The Noble Path: A relentless standalone thriller from the #1 bestseller by Peter May (learn to read books .TXT) 📕

Thick blue smoke drifted lazily upwards through the light cast by his reading lamp. His only regret was that Elliot hadn’t taken him along. If he had been ten years younger . . .

The sound of the doorbell startled him. With a tut of annoyance, he laid his pipe in the ashtray and heaved himself stiffly out of his chair. He flicked a switch in the hall and blinked in the cold yellow light that invaded the peaceful gloom of the early evening. It was chilly out here, and he shivered as he opened the door to find a tall young man with a startling mane of windblown red hair standing on his doorstep. His face, in the reflected light of the hall, was pale, almost pasty. His eyes, screwed up against the sudden flood of light, had a hunted look. He wore a dark suit under a long beige overcoat, the knot of his tie pulled down from an open collar. Blair cast a wary eye over him.

‘Yes?’

‘Samuel Blair?’ the young man asked. ‘Sergeant Samuel Blair?’

Blair tensed. ‘Who wants to know?’

‘My name’s David Greene. I’m a friend of Lisa Robi—’ He paused to correct himself, ‘Elliot.’

‘Never heard of her.’

The young man’s mouth set. ‘Look, Mr Blair, I don’t have time to play silly buggers. I know all about your part in the Aden Massacre, your subsequent career as a soldier of fortune, and latterly your role as a kind of freelance quartermaster for other mercenaries. Now, either you invite me in and we talk sensibly, or you can read all about it in the national press.’

Blair looked back at him steadily. ‘You’re playing a dangerous bloody game, laddie.’

A little of David’s confidence evaporated. ‘Only because the stakes are so high,’ he said.

‘What stakes?’

‘A girl’s safety, maybe even her life. A girl you sent to Bangkok to look for her father.’ He ran out of steam. ‘Look, she’s been there for well over a week. She hasn’t called, she’s not at the hotel she was booked into, and they claim they’ve never heard of her.’

Blair made a decision. He stood to one side and flicked his head towards the interior. David stepped into the hall and turned as Blair closed the door behind him. His initial impression of a shambling, rather frail-looking old man completed its transformation. Beneath the shock of white hair, Blair’s eyes were flinty hard, his old jumper and baggy trousers disguising a lean, fit physique. He was a powerful presence in the confined space of the hall and David felt intimidated by him. ‘You some kind of newspaper man?’ Blair asked.

‘It’s what I do for a living. But it’s not why I’m here.’

‘Then a piece of advice, laddie, and it’s yours for free. Don’t ever threaten me unless you mean it. And if you do, be prepared for the consequences.’

‘I’m sorry,’ David said feebly. ‘I didn’t know what else to do. I’m worried about her.’

Blair waved an arm towards the sitting room. ‘Go through.’

David walked uncomfortably into the room and stood nervously as Blair crossed to his chair and picked up his pipe. It had gone out, and he dropped it back into the ashtray with annoyance. He stooped to pick up his drink. ‘You’d better tell me, then.’

David shrugged uncertainly. ‘Well – I already have.’

‘When did she leave?’ Blair was clearly impatient.

‘About ten days ago. I saw her on to the plane myself. She was booked into the Narai Hotel, Bangkok. She said you’d given her the name of a contact.’

Blair pursed his lips. ‘And you haven’t heard anything?’

‘She was supposed to call when she arrived.’

‘And she didn’t?’

David shook his head. ‘It’s warm in here. Do you mind if I take off my coat?’

‘You’re not staying,’ Blair said. ‘Why didn’t you call her?’

‘I did. Well, after a couple of days. I thought maybe she . . .’ His voice trailed away. ‘I don’t know what I thought. But I did think she would call eventually.’

‘So, finally, you phoned the hotel yourself and she wasn’t there.’

‘That’s right. They said there wasn’t anybody called Lisa Elliot registered. I called a few times, but always the same response.’

‘And she didn’t even book in the day she arrived?’

‘Well, I don’t know. They weren’t very forthcoming. It’s difficult getting information when you’re six thousand miles away.’

Blair seemed thoughtful, gazing away through the window across the river. Finally he looked back at David, almost as though surprised to find him still there. ‘And?’

David shrugged. ‘And – that’s it? I thought maybe since you’d given her a contact there . . .’

‘I didn’t encourage her to go,’ Blair said. ‘She’s a very determined young lady.’

‘I know,’ David said with some feeling.

‘Give me your card.’ Blair held out his hand. David fumbled in his pockets before finding a tattered business card and handing it to the Scot. Blair glanced at it. ‘I’ll make some inquiries and give you a call.’ He drained his glass, placed it on a low coffee table and strode out into the hall. David hurried after him.

‘When?’

‘When I hear anything. If I hear anything.’ He opened the door to let in an icy blast of night air. ‘Goodnight.’

David looked at him, clearly unhappy. ‘I suppose that’ll have to do.’

‘Aye, it will.’

David stepped out into the dark January night.

‘And stick to chasing ambulances in future, son. It’s a lot safer.’ The door slammed, closing off the light that had spilled out across the front lawn, leaving David frustrated and dissatisfied.

He walked up the path to where his car was parked under a street lamp, and cursed his own inadequacy. His initial confidence in his researches, his concern over the lack of contact with Lisa, had made him almost arrogant on the doorstep, until the unexpected force of Blair’s response had left him floundering like a novice poker player who shows his hand too early. The rest had been humiliating. Why, then, he wondered as he slipped behind the wheel, did his cocktail of emotions include a substantial quantity of relief?

He sat for a