"Stan says the tests are finished but the results are freaking him out," Hanson told Jo.
"Because of the ancient antibodies," Jo said.
"According to Stan, the results came at an 'exorbitantly accelerated rate'," Hanson clarified, "like he's never seen before."
VVVVVVVV
When Hanson drove up to the front of the high school, Stan was waiting outside for him. As he parked the car and exited it, he noticed how eager the chem teacher looked.
"Here," Stan said and handed a round metal container half the size of a shoebox to him. Hanson took it from him and Stan asked, "Is this some kind of government-sponsored experiment?" Hanson frowned and shook his head. "Well, I haven't seen anything like that since I worked to identify the remains of -" He caught himself, choosing not to finish his statement. "I just hope the men in black don't show up on my doorstep behind this."
"What are ya talkin'?" Hanson asked. "I told you; this has to do with a murder case."
Stan eyed the box again skeptically and shook his head. "I've seen lots of normal antibodies form from DNA. But not these; and they produced so quickly."
"You're tryin'a say this ain't from a human?" Hanson asked.
"Oh, no, it's human," Stan replied. "Only it's unlike any other human DNA I've ever seen."
Hanson frowned and looked down at the container he held. "Yeah, I know. Weird."
"Not just weird, Mike!" Stan burst out unable to hide his excitement. "You see, antibodies are just proteins that the body makes when an infection occurs. They then attach to a virus which helps eliminate it. It takes a while to 'cook' these antibodies, for want of a better word; but these manifested so quickly and then … I don't know how to describe it."
"What exactly are you saying?" Hanson asked, his brow knitted.
Stan scoffed before replying. "It means it would make the person immune to those diseases. Forever." Hanson frowned, even more confused. "Look, take the flu. People get it and recover and get it again and again. Some people who recovered from Ebola got it again. Malaria can be successfully treated but people still have flareups." He pointed a shaky finger at the container in Hanson's hands. "At first, I thought how lucky this person must be but … no … I don't think I'd like to live forever."
Hanson fought off the urge to roll his eyes and instead shook hands with Stan and thanked him.
"You're welcome and … next time you need help with something like this," Stan said with a wide grin, "don't hesitate to call."
Hanson walked away and got into his car. Stan scurried back into the building and Hanson, still skeptical, started up the car and pulled away from the curb. As he drove, he glanced down at the container on the passenger side seat and joked, "So, you've got some 'Forever' stuff goin' on in there." He attempted a small laugh but his heart wasn't in it.
vvvv
Back at the precinct, Hanson stood by Jo's desk while they both stared at the results on her computer screen. She had scanned in the images of Farber's medical chart and they studied them against the information they had on their elusive killer. They were astonished to find that not only had CODIS matched the strange DNA to both the DeSoto and Glausser murders but also to at least three other cold cases spanning nearly two decades beginning in 1996.
"In 1996. Mark Cisneros, P.I., found in the trunk of his car with his throat cut," Jo read, keeping her voice low. "Bennie Burke, his partner, found murdered the same way two months later."
"Bennie must have known somethin' was up and ran," Hanson cynically speculated. "Didn't do him any good, though."
"It's a given that these guys were killed for the same reason," Jo said.
Hanson nodded in agreement. "To keep 'em quiet. But keep 'em quiet about what?"
"Look," Jo said, pointing at the screen. "A building superintendent, Marcie Cornell, in 2007. Her body was found in the same condition as Julian's and Xander's, tied to a kitchen chair." She grimaced and leaned back from the screen. "Sounds strange; almost like these were … hits instead of a serial killer getting his thrills."
"Well, we know for a fact that DeSoto was killed for that pugio," Hanson said.
"And Julian, most likely, was killed because he had tried to sell those artifacts," Jo added. "Our killer kills for a reason, not necessarily for the thrill alone." She clucked her tongue and continued. "Well, at least if we solve the two most recent killings, we can put an end to it all."
Hanson placed a hand atop the container that held the shallow, transparent, lidded Petri dish with the cells grown from Farber's DNA. "I think we just solved 'em, Jo."
"That quiet little man just doesn't look like a murderer," she said.
"Well, this proves that he is," Hanson flatly replied.
They had decided to take the bloodied cotton swab stuck to the bandaid to the Lab. "Let them do their thing and, if Stan was right, we won't have to wait two weeks for the results."
"They have a backlog, though," Jo said. "How do we beat that?"
"New evidence in a couple of cold cases that point to a serial killer," Hanson began, "gets bumped up to the front of the line."
"Gives new meaning to the journalism phrase 'If it bleeds, it leads'," Jo dryly remarked. "But Henry couldn't have known about Farber," she said.
Hanson sighed and pressed his lips together. "Then … why did he lie, Jo?"
Jo closed her eyes and bowed her head slightly as she touched the fingers of one hand to her forehead. Was it really possible that Henry had known all along about Farber? Her heart sank at the thought that he would protect someone responsible for such heinous crimes. If he had … he must have had a good reason, she told herself. It had to be a damn good reason! Her heartbreak eased somewhat when she heard Hanson state that they sit tight and wait for the results from the Lab. A couple of days, he speculated.
"In the meantime," he began, "we tell the Doc nothing." He hesitated before adding, "Wouldn't hurt for you to keep an eye on him, though."
"I suppose I kiss him on the cheek when we're ready to lower the boom," she said sarcastically.
"I don't like it, either, Jo," Hanson said. "We gotta keep him under surveillance just like in any other investigation."
"This isn't any other investigation!" she blurted out. "This is Henry, we're talking about!" She was upset but knew enough to keep her voice lowered.
"Jo, I know you got feelings for the guy, but … we still do what we gotta do," Hanson told her.
She bit her lower lip and nodded, knowing that he was right. "Guess we can wait to put the clinch on Farber, too," she said. "I mean, it's not like he's going anywhere soon."
vvvv
Abe's Antiques just before closing …
Stan Worth walked into the shop, exchanged greetings with Abe, and quickly made his way up to the retail counter.
"It finally came in," Abe happily told him and produced an antique glass chess set from under the counter. He set the case down on the countertop and opened it, displaying the chess pieces and glass board inside of it. While Stan looked it over, Abe said, "Took forever, but … here it is," fanning his hand over it in a flourish.
Stan smiled appreciatively as he gingerly touched the two queens and then the black knight. "Beautiful," he whispered, wide-eyed. "Like cut diamonds." He straightened up and closed the case. "What's the damage?" he joked.
"Same as we agreed," Abe replied.
Stan ran a hand over his thinning, short, blonde hair and then nodded, pulling his wallet out of his inside coat pocket. "Okay, $2,200." He counted the bills out onto the counter and while Abe gathered them up and wrote out a receipt, Stan began to tell him about his recent foray into forensic science.
"Maybe after this," he began, "I might one day even help your roommate on a case." He chuckled happily at the possibility.
"Well, Henry's not an investigator," Abe clarified. "He just sometimes gets drawn into the NYPD's investigations because there's so much knowledge in that head of his," he jokingly added.
While Stan gleefully boasted about the odd DNA he'd tested for Hanson, Abe listened; his smile becoming more and more disingenuous, more and more plastered on his face. He'd heard the story from his father, recalled hearing Lucas' concerns, and knew that the cat was further out of the bag than either of them had realized.
"That, uh, sounds pretty exciting," he managed to say as he quickly grabbed the keys to the shop's door and motioned towards it. Stan understood and walked ahead of him with the chess set cradled in his arms. Once Stan was safely outside, Abe locked the door. He hesitated, though, when he saw his father get out of a taxi and have his path to the shop obstructed by the exuberant chem teacher. As Abe watched them engage in conversation, he knew that the ME's polite smile hid his growing alarm. Abe decided to step in and save the day. He unlocked the door and swung it open.
"Hey, Stan, ease up on Henry," he jokingly said. "Let the poor man come inside and get his dinner."
That did the trick, for Stan finally got into his car and drove away with his purchase. Henry, released from the troubling conversation, let out a deep sigh and thanked Abe heartily as he stepped inside the shop. Abe closed the door and locked it, then followed him up the stairs and into the kitchen. There, they ate the rest of the meatloaf dinner from two days before and discussed the situation that Henry clearly did not seem to have a handle on.
"If you've got anything up your sleeves, Pops," Abe quietly but firmly said, "now is the time to pull it out. This is a little different from when you went off to take care of Adam," he continued. "Only you and I knew about that. But … this thing … it might as well be on the front page of the NYPD Times."
Henry laughed softly in spite of himself. "Abe." After a few moments, he pushed his plate aside, slowly leaned forward, and clasped his hands all the while boring his eyes into his son's. Almost apologetically, he said, "That evidence must be destroyed. It's the only way to keep them from finding out the truth about Adam - and me - and you."
Abe mimicked his father's movements and asked, "And just how do you plan to do that?"
"Simple," his father replied. "The evidence will be in the lab for re-testing since by now the cases have been reclassified as involving a serial killer. It should be easy to get to."
"What about what Stan tested for Hanson?" Abe asked.
"It sounds as though your friend, Mr. Worth, may have performed those tests illegally," he noted. "Quite a clever move on Hanson's part, I must admit; however, without the actual evidence, it will be completely useless to them."
Abe whistled and raised his eyebrows. "If Jo ever found out, she'd shoot you."
"And she'd be totally justified," Henry admitted.
"And totally surprised," Abe dryly remarked.
VVVVVVVV
Notes:
Information on antibodies found on several different sites on the Internet including this one: /allergies-blood-immune/antibody-and-antigen-tests
Thank you for your patience. I had a bit of writer's block with this chapter and the loss of a loved one after a long illness coupled with my own trip to the ER this past Sunday effectively cut into my creativity. Life happens to all of us, though, and we're left here to keep moving on. All that being said, I hope you all appreciate the trouble that Henry has been written into (grinning). My fault, I know. We'll see if he can pull it off (Git ready, boots - I mean fingers - start typin'!).