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.But if sheinsisted on staying, he would stay, too.She couldn't allow that.And if they both left, then the matter wasended-for the moment, at least.If Ross accepted he was in danger, that there was a demon out thereworking to subvert him, he would be on his guard.That ought to be enough.She had delivered theLady's message, and that was all she was expected to do.All right,' she said.`I'll go'`Now?''As soon as 1 can pack my bag and check out.I'll catch a taxi to the airport.You won't have to worryabout me anymore.'Generated by ABC Amber LIT Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abclit.htmlHe exhaled slowly.`Fair enough:`Just promise me you wont forget to keep worrying about yourself.This isn't going to end until you findout who the demon is'`I know,' he said.And it wouldn't end then either, and they both knew it.It wouldn't end, because even if he unmasked thisdemon, there would be another, and another, until one of them succeeded in destroying him.It wouldn'tend until he either found a way to give back the staff or agreed to resume his life as a Knight of theWord.It was not a choice that would be easily resolved, and neither one of them wanted to examine ittoo closely.`Will you call me in Hopewell and at least leave a message?' she asked him in the ensuing silence.`Yes'She sighed.`I hate leaving this business unfinished: She saw the sudden look of concern in his eyes.`ButI'll keep my bargain, John.Don't worry.'`That's just the trouble.I do'She stood up.`I'd better go.Good-bye, John.Be careful'He rose, as well, and she walked around to embrace him, kissing his cheek.The gesture was stiff andawkward and uncertain.`Good-bye, Nest,' he said.Generated by ABC Amber LIT Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abclit.htmlShe stepped back.`I'll tell you something,' she said.'I don't know that saying good-bye feels any betterthis time than it did the last.I'm still not sure about you'His smile was bitter and sad, and he suddenly looked older than his years.`I know, Nest.I'm sorryabout that.Thanks for coming.It means a lot that you did'She turned and walked out of the bar, crossed the lobby to the elevators, and did not look back.CHAPTER 20Andrew Wren woke early that same morning despite the fact he had been up very late tracing thetransfers of funds from the corporate accounts of Fresh Start and Pass/Go to the private accounts ofSimon Lawrence and John Ross.It was well after midnight by the time he completed his work andsatisfied himself he knew exactly how all the withdrawals and deposits had been made and the routesthrough which various funds had travelled.He was exhausted by then, but a little bit of sleep did wondersfor him when he was hot an the trail, and he felt energised and ready to go once mare shortly after firstlight.Nevertheless, he took his time.He had calls to make and faxes to send.He wanted to check onbalances and signatures.He wanted to make very sure of what he had before he started writing anything.So he showered and shaved at a leisurely pace, thinking things through yet again, formulating his plans forthe day.It wasn't until he went downstairs for breakfast and was engaged in perusing Wednesday's New YorkTimes that he overheard a conversation at an adjoining table and learned Fresh Start had burned downduring the night.At first he couldn't quite believe what he was hearing, and he paused in his reading to listen mare closelyas the conversation revealed the details.The building was a total loss.There was only one fatality, anemployee.Arson wasn't thought to be the cause.Simon Lawrence would be holding a press conferenceon the future of the program at two o'clock that afternoon.Generated by ABC Amber LIT Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abclit.htmlAndrew Wren finished his breakfast and bought a copy of the Post-Intelligencer, Seattle's morningpaper.There were pictures and a short piece on the fire on the front page, but it had happened too latefor an in-depth story.Wren walked back to his room with the papers and sat down at his work desk with his yellow pad andnotes and the packet of documentation on the illegal funds transfers spread out before him.He tried todecide if the fire had anything to do with what he was investigating, but it was too early to make that call.If it wasn't arson, then it wasn't relevant.If it was arson, then it might be.He stared out the window,deciding what to do next.It was only nine-fifteen.He made up his mind quickly, the way he always did when he was closing in on something [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]