Lethal Outbreak Read Online Free Page B

looked lost for words.
    ‘Lexi and I are workmates, even friends most of the time,’ Troy said with a grin. ‘But you mean something north of that.’
    ‘People won’t call it love. We’re two separate species.’
    ‘People mean different things when they talk about loving this and that, him or her,’ Troy replied. ‘So, the important thing is, what do you call it?’
    Head bowed, Julia said, ‘I think we love each other, yes.’
    Out of Julia’s sight, Lexi pulled a face, as if she had a horrible taste in her mouth.
    ‘And yesterday you had a few minutes together for what?’ Troy asked.
    ‘He was upset about something he’d heard. Rumours. You won’t tell Saul Tingle about this, will you?’
    ‘We only share our findings with those who need to know. There’s no reason for your manager to be in on it.’
    ‘But you’ll interview Eric?’
    ‘Yes,’ Troy replied. ‘He’s been to the crime scene and he called you away at the vital moment. That makes him a suspect.’
    Julia sighed but she also nodded.
    ‘We’ll do it now,’ Troy told her. Smiling, he added, ‘Before you can warn him we’re on our way.’ At the door, he hesitated and said, ‘One more thing.’
    ‘Yes?’
    ‘Before yesterday morning, when was the last time someone worked in the BSL4 lab?’
    ‘That’d be a maintenance crew on Friday afternoon.’
    ‘The control room keeps a record of the doors opening and closing. So, what about the weekend? Did someone go in – and come out – between Friday afternoon and yesterday morning? That must be when the vial disappeared and the lab got contaminated. Unless it was down to the last engineer to leave on Friday.’
    ‘I’ll check all that and let you know.’
    ‘Thanks. And remember, one of the sabotaged suits was yours. You were a target. So, if you want a uniformed police guard, we can arrange it.’
    ‘I don’t think … No.’
    ‘All right. Take care. Double check everything if you do any risky jobs.’
    ‘Thanks.’
     
    Walking towards the Animal Section, Lexi complained, ‘An outer and a major. It’s not natural.’
    ‘When I was little, my grandma had this scruffy little dog and she used to say how much she loved him.’ Troy shrugged. ‘Chalk and cheese species.’
    ‘Huh. That’s different.’
    ‘I didn’t think we were here to make judgements on people’s lifestyles.’
    ‘Even so … ’ Lexi shuddered. Lowering her voice, she added, ‘It might be relevant to the case, though. This major – Eric Kiss – could be using Julia. Maybe he got involved with her so he could distract her.’
    ‘Yeah. I used that with Julia as an excuse for questioning him, but the bad guy wouldn’t have had to distract her. Even if she’d been glued to the monitor, she wouldn’t have seen the sticky-tape tactic and she wouldn’t have been able to do anything about it. And it’s obvious Eric Kiss doesn’t have a grudge against outers in general, because he struck up a relationship with one.’
    ‘If it’s genuine,’ Lexi muttered. She pushed open the door of the animal department and, trying to lift her mood, she said, ‘I’ve always fancied being a zoo keeper, working with lions, tigers, sharks and snakes.’
    Troy laughed. ‘You always fancy anything dangerous.’
    ‘An element of risk always makes things exciting. It’s called adrenalin.’
    Eric Kiss was bound to be a disappointment to Lexi. He mostly handled mice and rats, preparing them for scientific experiments. The greatest risk seemed to be a nip on the finger from an ill-tempered rodent. He was much taller and broader than Julia, and a few years younger.
    ‘Have you spoken to Julia in the last few minutes?’ Troy asked him.
    ‘No.’ He put down a bowl of animal feed and turned towards Troy. ‘Last time we were together was last night. She told me about yesterday. I mean, when she nearly went into the lab. You stopped her. I just wanted to say we’re both grateful. Very grateful. Maybe she didn’t