Nowhere to Run Read Free Page A

know how to weaponize it.”
    The medical correspondent paused to rest his hand on a piece of machinery on the lab bench. “One of the steps in making the powdered, airy form of anthrax is freeze-drying the spores. A tabletop freeze dryer can be purchased for under eight thousand dollars. So you see, the notion that only a state-sponsored biological weapons program could produce weapons-grade anthrax is a misconception.”
    As the report ended, Thomas came out of the bedroom, shoes in hand. Annabelle bent down to tie his sneaker but looked up in time to catch Dr. Lee, live on the set, holding up a tiny vial of white powder.
    “Constance, we’d all like to think that anthrax is so dangerous, so deadly, that it must be well guarded, impossible, we hope, for anyone with evil intentions to get his hands on. But what I have here is a test tube containing weapons-grade anthrax. I can’t tell you how I got it, but if I could get it, so could other people. This is a weapon you can use and you can hide.”
    Annabelle watched openmouthed, not believing what she was seeing. The camera closed in on the vial, then pulled back to Constance, who shrank back in her seat across from the medical correspondent.
    “What’s wrong, Mommy?” asked Thomas.
    “Nothing, sweetie. But Daddy is going to have to get up and walk you guys to school this morning. Mommy has to get in to work.”

Chapter 2
    The president of KEY News sat at her kitchen table, drinking her second cup of black coffee and scanning the OpEd page of The New York Times while keeping an ear on the television set playing in the background.
    “…What I have here is a test tube containing weapons-grade anthrax. I can’t tell you how I got it, but if I could get it, so could other people.”
    Yelena Gregory’s head whipped around to view the medical correspondent proudly displaying his booty. Linus had gone too far this time. She grabbed the telephone and punched in the numbers of the Broadcast Center control room.
    “Gregory for Nazareth,” she barked. It took three seconds for the executive producer to get on the line.
    “Linus, damn it, what’s going on? Why wasn’t I informed about this?” she demanded.
    “Don’t worry, Yelena. Don’t worry. We have everything under control here.”
    “So that means you approved this?”
    There was a momentary pause on the line as the executive producer pondered his response.
    “Linus?” Her anger grew as she watched the diaper commercial that was playing on the screen. That’s nice. Real nice. All those mothers at home, scared out of their wits that any nut could get ahold of a tube of anthrax. The diaper company sponsor should love having its commercial airing right after this piece of happy news.
    “No, I didn’t know Lee was going to do this, Yelena,” he answered.
    “Then you don’t have everything under control, do you, Linus?”
    “Yelena, I think you’re overreacting.”
    “Oh you do, do you? That’s rich. Do you have any idea the headaches this is going to cause? The police and feds are not going to be amused at our antics with a weapon of mass destruction, and our employees are going to freak out with worry that they’ve been exposed to spores of death. But that’s nice, Linus, I’m overreacting.”
    Linus was calm. “I’m sure Legal can deal with the cops and the feds, and everyone at the Broadcast Center will take their cue from you, Yelena. If you reassure them that they are in no danger, that will go a long way.”
    “I’m glad you know what I have to do to clean up your mess, Linus. That’s mighty smart of you.” Yelena knocked over her coffee cup, its contents spilling across the newspaper. “Who the hell was the producer on this segment anyway?”
    “Annabelle Murphy.”
    “Did she know about this?”
    “I don’t think so. At least she never told me about it.”
    “Well, she should have.”

Chapter 3
    Clara Romanski lay beneath her soft handmade quilt, trying to concentrate on the