“You can’t fault yourself,” Laurie said. “After all, you did call the city epidemiologist. It was his job to do the follow-up.”

“That’s true, I guess,” Jack said without much enthusiasm. “It’s also true I called the director of the Mayor’s Office of

Emergency Management, but it doesn’t make me feel much better.”

“What was his name?” Laurie asked. “He was the one who gave us the lecture on bioterrorism.”

“Stan Thornton,” Jack said.

“Right,” Laurie said. “That was a disturbing lecture.”

A short period of silence ensued. The two people felt confident enough to adjust their weight. They were both leaning against the concrete foundation wall and hadn’t moved a muscle since the PAA’s arrival.

“Oh, God!” Laurie exclaimed, breaking the lull. She shuddered again. “I can’t believe we’re having this relatively normal conversation locked in this dark, tiny dungeon knowing what’s going to happen tomorrow in the Jacob Javits Federal Building. I wish to hell I’d brought my phone in here with us.” Laurie had left her purse locked in the glove compartment of Warren’s car, believing that carrying it would have made her appear unprofessional.

“That would have simplified things,” Jack agreed. “But I think Yuri would have taken it away if you’d had it. He seemed to know what he was doing. I’ve got a tiny flashlight on my key chain. I’m going to turn it on.”

“Please do,” Laurie said.

The meager cone of light barely lit up a corner of the room. Laurie’s troubled face came into view. She was hugging herself as if to ward off the cold.

“Are you all right?” Jack asked now that he could see her anguish.

“I’m hanging in,” Laurie said.

Jack moved the small beam around the room. He stopped on the bottles of distilled water and moved them to a convenient location where they’d be able to find them easily later in the dark. “We might need these,” Jack said. “I don’t like to be pessimistic, but we could be in here for some time.”

“That’s a happy thought,” Laurie said. She laughed mirthlessly.

The light played against the door. Since the door opened out, the hinges were on the other side. Jack felt around the door frame.

“Do you think it is okay for us to make noise?” Jack asked.

“If the neighbors might hear, we should make as much noise as possible,” Laurie said.

“I was thinking about the People’s Aryan Army,” Jack said.

“I think they’re long gone,” Laurie said. “They got what they came here for, and they’re probably busy with tomorrow’s plans to assault lower Manhattan.”

“You’re probably right,” Jack said. “There certainly was no reason for them to be suspicious we were here.”