The Expansion
Page 24
“In related news, Panama’s President Fernando Guardia held a press conference this morning after talks with US and Chinese officials, where he put an end to rumors that the expansion project will be in any way compromised or delayed by recent events.”
There was a cut to President Guardia standing at an official podium.
“Panama has seen many difficult days, and the events of the past week are no exception. However, I’m very pleased to report that with the proposed coordinated financial assistance provided by China and the United States of America, we believe we will be able to complete the expansion project within the expected timescale.”
Panama’s President waited, smiling, as camera flashes went off. He held up his hand and continued speaking. “I am also happy to announce that this morning we received confirmation that the chief engineer of the expansion project, Dr. Max Burns, will see the project through with a newly configured consortium …”
Karis turned abruptly to look at Max.
“You didn’t tell me,” she said. “You’re staying in Panama?”
“Yes.” Max smiled. He knelt in front of the chair so as to look at her directly. “Actually, I was hoping you’d consider staying on with me. I’m sure there’d be a job for you at the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute,” he teased.
She smiled briefly. “Max …” She stopped. “I’m not sure I have what it takes.”
He took her hand. “Do you think it’s worth a try?” He drew her hand to his lips.
She closed her eyes and took a deep, shuddering breath. As she exhaled, she sat back in the chair.
Slowly, Max wheeled her through the sliding doors and out into sharp, blinding daylight.
Without warning, the chair came to a standstill, and he soon saw that Karis was getting to her feet. She seemed steady. She handed him the flowers.
“Are you sure you’re okay?” he asked.
She nodded. “I’m sure. I don’t need any help.” She gave the wheelchair a gentle push so that it came to rest alongside a bed of red-fruited shrubs by the hospital’s sliding doors. She turned away, the wisps of white cigarette smoke from a smattering of people in hospital gowns drifting in her wake.
She fell into step alongside him.
“I called Dalisha last night,” Max said. Several cars passed as they stepped onto the sidewalk. “I told her you’d be staying with me for a while. Actually, I wasn’t sure what to tell her—”
He didn’t finish his sentence because a man was blocking their path.
“Agent Deen?”
The man wore wrap-around sunglasses and an earpiece.
“Agent Deen,” he said, again. “Are you ready to go?”
Acknowledgments
The Expansion is a story that landed in my head one day and stubbornly refused to leave. The story was of a scope that I realized would be best tackled by more than one mind, so I approached Libby O’Loghlin, an experienced novelist and substantive editor. Two years later, the magic of collaboration has resulted in The Expansion novel, and a storyworld with characters whose adventures are stubbornly demanding to be continued.
We would like to thank all those who generously gave of their time and expertise to help us enrich and/or hone the manuscript: Jürg Arquint, Timon Birkhofer, Lindsey Grant, Dr. Iris Guery, Sulay Hernandez, Dr. Matthew Larsen, Dr. Roman Müller, Brendan O’Loghlin, Andrew Slater, Brigitte Sommer, Caspar Steiner. We also thank Gareth Howard, Hayley Radford and the Authoright team. And, finally, we thank our families and friends for their enthusiastic support.
About Christoph Martin
Christoph Martin Zollinger is a Swiss entrepreneur whose career spans legal, military, corporate and private enterprise. Christoph graduated with a law degree from the University of Zürich, after which time he went on to live and work in Panama in corporate and private enterprise for more than a decade. In 2012 he returned to Switzerland with his wife and children. He divides his time between his home in Zürich and a tiny Alpine village in Graubünden.
About Libby O’Loghlin
Libby O’Loghlin is an Australian novelist and prize-winning short story writer who has a career in narrative media production, including film and television, as well as print and digital publishing. She has lived in the UK, USA and Malaysia, and she now lives with her family in Switzerland.
www.theexpansionbook.com
Copyright
Published by Clink Street Publishing 2017
Copyright © 2017
First edition.
The author asserts the moral right under the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988 to be identified as the author of this work.
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted, in any form or by any means without the prior consent of the author, nor be otherwise circulated in any form of binding or cover other than that with which it is published and without a similar condition being imposed on the subsequent purchaser.
ISBN: 978–1–911525–29–5 paperback
978–1–911525–30–1 ebook