BooksBarbecue
Back The Asset
Chapters (86)
  1. Foreword
  2. 1
  3. 2
  4. 3
  5. 4
  6. 5
  7. 6
  8. 7
  9. 8
  10. 9
  11. 10
  12. 11
  13. 12
  14. 13
  15. 14
  16. 15
  17. 16
  18. 17
  19. 18
  20. 19
  21. 20
  22. 21
  23. 22
  24. 23
  25. 24
  26. 25
  27. 26
  28. 27
  29. 28
  30. 29
  31. 30
  32. 31
  33. 32
  34. 33
  35. 34
  36. 35
  37. 36
  38. 37
  39. 38
  40. 39
  41. 40
  42. 41
  43. 42
  44. 43
  45. 44
  46. 45
  47. 46
  48. 47
  49. 48
  50. 49
  51. 50
  52. 51
  53. 52
  54. 53
  55. 54
  56. 55
  57. 56
  58. 57
  59. 58
  60. 59
  61. 60
  62. 61
  63. 62
  64. 63
  65. 64
  66. 65
  67. 66
  68. 67
  69. 68
  70. 69
  71. 70
  72. 71
  73. 72
  74. 73
  75. 74
  76. 75
  77. 76
  78. 77
  79. 78
  80. 79
  81. 80
  82. 81
  83. 82
  84. 83
  85. 84
  86. Afterword

Lance shook his head. “I’m sorry,” he said again.

“Give me some time to let it sink in.”

He nodded.

He sat back down and they stared out the window in silence for a minute. Some birds were circling in the sky.

“They’re going to kill something,” Laurel said.

“Look at you, all maudlin.”

“I can’t believe I was hired because I look like your ex.”

“Ex-handler,” he said.

“Come on.”

He sighed.

“You had a thing with her,” Laurel said.

“I did.”

“And something happened.”

“Something always happens.”

“And Roth was involved.”

“Yes he was,” Lance said, and the way he said it made it clear there was more to the story.

“Was she ever here?” Laurel said.

“Who?”

“Who do you think?”

“Clarice?”

“Yes, Clarice.”

“What do you care?”

“I’m curious.”

“Try not to get hung up on her.”

“Just tell me.”

Lance sighed. “Fine. Obsess.”

“Cut me some slack. I’m practically her twin. I just want to know.”

“She was never here. I came back after she died.”

“Was that before or after Roth hired me?”

“I don’t know when Roth hired you.”

“Two years and four months ago.”

Lance did the math. “It was a little before that.”

“Why did you come back?”

“Because I needed to get my head straight.”

“So he gave you time?”

“Yes.”

“And you’ve been on the books this whole time?”

“I guess so.”

“He could have ordered you killed.”

“I know.”

Laurel shook her head. “You guys,” she said.

“Laurel, believe me when I say, you don’t know the half of it.”

“Do I want to know?”

“No you do not.”

16

Sofia had to stop. She was covered in blood.

She went to a sink and scrubbed her hands. She didn’t realize she was crying until Olga shook her.

“Sofia. Sofia.”

“Please,” she cried.

“Wash your face, Sofia. You’re covered in blood.”

Sophia washed and Olga brought her through some doors to a private area. For the first time since she’d arrived, Sofia felt like she could breathe.

The emergency room was still armageddon. The victims kept pouring in. First they’d come from the textile factory. Young women in pink uniforms, their hair tied up in nets, coughing blood, choking, clawing at their necks. Then from the surrounding areas. Children in school uniforms, little girls in navy blue jumpers and white blouses, boys in matching gray shorts and blazers. Then shoppers from the Pokrovsky department store. And finally, residents from the massive apartment blocks south of the textile factory.

“Sit down,” Olga said. “Have you had any water?”

There was a bench under the window and they sat next to each other.

The patients presented as if suffering from severe pneumonia. High fevers, coughing, vomiting. But pneumonia didn’t strike like this. The people kept coming, and they kept dying. They were dying within minutes of exposure. That wasn’t pneumonia.