"No. Eventually, maybe. But none of the PAPAS ever reached the point of starvation. Yet they die. Before they starve."
"Of what?"
"I have absolutely no idea. But the same particles I found in the HELP victims are in Esterquest's bloodstream."
"If he ate any thunderbug," Remo said, "so will I."
"Reenter, the paradox. And here's another thing-the stuff in their blood doesn't seem connected with the thunderbug enzyme. More blood to test will verify that, but right now I'm leaning toward that theory."
"Well," said Remo, "you have a lot more of blood to draw."
"What makes you say that?"
"We just came from Snapper land. They're all dead."
"All?"
"Every finger-flicking one of them. But the Harvesters are still munching away. Except for Theodore Soars-With-Eagles. He's dead too. We found him in his tepee with the whites of his eyes all blue."
"Blue?"
"Robin's egg blue. Mean anything to you?"
Parsons pointed to the sheeted figure. "Yes. This man's eyes were blue when he was discovered in his embalming room, dying. But look-"
Parsons lifted the sheet and digitally opened the dead man's eyes. The whites were perfectly white.
"It's the only pathological clue and it goes away within minutes of death," he said.
"I've never heard of the eyeballs turning blue," Remo said after the sheet had been restored.
"In liver disease patients you can get a really striking yellow. But blue sclera-which is what it's called-is rare. Usually, it means osteoporosis-bone disease, which I can definitely rule out."
"So what's it mean?"
"If I find out, I'll let you know. Meanwhile, I'd better take a look at those Snappers you say are dead."
"Watch out for ants."
"Ants?"
"They're really active this time of year. They'll jump anything that goes near them."
"Except me," added the old Korean.
Parsons's brow furrowed. "Ants don't jump."
"These ones do," said Remo.
Shaking his head, Dale Parsons left the strange pair.
Chapter 17
Outside the tent, where he could hear himself think, Remo said, "As soon as word of the dead Snappers spreads, we're going to be in white water, media sharkwise."
"You are speaking Imbecile," said Chiun. "Speak English."
"We'd better clear out."
"It will grow dark soon, we will not be seen if we do not wish to be seen."
"I need a shower, remember?"
The Master of Sinanju's eyes narrowed suspiciously. "You need a cold shower, for you have lust in your eyes."
"Don't let's get started, Chiun. Come on."
They found their car and drove back to the motel in silence.
"You have any ideas about what's going on?" Remo asked after a while.
"Only the brilliant Thrush Limburger can explain it, but where is he?"
"One thing's for sure, he's not anywhere around here. He's too fat to hide inside anything smaller than the Goodyear blimp."
"He is not hiding. He has been spirited away by the secret fiends who are at work in these woods."
"Well, secret fiends or not," Remo said, looking around, "someone or something killed Theodore and that coroner. Something that turns their eyeballs blue temporarily."
"Poison."
"Huh?"
"Poison," repeated Chiun. "That is what the word virus means: poison."
"No, it doesn't. A virus is a bug."
"A bug is a bug."
"A virus is kinda like a microscopic bug. If it gets into your system, it reproduces and takes it over until nothing works. Kinda like congressmen."
"In Latin, a language that is good despite the fact that it is no longer spoken," said Chiun, "the word virus means poison."
Remo looked thoughtful. "I had some Latin when I was a kid. A lot of English words come from Latin, but they don't always mean the same thing as they did to the old Romans."
"You were taught Latin by pagans," Chiun sniffed.