"These people are either divorced or separated, all single, and temporarily unemployed for various reasons. Even if they disappear, it won't attract attention. They're perfect victims."
Jack briefly compared their information and couldn't help but gasp. It seems even lying low has its risks.
"Are you saying there's something wrong with that drug trial?" Hannah glanced at them.
Kono shook her head. Her petite figure standing in front of Hannah made them look like they could be filming a Beauty and the Beast movie without makeup.
"That pharmaceutical company isn't involved. The entire trial was legally processed."
"The problem lies with Ken Tanner. He's the only one who has complete information about these people." Cheng Hao looked at Jack. "You reminded me to investigate his financial situation, and I found a lot of problems.
A few months ago, this guy was on the verge of bankruptcy. His mortgage and car loans were all overdue, and all his credit cards were maxed out. But just last month, a $500,000 wire transfer saved his life."
"Where did the wire transfer come from?" Karen narrowed her eyes slightly.
"This is the part that took the longest time. I used some connections to speed up the investigation. The source of the remittance came from a company called 'CF&Q.'"
Cheng Hao connected his phone to his computer and pulled up several bank statements.
"That's a company under Comescu's name." Karen recognized it at a glance.
"Uh, I thought NCIS had already shut down all of his family's businesses?" Danny looked at the two NCIS agents in confusion.
"All the illegal businesses," Karen corrected.
"Okay, anyway, we've basically figured it out." Jack had already sorted out the whole story. It wasn't complicated; all they had lacked was enough information.
"Comescu obtained smallpox viruses from Montemarie's vaccine research laboratory. To verify their effectiveness, he bribed Ken Tanner and selected four innocent individuals with less-than-notable backgrounds from his list of potential test subjects to serve as guinea pigs.
Palmer's escape was likely an accident; as a veteran, he displayed an extraordinary will to survive. This was a surprising factor.
Realizing that Palmer's escape could lead to the collapse of the entire experiment, Comescu began cleaning up the mess. First, he killed Ken Tanner, faking it as suicide to stall for time. The next step is..."
Jack didn't finish his words, but the others clearly understood what he meant.
"We need to find their experimental base as soon as possible. The remaining three test subjects may still be alive, and they will be silenced soon," Karen pointed at the photos of the three people on the screen.
Although hope was already slim, Jack thought to himself.
There's no cure for smallpox, and the only way to immunize against it is through vaccination. Palmer's ability to escape the lab and survive until he returned home for help, in addition to his tenacious will to survive, likely also stemmed from his previous military vaccinations.
The other three people on screen had no military experience and had never been vaccinated, so theoretically, they wouldn't have been able to hold out much longer than Palmer.
But Comescu's lab must be found as soon as possible. Firstly, there might still be hope, and secondly, there might be more victims.
"I'm going to notify HPD and mobilize all police forces to see if we can locate Comescu or identify any suspicious locations," Danny said, about to pick up his phone, but Jack stopped him.
"I don't think it's necessary." Jack's finger slid across the screen quickly. "Don't you think Comescu's $500,000 lump sum payment to Ken Tanner was a bit excessive? He only spent $6,000 on those virus vials."
His finger paused on one of the bank statements, double-clicking to enlarge it. "Ken Tanner spent almost half of the money on paying off his bank bills, but he also spent the other half on..."
"Hospital beds and vital signs?" everyone exclaimed.
"And more than that." Jack tapped the highest-priced item. "A negative pressure air purification system. The price and installation cost a total of $140,000. We actually saw something similar not long ago."
Danny suddenly realized. "The isolation ward at the Hawaii Medical Center!"
"Yes, that's right. Ken Tanner was much more involved than we previously thought. He also participated in the construction of the laboratory."
Jack Googled the manufacturer selling the equipment and quickly called to get the delivery and installation addresses. He looked at the locals with some confusion.
"There's a place called Sand Island near Oahu? They say the equipment was sent to a warehouse on Sand Island."
"Of course." Kono's lips curled into a sarcastic smile. "Do you know what Sand Island used to be called?"
"What?" Hannah asked playfully.
"Isolation Island," Cheng Hao answered.
"Sounds like it fits something like infectious disease." Danny was about to leave. "Hopefully we'll still make it to the party."
But the next moment, Jack stopped him. "Wait a minute, are you planning on dealing with a bunch of dangerous guys trafficking biological weapons like this?"
He patted his waistband, where there was only a pitiful little pistol.
—
A black Suburban, a silver Camaro, and a red Chevrolet Malibu sped along the highway near the coast.
Cheng Hao was driving the Saab squad. Jack was in the passenger seat, sorting through his gear: police body armor, ceramic inserts, a communicator, and an AR-15 rifle.
A task force specially appointed by the governor, their equipment so shabby! The only sniper rifle Jack had seen in the "Five-O" gun cabinet was a dated Remington 700P, clearly a used item.
"So, do you guys drive your own cars on missions?" Jack asked tentatively. The red Malibu leading the way seemed to be Kono's.
"We get some subsidies from above. After all, we're only a team that's been around for less than two years. While we get some special funding from the state, it's definitely not as deep as your FBI's." Cheng Hao didn't seem to understand Jack's point.
"Uh, I mean, what if it gets damaged during a mission?" Jack asked tentatively.
"Contact the HPD vehicle repair department. They're quite skilled." Cheng Hao didn't understand why he cared so much.
Jack's cheek twitched. "I mean, the kind that can't be repaired."
Cheng Hao was stunned for a moment, as if he had never thought about this question before. "So, are your FBI missions usually so dangerous?"
(End of this chapter)