danya had mentioned. He easily recognized the sporty sedan, a white Dodge Charger, he’d seen Roger Corbett drive earlier. The man likes fast cars.

  Peter silenced his phone and hurried to the side of the car. He gently opened the door. The dome light came on, and he hoped no one was watching. He’d know soon enough. He slipped his phone as far as he could reach under the passenger seat. As he closed the door, the click sounded as loud as gunfire in the quiet of night, but it failed to draw any attention. Without lingering for even a second, he dashed back to the front of the building, then crossed the street to the where he knew Danya would be waiting.

  Chapter 32

  Eugene, Oregon

  March 29

  The trio crouched beside Danya’s pickup, watching the driveway to Cascade Aqua from about a hundred yard’s distance. There were few street lights in this industrial district of Eugene, and with the overcast night sky, it was unlikely anyone would see the three faces watching intently.

  They didn’t wait long before they saw Corbett drive away. He was headed east. Less than a minute later the delivery truck slowly exited onto the street. It was followed by the SUV, and both were headed in the opposite direction as Corbett.

  “So what do we do?” Danya asked. “Follow the truck or the sports car?”

  “Neither,” Peter replied. “They’re driving the bottled water to Utopian-Bio.”

  Danya started to rise but was halted by Peter’s hand on her shoulder. “They’re not going to welcome us with open arms,” he said.

  “I can fight. You can, too.”

  He ignored her statement. “Darnell, where is the parking garage located?”

  “It’s underground, beneath the building. I’ve parked there on previous visits.”

  “Does it have security?”

  “There’s a gate and a metal door that rolls up. I wasn’t looking for cameras.”

  “You can bet they have cameras,” Danya said, “at least at the entrance, but probably throughout the garage.”

  “We can’t get the truck,” Peter said. “We won’t be able to enter the parking garage without being detected, and if we try to break into the building we won’t get far. They’ll have plenty of armed guards—most likely mercenaries. And once a firefight starts, it won’t be long until the police show up. Remember, that building is private property. If the mercenaries don’t shoot us, the police probably will.”

  “We don’t have to go there,” Darnell said. “Now that we know where the cases of water are, why don’t you call your friend at the CDC and have them confiscate it.”

  “And how long do you think that will take?” Peter said. “They might already be flushing the evidence down the sewer. It’ll take days for the government to respond, assuming they take me seriously.”

  “That leaves us with the car,” Danya said. “But with the lead he has, who knows where he is now, or where he’s going.”

  “I overheard Corbett say he needed to check on his chemist concerning the schedule. I think it’s safe to conclude he’s planning to visit the laboratory where the virus is being produced.”

  “Darnell, do you know the location of the lab?” Danya asked.

  He shook his head.

  “We’re wasting time. We have to follow that car,” she said.

  “We will, but let’s give him a little space.”

  “But—”

  “I planted my phone in Corbett’s car. We can track it.” Peter produced the second phone he’d bought earlier.

  “Brilliant!” Danya exclaimed.

  “If I’m right,” Peter said as he downloaded an app, “Corbett will lead us right to the manufacturing site.”

  A minute later the cell phone screen displayed a red dot overlaid on a map of the Eugene area. The dot was moving east.

  s

  After driving for a little over two hours, the mini-caravan, comprised of Peter’s luxury sedan followed by Danya’s pickup truck, passed through Bend. They had no idea where they were going but assumed their fuel range would be about the same as Corbett’s car they were tracking. He’d been on the move throughout the night, and Peter was glad they decided to fill up at an all-night service station be
fore leaving Eugene.

  At the eastern city boundary, Peter pulled over to the side of the road and exited his car. Danya stopped behind him and rolled her window down, the engine idling smoothly. Peter leaned over, bracing his hand against the door. “I’ve been thinking about my plan once we know where Corbett is going. I suspect the lab is out there,” he motioned to the east. “A hell of a lot of open and desolate land. Plenty of space to hide a clandestine lab.”

  “So, let’s get going,” Danya replied.

  Peter glanced at the phone in his hand. The red dot was still moving east on Highway 20. “No. You stay here with Darnell. If this goes badly, you and Darnell must contact Julia Zhong at the CDC and tell her the whole story.” Peter shared the phone number. “At first, she may be skeptical, but tell her everything. You must convince her to open an investigation of Utopian-Bio. Insist that her team also investigates Cascade Aqua—maybe they can find traces of the virus or other supporting evidence.”

  “But they could shut down my business indefinitely,” Darnell said from the passenger side of the cab.

  “Too bad, Mr. Price,” Peter said. “You should have thought of that before you got tangled up in this mess. Considering the pain and long-term harm you inflicted on those young men at Warm Springs, you’d be getting off easy if the only penalty you suffered was to see your business closed down.”

  “Okay,” Danya said. “It shouldn’t be too hard to convince Ms. Zhong, if that’s what we need to do.”

  “Under no circumstances can you call my old number. Even though I set the ringer to silent mode, we can’t run the risk that the setting changed from the phone being bumped or something. If you must reach me, dial this number.” He gave the new phone number to Danya.

  “What are you going to do when you get to the manufacturing site?”

  “Burn it to the ground. They can’t be allowed to continue making the virus.”

  Danya looked directly into Peter’s eyes. He held her gaze, reading the concern she tried to bury. But it was there in her pinched lips and wrinkled brow. Peter straightened to return to his car, but Danya’s words stopped him. “It won’t be that easy.”