Turning around Jesse saw that Alfred had disappeared from view. Running back to the counter he could hear thumps like someone kicking the cabinets. Pulling himself over the counter Jesse looked down. There on the floor was Alfred with his back arched and his body quivering. He was having a convulsion.
'Hey everybody!' Jesse shouted. 'We got a man down in property booking.'
Jesse went over the top of the booking desk head first, knocking most of the clutter on its surface to the floor, including the twenty or so black discs. Intent on the convulsing figure of Alfred, Jesse didn't notice that all of the discs landed lightly and right side up.
The first thing Jesse did was get Alfred's keys and plop them on the counter so others could unlock the cage door. Although Jesse had a key, most people didn't. Next he forced a pad of paper between Alfred's tightly clenched jaws. He was about to unbutton the top button of his shirt when he saw something that startled him. A foam was oozing out of Alfred's eyes!
Shocked by this spectacle, Jesse straightened up. He'd never seen anything like it. It was like bubble bath.
Within seconds Jesse was joined by other officers. All were equally amazed at the burgeoning froth.
'What the hell is that foam?' one of the officers asked.
'Who the hell cares,' Jesse said, breaking the trance. 'Let's get an ambulance. Now!'
There was a loud clap of thunder simultaneous with the gurney as it slammed through the main ER doors of the University Medical Center. It was being pushed by two burly EMTs. A few steps behind was Jesse Kemper. On the gurney Alfred Kinsella was still convulsing. His face was blue, and foam was still bubbling from his eyes like two bottles of disturbed champagne.
Sheila, Pitt, and Cassy emerged from Sheila's office where they'd been most of the day collating all the flu cases, including all the cases seen that day. Sheila had heard the commotion and had responded immediately. She'd been forewarned by the head nurse that a strange case was on its way. The EMTs had called ahead as they'd left the police headquarters.
Intercepting the gurney, Sheila glanced at Alfred. Seeing the foam, she directed the EMTs to take the patient into the bay reserved for contaminated cases. She'd never seen anything like it and wasn't about to take any chances. As the gurney was quickly pushed away, Sheila got the head nurse's attention and told her to page a neurologist stat.
Jesse grabbed Sheila's arm. 'Remember me? I'm Detective Lieutenant Jesse Kemper. What's wrong with Officer Kinsella?''
Sheila pulled away. 'That's what we would like to find out. Pitt, come on with me; this will be a trial by fire. Cassy, take Lieutenant Kemper into my office. The waiting room is too crowded.'
Cassy and Jesse watched Sheila and Pitt run down the hall after the gurney.
'I'm glad I'm not a doctor,' Jesse said.
'You and me both,' Cassy said. Then she pointed toward Sheila's office. 'Come on! I'll show you where you can wait.'
The wait was not long. Within a half hour Sheila and Pitt appeared at the door. Their expressions were funereal. It wasn't hard to guess the outcome.
'No luck?' Cassy asked.
Pitt shook his head.
'He never regained consciousness,' Sheila said.
'Was it the same flu?' Cassy asked.
'Probably; his lymphokines were very high,' Pitt said.
'What the hell are lymphokines?' Jesse asked. 'Is that what killed him?'
'Lymphokines are part of the body's defense against invasion,' Sheila said. 'They are a response, not a cause of disease. But tell me, did Mr. Kinsella have any chronic disease like diabetes?'
'He didn't have diabetes,' Jesse said. 'But he had a serious problem with his blood. He had to have transfusions every so often.'
'I have a question,' Cassy said suddenly. 'Do you know if Sergeant Kinsella had ever mentioned anything about a black disc about this big,' Cassy made a circle about an inch and a half in diameter with her thumbs and forefingers.
'Cassy!' Pitt moaned.
'Quiet!' Cassy said to Pitt. 'At this point we don't have much to lose and a lot to gain.'
'What's this about a black disc?' Sheila asked.
Pitt rolled his eyes. 'Here we go,' he said to no one in particular.
'You mean a black disc that's flat on the bottom but has a dome on the top and little nubbin-like bumps around the edge.'
'Exactly,' Cassy said.
'Yeah, he showed me a bunch of them just before he had his convulsion.'
Cassy cast a triumphant look at Pitt whose expression had gone from exasperation to intense interest in the matter of seconds.
'Did he say anything about being stung by one of these discs?' Pitt asked.
'Yeah, a number of times,' Jesse said. 'He said it was kinda spooky since he couldn't find a sharp edge. And you know something, now that I think about it, I remember the police chief, Captain Hernandez, getting stung by one.'
'Somebody better fill me in on these black discs,' Sheila said.
'We found one four days ago,' Cassy said. 'Well, actually it was Beau who found it. He picked it up from the gravel in a parking lot.'
'I was there when he found it,' Pitt said. 'We had no idea what it was. I thought it might have fallen out from beneath Beau's car.'
'After just a few minutes Beau said it stung him,' Cassy said. 'Then a number of hours later Beau came down with his flu.'
'We had really forgotten about the disc, to tell the truth,' Pitt said. 'But then here in the emergency room I was checking in a little girl with the flu who said that a black rock had bitten her.'
''But it was an episode just last night that really got us thinking,' Cassy said. She went on to describe the incident at the market. She even described the faint blue glow that she and Pitt thought they'd seen.
When Cassy was finished there was a silence.
Sheila finally blew out through pursed lips. 'Well, this all sounds crazy, and as I said before, under normal circumstances I'd call in a psychiatry consult for you two. But at this point I'm willing to explore just about anything.'
'Tell me,' Jesse said. 'Does Beau recognize that he's acting differently?'
'He says he doesn't,' Cassy said. 'But I find it hard to believe. He's doing things he's never done before.'
'I agree,' Pitt said. 'A week ago he was adamantly against large dogs in the city. Suddenly he gets one.'
'Yeah, and without discussing it with me,' Cassy said. 'And we live together. But why do you ask?'
'It would be an important point if the people who are affected are purposefully dissembling,' Sheila said. 'We'll have to be discreet. But let's get us one of these black discs.'
'We can go back to the market,' Pitt said.
'I might be able to get one out of property booking,' Jesse said.
'Well, try both,' Sheila said. She took out a couple of business cards and wrote her home number on the backs. She gave one to Jesse and one to Pitt and Cassy. 'Whoever gets one of these discs first, give me a call. But, as I said, let's be discreet about this. It sounds to me that this is the type of thing that could cause a panic if there's any truth to it.'
Just before they broke up, Pitt gave both Sheila and Jesse the number of his cousin's apartment. He said that he and Cassy would be staying there. Cassy gave him a questioning look but didn't contradict him.
'Which way do you think the stall was that had the discs?' Pitt asked. They had entered the outdoor market about the same time as the evening before. It was a large area, about the size of two city blocks, and with all the tiny stalls it was like a maze.
