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

“… but you have barely lived there … how will you manage? Let me come with you.” Cora was pacing up and down the corridor.

“Please don’t.” Cora was about to protest. “Please listen … you are all that Ollie has left. And I too need you to stay in London. You are the only person who knows the details of the evidence gathered and you can speak to Inspector Pole, if need be. He will listen.”

“It’s not fair. I need to find out what happened to Ollie too. I want the truth to come out …”

“Just as I do. You need to try and catch up with Nikki again and see what else you can find out, but please … no more climbing up walls and trying to get into Viro-Tech on your own.”

“I’m not promising anything …” Cora had stopped in the middle of the corridor, feeling stubborn.

“That’s your choice, of course, but it won’t help either Inspector Pole or me to uncover the truth, if you end up behind bars.”

Cora looked down at her cup of tea. The beverage looked unappetising. She took a sip anyway, pulled a face and walked over to the nearest wastebin.

“Is there another reason you’re going out there on your own?”

“I won’t lie to you. More information has come to light about my father, and I need to find out what has happened for myself, without getting other people into trouble.”

Cora understood. “But you must let me help you … Hong Kong has got its different communities, and there are ways of making sure you stay under the radar of the authorities.”

“Yes, I’d be grateful for that, thank you.” Nancy’s tone sounded heartfelt. “I haven’t had time to speak to Inspector Pole about your conversation with Nikki at Viro-Tech. Perhaps you could give him a call.”

“Consider it done … does he know about your trip?”

Nancy paused. “Not yet.”

* * *

“He too comes from BIG at Harvard.” Laurie had been in touch as soon as she’d received Jack’s mail. “I’ll send you a detailed map of the city. They knew each other well … Randy joined Viro-Tech soon after Ollie.”

“So, he trusted him, what else?”

“The most interesting part of the story … Randy has completely disappeared. He left his job a couple of months ago and he’s bailed out of his flat as well. He has closed his bank account … vanished.”

“Spotted anywhere else?”

“No … the man has literally become a ghost.”

“I suppose his tech abilities make disappearing a little easier.”

“Perhaps, but it still takes a lot of doing to stay completely under the radar, in particular in Hong Kong.”

“He may no longer be in Hong Kong … he may no longer be alive.” Jack had been dropped back at his hotel by an armour-plated car the embassy used for high profile dignitaries. He did not enjoy the attention but at least it provided him with a secure place to make his call.

“That’s entirely possible … and if he has been dispatched in Hong Kong, the sharks have cleaned up after the guys who did the job.”

“I am not going to get much help from the Station Chief in London. I need to find Randy though.”

“You’re on holiday, Jack … no one said you had to stay in London.”

Jack smiled. “I might take up your idea. London is colder than I remember at this time of the year.”

“How about you-know-who?”

“I just dropped him an email … I need to tell him about the latest attempt on my life.”

“High risk strategy … You-know-who is not going to like it.”

“He never likes anything anyone does … it’s a question of degree. It’ll just mean I won’t be able to take a holiday for the next 20 years.”

“You won’t have the support in Hong Kong that you found in the UK … I know Jethro is a bit full of himself, but he does come up with the goods.”

“I’ll just have to introduce myself to the Station Chief there and see what he can do for me.”

“It’s a real political minefield, and if what we know about the planned co-operation agreement between the US and China to combat the next epidemic is right, there will be even less desire to rock the boat in Hong Kong.”

“I’m not asking anyone to scupper the negotiations. I’m just making sure we understand why Ollie Wilson was so concerned about his CEO’s involvement in mainland China.”

“But if Jared Turner is one of the negotiators in this highly sensitive conversation, it is going to be pretty tough to get at him.”

“Not unless he’s up to …”

Laurie interrupted. “Jack, are you for real? You know how politics work. He’s needed to help with a high-profile deal. A few misdemeanours like making money on the sly or being awarded highly lucrative contracts will not matter.”

“Unless it’s a matter of national security … I get that. And perhaps attempted murder might do the trick, too.” Jack bent forward to look through the window. For once, he was grateful for traffic. The gridlock around Piccadilly was giving him more time to speak to Laurie.

“And you won’t get to that level of discovery on your own … you need a properly mounted operation.”

“Are you trying to convince me to come back to Langley?”

“No, I’m not. I’m just pointing out the rather steep hill you’re going to have to climb, if what you think what is happening, is actually happening.”

“Much appreciated.” Jack checked his watch. He had a little time to pack.

“Since you mentioned him … what did you manage to find out about Jared Turner, in his role as CEO of Viro-Tech Therapeutics?”

“Very well-connected guy.”

“Not surprising, given he’s landed the job of go-between to help the US and China come to an agreement, he must be.”

“But more remarkably, across the political divide, both Republicans and Democrats are prepared to work with him.”

“Two possible reasons for that in my