Knight approached one of the tigers with clinical curiosity. Wearing only a paper mask for protection, he squatted before the dead animal. Blood seeped from its pink nostrils. With his pen, he pried open the creature’s black lips, exposing bloody gums and teeth. Just as he had expected.

A high-pitched noise caught Knight’s attention. He scanned across the exhibit to find a cuddly little tiger cub, squeaking with glee as it wrestled with a large ball. The cub was seemingly unaffected by the outbreak or the fact that all his fellow inmates had succumbed to some horrible withering disease.

A theory began to form in Knight’s head. He pulled down his sweltering mask, exposing his face as he took a deep breath of fresh air.

Knight entered the cub’s pen and opened his briefcase. Taking out a baby bottle, he filled it with water and powdered milk. He shook the mixture together, then swept the baby tiger up in his arms and began feeding it like a father nursing his newborn. Knight ran his fingers through the soft fur on the nape of its neck, soothing it. The tiger squinted in a silent purr, leaning into Knight’s touch.

“I’ve got some questions for you, buddy.”

Knight withdrew a small syringe from the briefcase and took a blood sample as the oblivious cub sucked down the milk.

A zoo vet in a clean suit approached. “Sir, it’s not safe here.”

“It isn’t airborne,” Knight said.

The vet didn’t share his confidence. “We don’t even know what killed these cats yet.”

Knight didn’t need lab analysis to know. The symptoms allowed for only one possibility. “Feline leukemia virus,” he called back over his shoulder. “Transmitted in the blood when the cats nip each other. It doesn’t affect people.”

“Neither did bird flu, until it made the jump to humans and killed a bunch of folks in Southeast Asia,” said a voice behind him. Knight turned to see a woman with graying blond hair standing at the edge of the exhibit. She wore a safari shirt that seemed as much a costume as a uniform. “You must be the insurance guy,” she said. “I’m Kate Henley, the mammal curator.”

Knight made his way over to her. “I didn’t see anything about a new cat listed on your policy.”

“We just got it last week. Hadn’t gotten around to adding him to the policy yet. Fortunately, he seems okay.”

“Where’d this new cub come from?”

“A dealer in Macau.”

“I’ll run the DNA, but it looks like a purebred Sumatran.”

“It is,” she assured him.

“That’s a tough cat for a private zoo to get. You went through a non-AZA supplier?”

Kate grew defensive. “He said it was a rescue tiger.”

Her tone told Knight he was correct to assume that the seller wasn’t a member of the well-regulated Association of Zoos and Aquariums. “Can you give me the dealer’s contact info?”

“I’ll have my assistant get it for you.” Kate glanced at the cub, concerned. “Do you think the new cat was the host?”