“Within a week.”
Dr. Reeves no longer looked dismissive.
That mattered.
I asked:
“Any other trips?”
“Florida. Vermont.”
“Better there?”
Nathan thought.
“Florida, yes.”
“Vermont?”
“No.”
“Where did you stay in Vermont?”
“Our lodge.”
“Same ventilation vendor?”
Thomas answered from the doorway.
“Yes.”
The room became very quiet.
Nathan looked at him.
“Same odor system?”
Thomas checked.
“Yes.”
Now we had pattern.
Not proof.
But pattern.
The industrial hygienist arrived that evening.
Dr. Maya Patel.
Calm.
Direct.
She took air samples.
Surface samples.
HVAC condensate.
Dust.
Cartridge residue.
She reviewed maintenance records.
Then asked a question nobody else
had.
“What cleaning products are used on this floor?”
Mrs. Bennett answered.
“Hypoallergenic products.”
“Brand?”
She listed them.
Maya asked:
“Any ozone generators?”
Thomas shook his head.
“Not indoors.”
“Air purifiers?”
“Yes.”
“In the rooms?”
“Yes.”
“What type?”
“High-end ionizing units.”
Maya stopped.
“Ionizing?”
Thomas nodded.
“Why?”
“For sterilization.”
My stomach tightened again.
