The Asset (Alex King Book 10)
Page 24
He read the results, clicked and clicked back, scrolled and skipped until he found what he was looking for, but as he stared at the screen his heart beat faster and his stomach knotted as he matched his symptoms with the possibilities. One stood out more than the others.
Thallium poisoning.
Diminov rested his hands on the keys, then took them away, the heat of the laptop enough to make him uncomfortable. He rubbed his aching, tired face, then froze, staring at the device in front of him. He switched it off, unplugged it and stood up quickly enough to knock over the chair. Diminov raced to the chest of drawers and returned with a set of electrical screwdrivers. He started to unscrew the back of the laptop, his hands shaking and his heart racing. It seemed to take forever, but he unscrewed the panel with little regard in keeping the screws, allowing them to roll off the table and onto the threadbare carpet.
Diminov removed the panel and stared at the silvery-white metal, which switched to a dull grey against the light. He could see that the battery had been swapped for a smaller design and around it the silvery metal had been folded and pushed into place. More had been packed around the two tiny fans. He pushed the laptop away from him and picked up the landline phone. He dialled and placed the phone against his ear, then froze, took the phone away and looked at it in his hand. He took one of the screwdrivers and jemmied the case open. Again, more of the silvery-white metal in the earpiece. Diminov threw the phone against the wall and screamed as it shattered on the painted block wall. He got up, but felt his balance going, like he was six vodkas into the evening. He picked up his mobile phone, but suddenly he was aware of its weight. He returned to the table, used the screwdriver, but already knew what he would find. Alongside the battery, a sliver of the silver-white metal. He was about to throw the phone, but something caught his eye. The battery was smaller than it should have been – he knew because he had changed the SIM card many times for security protocols and the battery had to be removed first. Something lay underneath the battery. He tapped out the battery and a small fold of card fell into his hand. Diminov dropped the phone to the floor and unfolded the card. He recognised the logo and writing, the name of the establishment and the address.
The Ivy.
He flipped the card over in his hand and read the scribbled words out loud. “Know your enemy…”
Diminov dropped heavily into the worn fabric armchair and smiled. He knew enough to know the end was near. He had enjoyed his lifetime playing cowboys and Indians and he had always thought himself a worthy adversary. Only he knew that the longer you played the game, sooner or later you would be beaten. It was the way of things. Sooner or later the Reaper would come to call.
Author’s Note
Hi – thanks for making it this far. The fact you did means you hopefully enjoyed the story, and if that is the case, then I hope you enjoyed it as much as I enjoyed writing it!
As always, I would be profoundly grateful of a review on Amazon and/or Goodreads – just a quick line when you have time would be great. It really helps with the Amazon algorithms and visibility.
It’s a pleasure to write for a living and I can only do this because of people like you who have bought or borrowed my work. You can find out more about my books, sign-up for my mailing list or learn a bit more about me at www.apbateman.com
Thank you, and I hope to entertain you again soon!
A P Bateman