Murder Theory Page 27

  Things have to be different. I can only be so lucky for so long.

  I pull the samples out of the rack and transfer them to the control grid. When I slide number four out, I notice that it feels lighter. Instead of containing the clear liquid the virus particles are suspended in, it’s empty.

  No, that’s not true. There’s a slip of paper inside. Did I leave filter paper inside the tube?

  I use a pair of tweezers to pull it out. It’s a folded slip. What is this?

  My thick gloves don’t make it easy, but I manage to spread the sheet apart.

  There are five words written across it. As I read them, I notice the slightly acrid scent in my mask.

  Try not to breathe, asshole.

  ;)

  ABOUT THE AUTHOR

  Andrew Mayne is the Wall Street Journal bestselling author of The Naturalist and Looking Glass, an Edgar Award nominee for Black Fall, and the star of A&E’s Don’t Trust Andrew Mayne and a Discovery Channel Shark Week special. He is also a magician who started his first world tour as an illusionist when he was a teenager and went on to work behind the scenes for Penn & Teller, David Blaine, and David Copperfield. Ranked as the fifth bestselling independent author of the year by Amazon UK, Andrew currently hosts the Weird Things podcast. For more on him and his work, visit www.AndrewMayne.com.