Part I
In politics, nothing happens by accident
If it happens, you can bet it was planned that way.
~ President Franklin D. Roosevelt
Chapter One
Gold Palace Hotel
Fremont Street Experience
Downtown Las Vegas, Nevada
Dr. Harper Randolph shoved her hands into her jeans pockets and approached her number one, Dr. Elizabeth Becker, who’d been taking notes at the back of the room. The epidemiologists had worked around the clock since their departure from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Once they hit the ground in Las Vegas, their investigation of the mysterious illness that had taken several lives over the weekend kept them running nonstop. Harper’s briefing in the Augusta Room at the Gold Palace Hotel had been a welcome respite from their disease detective work.
Then all hell broke loose.
They’d just finished up a two-hour assessment of what they knew about this novel disease. Harper had reached a conclusion. The answers to her many questions surrounding the deaths of the Chinese nationals staying at the hotel would be found elsewhere. Namely, China. She was just about to explain her opinions to Becker before she released the weary group for a break, when the doors to the conference room suddenly flew open.
“You’re not going anywhere,” a baritone voice bellowed. A captain in the Nevada Army Guard appeared with two armed guardsmen. The trio filled the space and blocked Harper’s exit.
“What?” she demanded without a hint of apprehension in her voice. She’d stared down more dangerous adversaries but never her fellow Americans with automatic weapons. “What’s this all about?”
“By orders of Nevada governor George Rickey, this facility has been placed under strict quarantine, and everyone is to remain sheltered-in-place until further notice.”
Becker couldn’t hold back. “Why are we being quarantined? Do you have any idea who we are?”
“Doesn’t matter, ma’am. Everyone is to stay in place until we receive further orders. That includes all of you.”
Harper searched the man’s chest for a name tag or other form of ID. She didn’t understand stripes and bars and other forms of military identification indicating rank or time of service. She gave up on protocol and took the blunt approach. The captain picked up on her attempt to identify him.
“I’m Captain Brant.”
“Okay, Captain. My name is Dr. Harper Randolph. Everyone in this room works for the CDC. If this quarantine is related to the infectious disease, you don’t want us on lockdown. We’re here to—”
The captain cut her off, raising his right hand with his palm only a foot from Harper’s face. “No exceptions. We have our orders.”
Becker became incensed and her protective nature immediately kicked in. She pushed past Harper and stood as tall as her five-foot-three petite frame would allow.
She began pointing toward the much larger man’s chest. “Do you have any idea who you are talking to, Mister Captain? You can’t hold us here, especially Dr. Randolph.”
The two armed guardsmen stepped forward to intervene. “Back off, miss,” one of them ordered.
This enraged Becker further. “I am not a miss. I am a doctor. And you need to back the hell off. You have no right to treat us this way. Our job is outside this room. You need us now more than ever.”
She pointed at each of the men who towered over her. As she screamed, the captain gradually backed up and allowed his men to raise their rifles slightly.
“We have our orders, ma’am. If you’re to be released, I’m sure my superiors will let us know. For now, I suggest you calm down and get comfortable.”
“I am calm!” screamed an increasingly unhinged Becker. Harper stepped forward and gently tugged her assistant by the elbow.
“Let them go,” Harper said in a whisper. She hoped her calm voice would have a similar effect on the fiery Becker. “We’ll call Atlanta and get this sorted out.”
The guardsmen retreated from the fight and slammed the doors closed. Becker, however, wasn’t done yet.
“I have to pee, assholes!”
Strangely, Harper found this to be hilarious. Perhaps it was the tension of the moment or watching her attack dog attempt to take a bite out of the backside of the big bad guardsmen. Either way, her laughter became contagious, and rather than joining Becker in outrage, the hostile mood of the epidemiologists who’d gathered around her turned into snickers.
Harper turned to her charges. “Listen, obviously there’s been some kind of mistake. There’s no way that Atlanta, or Washington, would’ve ordered a quarantine without discussing it with us first. As we all know, there is insufficient evidence to order a quarantine of the hotel.”
One of the epidemiologists spoke up. “He mentioned the governor. Is it possible they’ve overreacted to what’s happened here?”
“That’s my guess,” replied Harper. “I have another theory, but I need to call Atlanta first. Let’s get comfortable, as the man said. I’ll place the call.”
Harper was impressed with the way the group was handling the abrupt disruption and revelation that the hotel was under the control of the National Guard. She thought she might be able to diffuse the situation by talking to her boss, Dr. Berger Reitherman.
As the group chatted among themselves, Harper asked, “Other than Becker, does anyone else need to use the restroom?”
Becker answered first. “I don’t really have to go. I was just pissed off, so it was all I could come up with.”
Harper shook her head and chuckled. “Okay, Becker was faking. Does anybody need a break right now?”
All of them seemed content staying put under the circumstances. More than a few had been intimidated by the guardsmen and their slightly raised weapons.
Harper continued. “Y’all give me a moment to call Dr. Reitherman, and maybe we can get out of here.”
She turned to walk away, but Becker hustled to catch up to her.
“Do you want me to get in contact with Joe?”
Harper stopped and shook her head vigorously. “No. Definitely not. He can’t get involved in this.”
“Why not?” asked Becker with a bewildered look on her face. “He could probably make one phone call and this crap would be squashed.”
“Maybe,” replied Harper hesitantly. She wasn’t so sure. “I think, for now, we should let Atlanta handle it. There might be more to—” She cut herself off.
A curious look came over Becker’s face. “What?”
“Nothing. Listen, keep the others calm. And yourself, please.”
Becker smiled and waved as she began to walk away. “Yeah. Yeah. They’d better let me out, or else!”
Harper wasn’t sure what or else entailed, but she was certain it would be entertaining. She slipped to a corner of the conference room and pulled up a chair. She pulled her phone from the back pocket of her jeans and was about to call Reitherman when her phone vibrated. His ears must’ve been ringing. She dispensed with the formalities.
“Have you heard?”
“Yes, I was just informed. Where are you?”