It really was one of the worst meals Nella had eaten in a long while. She didn't care. The cafeteria was bright and open after the windowless cell block. A few administrative personnel and infirmary staff were scattered over the area, but for the most part she and Mr. Courtlen were isolated from the quiet conversations of the others.Nella looked at the shriveled pile of canned fruit on her plate. She sighed and then laughed."What is it?" asked Frank"I was just thinking how much I miss bananas. A peanut butter and banana sandwich. I think I miss bananas more than I missed hot showers.""Hmm, I don't know if I would go that far, but a banana would be pretty wonderful. I never would have imagined that I would go almost a decade without fresh tropical fruit. I wonder what parents feed their infants now?"Nella poked the shrunken pear with her fork. "Not this I hope. Maybe after the trial I'll buy a boat and sail to New Guinea and start a banana farm.""I can think of worse places to re

The video cut out and Nella turned to Dr. Pazzo. He was shaking and held up one hand as if to forestall her questions. "I think," he said in a low voice, "I'm going to leave you both to watch the next pieces alone. I will answer any questions you have tomorrow, but I don't think I can live through the next part again. If you'll excuse me," he rose from his seat, "Mr. Courtlen, Dr. Rider goodnight. And thank you for the books." Dr. Pazzo shuffled down the hall followed by his guards.Mr. Courtlen took a deep breath and puffed his cheeks blowing it slowly out again. "Do you know what is on the next tape?" asked Nella."I haven't watched it, but I can guess that it is at this point that Dr. Pazzo secluded himself and the others in the lab. Dr. Pazzo's notes say this is a key piece of evidence, but I'm not so sure- I think we've pretty much seen all the evidence that matters. Let's get to it though.""I'm not really concerned with evidence. Did he tell you about his relationship with Ann?

Nella could hear her blood pounding in her head like a giant helicopter rotor. She didn't dare to look around at Mr. Courtlen until it had faded into the background. She started to get up, but she shook so much that she thought she might shatter. She sat back down."What do we do?" she asked in a quiet, lost voice. All her training, all of her desire to remain professional and collected was stripped away. She could remember hearing almost the same news spilling out of the television in her university's lounge. The same vivid panic reached out of the memory and squeezed her chest with unbearable weight. She turned to look for Mr. Courtlen.He was as lost as she, still staring at the blank screen. His face was yellow and waxy with sweat. He was motionless but his bones still seemed to want to leap forward without his skin and he was all angle and sharp corner. His terror made him hideous. Nella had time to realize that she didn't care, she was glad he was sitting with her. At last he pa

They were rolling past the silent mansion again on their way back to the prison when it hit Nella like shattering glass. She grabbed Frank's arm and the car slid across the empty lanes. "Stop the car," she said, "I remember where I saw her. Stop the car.""Jesus, Nella! Okay, don't kill us."She barely waited for him to pull off the side of the road. When she opened her door, the tires were still spitting gravel at her ankles."Just a second! Where are you going?" Frank yelled out the open door. Nella walked back toward the mansion, her hands shaking inside her jacket pocket as they fumbled for her phone. Frank ran up behind her. "What are you doing?""Do you know if there is cell service here?"Frank stammered. "What? I've never been here- I guess so, I mean we're close enough to the prison that the tower there should cover it. I don't know which ones have been fixed out here."Nella swore and started dialing. "Sevita, pick up the phone. Sevita, it's me, pick up the phone. I need to

Nella hugged her, careful not to relax in case Ann became to agitated. "It's okay Ann, it's okay. Let's go see if the sun is out." She helped Ann to her feet. Ann sniffled but shuffled obediently alongside of Nella. They walked out of the cell and through the nearby door. Wells and Johnson were stuffing the last mattress against the concrete wall. The small yard was soaked in bright light. Even Nella squinted in the spring sun. Ann stopped moving and lifted her face, closing her eyes. Warmth pulsed around them and the soldiers looked relaxed as they lounged in the daylight. Something was scratching at the back part of Nella's brain. For a man who had spent his time meticulously documenting the lab procedures, Dr. Pazzo had certainly seemed to miss a lot. How could he not have known about the altered bacteria until Dr. Schneider told him? Nella was uneasy as she watched Ann bask in the golden day of early spring. Something crept up her neck and crawled behind her eyes with pricking in