Sure Fire by Jack Higgins Page A

customers – basically, the whole of western Europe. They pay by the barrel. Must cost a fortune.”
    â€œBet they don’t like that,” Jade said.
    â€œBet they don’t. But Krejikistan – or rather this KOS company – controls the whole thing. Pay through the nose, or ship everything miles and miles out of your way.”
    â€œRight,” Jade agreed. “But that doesn’t help us find Dad. Or help us understand why this Ardman bloke warned us not to mess with Vishinsky.”
    â€œI’ll tell you something else I don’t understand,” Rich said.
    â€œYeah?”
    â€œWhy would the Ministry of Defence be doing business with a company that is owned and based in the former Soviet Union? And what does this KOS company have that they’d want anyway? OK, look,” he pointed at a list of KOS sites around the world, “they’ve got some sort of research facility and storage depot just outside London. But even so.”
    Jade looked where Rich was pointing. “Isn’t that the place there was a big fire or something last week?I saw a headline, I’m sure.” She leaned back in the hard café seat. “So what now? Phone a friend?” She pulled Dad’s mobile from her rucksack.
    They leaned close over the phone. It was switched on but key-locked. Rich managed to work out how to unlock it, and they checked the address book. There were no numbers in it.
    â€œBig help,” Jade said.
    Rich sighed. “He really is Johnny No-Mates. Hang on, there should be a list of calls made and received somewhere.” He fiddled with the phone until he found the call register. “Here we are. Look – he’s made a fair few calls. Received a load too, but all from ‘Number Withheld’. Another big help.”
    The phone vibrated in Rich’s hand.
    â€œWhat did you do that for?” Jade asked.
    â€œI didn’t.”
    â€œSomeone calling?”
    The phone had stopped. Rich showed Jade the screen. “One Text Message Received.”
    â€œLet’s have a look then,” she said.
    The message read:
    â€Is sample safe? Do you have it? Where?? Urgent you reply. Dad.“
    â€œAt least he’s safe,” Rich said.
    â€œIs he?”
    â€œWhat do you mean? He sent us a text.”
    Jade took the phone from Rich and read the text message again. “But we’ve got his phone. And why did he send it to himself?” Jade pulled her own mobile from her pocket. “Did you get the message too? I didn’t. Easy enough to send all the phones the same text.”
    â€œAre you saying this didn’t come from Dad? Then who did send it?”
    â€œSomeone who wants this sample everyone keeps going on about. Whatever it is. But who?”
    Rich took the phone back from her and worked the buttons. “Probably number withheld again,” he muttered. “Woah! Here we go. They have to give us the number so we can reply.” The number that came up in the text message details was so long it wrapped on to a second line of the screen. “Is that a mobile number?” he wondered out loud.
    â€œYou going to call back?” Jade wondered.
    â€œNot till I know more about it. And not from this phone.” He turned back to the computer keyboard and typed the first digits of the number into the internet search page.
    â€œHere you are, look. It’s an international dialling code.”
    â€œDon’t tell me,” Jade said as Rich scrolled to it.
    â€œKrejikistan,” they both said in unison.
    â€œRight. Doesn’t mean the phone is there though,” Rich said. “But that’s where they got the phone and that’s where they pay the bills.”
    â€œYou going to call the number?”
    Rich considered. “You’re right; I don’t think it was Dad.”
    â€œNo harm in calling.”
    â€œExcept then they’ll know we have the phone, and we got the