Enemy Within by William David Read Free Book Online Page A

and the crash as I was rammed, and then a screeching noise, the Volvo did not drop back, he was hooked on to my tow bar, the steering was light and I was losing control. I ’d braked and we sk idded locked together, and left the road, crashing through an old dry stone wall. We were at the top of an embankment and the car toppled over on to the roof and skied upside down at top speed down the slope towards trees at the bottom!
     
     
     

CHAPTER 14
     
    Coming back to the present with a start, I looked up from the empty Latte cup and then down at my watch. After having spun out three coffees for nearly two hours I was receiving some sideways looks from the staff. I suppose I had been here a long time . The trouble was that I was comfortable and did not relish moving again. I gingerly rose to my feet, paid the bill, and walked out to the shopping mall. I needed a phone . I quickly bou ght one with a pay as you go SIM card and walked down the mall to the garden area where I was able find a bench and sit down. Time to call Alec. Alec was in the office and I was put through quickly.
    “Alec, this is Martin, can you meet with me? I don't want to come to the office at the moment.”
    “What is going on, Martin,” said an understandably perplexed Alec, “Are you alright? I understand you sneaked out of the hospital and stole a car!”
    “I will explain when we get together, if you can get away how about the coffee stand near the SS Great Britain in half an hour?”
    Alec sighed, “OK, see you then.”
     
    The day had brightened up and sitting in the warm sun was very pleasant. I started to relax while I drank yet another coffee and waited for Alec. It was very pleasant here with the SS Great Britain’s masts towering to the left and the recently rejuvenated harbour developments in front of me. I could see a ferry making its way across the water and in the bow was the tall figure of Alec, he waved and I waved back. The ferry reached the wharf and Alec was quickly with me. Having ordered himself a coffee he slumped down in to a chair beside me.
    “Sounds like you are having a rough time, ” I said.
    “Not really, it’s just that a few minutes before you ca lled I had a somewhat unpleasant phone conversation with that git Plavsic.”
    “So you don't like him either,” I said.
    “He just won't take no for an answer. He had been told by Allied Grampian of our board decision not to take his proposals any further and he wanted to discuss it further. When I politely said no, that our decision was final he became unpleasant, almost threatening.”
    “Now that is interesting”, I said. I then went on to tell him the story of my 'accident'.
    “You don't think it was Plavsic who knocked you off the road, do you?”
    “Well, not personally because that driver is dead, but maybe he is involved. Perhaps the accident was meant to be a warning that went wrong?”
    “But why?” said Alec. “It sounds a bit far fetched that someone would try strong arm tactics like that just because we turned him down”.
    “I agree, but maybe there is more to Plavsic than we know. I have felt that someone has been following me for the past week or so and then just before I set out for home the other night I had a threatening call. An obviously very heavily disguised voice threatened me that I would be 'dead meat' if I allowed the company to float. That's all he said, and hung up.”
    “Well. There is something I didn't tell you. Three days ago I got an anonymous letter threatening something similar. Well not a letter really, it was a message made up of letters cut out of magazines.”
    “Have you still got it?” I said.
    “No, thought it was a crank and threw it away. Why did you run away from hospital? I couldn't believe it when I heard.”
    “Frankly, I was scared. The accident seemed like an attempt to kill me and I was lucky to get out alive. On top of that there was this business of being followed, and lying there in hospital I felt