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

“I’m in the doghouse, Jack.”

Jack was about to apologise. “But I don’t care … I’m with you on this one. There is a lot more to the case than meets the eye.”

“Where are you?”

“Not at the office, this is my day for working from home. I’ll be looking after the kids this afternoon.”

“Are you sure this is OK?”

“Don’t even ask again … as long as you don’t mind me hearing screaming kids in the background, let’s keep talking.”

Harris’s information crossed checked with Laurie’s. She gave Jack details of her research so far which all came down to one important point. Ollie and Randy had technical capabilities that were a match for each other. They had both graduated from Harvard at the top of their year. They had both written about the dangers of misusing biotech. Laurie had traced the address of Randy’s family in Hong Kong. It seemed that Randy had not had much contact with them over the past three years he had been in Hong Kong.

“The other interesting point about Randy is that he has been very vocal about the status of Hong Kong.”

“Is he an activist?”

“I would say so … He has joined quite a few protests in the past.”

“How about the YMCA?”

“How about it?” Laurie was trawling through some data from the file she had compiled so far. “Hang on … Oh, I see … That’s a good idea.”

She moved to another screen. “The YMCA is in Kowloon, Salisbury Road, very close to one of the ferry routes between Central and Kowloon.”

Jack scribbled the address on the notepad picked up from his bedside table.

“Guess where I’m having dinner tonight?”

* * *

The ride from the arts centre towards the residential part of Hong Kong was silent. Professor Licot was sitting at the back with Nancy. Philippe had insisted he should sit at the front with the driver.

They had driven through Hong Kong Central to arrive at the Peak. Densely populated streets gave way to a leafier environment. Nancy gripped the handle of the door and did her best to conceal her panicked breathing. She needed to keep her mind calm.

The dense forest with its jungle of tangled tropical trees and shrubs revived memories of her arrival in Hong Kong so many years ago. She was amazed that the feel of nature on the island had not changed since then.

She has two missing front teeth that make her resemble a gentle vampire. She has managed to hold onto a couple of marbles from an old game. Despite their parents asking them to keep quiet the two girls giggle almost the entire journey.

Everything is easy when her friend is around. The chit chat about what they see along the way. What is this tree? What is this flower? Why do they speak so low? Why, what … it’s a fun game even though answers don’t come often and they are only whispers.

They have been walking for a long time she thinks. She’s not quite sure. She’s only seven. They have stopped in a small clearing. In the distance, Nancy thinks she can hear the sound of waves. Her friend thinks it’s spirits ready to take them away … She doesn’t really believe that but she likes spooky stories.

Their fathers have gone ahead. They’ve left the women and children alone. For once the girls are quiet, holding hands tightly. They huddle together like two sparrows on a branch in winter.

The light fades away. It will soon be dark, twigs and branches crack in the woods nearby. Everyone holds their breath. The mothers have moved next to their children, ready to flee. But a low voice calls them. She recognises her friend’s father. The road is clear. It’s time to go. They make their way in stillness towards a small cove where a flimsy boat awaits them. Their fathers lift them into their arms. But they are separated. Nancy wants to cry but her father puts a hand over her mouth gently. “Silence.” They board the boat for a crossing, Nancy does not want to remember any more.

A hand on her arm made her jump. Professor Licot activated the gate of the residence where he lived. Nancy searched his features but, in the darkness, she couldn’t make out his face.

“We’ve arrived.”

The car glided into an elegant courtyard. The apartment blocks were lower than the skyscrapers in Central, two storeys, modern and spacious. The walls that surrounded the eight buildings were of good height, protective and robust. It was a place that felt secure and welcoming.

“I moved here recently.” Licot lead the way. “I suppose I had had enough of fighting the air conditioning and cockroaches in downtown Central.”

“Is this an expat building?”

“No, when I first came to Hong Kong, it was to live amongst its people, down in Central. But now is a little different, some other residents share the same profession as me … quite a few academics and some lawyers too.”

Licot pressed a sequence of buttons on the keypad and one of the entrance doors opened.

Nancy breathed in the cool air. February nights were chillier in Hong Kong and she welcomed the soothing effect of the breeze.

Licot pushed open the door and gallantly stood aside to let her walk in first. Nancy noticed a camera above the door recording people’s comings and goings. The door, although of glass, was heavy and, she suspected, bulletproof, judging by the strange glow it emitted in the corridors light.

They climbed one flight of stairs and walked into a modern apartment. It faced the mass of an untouched forest and in the far distance the sea. Modern and contemporary art covered the walls. It felt deliberately cluttered. Nancy and Philippe couldn’t help going up to a couple of pieces, noticing an Ai WeiWei print.

Licot smiled. “Contemporary art is my passion … as you can see.”

He moved into the back of the large open plan room, offering drinks of wine, white or red and