Lopez began to explain when Warmack’s phone rang. He listened a moment and then said, “Okay. Send him down.”

“Who is it?” Lopez asked.

“There’s a Sergeant Cohen with the Portland Police. He says he’s here to see you.”

Lopez nodded. “If nothing else, his timing is impeccable.”

Warmack rose from his chair, but Lopez waved him back down. She stood up and opened the door. Seth Cohen stood on the other side. As tall as Kilburn but with a sinewy runner’s build, Cohen had short black hair and an olive complexion that complimented his chiseled facial features and brown eyes. He smiled shyly as he stepped into the room.

Warmack came around the desk to shake hands and introduce him to the others. “I’m sorry to interrupt your meeting,” Cohen said.

“It’s Lina, please,” she said with a smile. “I’m glad you did. We were just about to discuss your involvement with MRGAS.” She held out her small hand to him. “Seth, maybe you could tell David and Graham what you told me earlier?”

Cohen nodded and pulled an extra chair up to the desk. “My partner and I are investigating a double-murder in Portland.” He recapped his connection to Carol, Portland’s first MRGAS victim, and the murder suspect who posed as a drug dealer. “The man was still using Dennis Tyler’s name as recently as last week in Portland, but it’s possible—probable, even—that he’s assumed a new identity by now.”

Lopez tapped the table in front of her. “You see, David! This Dennis Tyler guy is the link for all the outbreaks. He was Tonya Jackson’s ‘dark-eyed dealer,’ I am sure of it.”

Face creased and eyes troubled, Warmack viewed her for several seconds. Then he turned to Kilburn. “A bug like MRGAS could survive in powdered-form cocaine or heroin?”

“Wouldn’t require much moisture at all.” Kilburn nodded. “A form like rock or crystal cocaine would be especially suitable. We’ve seen it before with MRSA.”

“All right,” Warmack said, turning to Cohen. “Supposing his drugs were contaminated. Is it possible this drug dealer didn’t know?”

Cohen shook his head. “We don’t think Tyler is a dealer at all. The murder scene suggests he’s a proficient killer.” He looked down at his hands. “What’s more, it looks as if he never sold any drugs, but only gave away free samples. Best we can tell, he targeted the users who looked sickest.”

Lopez nodded vigorously. “Which makes perfect sense if you’re trying to deliberately disseminate an infection. Establish a foothold in immune-compromised patients and let them spread it to the hospitals and other users.”

“Pardon my ignorance, doctors.” Cohen cocked an eyebrow. “But this MRGAS has never been seen anywhere in the world before, right?”

“True,” Lopez said.

Cohen frowned. “So where would Dennis Tyler get it from?”

“My guess is someone made it for him,” Kilburn said flatly.