‘So, you’re off to save the world?’ Vernon still had not made eye contact with Paul.
‘Hardly the time to be flippant,’ Paul interjected, riled at being so comprehensively blanked. Vernon continued to ignore him. Kate stepped between them.
‘Thank you for taking Jack. You will look after him, won’t you? Don’t let him go near anyone who seems sick,’ Kate blurted, earning herself a scornful look from Vernon. ‘And if any cases of Watoto are reported in Texas …’
‘Yes, yes, I’ll put him straight on a plane to Miranda’s. I got your email instructions, don’t worry.’
Shirley suddenly winced and clutched her stomach. ‘Excuse me, I have to go to the bathroom,’ she blurted, and rushed off in the direction of the Ladies.
Vernon looked embarrassed. ‘She’s, ah, having a few health problems,’ he said.
‘Sorry to hear it. But I hope they won’t interfere with your ability to do stuff with Jack,’ Kate said, and Vernon gave her a scathing look.
‘I just want a quick word with him. Privately,’ she said, drawing Jack aside and kneeling down beside him so that they were at eye level. She put her arms round him, breathing in his little-boy smell: shampoo and grime and sweet-sour breath.
‘Almost time to go!’ she said, injecting a brightness into her voice. ‘You still excited about staying with Daddy for the summer?’
She felt him nod vigorously into her shoulder.
‘Bradley will be so happy to see you again. I bet he’s really missed you. You two will have lots of fun together. Daddy’s going to take you to a baseball game, and swimming, and all sorts of great stuff. Oh, and here – I’ve got something for you.’
She unwrapped one arm and delved into her shoulder bag, bringing out a plastic bag with a box inside. Jack dived into it, and held up the box. ‘A new Transformer! Thanks, Mum.’ He hugged her again, but his voice sounded suddenly flat.
‘I thought you and Bradley could put it together.’
He clung to her more tightly. ‘Mum?’
‘Yes?’
‘You know how someone on purpose blew up Isaac with a bomb?’
Before she could think of something to say to put his mind at ease, Jack continued, his lower lip trembling: ‘Don’t let Dad see me crying, but I’m really scared, ’cos Callum said his dad was murdered by terrorists who want to kill scientists, and you’re a scientist too. What if someone makes a bomb and puts it where you are, and kills you when I’m in Dallas?’
‘Oh, Jack,’ she said, rocking him gently in her arms. ‘We don’t know why those people put a bomb in Isaac’s hotel. I’m sure it wasn’t because he’s a scientist. There are thousands and thousands of scientists in the world! It won’t happen to me, I promise. Now, promise me you won’t worry about it, because I’ll be perfectly safe. I’ve got Paul to look after me.’
‘I want to look after you,’ said Jack sullenly.
‘You can send me lots of pictures and things to show me what a good time you’re having with Dad, OK? Because that’ll cheer me up, and that’s a great way to look after someone.’
‘OK,’ said Jack, wiping his nose on her shoulder. Kate straightened up and led him back to where Vernon and Paul were standing by the barrier, neither of them making the least attempt at conversation. Like bloody children! she thought, but the momentary flash of irritation immediately disappeared, to be replaced by a dull ache in her heart as she kissed her son’s smooth cheek and handed him over to his father.
From his vantage point beside the doorway to Arrivals, Harley watched the family saying their goodbyes. He couldn’t understand what Kate had ever seen in Vernon Maddox. And he wasn’t too impressed with Paul Wilson either. If it had been up to Harley, he would have left Wilson in the UK. The guy was a liability, and undeserving of such a lovely woman.
He had a word with himself. What was he doing, thinking of her as ‘lovely’ and forming opinions about her personal life? His job was to make sure Kate got to the lab and, unlike Wilson, he wasn’t about to let emotion cloud his judgment. Harley prided himself on his rational, professional approach, untainted by prejudice or feeling. Whatever was best for Britain: that was all that mattered. In the course of his career he had encountered things that had shocked him, and that most people would find horrifying or unethical. But if there was a rational case for it, Harley could assimilate anything.
It was what made him such a good MI6 officer. A safe pair of hands.
Without letting Kate and Paul out of his sight, he made for a nearby news kiosk and picked up a couple of packs of chewing gum. Glancing at the newspaper stand beside the cash register, the headline on the Dallas Morning News caught his attention. Momentarily forgetting about keeping an eye on Kate, he picked it up, swearing under his breath. The cat was out of the bag.
OUTBREAK, screamed the headline. Killer virus on loose in Los Angeles. Authorities urge citizens ‘Don’t Panic!’
Harley dropped a couple of dollars on the counter and exited the kiosk, absorbed by the story, which had pushed the news about the bombing off the front page. The newspaper reported that fifty-nine deaths had been confirmed, with many more cases in hospital. That meant it was spreading through the city even faster than they had feared. He scoured the paper, looking for any suggestion of a link between the bombing and this outbreak. Aside from a passing reference to the bombing now seeming even more unfortunate, ‘just when we need virologists the most’, no connection had been made. The media didn’t know about the message that had been left – not yet anyway.
His cellphone rang.
‘I take it you’re in Dallas?’ It was the voice of Nicholas Lepore, Harley’s Director.
‘Yes, we’ve—’
‘Good, good. Listen. There’s been a change of plan …’
When Lepore had finished his briefing and ended the call, Harley stood for a moment, wondering if the cold ripple of fear that crept up his back and prickled his armpits was a wholly rational response. He looked over at Kate and Paul. They weren’t going to like this. Not one bit.
7
‘Hey, I’m afraid we’re going to have to get a move on. Kate and I have got a plane to catch,’ said Paul. ‘A private jet, apparently,’ he added, unable to resist the chance to gloat. Sometimes Kate wished he and Vernon would just take their shirts off and wrestle, get it out of their systems.
Vernon whistled. ‘Jeez, Kate. Since when did you become a VIP?’ He turned to Jack: ‘Hey, buddy, we should have a helicopter to whizz us back to my place, right?’ He chucked Jack’s cheek, but the boy looked pale and miserable now that the actual moment of parting was upon them.
Kate bent down to give Jack one final hug, and he clung tightly to her, making her neck wet with his tears.
‘Be good, Jack, OK?’ she whispered into his ear. ‘Have an amazing summer. Do what Daddy tells you. I promise I’ll email and call whenever I can.’
‘Let’s go, Jackie-boy,’ Vernon said, as Shirley returned. He peeled his son’s hands off the back of Kate’s neck and ruffled his hair. ‘You and me and Shirley are gonna have an awesome time, right? I’ll take you swimming tomorrow, and that’s a promise.’
‘Right,’ Jack said, in a high quavery voice, unable to take his eyes off Kate. ‘Bye, Mummy.’
‘Bye, my darling.’ She had to speak in a small, tight way to prevent the lump in her throat choking her. ‘I love you.’
‘Love