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Chapters (36)
  1. VECTOR
  2. Copyright page
  3. Dedication
  4. AKNOWLEDGEMENTS
  5. Epigraph
  6. PROLOGUE
  7. ONE
  8. TWO
  9. THREE
  10. FOUR
  11. FIVE
  12. SIX
  13. SEVEN
  14. EIGHT
  15. NINE
  16. TEN
  17. ELEVEN
  18. TWELVE
  19. THIRTEEN
  20. FOURTEEN
  21. FIFTEEN
  22. SIXTEEN
  23. SEVENTEEN
  24. EIGHTEEN
  25. NINETEEN
  26. TWENTY
  27. TWENTY-ONE
  28. TWENTY-TWO
  29. TWENTY-THREE
  30. TWENTY-FOUR
  31. TWENTY-FIVE
  32. TWENTY-SIX
  33. EPILOGUE
  34. AUTHOR’S NOTE
  35. SELECTED BIBLIOGRAPHY
  36. GLOSSARY

“Ah, who the hell cares,” Jack said out loud. He got out another card. On the back he wrote a message for Yuri to call him ASAP. He included his direct extension as well as his home number. Then he went back up the front walk and slipped the card under the door.

Jack unlocked his bicycle and pedaled away. He had it in his mind to take a quick loop around Brighton Beach before heading back to the office. He was mainly just curious about the area, but he thought that if he happened to see a veterinary office, he’d stop in to ask if they had information about the rat die-off.

SEVENTEEN

___________

SEVENTEEN

Wednesday, October 20

12:15 P.M.

Yuri had never been more agitated in his entire life. The moment he’d come face-to-face with Jack Stapleton, it had felt as if his heart would leap from his chest. And to make matters worse, he hadn’t been able to get the Glock out of his pocket, since it had gotten caught up in the lining of his jacket.

As it turned out, the vain struggle was for the best. If he had managed to get the gun out, his situation would be worse than it was. Jack Stapleton hadn’t caused him to panic so much as the fear that Flash Thomas was there as well. Gordon Strickland had said they’d been together at the funeral home.

As soon as Yuri was sure that the medical examiner was by himself, he’d collected his thoughts enough to deal with him. He’d been stunned to learn that Jack Stapleton had somehow seemingly made the diagnosis of botulism.

After walking away from Jack, Yuri had not looked back. He’d gone directly to a local bar. Only then had he dared to glance behind him to see if Jack Stapleton had followed him.

Not seeing the doctor, Yuri had gone in, ordered a vodka, and slugged it down.

“You want another?” the bartender asked. Thankfully, it was someone Yuri didn’t know. If he did, Yuri would have worried about his commenting about the beard. Yuri was afraid to take it off.

“A double,” Yuri said. He was still trembling. The other issue that bothered him was that Jack Stapleton had obviously been walking around his property. That meant that he’d seen the laboratory vent in the backyard. Yuri had no idea what the doctor might have made of that.

The other thing Yuri worried about was whether Jack had looked through the back window of the garage. If he had, he might have seen the pest control truck. That could be as potentially damaging as seeing the laboratory vent.

Yuri glanced at his watch. He didn’t know if he’d allowed enough time for Jack to leave, but he couldn’t wait any longer. He paid his bar tab, polished off his drink, and picked up his groceries.