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You Listen to a Message
It's a message for you from Dr. Lydell.
"Isabella has what we call an acquired bleeding disorder,"
she shouts. Behind her, it sounds like an emergency is going on. "Profound
hemophilia. If she scratches herself, the bleeding doesn't stop. Plus
something is hemorrhaging the tissues around her eyes, her gums, her
hair -- even around her fingernails. It's horrible to see. Her parents
are holding up pretty well, considering. No sign of the disease in either
of them, by the way.
"What causes this? Some kind of pathogen. An invading agent like
a bacterium or virus, or maybe a toxic chemical, or insect venom. I
haven't noticed marks on her skin, but with all this blood, it's hard
to be sure.
"Look, I have to go. Call me when you're finished gathering facts."
She slams the phone down. After a moment, the answering machine beeps
and rewinds.
Continue searching the apartment
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