the Pearl? What’s he looking for?”
Questions Mawl had been asking himself, but so far he had found nothing to indicate that Leonidovich was anything other than a high-class delivery boy. “He’s fumbling in the dark. Probably trying to impress the Rynerson broad.”
“You said they weren’t together!”
“I said they weren’t in the same suite,” Mawl answered, not liking the man’s accusatory tone. “I didn’t say anything about a relationship.”
“Well then say something! What is their relationship? I need information.”
There seemed to be no rhyme or reason, Mawl thought, to what background crap the man considered important. “They’re friends. It’s platonic.”
“You’re sure?”
No, he wasn’t sure, but knowing he was now competing against another intelligence source, he needed to rachet up his value, to imply he had video surveillance everywhere. “There’s been no nocturnal movement between their suites.” He flipped back to his surveillance log. “And she had dinner Friday evening with a guy by the name of Atherton. James Atherton. They seemed pretty cozy.”
“Interesting. What else?”
“I checked the guy out.” Mawl quickly scanned the profile information, picking out the highlights. “He’s from Washington, D.C. Runs an international consulting firm. Does piece work for the government from time to ti—”
“Don’t bother with that. I know who he is.”
Another surprise bit of intelligence. “Right.”
“What are they doing today?”
“They’ve been alternating shifts,” Mawl answered. “One at the hospital, one at the hotel.” He decided to throw in another small embellishment. “Going through all those accident reports.”
“Good. That was clever of Quan, a good way to keep them busy. Don’t let that courier out of your sight. Add more people if you need to. I want to know what he’s up to.”
“What about the daughter?” Though Mawl would normally have mentioned that he already had someone on her security detail, he now realized there was no longer an upside to that kind of disclosure. “You want twenty-four/seven on her too?”
“Absolutely not. She’s a fucking zoologist for Christ’s sake.”
Another fact Mawl hadn’t mentioned, though he realized the information was readily available on the Internet. “You want another accident? Just say the word and we can set them back another week. Maybe two.”
“No, I don’t think that’s going to be necessary.”
Now Mawl was absolutely sure the man knew more than he was saying.
C HAPTER T HIRTEEN
The Pacific Pearl, Taipa Island, Macau
Monday, 2 July 07:21:39 GMT +0800
The guard stiffened to attention as Simon approached with his two steaming containers of coffee. The kick-off-the-day meeting with Kyra had become routine, something he both enjoyed and dreaded, knowing that sooner or later he would find her in bed with James Atherton, her dinner companion for three straight nights. “Good morning.”
The young man nodded, his smile open and friendly. “And a good one to you, sir.” Broad-shouldered and muscular, with pale blue eyes and a smattering of sun freckles across his cheeks, he filled the doorway like a load of bricks.
Simon glanced at the man’s security badge: R. J. Kelts. “I don’t believe I’ve seen you before, R.J. You’re new?”
“Aye. First day.”
“You sound Irish.”
“Aye, that I am, sir. And you are…?”
Simon pulled open the front of his jacket, exposing his security badge. “I’m expected.”
“Oh, yessir. I saw your name on the list.” He extracted a keycard from the breast pocket of his blazer, slipped it into the magnetic card reader, waited for the click, then pushed open the door. “Have a good day, sir.”
“You too.” For an instant, Simon considered asking if she was alone, then thought better of it. “Good luck with the new job.”
“Thank you, sir.”
Simon closed the door, waited a moment for his eyes to adjust,
Questions Mawl had been asking himself, but so far he had found nothing to indicate that Leonidovich was anything other than a high-class delivery boy. “He’s fumbling in the dark. Probably trying to impress the Rynerson broad.”
“You said they weren’t together!”
“I said they weren’t in the same suite,” Mawl answered, not liking the man’s accusatory tone. “I didn’t say anything about a relationship.”
“Well then say something! What is their relationship? I need information.”
There seemed to be no rhyme or reason, Mawl thought, to what background crap the man considered important. “They’re friends. It’s platonic.”
“You’re sure?”
No, he wasn’t sure, but knowing he was now competing against another intelligence source, he needed to rachet up his value, to imply he had video surveillance everywhere. “There’s been no nocturnal movement between their suites.” He flipped back to his surveillance log. “And she had dinner Friday evening with a guy by the name of Atherton. James Atherton. They seemed pretty cozy.”
“Interesting. What else?”
“I checked the guy out.” Mawl quickly scanned the profile information, picking out the highlights. “He’s from Washington, D.C. Runs an international consulting firm. Does piece work for the government from time to ti—”
“Don’t bother with that. I know who he is.”
Another surprise bit of intelligence. “Right.”
“What are they doing today?”
“They’ve been alternating shifts,” Mawl answered. “One at the hospital, one at the hotel.” He decided to throw in another small embellishment. “Going through all those accident reports.”
“Good. That was clever of Quan, a good way to keep them busy. Don’t let that courier out of your sight. Add more people if you need to. I want to know what he’s up to.”
“What about the daughter?” Though Mawl would normally have mentioned that he already had someone on her security detail, he now realized there was no longer an upside to that kind of disclosure. “You want twenty-four/seven on her too?”
“Absolutely not. She’s a fucking zoologist for Christ’s sake.”
Another fact Mawl hadn’t mentioned, though he realized the information was readily available on the Internet. “You want another accident? Just say the word and we can set them back another week. Maybe two.”
“No, I don’t think that’s going to be necessary.”
Now Mawl was absolutely sure the man knew more than he was saying.
C HAPTER T HIRTEEN
The Pacific Pearl, Taipa Island, Macau
Monday, 2 July 07:21:39 GMT +0800
The guard stiffened to attention as Simon approached with his two steaming containers of coffee. The kick-off-the-day meeting with Kyra had become routine, something he both enjoyed and dreaded, knowing that sooner or later he would find her in bed with James Atherton, her dinner companion for three straight nights. “Good morning.”
The young man nodded, his smile open and friendly. “And a good one to you, sir.” Broad-shouldered and muscular, with pale blue eyes and a smattering of sun freckles across his cheeks, he filled the doorway like a load of bricks.
Simon glanced at the man’s security badge: R. J. Kelts. “I don’t believe I’ve seen you before, R.J. You’re new?”
“Aye. First day.”
“You sound Irish.”
“Aye, that I am, sir. And you are…?”
Simon pulled open the front of his jacket, exposing his security badge. “I’m expected.”
“Oh, yessir. I saw your name on the list.” He extracted a keycard from the breast pocket of his blazer, slipped it into the magnetic card reader, waited for the click, then pushed open the door. “Have a good day, sir.”
“You too.” For an instant, Simon considered asking if she was alone, then thought better of it. “Good luck with the new job.”
“Thank you, sir.”
Simon closed the door, waited a moment for his eyes to adjust,
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