Pia didn’t respond. She merely peeled back the necessary tape and tried the door, which was locked. It didn’t deter her. Many times over the last three and a half years, Pia had been asked to take a reading in the lab at night, or monitor an automated experiment. She took the key she’d been given for those eventualities, opened the door, and stepped over the threshold.

“Pia, this is crazy,” George said. Reluctantly he came in after her. It was dark, and very quiet.

“Relax. The security cameras are out, they’ve been working on them again for days. Who’s going to come in now? I just want to check the refrigerated storage facility in the biosafety lab and take a peek at the logbook. And before you say it, I know the CDC has probably investigated all that. They might have even taken the logbook. Be that as it may, I need to make sure they didn’t miss anything.”

Pia turned on the minimal light necessary. It was a small lamp by the communal coffee machine. She then quickly checked her own office, and Rothman’s. George trailed after her like a shadow. As far as she could tell, nothing had been disturbed in either office. Pia pointed out Rothman’s desk to George. The in-tray, the few files, the pictures—everything was just so.

“See how orderly he is?” said Pia.

All George could think about was getting out of there. An air circulator kicked on and George jumped half out of his skin. He followed Pia to the biosafety level-3 room and they donned the protective gear once more. Pia used the coded punch pad to reach the lab itself. Since there were no windows, Pia turned on the overhead lights. The ventilation system was still running and there was an eerie calm in the place. Pia checked the logbook, which the CDC had not taken. There were the usual entries; the next to last one was Panjit Singh, when he went in that morning to set up. Then there was Rothman and Yamamoto’s entry. There was nothing abnormal. She then went to the refrigerated storage unit. Using a separate keypad, she was about to open it when she heard a noise that caught her attention.

“Did you hear that?” she whispered intently to George.

“Hear what?” George said nervously.

Pia held up a hand and went to the door and cracked it open. There were quiet sounds but unmistakable—voices in the lab outside. Voices getting louder.

“In here . . . c’mon,” she said urgently.

“Shit,” George said under his breath. He’d heard the voices. “Shit on a brick,” he mumbled to himself.