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

knot closed around Pole’s throat. Lying to save his skin was not what he was accustomed to and yet …

Marsh grabbed one of his Montblanc pens and started rolling it around his fingers.

“That is a good point. Have you spoken to him about it?”

“No, Sir. His team was the one who came up with the burner phone issue and I don’t want to be seen to influence matters by pointing the finger.”

Marsh’s eyes grew a little wider. Inspector Pole was being political … a one-off.

“What do you suggest?”

“You might perhaps have a conversation with Commander Ferguson’s superior?”

Marsh rolled his eyes. Pole’s political acumen had lasted less than a second.

“That would go down like a lead balloon.” Marsh pushed his back into his armchair. “However, I could perhaps have the conversation with Ferguson myself.”

“That would be excellent, Sir.” Pole smiled amiably. Marsh was sometimes too predictable. It almost took the fun out of it.

“Fine, let me see what I can do.” Marsh looked as if he had just had a brilliant idea.

Pole started to stand up. Marsh waved him back down.

“Now, how about Ms Wu?”

* * *

The deafening noise made everyone jump.

Beth’s scream was drowned out by the sound of metal tumbling down.

Rachel Lord climbed the stairs two at a time, jumped onto the banister and eased herself onto the window sill, just as Cora had done earlier.

“Cora … Cora …” She heaved her body into the room.

The dust and soot were coming up in thick clouds. She started coughing.

But she was not the only one. Someone down below was coughing too.

“Put a cloth over your mouth.” Rachel Lord shouted. “Close your eyes if you can.” She swung back out for a moment.

The coughing had become more muffled.

“Get me some water.” Senior Officer Lord shouted. “A bottle, quick.”

Charlie darted up the stairwell. He never went anywhere without a sports bottle.

“I’ve drunk from it …”

Beth did not let him finish his sentence. She grabbed it and handed it over to Senior Officer Lord. She disappeared back into Cora’s flat.

The coughing had become less frequent. Using one arm, Cora was slowly making her way up the rope she had tied around her harness. Her face emerged from the settling dust.

She was covered in grime, but she held in her left hand a piece of metal pipe. Senior Officer Lord held her hand out and managed to get hold of the rope. She hauled Cora back towards the inner window sill.

“Are you alright? You gave us a fright.” She helped her to settle on the window ledge, unscrewed the bottle cap and handed it over to her. Cora took a long pull, spluttered out a bit of water and coughed.

“I’m sorry.” She managed to utter with a croaky voice.

Senior Officer Lord swung her body outside again. Cora moved her legs out too, untied the rope from the harness, and jumped onto the staircase landing.

She showed them the piece of pipe she had retrieved from her props.

“Is that it?” Johnny had joined the small party on the landing.

Cora didn’t reply. One end of the pipe had been hammered down so that it was almost flat. The other was sealed with a piece of metal.

Cora tried to ease it off with her fingers but found she had little grip.

She felt anger and anxiety rising in her belly. She turned around. She had no tools available to pull off the cap.

She slammed the piece of metal on the ground with such force, everyone stepped back.

The cap flew off and out sprang a purple-coloured USB key.

Chapter Thirty-Five

“Good morning Ms Wu … this is your morning wake up call,” the female voice chimed. “Have a very nice day.”

Nancy barely managed a thank you. For a short moment she couldn’t quite recall where she was.

It was 7.30am. She was in Hong Kong and had a long day ahead of her.

Her breakfast would be arriving at 8am. She had no time to lose.

When the waitress rang the doorbell of the suite, Nancy was ready. She had chosen a pair of plain light jeans, a navy T-shirt, a pair of sports shoes, but could not resist the appeal of their designer label.

She went to the door, checked the person waiting on the other side through the small camera screen that had been mounted inside the suite. It was the same young woman who had helped her with the move to her new room. Perhaps the hotel had thought that a familiar face would help to make her more at ease.

She shook her head. The poor girl must have had little sleep in between her two shifts. Still, Nancy was grateful for the thought.

The young woman was laying the table for Nancy in the living room, when Nancy’s phone rang. Licot’s name flashed on the screen. She pressed the reply button and moved to the bedroom.

“Professor Licot, how good of you to call me back.”

“I have a full day today, but I thought we needed to talk. My first lecture starts at 10.30am. I could stop at your hotel for a chat before I continue to the academy.”

“Give me half an hour. I’ll be ready by then.”

Nancy returned to the living area. Breakfast had been arranged tastefully on the table … French pastries, exotic fruit salad and a pot of excellent Keemun tea. She poured a cup and moved to the large window overlooking the bay.

The water of the Bay had assumed its daytime colours, an attractive green with splashes of light blue weaving in and out of it. The ferries had started their regular journey between the various islands and the mainland, leaving behind them a white trace of foam. Nancy recalled that Hong Kong territory covered eighteen districts, nine in the new territories; Kowloon had five and Hong Kong island four.

The boat is small. It reeks of fish. She and her friend have been holding their noses with their thumb and first finger. It’s yet another game. Their mothers have told them to be quiet in a tone