19 

Juliet eased her Jeep through the nearly empty front lot at Larimar Springs and parked under a light pole near the entrance, next to Greer’s Jaguar. Alexa’s Aston Martin was parked in her reserved spot near the front door. She spotted Dale Frissom’s car as well.

She’d barely used her security card and stepped inside the lobby when Greer charged across the floor. “It’s about time.” He reached for her elbow and guided her down the hall toward the conference room.

“Well, hello to you too,” she said, noticing he’d rolled up his cuffs.

Without responding, he almost pushed her through the conference room door. “She’s here. Now we can get started.”

From her spot at the head of the table, Alexa looked up. “I’m relieved to have you with us, Dr. Ryan. Sit down. We have a lot to consider.”

Even at this late hour, Alexa looked put together. She wore designer jeans, calf-length boots, and a cream-colored turtleneck with a leopard print vest over the top. Her hair was pulled back into a chignon at the back of her neck. She even wore lipstick. The only change to her normal appearance was the glasses she wore in place of contacts.

“What did I miss?” Juliet took a spot at the table, trying to ignore how she must look. It’d been hours since a comb had seen her hair, and she probably smelled like French fries.

Alexa wasn’t a woman for small talk. She got right to the point. “I’m not going to sugarcoat what’s happened tonight. This announcement has placed Larimar Springs in a perilous situation.” She opened her leather portfolio. “I’ve been in very brief contact with the Water Circus people. I’m told it’s a madhouse over there. This finding is very serious for everyone concerned.”

“How serious?” Dale Frissom nervously rubbed his neck above an open-collared shirt. “Look, I’m not sure what all this means.” His hand moved to the side of his face. “Practically speaking.”

Juliet placed her folded hands on the table. “I made a call to my contact at the CDC on my way here, and Dr. Breslin confirmed every test sample resulted in the exact same subtype cultures—the O157:H7 antigen as well as the Shiga-like toxins which are associated with these pathogenic strains.”

Dale ran his hand through his hair. “In English?”

“Those test results, integrated with the established epi curve, are conclusive—every victim visited Water Circus during the window of time they are looking at,” Juliet explained. “The park is under a close order until a team comprised of the CDC, USDA, and Texas state officials can coordinate the effort to pinpoint the suspect food or drink and identify exactly where the pathogens originated.”

Alexa’s face turned grim. “Not only will our future expansion be placed on hold for an indefinite period, but while that close order is in place, we stand to lose a lot of profit. Nearly half of our current business is with Water Circus.”

Her manicured fingers rubbed at her temple. “No question, this development will significantly impact our operation here at Larimar Springs. We’ll be faced with a multitude of decisions very quickly.” She swiveled her chair toward Juliet. “Dr. Ryan, we’re looking to you to help us assimilate the information and guide us going forward. Why don’t you start at the beginning and fully brief the team?”

The fact Alexa had formally addressed the situation by looking to her didn’t pass by Juliet. Neither did the immense responsibility. She took a deep breath. “In these early stages of bacterial outbreak, an epidemiologist’s task is a lot like assembling a big jigsaw puzzle. Disparate clues have to be identified and connected.”

While Juliet spoke, Greer quietly paced in front of the windows, his hand rubbing at his jaw.

“Step one is to inventory what those with symptoms have consumed during the relevant incubation period. And where.” Juliet poured herself a glass of water from the ice-filled pitcher on the table. “A few days ago, officials narrowed the focus to three potential sources, based on early interviews and their case control study. From there, further tests were necessary to rule out consumed food products that were common to all.”

Greer stopped. “What products?”

“Because those products have now been ruled out, officials will keep that information confidential. For obvious reasons.”

Dale scowled. “How do they rule something like that out?”

“Well,” Juliet answered, “they test the product. If the results fail to match the findings in the stool samples, the lab issues a negative finding and that possibility is crossed off the list.”

Alexa steepled her fingers. “So, at this point there is no reason to question the tests?”

Juliet nodded. “No, the tests are conclusive. No scientific challenge can be made.”

“But do they know what these people ate at Water Circus?” Greer asked.

“No. That’s the next phase of the investigation,” Juliet explained. “And to complicate matters, the puzzle pieces are a bit scattered. Beyond consumptive items, the investigators will test other things, like the water in the fountains and waterslides. I’m afraid toddlers wear diapers, and fecal matter can contaminate areas where other children can come in contact with the E. coli bacteria.”

Greer scowled. “But the news said many of the people who have become ill are older. I haven’t seen any senior citizens zipping down a waterslide lately.”

Juliet conceded that was true. “Like I said, this is a very complicated process. Until this whole thing concludes, the governing agencies won’t take chances, which is why they issued a close order to the Water Circus here in San Antonio. Thankfully, all the reported cases are local.” She leaned back. “Things could be much worse.”

Greer almost sneered. “What could be worse than losing our biggest account and knocking out a planned expansion that could have quadrupled this company’s profits?”

Juliet ignored his comment and turned to Alexa. “As you might guess, Larimar Springs is on the vendor list they’ve compiled. I’ve been asked to meet with the authorities first thing tomorrow morning for a special meeting to provide records they’ve requested.”

Alarm crossed everyone’s faces.

“What kind of records?” Greer snapped.

“Our internal test results from our sampling program, log books, and procedure manuals. They will already have the audit reports from the health inspections, which we always passed with flying colors.” Juliet worked to appear confident. “I assure you, everything is in order. We run a clean ship. Besides, bottled water products boast the rarest number of pathogenic outbreak incidents among consumer products.”

Juliet could see Alexa and the others carefully considering the information she’d provided, making mental calculations of the cost to the company and to each of them personally. Especially Greer. The biggest accomplishment of his career was now swirling down the toilet. Clearly, he was not happy about his future being flushed away.

If Juliet were a mean person, she might find some joy in that. But she knew how devastated he must feel right now. Which is why she’d left the really bad news until last. “I’m afraid I have more.”

Alexa furrowed her brow. “More?”

Juliet nodded. “My assistant, Tavina Mosely, called me earlier this evening. Her little boy has developed symptoms consistent with the O157 hemolytic uremic syndrome reported on the news. I was with her at Children’s Hospital this evening when you all were looking for me.” Juliet noticed Greer gazing out the windows into the dark, his back to the rest of them. “Doctors have yet to confirm, but all indications are that Tavina’s son has HUS and is in the early stages of renal shutdown.”

Alexa’s face visibly paled. “Is he—will he be all right?”

Juliet shrugged. “The medical professionals will closely monitor him, try to keep him hydrated. But this is a virulent disease. Statistics show that nearly 85 percent of children under the age of six who contract the O157 strain and develop these symptoms fail to come through the ordeal.”

“He could die?” Alexa teared up, clearly upset. The normally self-assured woman seemed to come undone in front of everyone. She glanced at Greer, then turned and stared at the table in front of her. “I’m so sorry to hear that,” she said, her voice nearly a whisper.

From where she sat, Juliet could see the tendons in Greer’s neck muscles flex.

Several seconds passed in silence. Finally, Alexa raised her head. “Is there anything she needs? What can we do?”

“I’m not really sure at this point,” Juliet responded. “The next twenty-four hours will be critical.”

Alexa stood. “I’ll make some calls. My husband knows several of the hospital board members. We can arrange special attention for Tavina and her little boy.”

Greer rubbed at the side of his face. He stepped to the table, looking oddly flustered, and cleared his throat. “We still need to evaluate what this will do to us financially. And make a plan,” he said in a low voice, as if wanting to move on to a less emotional topic.

Alexa turned her exhausted face in his direction. “Not tonight. Besides, we’ll need Fred to run numbers before we can truly assess the hit we’ll take, and make any appropriate decisions.” She gathered her purse from the floor. “I’ll call Cyril first thing in the morning. I don’t want him hearing about this from anyone else.” She looked across the table. “Go home, everyone. Get some sleep. Then let’s plan to gather back here first thing in the morning.” She turned to Juliet. “Please keep me posted. On everything.”

Juliet nodded. “When I return from meeting with the authorities, I’ll bring an update.”

Before leaving, Juliet grabbed her white coat from her office and headed for the lab to collect some records stored there. The production lines ran shifts around the clock and were located at the rear of the complex. But the admin offices were eerily quiet at this time of the night.

Juliet made her way past darkened cubicles. As she rounded the break room, ahead she noticed light coming through the door leading to the lab. That’s strange. Who left the lights on?

She swiped her security card and followed the sanitation protocol. With her shoulder, she hit the large red button and waited for the buzz that would release the door. Inside, something moved at the back counter. She startled. “Malcolm? Malcolm, what are you doing here?”

He startled as well. “Uh—Dr. Ryan.” His eyes darted around the room. “I didn’t expect you’d be here this late.”

Juliet’s eyes narrowed. “I wouldn’t suppose so. It’s nearly eleven.” She moved closer to his petite frame. “Why are you here this late?”

“I heard the news, figured we’d be the target of further investigation, and thought I’d make sure the girls had gotten all our test results in the notebooks.” He stared at her. “They’ll want to see them, right?”

Juliet slowly nodded. “That’s why I’m here.” She walked to the filing cabinets against the wall opposite where they were standing. Her fingers ran across the spine labels until she located the records she’d need. “And everything is in order?” she asked with her back to the QA supervisor.

“Everything’s there,” he assured her.

She turned, her arms loaded with two large three-ring binders. “I didn’t see your car out front.”

“I parked out in the back lot.”

Juliet eyed him warily. “But that’s quite a walk.”

“Security patrols that lot at night,” he answered, challenging her suspicion. “Safer when you’re walking to your car alone.”

Juliet mentally chastised her cynical distrust, unsure why she continued to believe she had to watch her back with him. She nodded. “Makes sense.” Then she added, “Thank you, Malcolm, for taking the initiative to make sure we have everything.”

Malcolm nodded. His black eyes stared at the floor. “Sure. Let me know if you need anything else.”

Juliet thanked him again and moved for the door. Suddenly, she turned. “Malcolm? Would you like to go with me in the morning? To the meeting, I mean.”

His face brightened. But surprisingly, he turned her down. “Nah, I’d best stay. Lucy’s out tomorrow. A dentist appointment.”

Juliet looked at him thoughtfully. “You sure?”

He nodded and straightened some beakers on the counter.

“Okay. Good night then.” Juliet gave him a weak smile. “See you tomorrow.”

Before she drove home, she called the hospital to check on MD. “No change. He’s holding his own,” the charge nurse reported.

Juliet let out a sigh of relief and thanked the nurse. She started the engine. Let’s hope God will keep it that way.