Strawbridge nodded knowingly and chewed on his lower lip. Ellen sensed he was debating how much of the truth to tell her.
'Unfortunately,' he said finally, 'at the time Columbia was trying to evaluate Lasaject, our country was in a certain amount of, how should I say, turmoil. They chose to pull their people out and test their vaccine elsewhere.'
'That's the testing I mentioned that was done here. But instead of measuring protection against Lassa fever, they measured protective antibody levels stimulated by the vaccine. Columbians report to our Food and Drug Administration states that the inoculations did very well in that regard.'
'I'm very happy for them,' Strawbridge said sarcastically. 'Alas, not one person in my country has benefited from their research. I'm sure it comes as no surprise for you to hear that Sierra Leone is hardly a wealthy country. The two people at the head of Columbia, a woman virologist and another doctor, came to Freetown and met with our health ministry. Regrettably, they could not find, how should I say, common financial ground to initiate a mass vaccination program.'
'I'm sorry. I read that the World Health Organization was reluctant to get involved until the political unrest was resolved.'
Strawbridge's dark eyes blazed, then just as quickly softened.
'Unfortunately, there has been some discord in our country,' he said, 'but not enough to deprive millions of a medical breakthrough.'
'I'm sorry.'
Ellen was embarrassed to find herself at that moment thinking about Rudy — how much more comfortable she would be feeling if he were there with her, how foolish she had been to open his letter to her. Why in the hell hadn't he ever spoken up?
'So,' the ambassador was saying, 'when you called, you presented me with two tasks.'
'I know what I was asking might be difficult.'
Strawbridge smiled patiently.
'We may not be able to afford Columbia Pharmaceuticals' exorbitant rates for their vaccine,' he said, 'but gratefully, we can afford computers. Your first question had to do with the number of cases of Lassa fever that have occurred in Americans.'
'Over the last three years, yes.'
'Well, I am not allowed to give you the names because of my nation's rules on medical confidentiality. But I can tell you that over the past three years there have been six cases of Lassa fever in Americans in Sierra Leone, two of whom died.'
'That's all? Six?'
'Three of those were hospital workers.'
Six cases in Americans in three years in a country where Lassa fever was endemic. Eighteen cases in three years in Americans flying back from West Africa.
'Curiouser and curiouser,' Ellen said.
'Alice's Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll,' Strawbridge exclaimed. 'It is one of my favorite books.'
'Mine, too. Well, Your Excellency, for the past week or so, that's precisely where I feel like I've been — Wonderland.'
'Mrs. Kroft, are you at some point going to tell me what this is all about?'
Ellen felt herself blush.
'Ambassador Strawbridge, I'm truly sorry for seeming so oblique. I beg you to be patient with me. I'm investigating some loose ends surrounding the Lasaject vaccine. That's as much as I feel comfortable sharing right now.'
'Is there something wrong with the vaccine?'
'No. I have no reason to think so.'
'You will keep me posted?'
'As soon as I have any firm information.'
Ellen held her breath as the diplomat pondered his situation.
'In that case,' he said finally, 'let us move on to your second request.'
'The passenger manifests.'
Rudy's contact at the CDC had obtained the flight each American Lassa fever victim had taken getting back to the States. Ten of them had flown from Freetown to London on Sierra National Air, and from London to various cities in the U.S. The other eight had flown Ghana Air from Freetown to Accra, Ghana, and then directly to Baltimore. Their hope was that the passenger manifests might provide a recurring name — maybe indicating a carrier of the disease.
'You know,' Strawbridge said, 'we diplomats are taught never to give away something for nothing. If I hand over these documents, I do have a request of my own.'
'Yes?'
'Ever since they chose to hang on to their vaccine until we could meet their price demands, my government has been very disappointed with the people at Columbia Pharmaceuticals. If there is any way you uncover that we might, how should I say, make life more difficult for them, I would like your word that you will let me know.'
Ellen sat on a sunlit bench in DuPont Circle, cradling her cell phone in her lap and following one passing couple after another. Andrew Strawbridge had come through not only with the passenger manifests of the Sierra National flights, but with those of Ghana Air as well. The next logical step would be to interview some of the few surviving Lassa fever victims. She had enough of a credit line on her VISA to make any necessary flights.
Since the confrontation in her living room with the monster who threatened her grandchild, she had been consumed with finding a way to bring the production and distribution of Omnivax to a halt without endangering Lucy or anyone else in her family. The man's huge head, soulless eyes, and hallmark scar burned in her mind.
Somehow she was going to find him. She was going to find him, and when she did, she would also find the means to destroy him in as painful a way as possible. Surprisingly to her, over the days since he appeared in her living room with his smugness and his threats, she had realized in her heart that she was perfectly capable of killing such a man. But in the meantime, she would take whatever chances were necessary to bring down those who had hired him. The problem was that, suddenly, she didn't want to do it alone.
Over the years since Howard's departure she had managed to hold her vulnerability and loneliness in check. Reading Rudy's letter had changed things. Suddenly she felt uncertain and frightened. The last thing she needed at this point was to lose her incisiveness — to dilute in any way the hatred that was driving her. But that was exactly what appeared to be happening.
The first of the cases on the list Rudy had obtained did not answer the phone and had no machine or service. A man answered Ellen's second call and assured her that, yes, his wife had survived her terrible illness, and yes, they would be happy to meet with Ellen after his wife returned home from work.
Next Ellen called information and jotted down the number of United Airlines. Then, barely realizing what she was doing, she dialed Rudy's cabin.
'Hello?'
'Rudy, hi, it's me.'
'Calling from the big city?' he asked with a make-believe twang.
'DuPont Circle.'
'How'd ya make out?'
'Six cases in three years, Rudy. That's the sum total of all the Americans infected with Lassa in Sierra Leone. Six. Three were hospital workers.'
Rudy whistled.
'I don't think I need my degree in statistics to know that ain't very many compared with those who got infected on those airplane flights,' he said.
'I think not. Strawbridge gave me the manifests, too. All eighteen of them. I've already contacted one of the patients from your list. She lives outside of Chicago.'
'Going to go see her?'
