 Why was Charles in the actress's apartment?
He touched buttons by the edge of the bed and the illumination quieted to a soft glow, wrapping her in a radiant halo. New York lay quietly below him. It was the hour of indecision when day has not quite made up its mind to leave and night has not yet attacked in force. Charles picked it up and folded it across her now cold breasts. A month later the meat animals, the birds and the household pets began dropping as rapidly as the flies which had dropped earlier. But the lakes full of dead fish caused a great stink and residents along the coasts began to move inland. Less than a month ago no more than a few thousand people remained in New York. And now.... "I've got to find out," Charles told himself.
 She wanted to be with someone one last time.
 She wanted to be with someone one last time.  They were working on curing the plague.  He thought he could find answers there.  They had been living together.