‘And you! You’re looking well!’
‘Likewise. Look, take a seat and I’ll go and get the drinks. What would you like?’
‘Latte, please.’
‘Coming up, not much of a queue, I won’t be a minute.’
Nick sat down and relaxed. How different to those embarrassing encounters they’d had when Brett had first taken the helm as CSO at BioQex. It was remarkable how much Brett had seemed to change during those months directing the research at their former company. Nick had at first found Brett’s personality abrasive and brash and had suspected him of some underhand practices. However, without Brett’s bravery after the laboratory explosion, Nick might not be sitting there at that moment. In truth, he owed his life to Brett.
The drinks arrived along with two pastries.
‘Thought we’d have something to eat. I only grabbed a quick sandwich at lunchtime and I’m starving. Which do you fancy? You choose.’
‘Oh, this one, thanks! I’ll have to make sure I go for a run one evening,’ joked Nick.
‘Anyway, how are you getting on here? Early days I expect.’
‘Well, yes, but I’ve made a start on some chemistry, not sure whether it will work out though.’
‘Well, that’s great. It’s a good team here, shame about Professor Plum, I mean Plumpton,’ joked Brett.
‘Yes, I couldn’t help thinking of him as Professor Plum, either,’ said Nick.
‘I was just thinking,’ said Brett, ‘we’ve got Professor Plum so maybe Erin is Miss Scarlet?’
The two men smiled.
‘She can tie me up with some rope in the conservatory anytime!’ said Brett.
‘I think I need to keep my mind off Erin,’ said Nick, ‘otherwise, I’ll be messing up my reactions!’
‘I just wanted to say that we have every confidence in you to make a real contribution,’ said Brett and he paused to wolf down some of his pain au raisin. Nick ate some of his pastry and they sat in companionable silence for a few moments. Nick had decided not to mention any of the recent events or suspicions about Dan, Polly had urged him to go to the Head of Faculty as Dan was employed by the university and not PerzSolve.
‘Well, thanks,’ said Nick feeling rather embarrassed at the praise. ‘So, do you think we will get the necessary investment from venture capitalists? Matt mentioned something about a high level of interest.’
‘It’s looking very encouraging indeed. I’m off up to the smoke this week, in fact, got some meetings with some of the big boys.’
‘Great stuff. Sounds good.’
‘Anyway, how’s Polly getting on? Remind me, what section is she in?’
‘Well, she’s heading up a section which is responsible for whistle-blowing, although the actual title is complicated, I can’t remember exactly, it’s part of Corporate Governance, er what is it? Anyway, doesn’t matter. But she’s really enjoying it, though it’s a bit stressful.’
So the conversation continued to flow easily and Nick was amazed to see that nearly an hour had passed. ‘Sorry, but I’m going to have to call it a day now, got a reaction to check over,’ said Nick, putting his cup on his plate and sweeping up some flakes of pastry with his hand.
‘Yes, me too, but we’ll catch up again soon.’
They stood to say their goodbyes and Nick wondered whether Brett was going to hug him but he was relieved when he stopped short of that and patted him on the shoulder. Nick headed back to the lab feeling quite happy. It had been a welcome and pleasant diversion after a poor start and there wasn’t long before he could finish and head home.
**
Lee had slept rather better than the previous night which was good as he had a busy evening and night ahead. RB was going to collect him and they were going to head over to the university to collect the goods from Dan. Then he had his shift at the club and Scott was due to meet him over there at 3 a.m. When he awoke at 4 p.m. he’d had some texts from Scott to say that all was in hand. He had obtained a van which was parked in a secluded side street with false number plates. It was a couple of miles from its usual address so he was confident it wouldn’t be spotted. It had no trade names or distinguishing features so should not attract any attention or trigger people’s memory. Lee was impressed. Scott could prove to be a valuable addition to the team. He had just time for a shower and a trip to the cafe for a cooked breakfast. He needed something to sustain him throughout the hours ahead.
**
Nick returned to the lab and took some samples from his reaction to analyse. As he’d not actually run any samples before, he asked Hannah to accompany him just to show him the login procedure. He was familiar with instrumentation from his time at BioQex but all machines were slightly different and he didn’t want to make any mistakes. There would be about a half-hour wait for the results so he went back to his desk to complete some paperwork.
He noticed Dr Phil Sweetman approaching and hoped he wasn’t coming to see him. Their exchange last week in the corridor had been less than friendly and he’d vowed to keep out of Phil’s way unless absolutely necessary. However, Phil seemed to be in a better mood today and smiled at Nick pleasantly.
‘So, how goes it, Nick?’
‘Oh, well, fine, thank you. I’ve made a start. I’m just waiting for some data actually.’
‘Excellent, well, that’s good to hear. Keep up the good work. Perhaps we could have a chat in a week or so when you’ve had a chance to get settled in?’
‘That would be good, just let me know when.’
‘Now, where’s that Dan got to? Oh, here he is,’ said Phil, turning around as he heard footsteps approaching.
‘Hi, Phil,’ said Dan, sounding rather weary.
‘Hi, Dan, just came to remind you about tomorrow evening.’
Dan looked blankly at Phil. He had clearly no idea what he was talking about.
‘I thought you might have forgotten. I’m talking about dinner with Professor Zeng, he’s giving the seminar the next day. Radical insertion reactions, is it all coming back to you?’
‘Shit, yes, oh, sorry, that’s this week? I must have got confused.’
‘You’re getting forgetful Danny boy,’ said Phil.
Dan looked pale when Phil called him Danny boy and held on to the back of his chair.
‘Are you OK?’
‘Yes, fine, just felt a bit dizzy, I’m a bit tired that’s all.’
‘Well, this is quite an honour for you, Ian will be there as well. He put your name forward so it’s a chance for you to make a good impression.’
‘Yes, don’t worry, I’ll be there. What time?’
‘We meet at the Senate House for drinks at 6.30 p.m., so if I were you I’d bring your suit with you tomorrow and get changed here. Drop by my office at 6.15 p.m. and we can walk over together. OK.?
‘Great, I’ll look forward to it,’ replied Dan, sounding anything but enthusiastic.
‘Make sure you read up about his work as well, you need to ask him some appropriate questions both tomorrow evening and after the seminar.’
‘Yes, of course,’ replied Dan, looking even more depressed at this latest piece of advice.
Nick was busying himself on his laptop throughout this exchange. Dan was not in his good books at the moment but he did sympathise. These formal dinners with visiting speakers were hard going and stressful. They’d had some seminars at BioQex with visiting speakers but they weren’t that often and as BioQex was a small company they had tended to be an informal affair. Nick had only been required to attend a lunch with a visiting speaker and that was bad enough. He would dread having to attend a formal university dinner where every sentence uttered was being judged. It was at times like that when your mind seemed to go blank and you became completely tongue-tied. Dan would certainly need a bit of help from his illicit substance he thought cruelly.
‘Fucking hell,’ he heard Dan muttering to himself. He started to tap away furiously at his keyboard. Nick felt it was time to retreat to the safety of the l
ab and tidy up. It shouldn’t be too long now before his data had run. Nick planned to leave about 5.30 p.m., he would have had more than enough for one day. Polly had told him she would get the bus back if Nick could stop off and get some food and provisions at the supermarket on the way home. Some shopping seemed a pleasant prospect after the day he’d had. Hopefully, tomorrow would run much more smoothly.
**
Jessica heard the door of her cell open and her masked guard slid her early evening meal into her. Once again it was a sandwich and a bottle of water.
‘You done the letter?’ He asked. ‘Give it to me and the pen.’
‘What about my bucket?’ asked Jessica. ‘I need it changed.’
‘Give it here,’ he replied.
This was Jessica’s moment. She went to pick it up but accidentally dropped it, slopping urine all over the floor. Some of it splashed on the guard’s shoes and he stepped back quickly.
‘You clumsy bitch!’ he shouted. ‘Oh, fuck, look at my trainers! They’ll stink now!’
‘I’m sorry, so sorry, my hands are cold. Please don’t hurt me! Look, I’ll wipe them, and she bent down to wipe them with her coat.
‘Leave them! I’ll go and wash them. You can keep that bucket. You can breathe in the smell of your own piss as well!’
He stormed off and slammed the door, taking the letter she’d written with him. She sank down on the sleeping bag. The distraction had worked. She still had the pen. Now she had to hope she got the chance to use it.
Chapter 30
At long last, the clock ticked around until 6.20 p.m. and Dan was preparing to leave. During the day he had checked about a dozen times that the package was still in his bag. There was no reason for it not to be there but he was in a state of extreme agitation and he seemed unable to resist the desire to confirm its presence. He could not afford to be late and would make sure he was waiting for the dealer rather than the other way round. So at five minutes before the half-hour he put on his coat and with his bag over one shoulder left the building. Erin had already left tonight so she wasn’t putting in extra hours every night.
He was so looking forward to being reunited with Jessica. However, he was fearful of the conversation which they would doubtless need to have. He had vowed to come clean about his habit and beg her forgiveness. He would enrol on a detox programme if necessary, anything if it meant she would give him an extra chance. Last night alone had been unbearable and it had brought him to his senses about how much he had risked. He tried to put himself in her shoes. Would he be able to forgive so easily if he’d been kidnapped? She must be terrified. He wondered whether she would insist on going to the police. That could be such a dangerous route to follow. They could be targetted and even killed. Somehow he had to persuade her that they just needed to leave this episode behind and keep quiet. Could he convince her, he wasn’t sure?
Dan was in position at the appointed time yet RB had not shown up. His stomach was churning and he wished that he’d visited the loo before leaving. He felt so furtive hanging around in the shadow of the building.
‘Everything alright?’ said a voice from the darkness.
Dan jumped out of his skin. ‘Oh, yes, just waiting for my girlfriend,’ he replied to the approaching figure who on closer inspection was revealed to be the new security guard.
‘Well, be careful in these dark corners, won’t you?’
‘Yes, no problem,’ and he took out his phone. ‘Oh, I’ve just had a text, she’ll be here in about five minutes.’
‘OK, well have a good evening,’ said the guard and continued on his patrol.
Dan could feel his armpits starting to sweat. God, this was turning out to be excruciating. To his relief he recognised the bulk of two figures approaching, that must be RB and his colleague from last night.
‘Sorry to keep you Danny boy,’ said RB. ‘Traffic was a complete fuck-up this evening.’
‘I’ve got what you wanted,’ said Dan, handing over the envelope. ‘Now when will Jessica be back with me? Where are you going to leave her?’
‘Cut the questions!’ said RB, undoing the envelope, using the torch on his mobile to check the contents. Dan felt like laughing. The powder could be anything, baking soda or Epsom salts for all he knew. Looking at it like that wouldn’t tell him what it was.
Dan was pacing about, they were just playing with him he realised. It was a power struggle. He felt like a mouse being toyed with by a particularly mischievous cat.
‘This is for you,’ said RB, handing over an envelope.
‘What’s this?’ and Dan ripped open the envelope and removed the sheet of paper.
‘Want some light?’ asked RB, laughter apparent in his voice.
Dan read the note with incredulity. ‘You bastards! We had a deal. You have to release Jessica! You can’t do this,’ and Dan went to punch RB. He didn’t get far as Lee grasped him once again like last night.
A knife flashed. ‘Danny boy, are you thick or something? Do as the lovely Jessica says and all will be well. After all, they do say absence makes the heart grow fonder. Just think what a glorious reunion you will have when you finally see each other again.’
RB and Lee suddenly started to run away, their laughter being carried towards Dan on the wind. He fell to his knees clutching the piece of paper. His agony continued.
**
Lee was on duty at the lap dancing club. It had been a fairly quiet night, the punters all behaving themselves. Karolina had already done three routines and was now taking a break. He went around to the rear of the stage where the dressing rooms were located, he smiled to himself as he walked past the curtained off cubicles. Undressing rooms would be a more apt title. He reached the one which Karolina normally used and put his head around the curtain. He wolf-whistled at the topless Karolina who was just about to go back on stage.
‘Hello gorgeous!’ he leered.
‘Fuck off!’ she shouted. ‘You shouldn’t be around here, it’s private!’
‘Don’t make me laugh, you trollop. You spend all your time flashing your tits and bum and then come over all coy with me.’ He went inside the changing room and put his face close to hers. Grabbing her breast he whispered, ‘I can show you a thing or two,’ and laughed.
Karolina spat in his face. ‘Go and fuck yourself,’ she said and ran past him.
Lee wiped the spittle from his face. He’d decided to have one last bit of fun this evening with Karolina. After her behaviour, he had no regrets about the decision he’d made.
**
Dan had once again taken comfort in the vodka bottle. He had stumbled over to his car at the university, weeping silently. Unlike the other day when he’d driven so erratically, he’d sat for a few minutes trying to compose himself. After about ten minutes he felt safe enough to head home where an empty flat was again waiting for him. Just thinking about it made the tears well up in his eyes and he had to brush them away so he could see the road ahead.
In addition to the anguish of Jessica, he had the formal dinner to get through the next evening. He’d packed his suit up in a carrier and left it by the front door so he wouldn’t forget it. He realised he should try to look at some of Professor Zeng’s published papers in order not to look a complete idiot, but his heart wasn’t in it. He managed to find a few of them but as he read through his mind wandered. It was such turgid stuff as well. It might be breaking new ground but it was so specialised he couldn’t see it having wide applicability. It was a dubious honour to have been invited by the Head of Faculty, perhaps it was because everyone else had refused and Phil had decided to sell it as a great opportunity.
By midnight, having dozed off a couple of times, he took the last shot of vodka and took himself off to bed. He held Jessica’s pillow in his arms, inhaling the smell of her familiar perfume which was by now fading but he could still detect faint traces. He willed sleep to come and give some temporary respite from his pain. As the clock ticked over into the next day he drifted off to sleep, hi
s tears soaking the pillow.
**
Lee’s phone vibrated with a text from Scott to say he was in position by the side entrance. It was now nearly 3.30 a.m. and all the customers had left. Karolina was the last to leave as Lee had told her to wait behind as the manager wanted to speak to her. He had suggested she might be in line for a pay rise. Nothing could be further from the truth he thought to himself.
She emerged from her changing room, dressed and carrying her bag.
‘So, where is Clive then? I thought he was coming to speak to me.’
‘He’s gone, he might see you tomorrow.’
‘Pah, as usual, I am being taken for the ride,’ she said. Pulling her coat up around her throat and heading for the front door.
‘It’s locked, use the side-door,’ said Lee.
‘Why? What’s wrong with the door?’
‘The lock’s jammed. I’ve been trying to fix it. I’ll have to get someone out to it tomorrow,’ and he ushered her around to the side door.
Karolina left by the side-door without saying goodbye to Lee and turned to her right in order to walk up the alleyway to rejoin the main road where she usually waited for her taxi to arrive. She never reached the end of the alleyway. Scott approached her silently from behind and grabbed her. She tried to scream but he had his gloved hand over her mouth. Lee took out some gaffer tape and put it over her mouth. He then bound her legs and hands and put her into the back of the van. She was writhing around trying to free herself, her screams and protests muffled by the thick tape. Lee jumped into the back alongside her and Scott set off to his pre-arranged destination. Karolina’s taxi left after five minutes without its fare. Although the taxi driver did make a note of a grey transit van which had left from a side road at high speed missing him by a few feet.
Chapter 31
Amongst the Brensford Manor conglomeration there were many outbuildings which had once housed stables and farm machinery. The horses and machinery had long since disappeared and as these outbuildings were at a distance from the main house they could be used for a variety of purposes. Any distasteful noises were unlikely to carry to the main house which was well insulated by triple-glazed windows. Cole had refurbished these buildings in a minimalist way, not going to any great expense but focusing on practicality rather than aesthetics. The tiled flooring and plain walls could be easily washed down in case of any accidents.
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