VIRAL Robin Cook Excerpt
VIRAL Robin Cook Excerpt
BY ROBIN COOK
PREFACE
The Covid-19 pandemic has thrust the virus center stage as a dangerous and dreaded
foe similar to the way the influenza pandemic did a century ago. The causaKve viruses, SARS-
CoV-2 and Influenza A H1N1, produce respiratory illnesses that are easily transmiPable person-
to-person and thereby quickly swept around the globe. Within months, both scourges sickened
Although these two biologic enKKes currently dominate the spotlight, there are other
viruses that deserve equal fear, concern, and aPenKon since some of the resultant diseases
have a higher lethality as well as the capacity to cause more serious complicaKons. Although
these diseases are not transmiPed by aerosol and are thereby less communicaKve, they too are
spreading around the world at a slower yet ever quickening pace thanks to climate change and
have cleverly hijacked the mosquito to ensure their survival. These viruses are responsible for
illnesses such as yellow fever, dengue, West Nile fever, and an array of diseases that cause
dangerous inflammaKon of the brain called encephaliKs. This includes Eastern Equine
EncephaliKs virus or EEE, which is known to have a death rate as high as 30%. As climate change
advances, aggressive mosquitos like the Aedes Asian Tiger Mosquito, which carry these
dangerous viruses and which had heretofore been restricted to tropical climes, are
progressively and relentlessly spreading northward into temperate regions, currently reaching
as far north as the state of Maine in the USA and the Netherlands in Europe.
These other, fearful viruses couldn’t have picked a bePer vector. As obligate
bloodsuckers to enable breeding, mosquitoes are high on everyone’s nuisance list. Most people
can recall a disrupted summer slumber, or evening stroll, or hike in the woods, or barbecue on
the beach, heralded by the characterisKc whine of the female mosquito. As a creature superbly
designed a\er almost one hundred million years of adapKve evoluKon (even dinosaurs were
plagued by mosquitoes), the female mosquito invariably gets her blood meal or dies trying. For
some reason that has yet to be explained, the female Asian Tiger mosquito is parKcularly
aPracted to human females with blood type O, although other blood types or even human
million people die each year from a mosquito spread illness. Some naturalists even posit that
mosquito transmiPed illnesses have killed nearly half of all the humans who have ever lived.
PROLOGUE
Although mosquitos cause more than two thousand human deaths every day, their
pernicious impact doesn’t necessarily stop there. The deaths they cause can result in further
serious societal complicaKons. Such a story of a sad serial tragedy started in the summer of
2020 as the result of a cascading series of events that began in the idyllic town of Wellfleet,
MassachusePs, nestled on the bayside of Cape Cod. It all started within the confines of a
discarded automobile Kre leaning up against a dilapidated, free standing garage. Inside the Kre
was a bit of stagnant rainwater where a pregnant female Asian Tiger mosquito had deposited
On the 20th of July this clutch of eggs hatched, starKng the mindboggling ten-day
metamorphosis from larvae, to pupae, to adults. The moment the mosquitoes emerged as
adults, they could fly, and within three days they followed the irresisKble urge to reproduce,
requiring the females to obtain a blood meal. By using their highly evolved sense organs they
detected a vicKm and zeroed in on an unsuspecKng Blue Jay. Unknown to the mosquitos and to
the Blue Jay, the bird had been infected earlier in July by the Eastern Equine EncephaliKs virus.
Neither bird nor the mosquitos cared since birds such as Blue Jays are a normal host for EEE,
meaning they live together in a kind of passive-parasiKsm, and in a similar fashion, the
mosquito’s immune system keeps the virus at bay. A\er geeng their fill of Blue Jay blood, the
AtlanKc Ocean. They were now considerably reduced in number from having been prey to
numerous predators. At the same Kme, they were now more experienced. They had learned to
favor human vicKms as easier targets than feathered birds or furred mammals. They also
there were always relaKvely immobile humans with lots of exposed skin.
At three-thirty on the a\ernoon of August 15th this cluster of EEE carrying female Asian
Tiger mosquitos awakened from their dayKme slumber. They had found refuge from the
midday summer sun beneath the porch planking of a building on Gull Pond. A few moments
later, ravenous for a blood meal, the swarm became airborne en masse with their characterisKc
whine. Save for several unlucky individuals, they avoided the many sKcky and dangerous spider
webs to emerge into the sunlight. Regrouping, they set off like a miniature fighter squadron.
InsKncKvely they knew the beach was 600 yards to the east beyond a forest composed mostly
of Black Oak and Pitch Pine. Baring being eaten on the way or having to navigate a stronger
than usual headwind, it would take the swarm around three-quarters of an hour to reach a
CHAPTER 1 – AUGUST 15
“Okay, you guys! It’s 4:30 and Kme to get this barbecue show on the road,” Brian Yves
Murphy ordered, clapping his hands to get his family’s aPenKon. His wife, Emma, and his
daughter, JuliePe, were draped over the living room furniture in the modest two-bedroom
coPage they had rented for two weeks across from a hardscrabble beach in Wellfleet,
MassachusePs, just beyond the town’s harbor. All of them were appropriately exhausted a\er
an acKve, fun-filled mid-summer day that marked the beginning of their final week of vacaKon.
Because of the SARS-COV-2 pandemic, they’d opted for a road trip vacaKon rather than flying
down to Florida to use Emma’s parents’ empty condo, as was their usual summer getaway.
“Can’t we just recover for ten to fi\een minutes?” Emma pleaded jokingly despite
knowing full well that Brian wouldn’t hear of it. In truth, she was as compulsive as he in terms
of geeng the most out of every minute of their vacaKon while the weather held. On top of
that, she was also as compulsively fit and acKve as he. That very morning Emma had awakened
just a\er dawn and had soundlessly slipped out of the house for a morning bike ride and to be
first in line at PB Boulangerie for their one-of-a-kind, freshly baked almond croissants. It had
been a welcome surprise when they discovered the French bakery so far from what they called
quintessenKal New Yorkers and assumed anything outside of the city was essenKally hinterland.
“Sorry, but no rest for the weary,” Brian said. “I’d like to get to the Newcomb Hollow
Beach parking lot before the evening rush to make sure we get a spot.” They had found over
their first few days that Newcomb Hollow was their favorite AtlanKc side beach, with fewer
people and high dunes that acted as parKal windbreaks from the onshore breeze.
“But why the rush?” quesKoned Emma. “We already got a beach parking permit when
“The parking permit lets us park, but it doesn’t guarantee a spot. Plus, Newcomb Hollow
“Okay,” Emma said agreeably. She got up and stretched her shoulders.
They were mildly sore from the kayaking on Long Pond they had done that morning, an unusual
workout for both of them. Then in the early a\ernoon she and Brian had done their daily mini-
triathlon that involved biking ten miles to Truro and back, swimming for one mile in the bay,
and running for five more into the Cape Cod NaKonal Seashore. Meanwhile, four-year old
JuliePe had spent Kme with a local high school girl named Becky whom they had luckily found
to serve as a daily siPer on day one. The lucky part was that Becky, despite being a teenager,
was surprisingly accepKve and aPenKve to the required tesKng, mask wearing, and social
“I’ll get towels, the grill, briquePes, beach chairs and toys and load it all in the car,”
Brian raPled off, heading into the kitchen. He’d been looking forward to the barbecue for
several days. Although they wouldn’t have the sunset like they did every evening over Cape Cod
Bay, the AtlanKc side was glorious, especially compared to the narrow, seashell liPered beach
“Ten four,” Emma said. She glanced down at JuliePe. The child seemed to already be
asleep although Emma was aware she could be pretending as she o\en did when she didn’t
want to be bothered. With her eyes closed and lips slightly parted, she was clutching her
favorite toy and constant companion named ‘bunny:’ a a foot long, very floppy, light brown,
worse-for-wear stuffed rabbit with one missing eye. Emma couldn’t help but stare at her with
loving eyes, thinking as a mother that JuliePe might very well be the world’s most beauKful
child with her slightly upturned sculpted nose, cupid’s bow lips, and thick blond hair.
IniKally both Emma and Brian had been taken aback by their daughter’s hair as it grew
in. The expectaKon had been that it would either be Emma’s flaming red or Brian’s blue-black.
Instead it had come in as blond as golden corn, establishing from the outset that JuliePe was
her own person. The same thing happened with her eye coloraKon. She ended up green-eyed in
contrast to Emma’s hazel and Brian’s blue. But there were some definite commonaliKes. All
three Murphys had pale, almost translucent, Irish skin that required constant applicaKon of
sunscreen to keep from geeng burned. Also similar was their well-muscled and long-limbed
figures. Even at age four, JuliePe promised to be as athleKc and tall as both her father and
“Hey! What are you doing?” Brian quesKoned as he wheeled a small portable kePle
charcoal grill through the living room. He’d caught Emma hovering over JuliePe. “Chop chop!
“I was just momentarily overwhelmed by our daughter,” Emma confessed. “We are so
lucky she’s healthy and so damn cute. In fact, I think she might be the most beauKful child in
the world.”
Brian nodded but rolled his eyes playfully. “Sounds like a serious case of parental bias.
There’s no doubt we’re lucky, but let’s please hold up on our appreciaKon unKl we’ve parked
Emma threw the Speedo swim cap she was holding at Brian, who laughed and easily
ducked away before pushing out into the front yard, leeng the screen door bang behind him.
The characterisKc noise reminded Emma of the summers she’d spent as a child out on Long
Island. Emma’s father, Ryan O’Brien had done very well for himself and his family a\er starKng
a successful plumbing company in Inwood, ManhaPan. Emma and Brian had both grown up
among Inwood’s sizable Irish community and had actually been aware of each other as
grammar school-aged children while aPending PS 98 even though he was two grades ahead of
her.
For her part in preparaKon for the barbecue, Emma went into the kitchen, got out the
cooler, and a\er pueng in the cold packs from the freezer, filled it with the hamburger paees
she’d made the previous day, the fresh de-griPed clams she and Brian had goPen earlier that
morning at the harbor, a boPle of prosecco, and some fruit juice for JuliePe. The unhusked
summer corn was in a separate shopping bag as were the mille-feuille from the bakery.
A half hour later the family was in their Outback Subaru, heading east toward the Cape
Cod NaKonal Seashore preserve. JuliePe was buckled into her car seat next to the cooler, an
inflatable boogie board, and three folded beach chairs. As per usual JuliePe was holding on to
Bunny while watching a cartoon on a screen built into Emma’s headrest. At JuliePe’s feet were
the rest of the beach toys, including pails, sand molds, shovels, and a pair of Kadima paddles.
A\er crossing Route 6, both Brian and Emma eyed the Wellfleet Police Department as it
came into view. The building was a quaint, gabled-roofed white-clapboard structure with
dormers that looked more like a country inn than a police department.
“I can’t help but wonder what it would be like being a police officer way out here in the
middle of nowhere,” Emma observed. She turned to get a final glimpse of the picturesque
building with a split log fence defining a visitor’s parking area. There was not a squad car in
sight.
“It is hard to imagine,” Brian said with an agreeing nod. He’d had the very same thought
simultaneous to Emma verbalizing it. This was a frequent occurrence, and they aPributed it to
how closely their lives had coincided. Not only had they grown up several blocks apart in the
same borough of ManhaPan and gone to the same grammar school, but they had both ended
up majoring in Criminal JusKce in college with Brian aPending Adelphi on Long Island and Emma
going to Fordham in the Bronx. Although they also had gone to different high schools, their
transcripts were remarkably similar. Both had done well academically, and had been very acKve
in athleKcs in high school and college. For Brian it was soccer, wrestling, and baseball and for
said, as she faced around to look out the windshield. Both she and Brian had matriculated
directly into the New York Police Department Academy a\er college, serving as patrol officers
at very busy NYC Precincts. A\er five years of exemplary service, they had been accepted into
the elite and presKgious NYPD Emergency Service Unit. It had been when Emma was a cadet at
the ESU Academy that their remarkably parallel lives temporally aligned. Brian who was a
member of the ESU A team, volunteered on his days off to help the ESU Academy instructors. It
was his way of staying up to date and in shape, and his reward was meeKng one of the very few
“Especially off season,” Brian said. “To tell you the truth, I wouldn’t be able to do it. No
way.”
They were now passing through mostly pitch pine and black oak forests. They also
passed Gull Pond, which was north but near Long Pond where they had kayaked that morning.
As it was their first trip to Cape Cod, Brian and Emma had been pleasantly surprised by the
many freshwater ponds with crystal-clear water so close to the ocean on one side and the bay
on the other. They’d asked a local about them and had been told it had something to do with
Gross Hill Road dead ended into Newcomb Hollow Beach, and as they pulled into the
parking lot, they were encouraged. A lot of bedraggled people were heading from the beach to
their cars, carrying an enormous quanKty of gear including beach chairs, sun umbrellas, and
impressive coolers that made the Murphy’s Styrofoam model seem embarrassingly chintzy.
Most were tanned regulars, but some were clearly burned visitors.
“Ouch,” Emma looking at one adolescent girl who appeared as pale as the Murphy’s.
“We’re in luck,” Brian exclaimed, pulling into a vacant slot remarkably close to the
pathway that lead from the parking lot to the beach up over an impressive fi\y-foot grass
covered dune. As usual, JuliePe was excited at the prospect of being on the beach, so she was
first out of the car and impaKent as Emma and Brian unloaded. Despite her agitaKon, she was
willing to accept carrying the bag of corn and most of her toys in addiKon to Bunny. While
Emma carried the cooler and towels, Brian handled the grill, the briquePes, and the aluminum
beach chairs.
It was late a\ernoon and the sun streaming over their shoulders painted the enKre
scene in a rich, golden glow. Everyone they passed leaving the beach was wearing their masks,
as were the Murphy’s. When they crested the dune, Emma and Brian paused to take in the
dramaKc sight of the wide, sandy beach and the large expanse of the AtlanKc. The breeze was
onshore, and it carried the sound of the two to three feet high waves as they broke. Since the
Kde was going out, there were numerous Kde pools, which JuliePe loved, since she was a bit
inKmidated by the ocean. Capping the impressive scene were large cumulus clouds that hung
“I’d say north,” Emma responded a\er glancing in both direcKons. “There’s less people.
“To your le\,” Brian shouted to JuliePe, who had already run down toward the water’s
edge.
They set up their camp about a hundred feet north of the path and up against the steep
dune embankment. While Brian struggled with the grill, Emma put sunscreen on JuliePe before
handing the spray can to Brian. A\er tossing Bunny onto one of the towels, JuliePe immediately
Brian shrugged. “It’s up to you. Just give me 15 to 20 minutes noKce to get the
briquePes fired up.” He poured them into the grill and closed the lid. “Meanwhile, let’s join
JuliePe.”
For the next forty-five minutes they ran in the wash from the surf, either chasing or
being chased by JuliePe. At one-point Brian managed to get JuliePe to venture out into the
breakers with him holding her hand, but he could tell she really didn’t like it, so they quickly
went back to the Kde pool. Shortly a\er, Brian could see that Emma was already back preparing
the corn at their campsite, which was now in shadow. Taking the hint, he told JuliePe it was
Kme to start the barbecue and that he would race her with him running backward. Delighted at
the prospect of beaKng her father, JuliePe took off with a squeal and mostly thanks to Brian
“I’m afraid we have some unwelcome visitors,” Emma announced the moment Brian
“What do you mean?” Brian asked. He glanced around, mostly skyward. On their
previous visit to Newcomb Hollow beach they’d had a run-in with a few very persistent sea gulls
breeze.
“Yes, really,” Emma said. “Look!” She raised her le\ arm and pointed to the base of her
deltoid muscle. Poised and obviously preparing to bite was a black mosquito with white
markings, but before the insect could do its worst, Emma slapped it with an open palm. Pulling
her hand away, the creature was reduced to a Kny bloody corpse, indicaKng it had already
“I don’t think I’ve seen a mosquito like that,” Brian said. “Rather disKncKve coloring.”
“During one of my ESU Academy medical lectures, we learned about Arboviral Disease
and Climate Change. The lecturer specifically talked about Asian Tiger Mosquitos, which used to
be restricted to the tropics, but now have spread widely northward all the way up to Maine.”
“Times have changed old man,” Emma said with a laugh. “Remember, you were two
“Remember reading about Yellow Fever and building the Panama Canal? Well, Yellow
“Yikes,” Brian said. “Has there ever been Yellow Fever in the USA?”
“Not since 1905 in New Orleans, if I’m remembering correctly,” Emma said. She abruptly
ran her fingers through her hair and then waved her hand above head. “Uh oh, I can hear more
“Did you bring the bug spray?” Emma asked with urgency.
“Please,” Emma said. “The sooner the bePer. Otherwise we are going to be miserable.”
With no further urging, Brian grabbed his mask, jogged down the beach, and then went
up over the dune. As he expected, he found the can of OFF in the glove compartment. When he
got back to the beach less than ten minutes later, JuliePe was again in the Kdal pool.
“I tell you,” Emma said as she began to apply the repellent, “these winged bastards
were aggressive while you were gone. I had to send JuliePe down to the water.”
“I tried to be quick.” He took the spray and applied it as Emma had done and then called
Once the Murphy’s had the mosquitos at bay, they were able to get back to their
barbecue. The corn cobs went on the grill first, followed by the hamburger paees, and finally
the clams. By Kme the food was cooked and served, the enKre beach was in the shadow of the
dunes even though the ocean and the clouds were sKll in full sun.
A\er they had eaten their fill and parKally cleaned up, Brian and Emma relaxed back
into their respecKve beach chairs to finish the Prosecco, have their dessert, and to savor the
view. The seeng sun, which was out of sight behind them, was KnKng the puffy clouds pink.
JuliePe had retreated back down to the edge of the Kdal pool to make sandcastles in the damp
sand.
For a while neither spoke. It was Emma who finally did. “I hate to break the spell,” she
said, turning to Brian, “but I’ve been thinking. Maybe we should consider heading back to New
“Really? Why? We’ve got almost another week with the coPage.” He was surprised by
her suggesKon since coming to Cape Cod for vacaKon had iniKally been her idea, and they all
“I’m thinking that maybe if were back home we could do something to possibly drum up
some business.”
“Do you have some new idea of how?” Brian asked. “What liPle work we had in the late
Eight months previously both Brian and Emma had le\ the NYPD to start their own
personal protecKon security agency, which they appropriately called Personal ProtecKon LLC.
They had begun the firm with high hopes of success considering the level of their training and
experience they had a\er being NYPD ESU officers, Brian for six years and Emma for four years,
on top of each having been a regular police officer for five years. At the Kme of their reKrement
from the NYPD, both were sergeants and Brian had already passed the exam for lieutenant with
flying colors. A consulKng firm that they had hired at the end of the previous summer to advise
them had projected rapid success and expansion for Personal ProtecKon a\er supposedly
taking all potenKal factors into account. Yet no one could have predicted the Covid-19
pandemic, which had reduced the demand for their services to almost nothing. In fact, during
uneasy and guilty about us up here lazing around, enjoying ourselves not knowing what the hell
the fall is going to bring. I know we needed a break a\er being cooped up all spring with the
pandemic, especially JuliePe, but we’ve had our fun. I’m ready to go back.”
“The fall is clearly not going to be prePy,” Brian said. “As soon as the United NaKons
Week got canceled, I knew all our projecKons went out the window. That week alone was going
to put our company on the map.” With Brian and Emma’s professional connecKons with the
NYPD, they had had hundreds of referrals, seeing as United NaKons Week was an enormous
strain on NYPD resources. Back in December they were concerned about having enough
“Aren’t you worried about how we are going to weather this pandemic with all the talk
about a fall surge?” Emma asked. “I mean, we’re already behind on our home mortgage
payments.”
Both Brian and Emma had been thri\y and fiscally conservaKve even as children. When
they started working for the NYPD, they’d saved more than their friends and colleagues, and
also invested wisely. When they had married following Emma’s graduaKon from the ESU
Academy and just before JuliePe’s birth, they’d been able to splurge on one of the few
freestanding, Tudor-revival, single-family homes in Inwood on West 217th Street. It was a mere
block away from Emma’s parents’ home on Park Terrace West. The house was their only major
“A lot of people are behind on their mortgage payments,” Brian countered. “And we
spoke with our loan officer. Plus, we do have some cash receivables. The mortgage is not going
to cause a problem. I think we’ve made the right choice to keep our cash to cover our other
Camila Perez was Personal ProtecKon LLC’s only employee. When the pandemic
exploded in the New York area, she’d move in with the Murphy’s and had been living with them
ever since. It was one of the benefits of having a house with adequate living space. Over the
course of the spring she’d become more like family than an employee. The Murphys had even
encouraged her to come with them to Cape Cod, but she had responsibly declined in order to
handle anything that came up in relaKon to the company. During the previous week, there had
been a couple of inquiries about Personal ProtecKon providing security for some high-end fall
“You are obviously handling this all bePer than I am,” Emma confessed. “I’m impressed
“Truthfully, I’m not doing that great. I’m worried too,” Brian admiPed. “But my worry
comes mostly in the middle of the night when my mind can’t shut down. Out here on the beach
with the sun and surf, thankfully it all seems so far away.”
“Do you mind if we conKnue talking about this now, while we’re enjoying this glorious
“Of course I don’t mind,” Brian said. “Talk as much as you want!”
“Well, what’s bugging me at the moment is whether it was a good idea for both of us to
leave the NYPD together,” Emma said. “Maybe one of us should have remained on salary.”
“In hindsight that might have been prudent,” Brian agreed. “But that’s not what we
wanted. We both felt an entrepreneurial tug to do something creaKve and out-of-the-box. How
could we have decided who would have the fun challenge and who would have had to conKnue
slogging with the same-old-same-old? Draw straws or flip a coin? Besides, I’m sKll confident it is
all going to be just fine as soon as this damn coronavirus disaster works itself out. And we’re
“I hope you are right,” Emma said with sigh, before quickly slapping the side of her
head. “Damn! Those mosquitos are back. Why aren’t they biKng you?”
“No clue.” He reached behind Emma’s chair for the can of OFF and handed it to her. “I
guess I’m just not as sweet as you,” he said with one of his typical mischievous smiles.