{"id":337,"date":"2014-12-30T06:15:55","date_gmt":"2014-12-30T06:15:55","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.dreamers-sanctuary.com\/00carter\/?page_id=337"},"modified":"2021-12-06T19:23:37","modified_gmt":"2021-12-07T01:23:37","slug":"part5","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/dreamers-sanctuary.com\/00carter\/episodes\/episode8\/part5\/","title":{"rendered":"Part 5"},"content":{"rendered":"

Episode 8: \u00a0FANthrax<\/em><\/strong><\/h3>\n

Part 5<\/strong><\/h4>\n

 <\/p>\n

The four agents stood outside the latest victim\u2019s house, double-checking their Hazmat suits to ensure some protection against the unknown virus. Sobered from the morning antics, they listened as Julilly explained the situation.<\/p>\n

\u201cBree-Anna Richards was one of the first cases brought into the hospitals. From what we were told, her symptoms were severe from the beginning, and it wasn\u2019t long before\u2026 well, Bree-Anna was the first to die from whatever this is.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cBut if she\u2026\u201d Brian started, but stopped when Julilly continued.<\/p>\n

\u201cHer case was pretty bad, but she\u2019s not the reason we are here. A few hours after her death, her sister Sophie started to show the signs. The CSIS was brought in with Sophie\u2019s case. The hospital could not explain why Bree-Anna seemed fine one minute and was dying the next while Sophie\u2019s symptoms progressively got worse. Sophie and her sister shared a room at home and were in close contact; their case may provide some insight into this disease.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat about the parents and the rest of her family?\u201d Brian questioned out loud.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen Sophie became sick, they moved from their house into a hotel. None of the others are symptomatic, but since Sophie progressed slowly, there is no guarantee that the rest of the family will not contract it.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhy are we just now investigating this house?!\u201d Nick blew up. \u201cIf Bree-Anna was the first infected, why now? Why didn\u2019t we come here first?!\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNick, the CSIS has investigated this house. Our officers have been all over and couldn\u2019t find anything. Dr. Carter gave Sophie some experimental treatments that she seemed to be responding well to. And we weren\u2019t sure there would be anything to find here since Bree-Anna\u2019s case was so old. Now, we need to find something, and since Bree-Anna was the first to show up in the hospital, we thought that\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cPerhaps the first cases hold the key,\u201d Red chimed in. \u201cTerrence Phillip was also one of the first to be brought in, yet even though he came in after Bree-Anna, his illness seemed to have progressed further. It was some of the same treatments Dr. Carter used on Sophie that kept Terrence alive as long as he was.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cUnfortunately, the first ones infected are harder to determine; many of the sick are not showing up until their symptoms reach their peak, at which point they are unable to speak. Bree-Anna and Terrence shared the common thread of being fine one minute and violently ill the next, which leads us to believe they were among the first infected,\u201d Julilly added.<\/p>\n

\u201cSo if we can find a link between the first infected, we might stand a chance at determining the cause and ultimately discovering an antidote,\u201d Red mused.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s what we believe and are banking on. Now, shall we?\u201d<\/p>\n

Nick led the group towards the house. As they trooped across the lawn in their bulky suits, he was reminded of the scene from ET<\/em> where the government scientists invaded the house. \u201cEEEEEE-Teeee\u2026 phone home\u2026\u201d he warbled in his best ET voice.<\/p>\n

\u201cNick, shh!\u201d hissed Red, casting a warning look towards the dead girl\u2019s parents, who were waiting at the front door to meet them and answer their questions.<\/p>\n

The house\u2019s entryway led them into the front room, which was set up as a playroom for the children younger than either victim. Toys were scattered everywhere. Brian closed his eyes and hoped none of the younger children would catch what Bree-Anna and her sister had. It took only a few steps for the crew to reach the stairway leading upstairs. Brian looked ahead into the dining room and kitchen and wondered how often they hit their arms on the chairs and cabinets; the passageway between them was narrow.<\/p>\n

When Nick reached the top of the stairs, he couldn\u2019t help himself. He leapt up the final stair, starting again, \u201cThat\u2019s one small step for Nick\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNick…\u201d Red and Julilly groaned in unison, and Brian added, \u201cNot again\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n

They entered the girls\u2019 room at the top of the stairs and looked around. Posters of pop groups — The Backalley Boys, The Moffatts, and The Jonas Brothers — adorned the walls. The two beds were up against opposite walls; Bree-Anna\u2019s bed was next to the window. CDs lay scattered on the floor in front of the CD player, clothes tossed on the floor and draped over the beds. A long table sat on the only other free wall, chairs askew from the last time they had been used, which, the group assumed, wasn\u2019t recent, as papers covered the chairs\u2019 seats and the desk.<\/p>\n

\u201cHow are we supposed to find anything in this room to help?\u201d Nick scoffed.<\/p>\n

Red opened her case and pulled out a package of cotton swabs. \u201cHere.\u201d She handed some to Nick. \u201cStart swabbing surfaces.\u201d Everyone grabbed some swabs and spread out in the room. Cautiously, they started to swab different surfaces in the room, hoping to find the source of the infection.<\/p>\n

Nick poked Brian with a clean Q-tip, holding it up like a finger. \u201cEl-li-ott\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n

Brian turned away, shaking his head. \u201cI can\u2019t believe my cousin allows you to work for him,\u201d he muttered, going back to his own swabbing.<\/p>\n

After almost an hour of working, with complete silence from everyone, including Nick, Red capped the last swab and put it in her case with the rest.<\/p>\n

\u201cLet\u2019s go speak with the parents,\u201d Julilly said as she headed back outside. While Julilly asked the parents questions, the others listened.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat did you find in there?\u201d Bree-Anna\u2019s father asked.<\/p>\n

Julilly shook her head, bypassing the question. \u201cWhat can you tell us about Bree-Anna\u2019s activities the day before she was sick?\u201d<\/p>\n

Bree-Anna\u2019s father shook his head. Her mother thought for a few minutes before giving an answer. \u201cShe was at a friend\u2019s house. Someone she met recently, I believe. Bree-Anna always made friends so easily.\u201d Tears started to flow from the mother\u2019s eyes. It took her a moment to regain her composure. Then she continued, \u201cI just remember she was excited.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cCan you tell us the girl\u2019s name?\u201d Nick interjected.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt was unusual; I remember that.\u201d She blew her nose in the crumpled tissue in her hand. \u201cNatalie something-or-other\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cSpice,\u201d the father added. \u201cThat part I remember because it seemed strange.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNatalie Spice,\u201d Nick repeated. \u201cDo you know an address for this young lady?\u201d<\/p>\n

Both parents shook their heads before a fresh stream of tears rolled down their cheeks.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou\u2019ve been a great help,\u201d Julilly consoled them. \u201cWould you mind if we take one more look around the girls\u2019 room before we leave? If we could get in contact with the girl Bree-Anna was with that day, we might learn more about what made her ill.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cOf course not.\u201d The mother sniffed, waving vaguely towards the stairs. \u201cDo what you need to do.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAnything that could help Sophie,\u201d the father agreed, nodding in earnest.<\/p>\n

Julilly led the team back upstairs to the girls\u2019 bedroom. \u201cAnyone remember seeing any reference to this girl, Natalie Spice?\u201d she asked the others.<\/p>\n

They shook their heads slowly, trying to remember but coming up short.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat about her computer?\u201d Nick suggested, nodding towards the PC that was set up on the desk between the girls\u2019 beds. \u201cMaybe there were emails or IMs, tweets, that sort of thing. I can check.\u201d He was no Pearl, but he knew his way around a computer.<\/p>\n

\u201cGood idea,\u201d said Julilly. \u201cWe should take her cell phone, too, if she had one.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ll check with the parents,\u201d Brian volunteered. They heard him clomp downstairs in his bulky suit.<\/p>\n

To Red, Julilly directed, \u201cLet\u2019s re-check drawers, book bags, anywhere she might have kept notes from this girl, maybe an address or phone number.\u201d While Nick sat down in front of the computer, the two women worked around him, pulling out desk drawers, unzipping backpacks, leafing through notebooks, emptying purses.<\/p>\n

The girls\u2019 computer had been shut down. When it finally booted up, Nick first launched the internet. The browser opened to a website he\u2019d never been to before: a black background behind a layout with bright orange flames with a header that read Complete Mayhem<\/em>. Scanning the page, he quickly realized it was a website for stories of some sort, a type of archive where writers could post their work.<\/p>\n

He wondered why the girls had this website as their homepage. It had to be a favorite website, one they must have frequented regularly. He wondered if one or both of them had posted stories on this site. If he could find their accounts, maybe there would be clues or, at the very least, links to point him in the right direction — to email accounts, social networking sites, and the like.<\/p>\n

A stroke of luck! As he started to read the main page more closely, a line of text caught his eye: You are currently logged in as Moffatts-Chick-404.<\/em> Score! Whichever girl used this website had set her account to log her in automatically. Pearl scorned such practices, as they led to identity theft. Really, Nick thought, they just took some of the challenge out of her job, and when it came to technology, Pearl loved a challenge. On the other hand, he was not the skilled hacker she was and thanked whichever of the girls had sped up his investigation. It felt almost like a cheat in a video game — a shortcut, he thought, grinning in anticipation as he clicked the link for \u201cAccount Info.\u201d<\/p>\n

On the menu that loaded, there were lots of options for managing stories, series, and reviews. He bypassed these and clicked on a link that said \u201cEdit Bio,\u201d hoping for a look at the user\u2019s current \u201cbio.\u201d The page opened to a form that was already filled in with information.<\/p>\n

\u201cBingo,\u201d he muttered to himself when he saw \u201cBree-Anna\u201d entered in the name field.<\/p>\n

\u201cFind something, Carter?\u201d asked Julilly, looking up from a small notebook she\u2019d opened on Bree-Anna\u2019s bed.<\/p>\n

\u201cMaybe. I\u2019m in Bree-Anna\u2019s account on this website that came up\u2026 it\u2019s some kinda writing site, where you can post stories.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYeah? So did she post any?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cDunno, haven\u2019t gotten that far. It\u2019s definitely her account though.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWell, good. Keep looking.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou got it, Jewel.\u201d With his eyes fixed on the screen, Nick didn\u2019t notice Red roll her eyes before going back to the drawer she was rifling through.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve got her cell phone,\u201d Brian announced as he strode back into the room a few minutes later, holding up a hot pink cell phone, bedazzled in silvery rhinestones. \u201cI looked through her contacts, though, and no Natalie.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cReally?\u201d Julilly looked up again, her forehead creased. \u201cThat\u2019s weird. If she was spending time with this girl, you\u2019d think she\u2019d have her number stored. Are you sure she\u2019s not there under a nickname?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t think so. See for yourself.\u201d He tossed her the phone casually, and she caught it, immediately beginning to flip through the contacts herself. \u201cFind anything, Carter?\u201d Brian asked, coming up behind Nick.<\/p>\n

Nick had clicked through to a page that displayed the stories Bree-Anna had posted. \u201cDidn\u2019t your mama ever tell you it was rude to read over people\u2019s shoulders?\u201d he muttered as he scrolled through the list of stories, skimming their titles and summaries. Brian ignored him. \u201cThey all have the same characters — Bob\u2026 Clint\u2026 Scott\u2026 Dave\u2026 and, well\u2026 her.<\/em> Bree-Anna.\u201d He moved his cursor over a graphic that accompanied one of the stories. It showed the faces of two young men, along with a teenage girl. The men\u2019s pictures looked like professional portraits, but the girl\u2019s appeared to be an amateur photo. \u201cIs that her? Is that the dead girl?\u201d he asked.<\/p>\n

\u201cI dunno,\u201d murmured Brian. \u201cJulilly?\u201d<\/p>\n

Julilly got up from the bed and came over to look. \u201cThat\u2019s her,\u201d she confirmed. \u201cSo she\u2019s writing stories about herself and these guys? Are they famous?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThey\u2019re The Moffatts.\u201d<\/p>\n

Everyone looked around at Red Jewel, who had crept up behind them. Brian looked astonished, Julilly mildly impressed, but Nick smirked and opened his mouth to make a joke at her expense.<\/p>\n

Before he could utter a word, though, Red pointed at the screen and added, \u201cIt says so right there. \u2018Category: Fanfiction > The Moffatts.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cOhh\u2026\u201d they chorused, and Brian added, \u201cGood eye.\u201d<\/p>\n

Red grinned. \u201cYou should have recognized them, Nick. Terrance Phillip had posters of them in his bedroom, remember?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cPsh,\u201d Nick scoffed. \u201cCount on a chick to notice shit like that — eh, Rok?\u201d But he had noticed it, he recalled now. Inwardly, he\u2019d ripped on the Phillip kid for the boyband posters on his walls.<\/p>\n

\u201cGood thing she did,\u201d Brian replied. \u201cYou reckon it\u2019s a coincidence, or could this be the connection we\u2019ve been lookin\u2019 for?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThat they\u2019re both fans of The Moffatts?\u201d Nick was doubtful. \u201cHow could that have made them sick, though?\u201d Realizing the joke had made itself, he quickly added, \u201cI mean, obviously I can imagine the painful side effects their music would have, but\u2026 well, how do you account for the purple pee?\u201d<\/p>\n

Brian actually snorted.<\/p>\n

Red rolled her eyes but was unable to suppress her grin.<\/p>\n

Julilly\u2019s eyes narrowed suspiciously. \u201cI think we should look into this. I\u2019m not sure it is a coincidence. Really, how many Moffatts fans are there, even in Canada?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cCall me clueless, but\u2026 who are these Moffatts guys, anyway?\u201d asked Brian, looking sheepish. \u201cI thought I was fairly in-the-know on my music, but I guess not\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n

Julilly chuckled wryly. \u201cYou\u2019d only remember them if you were \u2018in-the-know\u2019 in the late nineties. Consider them Canada\u2019s answer to Hanson or the Jonas Brothers of a decade ago. As far as I know, they were never as popular as either in the States, though. I\u2019m surprised to find they still have fans here. But that\u2019s why I think it\u2019s more than a coincidence. We could be onto something here\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n

Nick frowned, looking around the room. There was a poster of The Moffatts on Bree-Anna\u2019s side of the room, too, perhaps even one of the same ones Terrance Phillip had up. But how could the Moffatts connection have anything to do with the mysterious virus from which they\u2019d both died?<\/p>\n

\u201cAre the Moffatts still together?\u201d asked Red, looking at Julilly. \u201cI mean, they\u2019re not still playing concerts or anything like that, are they?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNo idea,\u201d said Julilly. \u201cI don\u2019t follow the music scene in Toronto much; I\u2019m usually between Ottawa and Halifax. But I have a contact at a radio station I could call; he might know if they\u2019ve had any recent events in the area.\u201d She excused herself and left the room to make the call.<\/p>\n

Nick returned his attention to Bree-Anna\u2019s computer. He noticed a link at the top of the website that said \u201cCommunity\u201d and clicked it. It took him to a message board that supplemented the site. \u201cThis could give us some insight,\u201d he remarked, tapping the screen. \u201cIf she posts here, too, she might have mentioned some kind of event she and Terrance both could have been at.\u201d<\/p>\n

Finding Bree-Anna\u2019s posts on the forum turned out to be easy. All he had to do was click on a members list and scroll down until he found her screen name. Then he could view her recent posts.<\/p>\n

The most recent was a survey she had filled out. He scanned her responses eagerly, but there was nothing remarkable or telling there. Some of the answers seemed made-up anyway: he hadn\u2019t recalled seeing a 2008 Lexus or a 2007 Mercedes — the cars she, at fifteen, supposedly owned — in the driveway. Disappointed, he was about to click the back button, but Brian suddenly said, \u201cHey!\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n

The CIA officer jabbed his hand towards the screen. \u201cScroll down! Look at the name of the next poster\u2026 \u2018Moffatts-Spice\u2019? As in, Natalie Spice??\u201d<\/p>\n

Nick\u2019s eyes widened. \u201cMoffatts-Spice,\u201d too, had filled out the survey. First question: What is your first name?<\/em><\/p>\n

First answer: Natalie.<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s her!\u201d he said excitedly. But there were no contact details in the survey, and when he clicked on the girl\u2019s profile, all he found was an email address.<\/p>\n

\u201cAn email address, that\u2019s something,\u201d Brian said, encouraged. \u201cWe could email her if nothing else. Can those be traced? Email addresses?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNot sure, but IP addresses can. Only the moderators of this board would be able to see that, though. I wonder if Pearl could hack for us and trace hers.\u201d<\/p>\n

Nick fiddled with the watch on his wrist, the one that did everything but tell time. A few seconds later, Pearl\u2019s face appeared on its digital screen. \u201cYo, Pearl, I need a favor.\u201d<\/p>\n

He could just make out Pearl wrinkling her nose on the tiny screen. \u201cDon\u2019t ever say \u2018yo\u2019 again, Carter; you sound like Drums.\u201d<\/p>\n

Nick felt a familiar jolt in his gut at the mention of their former ally-turned-enemy. The last time he\u2019d seen Drums, he had been clinging, literally one-handed, to a mast of Dr. Rough\u2019s pirate ship, while the stump of the hand Nick\u2019s sword had severed bled copiously. Dr. Rough\u2019s helicopters had come to whisk him away, but Nick didn\u2019t know if the guy was even still alive\u2026<\/p>\n

\u201cSo, what do you need?\u201d Pearl\u2019s voice broke into his memory.<\/p>\n

\u201cOh! Uh — I need you to do some hacking for me. I\u2019m on this message board, and I need the IP address of one of its members and a trace for it, down to the physical address if you can get it.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cShouldn\u2019t be a problem. Give me the URL and the username.\u201d<\/p>\n

Nick relayed the information. A few minutes passed before Pearl\u2019s voice crackled through Nick\u2019s watch once more. \u201cOkay, Carter, I got your address. Ready?\u201d<\/p>\n

Nick grabbed a pen and a sticky note from Bree-Anna\u2019s desk. \u201cReady,\u201d he said. It was cumbersome to write with latex gloves on, but he copied down the address as Pearl dictated. He had just finished when Julilly returned. \u201cHey, I\u2019ve got an address for Natalie Spice!\u201d he announced, waving the sticky note in the air.<\/p>\n

Julilly snatched it out of his gloved hand and squinted at it. \u201cWhat?? No, that can\u2019t be right. That address is here<\/em>. This house. Bree-Anna\u2019s address.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat?\u201d Nick took the sticky note back and stared at it. \u201cHey, Pearl,\u201d he said into his watch, \u201cThis isn\u2019t right. The address you gave us is the house we\u2019re at right now, investigating a girl\u2019s death, but that\u2019s not what we want — we\u2019re looking for her friend\u2019s address. The girl with the username I gave you.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s what I traced, Nick. \u2018Moffatts-Spice,\u2019 right?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cRight\u2026 and it traced here<\/em>??\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cSure did.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cOkay\u2026 well, can you look up the IP address for \u2018Moffatts-Chick-404\u2019 then?\u201d Nick asked, grasping at straws.<\/p>\n

It took Pearl only a minute or two. \u201cNick, their IPs are the same,\u201d she said. \u201cThat means they\u2019re using the same computer\u2026 Likely, they\u2019re the same person, with two different accounts.\u201d<\/p>\n

Nick looked from Julilly, to Brian, to Red, in confusion. \u201cSo, what, Bree-Anna just made up this Natalie girl? Why would she do that?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cSimple,\u201d smirked Julilly, holding up her phone. \u201cMy contact confirmed there was a Moffatts reunion concert in Toronto on Saturday night, the night before Bree-Anna was admitted to the hospital. Maybe her parents wouldn\u2019t let her go. So she said she was at this friend Natalie\u2019s house instead.\u201d<\/p>\n

Nick still felt bewildered. \u201cBut why make her an account on a message board too? Isn\u2019t that taking it a little far?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cShe probably had different reasons for doing that. But don\u2019t ask me to explain the psychology behind teenage girls, Carter; we\u2019d be here all day. Listen, we know there was a concert; we just need to prove that Bree-Anna and Terrance Phillip were both there and then find out how many others were, too. I\u2019m going to go back downstairs and see if Bree-Anna\u2019s parents know anything about the concert. Then I\u2019ll call Terrance Phillip\u2019s mother and ask her, too. Dr. Llewellyn, why don\u2019t you contact Dr. Boulet and see what she can find out at the hospital? Carter, keep searching her computer for any proof that she was at that concert, and Littrell, search the room again — look for ticket stubs, souvenirs, anything like that.\u201d<\/p>\n

Taking up their assignments, the two Jewels left the room to make their contacts, leaving Brian and Nick alone in the bedroom. Brian moved to Bree-Anna\u2019s dresser and opened the top drawer. \u201cMan, I feel weird pokin\u2019 through a fifteen-year-old girl\u2019s britches,\u201d drawled Brian, holding up a lacy pair of panties between his fingertips.<\/p>\n

Nick snorted. \u201cDid you really just use the word britches<\/em>?\u201d he replied incredulously before turning back to the computer. \u201cAnyway, you should be used to it, coming from Hicktucky or wherever the hell you grew up. I thought y\u2019all hooked up with your sisters and cousins down in those there parts.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou know, for a bigshot secret agent, you\u2019re damn ignorant, Carter,\u201d Brian replied. Nick could tell County Boy was trying to keep his voice light, though he was seething underneath that easygoing fa\u00e7ade. He smirked to himself.<\/p>\n

Some clicking around led him away from the Complete Mayhem site entirely and onto a YouTube account Bree-Anna had posted in her profile. It was her own, as evidenced by the dead girl\u2019s smiling face in a screenshot of one of the videos. He clicked play and felt a strange ripple of sadness as a sweet-faced, blonde girl grinned into the camera. He could see the poster-covered wall in front of him behind her in the video as she started gushing how much she loved her favorite band, The Moffatts. According to the posting date, she had shot the video in this very room just over a week ago. It was eerie to realize how quickly the mystery virus had taken hold of her and claimed her life.<\/p>\n

\u201cHey, I think I found somethin\u2019,\u201d said Brian from the other side of the room. \u201cA glow stick and a button with those guys\u2019 faces-\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cShut up, I\u2019m trying to watch this,\u201d Nick snapped, focusing back on the YouTube video.<\/p>\n

\u201c\u2026I never thought I would get to see them in concert, but guess what? On Saturday night, I\u2019m going to\u2026\u201d<\/em> Bree-Anna ducked out of the frame for a moment, apparently reaching for something on her bed, and then popped back into it, holding up a ticket with a gleeful grin on her face. \u201c\u2026THE MOFFATTS!!!\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cAHA!\u201d Nick shouted.<\/p>\n

At the same time that he was pausing the video on a frame of Bree-Anna holding up her ticket, Brian gasped, \u201cOw!\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat?\u201d Nick turned around. Brian was still at the dresser, holding up his left hand. He appeared to be examining his index finger. \u201cWhat\u2019d you do?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou startled me. I stuck myself,\u201d said Brian, sounding dumbfounded. \u201cWith this.\u201d He held up a pin-on button; the pin on the back was open.<\/p>\n

\u201cOuuuch\u2026\u201d said Nick in his ET voice.<\/p>\n

Brian ignored this. \u201cLike I was trying to tell you,\u201d he added irritably, \u201cit\u2019s got the Moffatts on it.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cSorry.\u201d Nick swallowed. \u201cDid it go through your glove?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201c\u2018Course it went through my glove; it\u2019s a pin.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAre you bleeding?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI dunno\u2026 I\u2019m fine; I\u2019m sure I\u2019ll be fine. I\u2019m just gonna go wash it out real good and get a new pair of gloves.\u201d Brian hurried out of the bedroom, leaving Nick by himself.<\/p>\n

He swiveled back to the computer, looking at the image of Bree-Anna beaming behind her ticket. He clicked play again. \u201cOh my god, I\u2019m SO excited!! This is gonna be the best night of my life!!\u201d<\/em> she squealed, bouncing on her bed.<\/p>\n

All of a sudden, he was overwhelmed by that strange feeling of sadness. It wasn\u2019t the best night of your life<\/em>, he realized. It was the last night.<\/em><\/p>\n

Julilly and Red burst back into the room a few minutes later. \u201cFind anything, Nick?\u201d Julilly asked brusquely. Without waiting for an answer, she rushed on to say, \u201cBree-Anna\u2019s parents are clueless, but Terrance\u2019s mother confirmed that her son was at the Moffatts show on Saturday. She said he was making a scrapbook page about it when he collapsed Sunday night.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cBree-Anna was there, too,\u201d said Nick, gesturing at the computer monitor. \u201cShe showed her ticket in this video.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cDid you find the stub?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNo, but Littrell found a button and a glow stick that were probably souvenirs.\u201d He wondered if Brian was still getting cleaned up in the bathroom, but before he could mention what had happened, Julilly nodded, a broad smile splitting her face.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s all the confirmation we need. Next stop on the trail: the Air Canada Centre.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhere\u2019s that?\u201d asked Nick.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s where the concert was held,\u201d said Julilly. \u201cAnd I have a feeling it\u2019s where we\u2019ll find another piece of the puzzle.\u201d<\/p>\n

***<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Part 6<\/a><\/strong><\/h4>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Episode 8: \u00a0FANthrax Part 5   The four agents stood outside the latest victim\u2019s house, double-checking their Hazmat suits to ensure some protection against the unknown virus. Sobered from the morning antics, they listened as Julilly explained the situation. \u201cBree-Anna Richards was one of the first cases brought into the\u2026<\/p>\n

Read more<\/span><\/i><\/a> <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"parent":141,"menu_order":5,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","template":"templates\/template-onecolumn.php","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-337","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/P5xaHX-5r","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/dreamers-sanctuary.com\/00carter\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/337","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/dreamers-sanctuary.com\/00carter\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/dreamers-sanctuary.com\/00carter\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dreamers-sanctuary.com\/00carter\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dreamers-sanctuary.com\/00carter\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=337"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/dreamers-sanctuary.com\/00carter\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/337\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":918,"href":"https:\/\/dreamers-sanctuary.com\/00carter\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/337\/revisions\/918"}],"up":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dreamers-sanctuary.com\/00carter\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/141"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/dreamers-sanctuary.com\/00carter\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=337"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}