“About what?”
“You know what, Avery. We’re going to do everything we can to find him. Every resource we have is at your disposal. I know what Desmond means to you.”
At the Dean Dome, Avery weaved through the rows of makeshift cubicles. She had waited until she was well enough to pretend she wasn’t in any pain. She didn’t want her father to know—just in case he recognized her.
At his cubicle, she waited at the opening for him to see her. His reaction to her always told her what sort of day he was having. The Alzheimer’s had progressed a lot in the last few years. Good days were becoming more and more rare.
“Can I help you?” he asked.
“No,” she said quietly. “I was just coming by to visit. See if you needed anything.”
He glanced around. “No. Think I’m all set.” He scrutinized her face. “You look… Do I know you?”
She walked into the cubicle, scanned it, and found what she was looking for. She pulled out the folding metal chair, sat at the small table, and moved the deck of cards to the middle. “How about a game of Gin Rummy?”
He raised his eyebrows as he sat across from her. “Sure. Why not? It’s my favorite game, actually.”
After the second game, he asked, “So what did you do during the pandemic?”
“Oh, nothing important.”
Peyton sat in the car outside the stately home, waiting for the line to connect.
Millen Thomas was laughing when he answered. “Yeah, hello?” He was distracted—and amused by something.
“Millen. It’s Peyton Shaw.”
She could hear him walking away, exiting a room where people were talking. “Dr. Shaw. How are you?”
“Just fine, Millen. Listen, I’m short on time, so I’ll get right to it. I’m putting together a team for a new type of investigation. It’s not CDC. It’s a cross-sectional group. Are you interested?”
“Uh. Maybe. I don’t know. What kind of investigation?”
“A scientific one. With far-reaching implications.” Peyton waited, but Millen made no response. “It involves animals.”
“What kind of animals?” he asked slowly.
“Extinct ones.”
Peyton could hear a pin drop.
“Millen, are you there?”
“Yeah—yeah, I’m definitely here. When would you need me?”
“Tomorrow.”
Silence again. He exhaled deeply. “Look, I’d like to, but there’s something—there’s someone I need to take care of.”
Peyton smiled. “I understand, Millen. It’s a good choice. A really good choice. Tell Hannah I said hi.”
Peyton got out of the car and walked up to the house. When Elliott opened the door, he didn’t say a word. He merely stepped outside and hugged her. Fifteen minutes later, she sat at the dinner table with Elliott, Rose, Ryan, Sam, and Adam.
Elliott looked at each one of them, then said, “Well, I thought since Thanksgiving got just a little interrupted, a do-over was in order.”
He looked Peyton in the eyes. “One with all of our family. If this year has shown us anything, it’s how much we have to be thankful for.”
Ready for Book Two?
Don’t miss, GENOME, the second book in THE EXTINCTION FILES.
A code hidden in the human genome...
Will reveal the ultimate secret of human existence.
And could hold humanity’s only hope of survival.
Visit www.agriddle.com/genome for details.
Author’s Note
Thank you for reading.
Pandemic is the longest book I’ve ever written, and it was a challenge far greater than I ever expected. The complexity and amount of research for The Extinction Files series actually exceed the work I did for the Atlantis novels. And it occurred during the busiest time in my personal life. I began working on Pandemic about two and half years ago. Somewhere in between researching, drafting, and editing the novel, Anna and I moved from Florida back to North Carolina, welcomed our first child, a daughter, and finalized plans on a new home. I can’t remember the last time I slept through the night. But I’ll tell you, I wouldn’t trade it for the world. Getting up at two a.m. to change a poopy diaper, prep a bottle, edit a chapter, unpack a box, or review a new floor plan was a fact of life while I wrote Pandemic. Each was a labor of love, and that kept me sane (coffee kept me awake).
I’ve heard from so many of you that you’d love for me to publish more frequently. I’ve tried to balance that request with delivering the highest quality product I can. I have mostly erred on the side of quality. I hope the wait was worth it.
If you’d like to know how much of the novel is fact vs fiction, please visit my web site: agriddle.com/pandemic.
So many of you were kind enough to write a review of my past novels, and I will be forever grateful. Those reviews helped shine a light on my work, and I’ve tried very hard to deserve the attention. I’ve also learned a great deal from those reviews, and the many words of encouragement were certainly a source of inspiration while writing this novel.
If you have time to leave a review, I would truly appreciate it. Since Pandemic is the first book in a new series, reviews really help other readers find the book.
Thanks again for reading and take care,
- Gerry
A.G. Riddle
PS: Feel free to email me ([email protected]) with any feedback. or questions Sometimes it takes me a few days, but I answer every single email.
Acknowledgements
I had a lot of help with this one, so I’ve got lots of debts to pay.
Anna: thanks first and foremost for being a wonderful mother to our daughter. And for helping me weather everything life throws our way.