16. Code Red

Complete story — includes the ending

Dr. Alicia Seberg, a government bioweapons researcher, is exposed to a deadly virus on which she had been working. Due to its enormous monetary value and because the only antidote that works is one that must be taken before exposure (not after), all virus vials are carefully stored in a sealed area guarded by state-of-the-art retinal-scan security, and only four people had access. With only hours to live, she calls upon Jane and the CBI team to identify and catch her murderer. Jane's efforts are blocked by the overbearing by-the-book lead investigator Dean Harken, who was already on site about to conduct an audit, and who insists Seberg caused the accident herself. Seberg dies. While the area is being decontaminated, Jane discovers that the retinal security system has not been working properly for two months, which widens the list of suspects to include Harken himself. To flush out the murderer, Jane fakes the theft and opening of one of the virus vials so that everyone in the facility faces the prospect of death within hours; procedure means they cannot leave and the military will bomb the facility after they die so as to destroy the virus. When lab assistant Lilith Nash falls under suspicion Jane questions her and she informs him there is a culvert that affords a secret way out of the facility. Jane faked the theft of the vial as he knew the murderer would realise they had to escape the facility to avoid being bombed to death. Griffith Welks, one of Seberg's colleagues with authorised access to the virus and one of the original suspects, is caught by Rigsby and Cho at the culvert. He had been selling the virus for profit and when Harken arrived to conduct an audit he knew the theft would be revealed, so he framed Seberg.