“Were you able to find any documented examples of flesh-eating termites since we spoke last?” Lou began.

Humphries drummed his fingers on the desk and pursed his lips. Despite the gold band on the professor’s wedding finger, Lou imagined his offbeat good looks acting like pheromones on the coeds in his classes.

“To be honest, Dr. Welcome—”

“Lou, please.”

“And Darlene. I’m a pediatrician, so I should be able to understand anything the ER doc over here understands.”

“To be honest, Dr. Lou … and Dr. Darlene,” Humphries said. “I didn’t look very hard.”

“Because you found one?” she asked.

“Because they don’t exist. At least not naturally.”

“Could they have been another sort of flesh-eating insect?” Lou asked. “An unusual species of the Dermestid beetle perhaps?”

Humphries’s eyes brightened. “I admire anyone who comes to my office prepared. The skin beetle is a good guess, but unfortunately, all known species are scavengers.”

“By that you mean they don’t live off live flesh?” Darlene interjected.

“That’s correct. The Dermestid beetle is often used in taxidermy and some natural history museums to clean animal skeletons. There’s also a medicolegal aspect to the beasties’ handiwork, helping forensic investigators determine time of death. But I’ve never come across any accounts of this particular beetle consuming live flesh. Besides, they don’t fit the description of the insects you saw, Lou. The adult beetles have oval-shaped bodies, concealed beneath hard scales.”

“What about mutation?” Lou asked.

Humphries pondered the question. Darlene caught Lou’s sidelong glance and nodded her excitement.

“A mutation that transforms a detritivore into an omnivore…” His voice trailed away in thought.

“Detritivore?” asked Darlene. “Like detritus?”

“Precisely. Your Latin hasn’t deserted you, Doctor. Organisms that obtain nutrients from decomposing organic matter. Garbage eaters. It appears that everything I read about your intelligence is accurate.”

“Why, thanks, Oliver,” she replied with her ice cream–melting smile. “I’m afraid I’m much more used to reading about my waistline or makeup or wardrobe than my intellect.”

Humphries took a moment to compose himself and continued. “In any event, I can’t fathom an environmental factor that would cause such a mutation. I’ve studied entomology for most of my life and have been to every continent except Antarctica studying bugs—termites especially. I’ve discovered at least two new species, but never encountered anything close to what you’ve described. It’s one of the reasons I was so eager to meet with you. If such an insect were naturally occurring, well … it would certainly generate a lot of buzz in the industry.” The entomologist chuckled.

“Nicely done,” Darlene said, picking up on the play on words before Lou. “But you just said ‘naturally occurring.’ What about a nonnatural environmental shift of some sort?”

“Something man-made?”

“Yes,” Lou said, perking up at the thought. “A man-made airborne contagion of sorts.”