Frozen Solid A Novel

49




“LELAND TOOK BIOSAMPLES FROM THE BODIES IN THE MORGUE. She’s culturing them in her lab now.”

Merritt had called the others to her office. Guillotte had not come yet, but Blaine and Doc were there.

“Oh God,” Doc said. “It feels like things are coming apart.”

“It feels like you’re coming apart,” Blaine said.

“If she gets viable colonies, and figures out what it is, we’re finished.” Doc put his face in his hands.

“That’s not the worst of it,” Merritt said. “She knows that Durant was killed.”

“What?” the other two screeched in unison. “How could she know that?”

Merritt explained about the surveillance camera.

“God damn,” Blaine said. “Why would she have put a camera there?”

Merritt frowned at such a stupid question. “Simple. She felt afraid. Wanted to know if anybody came into her room while she wasn’t there.” Merritt looked directly at Blaine. “Thanks to you.”

“You f*cking idiot,” Doc blurted. “This is all your fault.”

“It is very important to keep calm,” Merritt said.

“You didn’t put Triage in those women.” Doc’s chin was quivering.

“I am not going to sneak back into that lab again,” Blaine said. “They might have put a camera in there, too. Maybe Guillotte will do it, but I won’t.”

“I said to relax. You won’t have to.”

“Why not?”

“Because she’s going to dive again.”

“Why would she do that?” Blaine asked. The answer dawned on him before Merritt replied. “That’s why you wanted me to kill the extremophile.”

“Insurance,” Merritt said. “Just in case.”

“What did you do?” Doc asked.

Blaine explained about the chlorine.

“It worked,” Merritt said. “She insisted on diving. I didn’t even have to bring it up.”

“Her last dive?” Blaine said.

“If Guillotte and I have anything to say about it.” Merritt nodded.

Doc frowned. “I’m not sure I like the diving accident. They could—”

“It’s perfect. Diving accidents happen all the time,” Merritt said. “And in a place like this …”

“That freezing, hypersaline water will preserve her body better than embalming. They’ll find—”

“Do you know how deep that thing is? Thousands of feet. They won’t find anything.”

“She works for an agency of the U.S. government,” Doc said. “There will be an investigation and—”

Merritt cut him off: “There is always an investigation. They never care what actually happened. It’s about covering asses. Making sure it was somebody else’s fault. This is government we’re talking about.”

“But are we really sure this is the best course? With three recent—”

“Even better. We write the accident report. Everybody was sick. Maybe it got her while she was underwater. She was tired and disoriented. I counseled against diving. She insisted. All we know is that she never resurfaced.”

“Where is Guillotte?” Blaine asked.

“I told him to be here,” Merritt said. “You know how he is.”

“Did you talk to Gerrin?” Doc asked.

“Yes.”

“What did he say? About Triage, I mean?”

“They don’t think Triage had anything to do with the women’s deaths. We’re to go ahead as planned. So really, it’s finished. As soon as we get a weather window, those women fly out.”

“And the rest is history,” Blaine said.

“Amen,” Merritt said.