Temple of the Gods - Andy McDermott [22]
The silence that followed became long enough for Eddie to think that the connection had been lost, until he heard Scarber cough faintly. ‘So . . . you going to tell me, or what?’
‘Or what, I’m afraid. For now. I’ll tell you how to find Stikes, but I want you to do something for me in return.’
‘My rates are two hundred quid an hour, and you provide the condoms,’ Eddie said irritably. ‘Kissing costs extra.’ Scarber made a sound that could have been a laugh. ‘Whatever you want me to do, I’m sure you could find someone to do it in Hong Kong. All I want is information.’
‘And you’ll get it. But only face to face. And I’d get here pronto, if I were you. When Stikes leaves, I don’t know where he’ll go. Call me on this number when you arrive. See you soon, kiddo.’
‘Arse,’ Eddie muttered as the phone went silent. He noted down the number, then returned it to Strutter. ‘Was she the only lead you had on Stikes?’ The other man nodded. ‘I might have fucking guessed.’
‘What did she say?’
‘She wants me to do some job for her before she’ll tell me anything.’
‘What job?’
‘I don’t know. And I doubt it’ll be anything good, either.’ He blew out a frustrated breath. ‘Looks like I’m going to Hong Kong. Phooey.’
New York City
Nina entered the restaurant with some trepidation. The last time she shared a meal with Larry Chase, the evening had not gone well. Eddie had been estranged from him for over twenty years, the reunion taking place only at Nina’s urging . . . and father and son immediately resumed old hostilities, to the point of almost coming to blows.
And according to Eddie’s sister Elizabeth, when the two men briefly met again shortly after Eddie had gone on the run, their conflict indeed became a physical one.
Nina knew that Eddie had met Larry in the Colombian capital a few days before the fateful night at the Peruvian pumping station. Whatever they had discussed, though, he kept to himself. But despite his closed mouth, it was clearly something Eddie had considered very serious.
In all honesty, if not for this black hole in events, Nina probably wouldn’t have agreed to meet her father-in-law and his second wife at all. While she found Julie Chase pleasant enough, Larry’s arrogance was far less appealing. But there was the possibility of learning what had happened in Bogotá, which might provide new insight into subsequent events . . . and there was also a chance, however small, that Larry could have news about Eddie.
Larry and Julie were already seated, and the maître d’ guided Nina to their table. ‘Nina, hi!’ Julie chirped. ‘Great to see you again.’
‘Hi, you too,’ she replied as Larry stood to greet her. She somewhat awkwardly accepted his kiss on the cheek, then sat facing the couple. Even the restaurant’s low lighting couldn’t hide the age gap between them; Julie was over twenty years younger than her husband. ‘This is, uh . . . kind of a surprise.’
‘We’re here on holiday,’ Larry announced. ‘Doing a quick tour – New York, New England, San Francisco.’
‘Sounds like fun. Though I’m not sure you picked the best time of year for it. September would have had much better weather than November.’
‘Well, to tell the truth,’ said Larry, leaning closer in an exaggeratedly conspiratorial way, ‘I’m attending an international logistics conference in Frisco, but I’m claiming the whole trip as a business expense. Just don’t tell the taxman, eh?’ He laughed, Julie joining in with a giggle. Nina put on a thin smile.
‘But I’ve wanted to come to the States for ages,’ added Julie. ‘We’re going skiing in Vermont, which sounds lovely.’
‘I’m flying us to the lodge,’ Larry bragged.
Nina was surprised. ‘You’re a pilot?’
‘Oh, yes. Helicopters. Tremendous fun.’
‘He’s not a pilot,’ said Julie, teasing. ‘I bought him a flying lesson for his birthday last year, and now he thinks he’s Airwolf. He’s only done it four times.’
‘Five times,’ Larry corrected.
‘No, I’m sure it’s – wait, did you go on a flight without me?’
‘Yes, when I took Jim and David from the golf