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52.
Two squad cars arrive with lights and sirens from opposite directions. The sirens died down, but the lights kept twirling. Jack stood with his hands up, waving for them to slow down. He had Louise Trost on the phone, and she had just promised to call both Professor Shaun Nolan and the police chief. Four officers in dark blue uniforms got out of the squad cars, while slipping their nightsticks into their belt rings.
A sergeant of Asian origin said: "What's going on?"
Jack held up his press pass and wallet I.D. "Jack Simon. I work with Louise Trost on the anti-terrorism task force downtown. My wife is Linsey Simon, a lieutenant with the Harbor Patrol, who is also on the task force." He pointed to the house. "Inside there is a crime taking place, but I don't want you to rush in. You have to first understand what is going on. And it's a pretty fantastic story."
"You have one minute to make your case," the sergeant said. Already the other three officers were warily approaching the silent, dark house.
"There is some kind of take-over going on. I watched a man come home and embrace a neighbor lady. He slid a tube from his mouth into her neck and is doing something to her. I know you won't believe me, and I don't blame you. But you need to talk to your superiors before you go in there."
"I think you need help, sir, with all due respect."
"Please wait before you go in there." He waved his cell phone. "I can get your chief of police on the phone to you in a minute or two. You'll believe him."
"I believe you are very upset, sir, and we need to go into the house and see what caused you to become hysterical."
"I'm not hysterical. Sergeant, it's fine if you think I'm nuts, but if I say the four of you are taking your lives into your hands, give me the benefit of the doubt. Five minutes! Please!"
"Okay." The sergeant waved his men away into the neighboring yard. "Come with me, please. Stay by my side. I'm not arresting you." He walked over to his car while speaking into his collar mike. He spoke softly, but Jack understood: he was calling for backup, asking a SWAT team to go to standby.
A minute passed, while the sergeant held a little earpiece to his ear. He looked preoccupied, then puzzled. Someone was speaking to him, and he looked at Jack with dawning respect and understanding. "Yessir, I understand. Will do." The sergeant stepped up and patted Jack on the arm. "Sorry, Mr. Simon."
"I don't blame you a bit," Jack said.
"I have instructions from the Chief himself to isolate that house. We'll be evacuating neighbors and bringing in both a SWAT unit and the Hazardous Materials people from the Fire Department. I guess there is also some lady from the Federal Government on the way with a mycologist? Isn't that a mushroom specialist?"
Jack nodded. He didn't need to explain much. All he had to do was point to the basketball-sized yellowish mushrooms ballooning out of a neighbor's yard. "This is just a faint prolog to what you are going to find when you go into that house."
His phone rang. Linsey. "Yeah, hon?"
She was so out of breath she seemed to be sobbing for air. "Jack! They got Cleve and Annette Lewis, the social worker. I witnessed how it happens. Cleve blew black air in her face, full of spores probably, and instantly she seemed to go limp and be helpless. He's got his tube into her. I'm running to catch the nearest cops and get a net over the two of them."
Jack nodded. "Good go. Then we'll have two pairs of them and Nolan can do his mycology stuff on them."
"You know what?"
"No, Linsey, what bright idea did you just have?"
"I'm not going to get a whole lot of cops down there. I'm going to follow Cleve and see where he takes her. There must be a nest of them somewhere."
"Honey, please…"
"Jack, we have to know where this infestation is centered. It's going to do absolutely no good to cause a huge scene here."
"Honey—"
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