“How goes the round-up?”
       David had called Detective Borel to get any update.
         “No one dead yet, at least. Which makes criminal intent a little less likely. We have had some reports of other people in this city going to hospitals with the same symptoms, but at least for now the disease does not seem to be spreading.”
         “Well, that’s good. Have you checked all the names in the hotel registers for who is sick or may have become sick and those who still haven’t?”
         “Yes, but we don’t see any pattern, nothing suspicious. No known terrorists we can identify as coming into Paris.”
         “What about a mole already here.”
         “It’s always possible. I’d be more interested in finding three Parisians who checked into the hotels at the same time, if that were the case. Not too many Parisians check into Parisian hotels unless it’s to have an affair.”
         “Which I hear happens,” said David.
         Borel just snickered and said, “In any case, David, you will not be surprised to know it’s not the first thing on the police agenda. We’ve got enough real criminal cases to pursue before devoting our resources on the hotel incident, which might just turn out to be a case of one guest from one hotel bringing the disease to another and another. I hope that may be the case.”
         Katie and David spent Monday morning further sightseeing, which included two hours at the Louvre, about which David said, “Almost as good as the Metropolitan Museum in New York.” Katie was basking in the memories she had of her college days in Paris visiting the great museum.
    Both had checked their contacts in Paris, and Katie and Catherine spoke twice over the course of the day. According to Catherine, CNN had let the story lie in limbo, asking her to keep the producers up to date with what she’d learn from the Paris press. The local newspapers had already stuck the story on page four, a brief column saying that nothing new had turned up, while French TV did only a quick sound bite by a police officer at one of the hotels and one from a doctor they used as a contributor. As usual, the same video footage of exiting emergency workers and patients was played over and over again.
         Around two o’clock, Katie’s cell phone rang, and the voice, without a greeting, said, “If you wish to come to the Institut at four o’clock I can tell you what we have found out about the virus.” Katie told Dr. Baer she’d be there and thanked her for calling.
         “How’d she sound on the phone?” asked David.
         “Not exactly bubbly, just the way she was yesterday morning. I wonder if she’s spoken to the police.”
         David called Borel, who said he had heard from Dr. Baer and she was being interviewed by colleagues at that moment.
         “I have no report back yet,” said Borel.
         David said he and Katie were going to see her at four and would compare notes with the Paris detective. At 3:30 the Americans took a taxi to the Institut and were ushered in with the same institutional greeting as before.
         “Don’t the French ever smile?” asked David.
         “Yes, but never at strangers.”
         “Nice,” said David, shaking his head.
         Dr. Baer met them and took them back to her office.
         “So, you have news?” asked David.
         “Yes, about the virus.”
         Katie interrupted, saying, “Just so we understand each other, Doctor, if you wish to tell me something you don’t want me to quote you on, say so before you say it.”
         “I would never say anything to you that I did not want you to report,” said the physician. “If I am to trust you, I will not tell you secrets. That way I do not need to worry about trusting you.”
         “Fair enough. So, I can tape our conversation?”
            Dr. Baer merely shrugged.
           “First of all, David said you have already spoken to the police?”
         “Yes, they just left a few moments ago.”
         “And did you tell them anything you can’t tell us?”
         “No. Everything I say is with the permission of the Institut.”
         “Okay,” said David, “so what can you tell us?”
         “As I told you yesterday, it is indeed a virus, not a bacteria.”
         “Is that good or bad?” asked David.
         “A bit worse because there is no cure or drug we can give people. Their immune systems either have to attack the virus or they will get very sick.”
         “And are they?”
         “The reports from the hospitals say there are still no deaths but many people are very sick. There is a good deal of pneumonia. Their immune systems seem to be overreacting, which it often will.”
         Katie and David saw that Dr. Baer was not going to offer any information beyond the specific questions they asked her.
         “So, do you know what kind of virus it is?” asked Katie.
         “We know something about it but not everything just yet. We do know that it falls outside the scope of viruses we are familiar with.”
         “Meaning it is not like a seasonal flu that hits in fall and winter?”
         “It may mimic such a virus, but this was one is completely different in origin.”
         “Meaning?”
         “It was manufactured.”