The Burma Effect by Michael E. Rose Read Free Book Online Page A

asked.
    â€œYeah, I think so.”
    â€œYou’ll head to Bangkok on Monday?”
    â€œTuesday latest.”
    â€œIt’ll be our usual arrangement. Let us know where you want the money sent.”
    â€œI trust you guys, of course.” They both smiled. “You’re always good with payments. Payments yes. Information not always.”
    â€œWatch how you go over there, OK Francis?”
    â€œI know Bangkok,” Delaney said.
    â€œIt’s not the city I’m talking about.”
    â€œI know that.”
    â€œHow have you been anyway?” Rawson asked suddenly.
    â€œYou asked me that already. In the bar.”
    â€œHow’s the Mountie?” Rawson asked.
    â€œNo comment.”
    â€œTroubles?”
    â€œNo comment.”
    â€œYou all right these days? How have you been? Seriously.”
    â€œI’m seriously all right.”
    â€œFrancis, I often wonder . . .”
    â€œNo, Dad, I’m not over Natalia yet. No. You usually ask me that earlier in the night.” “It’s a long while ago now, Francis.”
    â€œYes. And you think it’s time for me to move on.”
    â€œYes.”
    â€œMove on where?”
    â€œHook up with that Mountie, maybe. See how that turns out.”
    â€œI don’t like surprises, Jon. You know that.”
    â€œYou’re getting into the wrong business if you don’t like surprises, Francis.”
    Delaney watched as Rawson’s car moved off down Slater Street. He watched until Rawson signalled left and turned onto Laurier. Then he walked on down to where he had parked his own car, across from the Westin in an outdoor lot. For a moment, he thought about checking in and ordering a room-service meal and a good bottle of wine. But then he thought about how many hotel rooms he had done that in, in how many cities, and he unlocked his car instead.
    It was just after 10 p.m. He sat in his idling car and felt an urge to just drive anywhere, any direction, except Montreal. It was Thursday night. He could be in New York for breakfast if he left now. He could be in Toronto sooner than that.Then the urge passed. He could check into the Ottawa Westin instead. He could pick any hotel in Ottawa, put down a credit card, stay for a week, more if he wanted to, live on room-service meals, watch movies, news channels, game shows on TV.
    The car idled quietly, ready to go anywhere. Delaney pulled out his mobile phone and dialled Kate’s home number. No answer, no answering machine. He looked for a long while at her mobile number in his own mobile’s memory.Then he tossed the phone onto the seat beside him and pulled out of the parking lot, heading for the only place that ever felt remotely like home.

Chapter 3
    A s always, there were a few loose ends to tie up before Delaney left on any assignment, whether as reporter or spy. He usually declined to think of how few loose ends he actually had left. Light duties now for the newspaper, apartment and related matters, an on-again off-again book project, a few friends, mainly O’Keefe, maybe Kate.
    He decided he would see Kellner’s sister before he left. And he decided he would go to Bangkok via London, to see some of the people Kellner worked for at Defence Monthly . He spent most of Friday morning setting things up: plane ticket for Sunday night, emails to the London magazine trying to make appointments, reading some of Kellner’s recent articles on the Internet. Kellner’s sister said she could see him that afternoon.
    He tidied up one of his emergency columns for the Tribune , a stand-up piece about whether the Quebec separatist movement had now, once and for all, lost its way. Patricia will think this doesn’t break any new ground , he thought grimly as he called her just before noon. It would have to do for the next week. The one after that, if he was still away, he would write in a hotel somewhere or other.
    â€œPatricia, I’ve got some