“You saw how quickly Cap’s deteriorating.”

The man was pushing—the surest way to get Lou, or most other docs for that matter, to dig in and resist. He gazed up at the drop ceiling and ran his hands through his hair. He had connections at the D.C. hospitals.

Becoming Humphrey’s arms and legs would be time-consuming and possibly counterproductive, to say nothing of what might happen should they get caught and arrested. Humphrey’s chess demonstration was certainly compelling. Now, Lou was wondering if it was possible to get any further information about the man and his offbeat theories on using various bacteriophage to destroy an indestructible germ. The ones who kept crossing his mind were Dr. Sam Scupman and his associate Vicki Banks.

“Tell me, Humphrey, what were you doing for this Kazimi if you couldn’t work any lab equipment?”

“Computer modeling. Heady stuff that you wouldn’t really understand.”

“Make me.”

“What?”

“I was near the top of my class in med school. If you want me to be your assistant, make me understand your work.”

Humphrey thought for a time, then wheeled to a far corner of the room where a small, built-in desk was set up. On it was a cup of pens, pencils, and markers, as well as a laptop. He used his extender to open the drawer.

“Take out the notebook,” he said.

Lou removed a thick, green three-ring binder, filled with what looked like articles and printouts. Humphrey took most of ten minutes to type out an explanation.

This notebook contains the basis of my theories and an instruction manual on the bacteriophage I believe will do the job. Read it over carefully. Take notes. Be ready to ask questions. I’ve used advanced computer models to predict the response to the phages, and bacterial growth based on various levels and combinations of treatment. The mathematics will not be easy for you despite your intelligence, but take it from me, it is irrefutable. I ask that you take care of this. It is the only hard copy in existence, although I can duplicate it from my computer.

Lou thumbed through the pages, impressed by the depth of the research.

“I want to look it over,” he said.

“Trust you be discreet and careful who share this with. But I need you.”

“How much time do I have?”

“Have another look at your friend, Dr. Welcome. Then you tell me.”

Chapter 27

CHAPTER 27

To extinguish the fires of American prosperity, we need only to suffocate them under a blanket of government programs.

—LANCASTER R. HILL, A Secret Worth Keeping, SAWYER RIVER BOOKS, 1937, P. 1

Lou spent the night holed up in his hotel room, examining Humphrey’s research notebook a page at a time. The task would have been near impossible had Humphrey not included a five-page summary of the most significant papers and professional exchanges.