she’d deal with the alarms.’
‘Maybe it was on a different circuit,’ said Parsons defensively. ‘She handled the rest of the security system OK.’
‘True,’ acknowledged Jake. Then he told them: ‘The man who turned into that vegetation is in there.’
‘What?!’ exclaimed Lauren.
‘In a room along from where the book was. And he’s alive.’
‘My God,’ said Parsons, awed.
‘We have to hide the book,’ said Lauren. ‘Somewhere safe, where no one will find it.’
‘I’ll do that,’ offered Parsons.
The professional action man again, thought Jake sourly.
‘After all, we know they know about you two, but so far I don’t think they know about me,’ Parsons added.
‘Yes, makes sense.’ Lauren nodded. She turned to Jake and held out her hand for the book. Jake looked down at the leather-bound package he was still gripping tightly. The book. Don’t open it, he told himself, or you’ll end up like that heaving mass of barely alive vegetation inside the base.
‘Jake,’ prompted Lauren, still holding out her hand.
I want to find out what this is, thought Jake. All this trouble, all this secrecy, and I have the answer in my hand. I want to see it. At least, the cover! See what it looks like.
Instead, he passed the book forward to Lauren, who took it and slipped it into her bag.
‘At last!’ she said exultantly. ‘The proof!’
Chapter 14
Parsons pulled up outside Jake’s flat, and Jake went in, after they’d all promised to be in touch the next day. No, today , Jake corrected himself. It was 2 a.m. as he entered his flat, soaked to the skin, aching in every muscle, and with a feeling of loss. He’d held the book in his hand, and now it was gone. He’d been close to Lauren tonight, so close, tied together by the bond of fear and adrenalin during the mission, and now she was gone, too. Gone with Parsons.
Next morning, Jake made his way to work. A few hours earlier, he thought he’d never be able to sleep: the adrenalin still pumping. But he had calmed down by the time he got in, and he’d slept, only to be dragged back into the waking world by his alarm clock at seven thirty.
He’d thought about phoning Lauren, then thought better of it. What could they say over the phone, especially if their lines were bugged?
Today, no one tried to kill him. No one tried to push him under a tube train. His journey was uneventful. He walked into the large open-plan office and found Paul already there, engaged in an animated phone conversation.
‘Yes, we are obviously sympathetic to the sincerity of their views, but at the same time we absolutely condemn the way this was done, not just the vicious attack on the security-guard staff, but putting everyone else at the establishment at risk and in fear of their lives, as well as the animals.’
‘What animals?’ asked Jake as Paul hung up the phone.
‘Rabbits,’ answered Paul.
‘Rabbits?’ echoed Jake, puzzled.
‘You know, those cute furry things with long ears.’
‘Ha ha, very funny,’ said Jake sarcastically. ‘I meant, in what way were they at risk? And the staff of . . . wherever.’
‘Actually, it’s that place in Aylesbury I was telling you about.’
‘Aylesbury?’
Paul gave a weary groan.
‘For heaven’s sake, Jake, do I have to repeat everything ?’
‘I’ve just walked in,’ pointed out Jake in his defence, ‘and you start talking about rabbits as if I know what’s going on.’
‘OK.’ Paul nodded. ‘Well, you know that place I told you they’d taken that canister of stuff?’
Jake was about to respond with a nod and the words ‘the Hadley Park Research Establishment’, but he stopped himself just in time. All Paul had told him was the place was in Aylesbury. He didn’t want awkward questions being asked if he told Paul he’d looked up the file.
‘The place in Aylesbury,’ he said.
‘That’s the one,’ said Paul. ‘Well, last night some Animal Rights campaigners broke in and released
‘Maybe it was on a different circuit,’ said Parsons defensively. ‘She handled the rest of the security system OK.’
‘True,’ acknowledged Jake. Then he told them: ‘The man who turned into that vegetation is in there.’
‘What?!’ exclaimed Lauren.
‘In a room along from where the book was. And he’s alive.’
‘My God,’ said Parsons, awed.
‘We have to hide the book,’ said Lauren. ‘Somewhere safe, where no one will find it.’
‘I’ll do that,’ offered Parsons.
The professional action man again, thought Jake sourly.
‘After all, we know they know about you two, but so far I don’t think they know about me,’ Parsons added.
‘Yes, makes sense.’ Lauren nodded. She turned to Jake and held out her hand for the book. Jake looked down at the leather-bound package he was still gripping tightly. The book. Don’t open it, he told himself, or you’ll end up like that heaving mass of barely alive vegetation inside the base.
‘Jake,’ prompted Lauren, still holding out her hand.
I want to find out what this is, thought Jake. All this trouble, all this secrecy, and I have the answer in my hand. I want to see it. At least, the cover! See what it looks like.
Instead, he passed the book forward to Lauren, who took it and slipped it into her bag.
‘At last!’ she said exultantly. ‘The proof!’
Chapter 14
Parsons pulled up outside Jake’s flat, and Jake went in, after they’d all promised to be in touch the next day. No, today , Jake corrected himself. It was 2 a.m. as he entered his flat, soaked to the skin, aching in every muscle, and with a feeling of loss. He’d held the book in his hand, and now it was gone. He’d been close to Lauren tonight, so close, tied together by the bond of fear and adrenalin during the mission, and now she was gone, too. Gone with Parsons.
Next morning, Jake made his way to work. A few hours earlier, he thought he’d never be able to sleep: the adrenalin still pumping. But he had calmed down by the time he got in, and he’d slept, only to be dragged back into the waking world by his alarm clock at seven thirty.
He’d thought about phoning Lauren, then thought better of it. What could they say over the phone, especially if their lines were bugged?
Today, no one tried to kill him. No one tried to push him under a tube train. His journey was uneventful. He walked into the large open-plan office and found Paul already there, engaged in an animated phone conversation.
‘Yes, we are obviously sympathetic to the sincerity of their views, but at the same time we absolutely condemn the way this was done, not just the vicious attack on the security-guard staff, but putting everyone else at the establishment at risk and in fear of their lives, as well as the animals.’
‘What animals?’ asked Jake as Paul hung up the phone.
‘Rabbits,’ answered Paul.
‘Rabbits?’ echoed Jake, puzzled.
‘You know, those cute furry things with long ears.’
‘Ha ha, very funny,’ said Jake sarcastically. ‘I meant, in what way were they at risk? And the staff of . . . wherever.’
‘Actually, it’s that place in Aylesbury I was telling you about.’
‘Aylesbury?’
Paul gave a weary groan.
‘For heaven’s sake, Jake, do I have to repeat everything ?’
‘I’ve just walked in,’ pointed out Jake in his defence, ‘and you start talking about rabbits as if I know what’s going on.’
‘OK.’ Paul nodded. ‘Well, you know that place I told you they’d taken that canister of stuff?’
Jake was about to respond with a nod and the words ‘the Hadley Park Research Establishment’, but he stopped himself just in time. All Paul had told him was the place was in Aylesbury. He didn’t want awkward questions being asked if he told Paul he’d looked up the file.
‘The place in Aylesbury,’ he said.
‘That’s the one,’ said Paul. ‘Well, last night some Animal Rights campaigners broke in and released
Similar Books
