Three-Way

Cotten sat at her desk, making notes on a yellow legal pad about everything Ted had just gone over with her. Pieces were coming together and forming a huge complicated picture. Maybe she should fill Dr. Swan in on the latest.

She retrieved Charlotte Swan’s card from her purse and stared at it a minute, wondering if the CDC director was the right contact. Maybe she should try the FBI.

Let’s see where the CDC is taking this first. Cotten dialed, and after getting Dr. Swan’s secretary, she was finally connected.

“Hi, Doctor Swan. This is Cotten Stone. If you recall I—”

“Of course I recall. Funny you should phone. I was just looking over the forensics report on the Sutton coffin.”

“That was fast.”

“I had them fax me a copy. Got it maybe thirty minutes ago.”

“Find anything?” Cotten asked.

“Nothing definitive, but there are a few suspicious results.”

“Like what?”

“Possible traces of pathogens. I think it warrants further investigation. As a matter of fact, I was just about to assemble a team to go to West Virginia.”

“I’m so relieved. I was afraid you would come up with nothing or wouldn’t see the need to follow up.”

“Oh, absolutely not.”

“Dr. Swan, I have more to tell you. I know it isn’t within your jurisdiction, but I think you need to know what you might be looking at here and what it involves.”

“I appreciate that.”

Cotten revealed everything Ted told her about Unit 731, the Pitcairn, Dr. Chung, and her family. Swan seemed to listen intently with only a few questions.

“What do you think?” Cotten asked when she finished.

“I think it’s scary as hell and I’d better do my end of the job quickly. Actually, I think this goes way beyond the CDC. I’m going to get in touch with some friends at Health and Human Services along with the FBI. Homeland Security will probably need to get involved as well. They’re all going to have to help carry the ball.”

Cotten leaned back in the chair, her hair tumbling over the back. She closed her eyes. “That would be great. I really want to thank you, Dr. Swan.”

“No, I want to thank you. I’ll get back in touch as soon as I know where we are with all this. I’ll talk to you soon.”

“You bet,” Cotten said, letting the receiver slide down the side of her cheek and come to rest on her jaw. Thank God, someone is listening to me.

___

“Heard anything?” Ted asked as the elevator door closed and began its journey up the shaft in the SNN building.

Cotten watched their reflections in the polished bronze doors. “No. Three days ago Dr. Swan sounded like she was gung-ho. She seemed to really believe we were onto something more than just a new flu strain.”

“Have you called her?” Ted asked.

“Twice yesterday afternoon, but her secretary said she wasn’t in. I don’t want to be a pest. She said she’d get back to me. I guess I should be patient. I did call Pete Hamrick, and he said he would check up on the status, but I haven’t heard back from him either.”

The elevator stopped on the fifth floor, and a new hire from post-production got in with them. Cotten couldn’t remember his name but offered a greeting as did Ted.

Cotten discontinued her conversation about Charlotte Swan until she and Ted got off on the eighth floor and went into his office.

Ted eased the door closed behind them. Cotten took off her coat and laid it over a chair.

“I simply don’t get it,” she said. “Swan was so ready for action. She even said she was going to take this to various Washington agencies. I felt relieved, like we had handed it off to people who could take care of it. I mean Washington, for Christ’s sake.”

Ted chuckled and sat behind his desk. Then his face turned serious. “I think I know all your secrets. Right?”

“Mmm,” Cotten said, sitting opposite him.

“I believe you’ve pushed something important to the back of your mind, like you’re trying to ignore it.”

Cotten tilted her head and bit away a hang nail.

“Don’t forget who and what we believe you’re up against. Shit, it freaks the beejesus out of me. I go home every night and check out the sunset, wondering if it’s the last one I’ll ever see or when I see the next one will I be thrashing on the floor under my window bleeding from every hole in my body like Jeff Calderon. I have frigging nightmares and there’s not a damn thing I can really do about it. All this shit is going on in the background of everybody’s life like white noise. Who’d believe us if we told them? Who would listen if we got in their faces on our evening newscast and said demons and devils are plotting our demise? Even if we gave specifics, we’d either cause mass hysteria or the FCC would find a way to revoke our license.”

“So what are you trying to tell me, Ted?”

“Okay, I’ll say it and lay it out there, but I know it’s already stapled to the very front of your brain. Those agencies in Washington may not be the answer at all. Give Director Swan another call and then make a decision. But you’re the one who has to make that call. You are the only one. And you know it.”

Cotten knew Ted was right. “I’ll call Pete Hamrick and see what he knows.”

Ted picked up his phone and handed it to her. “Know his number?”

“I’ve got it in my cell,” she said.

“Look it up and use this phone. I want a three-way on speaker.”

“What?”

“See if you can get John on the line first.”

Cotten glanced at her watch and did the math. “He should be available.” She opened her list of contacts on her cell and found John’s. Then she punched the number into Ted’s phone.

After waiting for his secretary to put her through, Cotten heard John’s voice. “Hey, any news?”

“I have you on speaker. I’m here with Ted. This whole T-Kup thing has blown up. Like I told you earlier, I’ve been in contact with the CDC, but haven’t heard back. Director Swan was going to get a number of government agencies involved, but now Ted and I are wondering if that’s the right course. You know what I’m getting at? I’m going to call Pete Hamrick again and see what he knows. Ted thought you should be on the line.” She paused a moment, then said. “I’m glad I called. It’s so good to hear your voice.”

“Yours too.”

“Hold on.” She pressed the flash button, dialed Hamrick’s number, and when it started to ring she brought John back on line.

“Pete Hamrick,” the voice answered.

“Hi, Pete. It’s Cotten Stone. I have you on speaker with Ted Casselman, SNN news director.” She didn’t see any reason to mention John and have to go into a long explanation. “I was wondering if you have heard anything from Director Swan?”

There was a long pause.

“Cotten, I’m not sure how to tell you this. I didn’t call you earlier because I’ve been wrestling with it.”

“Spit it out, Pete. What is it?”

“I talked at length with Dr. Swan this morning, and she says they are dropping the investigation, that there is not enough evidence to go on, that it’s only conjecture at this point.”

Cotten smoothed the hair from her face, feeling the dampness of perspiration breaking out at her hairline. “What do you mean? She said there was possible evidence of pathogens from the coffin forensics. She was sending a team to West Virginia and calling authorities in Washington. She definitely thought it more than conjecture.”

“I don’t know what to say, Cotten. To put it bluntly, she said the whole thing sounded like a crock, concocted by you and your network to boost your ratings.” There was a long silence. Then he said, “I’m really sorry. I gotta go.” The line clicked off.

“John, you still there?” Cotten asked.

“Yes.”

“What are your thoughts?”

“Sounds dubious to me. Very suspicious.”

“I agree,” Ted said.

“Dr. Swan was anxious to move ahead with the investigation when I last spoke to her,” Cotten said. “Something happened. Somebody shut her down. Why?”

“Had to have something to do with her Washington connections,” Ted said. “As soon as she started singing to somebody over there, the roadblocks went up.”

“But why?” Cotten said.

“It doesn’t matter,” John said. “The CDC isn’t going to do anything.”

“So where does that leave us?” Cotten said.

“I have an idea,” John said. “It’s a long shot, but I’m going to call in some favors. Plan on me flying out of Rome late tonight or first thing in the morning. I’ll call you with my flight info as soon as I know.”

“To New York?” Cotten asked.

“No, Washington.”