He redirected his attention to Luis. “The location is in the Corindo favela. I don’t believe they have the pacifying force there?”
“Pacifying force?” the doctor asked.
“The Pacifying Police Unit,” Antonio replied. “It’s a police presence in the favelas.”
“Oh, right,” she shook her head. “I forgot about them.”
“Corindo is controlled by a gang,” Luis said in disgust. “They are one of the biggest distributors of crack.”
“You think someone there is in league with the people who killed Pierre?” Renata asked.
“They’re brave enough to dump his body there,” his mentor replied. “That means, probably.”
“Nico,” Antonio addressed the young man. “Contact Martinez.”
“You’re bringing BOPE into this?” Renata snapped.
“They’ll get the job done.” Though Antonio had a long-standing conflict with Brazil’s special tactical unit, he didn’t want the regular Brazilian police department to get massacred in that favela.
“No,” Dr. Bennett said. “We need to lead the retrieval of the body.”
Antonio was hoping the doctor would rise up to the challenge and it was one of the reasons why he did not allude that the virus might be in play. She’d passed his test. She may not want to work with him, but she seemed dedicated to stopping its spread. This was a positive mark on the she-was-not-Charles-Bennett column.
“You suspect they infected him with Ebola?” Nico asked.
“Not likely, judging from the pictures, but if they did, the best thing is to limit exposure.”
“So, you’re going to show up in PPE?” Renata scoffed. “You’re going to scare everyone in the favela.”
“I’m not approaching that body without one,” Dr. Bennett said.
“And you won’t,” Antonio confirmed. “What if the Corindo gang were in on the killing but they weren’t told why they had to kill Pierre? They would be nervous if we were to show up in full protective gear even if we said it was just a precaution.”
“Then you’re going to admit that there was an Ebola bioweapon in our lab,” Renata argued. “I’ve worked so hard to dispel the rumors in the past nine months.”
“This is more than public image,” Dr. Bennett snapped. “We’re talking about public safety.”
“The other option is to just set Pierre on fire,” Luis leveled Renata with a stare.
The doctor’s mouth fell open and her face blanched.
“Luis, minha amigo,” Antonio said with amusement. “You’ll make Dr. Bennett think we’re a bunch of savages.”
“Nonsense. We’re a civilized lot,” Luis chuckled.
“Call Martinez,” Antonio said. He was not looking forward to facing his old friend. Over the years, if they had to communicate it was through messaging. “Tell him we have a situation.”
5
It wasn’t Charly’s first time in Rio’s shantytowns, but it was her first time in Corindo. There are parts of Rio that foreigners are warned to stay away from, parts where warlords and crime syndicates rule and the government has no control.
But in these areas where the government needed to make an incursion, BOPE was called to do it. They were Brazil’s elite paramilitary force, Charly recalled now. They were the go-to group when a criminal was hiding in these lawless areas and needed to be arrested.
Dominic Martinez was one of BOPE’s top commanders. It was the same Martinez who was Antonio and Renata’s childhood friend.
She watched the two men now in deep discussion at the arterials leading into Corindo.
Actually, deep discussion was putting it mildly. Argument was more their speed and they were going at it in rapid-fire Portuguese that Charly had to concentrate to understand.
She had on her protective suit except the head covering.
“Why don’t you be honest with me, Andrade?” Martinez said. “What exactly is going on? And why is she in full PPE?” He threw her a look.
“It’s just a precaution.” Antonio himself was suited up in his own gear. Charly was surprised, but the billionaire wouldn’t let her go alone with his crew. Luis and Renata were in vehement opposition. They didn’t want to risk Antonio, but he wasn’t having any of it. The PPE he handed her was actually top-notch, its material even better and thicker than the ones she used in the CDC—one could hardly find the seam and she wasn’t burning in her suit. She suspected it was NASA-approved material. If Antonio was willing to risk his own neck by going with her, that in itself settled her anxiety.
“Precaution,” the other man sneered. “It’s about that Ebola bioweapon, isn’t it?”
“We’re wasting time,” Antonio said. “My team is ready to go in. Your medical examiner doesn’t have the tools to make an onsite-assessment.”
“And if it is Ebola?” Martinez persisted.
“We have a team ready to transport the body.” Charly was tired of Antonio’s evasion because they were wasting time. “There are high levels of the virus after death and we can do a quick reactive test to confirm within fifteen to twenty minutes.”
Martinez glanced at her. “Are my men in danger? They’re not wearing the protective suits that you are.”
“Ebola spreads differently from the flu. It’s not airborne. It requires direct contact with bodily fluids. Unless your men are handling the body which they aren’t, there’s no risk of infection.”
“Let’s get moving,” Antonio added. “We’re wasting her time.”
“She works for you?”
“Works for is a stretch,” she muttered, putting on the headgear so the other man couldn’t read her annoyed expression. Antonio didn’t seem perturbed at her admitting there might be a bioweapon on the loose.
He helped her up uneven stone steps. Antonio had several
