Lopez glanced over to Warmack who, for a fleeting moment, looked uncertain. He reached for his water glass and took a long sip. Then he put it back down on the table, his poise regained. “This outbreak is less than two days old to us. Like every other emerging pathogen I’ve seen in my nearly forty years as an epidemiologist—and trust me, I’ve seen my share—the questions always dwarf the answers in the early days. But answers do come with time.” He paused and stared directly at Pearson. “Until then, it’s our job—and yours—to keep the public informed without panicking them.”

More arms waved and people yelled out, but Warmack said, “That’s all the time we have for questions today. We’ll convene another news conference as soon as we have more information to share.” He pushed his mike away and rose from his seat.

Lopez stood up from her chair and followed Warmack out the door behind the podium. He hurried down the hallway and into the stairwell. She didn’t catch up with him until the fourth-floor landing where he stood smiling. “Little trick for you, Cat. Never hang around after a press conference. Those wolves will hunt you down like you’re a wounded elk.”

She nodded. “Sorry, David,” she said, biting her lip.

His eyes narrowed. “For?”

She pointed down the stairs. “Losing my cool back there.”

“That reporter deserved it. He was looking to make scapegoats out of AIDS patients and drug users with that ignorant, inflammatory question.” Then he smiled. “Besides, that’s what makes you so much fun to work with.”

She looked down at her feet. “My unpredictability?”

“That … . your fiery temperament … your stubborn streak … but most of all, your fierce devotion to principle. It’s time they heard the message about antibiotic abuse.” His face broke into a paternal smile and, for a moment, she saw Papa staring back at her. “I was proud of you in there, Cat.”

She felt her spirits lift. She chuckled and punched him softly on the shoulder. “But you weren’t going to let me squeeze another word in edgewise, were you?”

“Not on your life.” He laughed. “I didn’t want to see any of those reporters carried out of there on a stretcher!”

“I wouldn’t have minded seeing that last guy go out that way. But I guess everything he said was true,” she sighed. “You handled it beautifully, though. Maybe there are still a few tricks I can pick up from you.”

“One or two.” He chuckled. “I’m not in the ground yet, you know.”

Lopez’s cell phone rang, and she grabbed for it. “Hello.”

“Lina, it’s Nelson Amar,” her boss said in his usual curt tone.

“Oh, hi,” she said. “You caught me just after our press conference.”

“I watched it,” Amar said impassively.

“In Atlanta?” She grimaced at Warmack.

“We picked it up on satellite,” Amar said.