Chapter 34

“Have you been following this virus that began in China back in December?” he asked Sandro.

“I didn’t hear too much about it at first,” he admitted. “We were so focused on the damage the flood caused to the city and its economy, and how it affected our lives, that most of us didn’t pay any attention. But I had heard recently that there were concerns about the virus getting out of China as people travelled.”

“It’s here,” said Dominic. “A German tourist on a cruise ship has just tested positive.”

“Where did the cruise ship visit?” asked Sandro, looking mildly concerned.

“It doesn’t say. It just says they’re trying to trace the places the tourist had been.”

“I hope it wasn’t here. This city can’t stand the one-two punch of a flood and then a pandemic hitting its tourist economy.”

“You don’t suppose it was the cruise ship we saw in the canal yesterday from the top of the tower?”