BLOOD DRAGON by Freddie Peters (books to get back into reading .TXT) 📕

Pole thanked him and was about to hang up.

“Guv … before you go, Superintendent Marsh wants to talk to you again. He also mentioned Commander Ferguson.”

Pole cursed inwardly. So much for keeping the informal investigation away from Nancy.

* * *

The Delta flight from Boston landed at JFK on time. It gave Jack enough time to disembark and switch comfortably to the international terminal at JFK. As the holder of a business class ticket, BA had given him the choice of having dinner in the lounge before departure, but he preferred to eat on the flight. As soon as he arrived on the plane, he settled into the seat that would soon be turned into a bed. He placed his order for dinner, indulged in a glass of champagne that he found rather good and stocked up with a couple of water bottles for the rest of the flight.

Professor Park had been generous, giving Jack a couple of books on the subject of bioinformatics and virology.

Jack yawned more out of contentment than tiredness. He would read for another hour whilst he was having his dinner. This would leave him five hours’ sleep before touchdown. Perhaps a little short but nothing he was not accustomed to.

He had pondered how Ollie had managed to find himself at the centre of what now appeared to be a large storm that was gathering and could still cost him his life. And yet, Station Chief Jethro had not called him back.

No news might still be good news in this case. Or perhaps the Chief had decided the case was not worth his time nor that of his people … just another junkie biting the dust.

The glass of champagne was almost empty. Jack shook his head. He had his sights on his goal and this meant being clear headed when he landed at Heathrow airport. He took another sip, saving the last gulp for a little later.

Ollie’s choice of job … a small, yet cutting-edge biotech company now made good sense. Jack remembered what he had read about Viro-Tech Therapeutics on the way to Boston.

Viro-Tech stood out as a leading young company, dedicating its research to the development of anti-viral therapies with a focus on respiratory tract illnesses that ultimately caused death in the most vulnerable. Its team of researchers was small yet highly qualified and its pipeline of new drugs looked promising, with some already reaching advanced development phases.

A large pharmaceutical or biotech company might have carried out numerous background checks on Ollie. They would almost certainly have asked about drug abuse or drug dependency. A smaller firm on the other hand might not have enquired so closely, keen to snap up a talent like Ollie.

Jack reached forward for the book he had laid face down at the bottom of his extended seat. He caught a glimpse of the sky … Clear, stars shining unobstructed by pollution or clouds. The 747 had finished its ascent and reached its cruising altitude. This felt strangely comforting to Jack.

He was now out of reach of anyone for the next six hours. He spent a short time gazing at the view … trying to spot a constellation he might recognise. He gave up, and simply enjoyed a moment of relaxation.

The aircraft purser, a jovial looking man, came along to check he was enjoying the flight so far. He also wanted to ensure Jack had been offered a choice of wine, mentioning the opportunity to taste a particularly good burgundy to accompany the excellent lamb they were serving. Jack could not help smiling. He could see why such attention and indulgence would be difficult for any businessman to resist.

The book Jack had picked up was now open again on his lap. It made a compelling case for greater interaction between bioinformatics, immunology and virology. Whereas virology involved the study of viruses and their disease producing properties, immunology dealt with the way in which the human immune system responded to infections through various lines of defence.

Professor Park had added to the books he gave Jack a couple of research papers Ollie Wilson had written while finishing his PhD.

One dealt with the issue of antibiotic resistant microbes. In the research abstract and introduction, Ollie was critical of the lax attitude governments, as well as large pharmaceutical companies and food producers, had shown to the increase in antibiotic resistance.

The trend was in his view alarming … great enough to threaten the future of humanity. More and more bacteria that had once successfully been defeated by simple penicillin had developed resistance to second and third generation antibiotics. MRSA was too common in hospitals and caused havoc. It was high time the warnings of the World Health Organisation were taken seriously.

The light sound of crockery being moved around as well as a rumbling stomach told Jack it was time to concentrate on something less academic, although he enjoyed the direct, easy to read and compelling style of Ollie’s writing.

The young man did not mince his words and certainly did not spare criticism of anyone in his analysis of the situation. But he also offered solutions, based on the potential bioinformatics had to accelerate ground-breaking discoveries and the development of new drugs.

A smiling stewardess served Jack his food tray and presented him with a choice of appetising bread rolls. The purser reappeared with the promised wine which he let Jack taste before pouring a full … very full … glass.

Jack replaced the first of Ollie’s research papers in the folder Professor Park had given him. He drew out the second paper and started reading. This time the topic dealt with virology. Again, Ollie Wilson did not refrain from asking the hard questions. Animal to human transmission had given rise to large scale viral epidemics that did not bode well: SARS in 2004, swine flu in 2009 and Ebola in 2014, although thankfully not experienced in America or Europe.

Ollie again made