Whiteout by Ken Follett Read Free Book Online

would probably ask for her resignation.
    She recalled her first meeting with Stanley. She had been at the lowest point of her entire life. She was pretending to be a freelance security consultant, but she had no clients. Her partner of eight years, Frank, had left her. And her mother was becoming senile. Toni had felt like Job after he was forsaken by God.
    Stanley had summoned her to his office and offered her a short-term contract. He had invented a drug so valuable that he feared he might be the target of industrial espionage. He wanted her to check. She had not told him it was her first real assignment.
    After combing the premises for listening devices, she had looked for signs that key employees were living above their means. No one was spying on Oxenford Medical, as it turned out—but, to her dismay, she discovered that Stanley’s son, Kit, was stealing from the company.
    She was shocked. Kit had struck her as charming and untrustworthy; but what kind of man robs his own father? “The old bugger can afford it, he’s got plenty,” Kit said carelessly; and Toni knew, from her years with the police, that there was nothing profound about wickedness—criminals were just shallow, greedy people with inadequate excuses.
    Kit had tried to persuade her to hush it up. He promised never to do it again if Toni would keep quiet this time. She was tempted: she did not want to tell a recently bereaved man that his son was no good. But to keep quiet would have been dishonest.
    So, in the end, and with great trepidation, she had told Stanley everything.
    She would never forget the look on his face. He went pale, grimaced, and said, “Aah,” as if feeling a sudden internal pain. In that moment, as he struggled to master his profound emotion, she saw both his strength and his sensitivity, and she felt strongly drawn to him.
    Telling him the truth had been the right decision. Her integrity had been rewarded. Stanley fired Kit and gave Toni a full-time job. For that, she would always owe him her iron loyalty. She was fiercely determined to repay his trust.
    And life had improved. Stanley quickly promoted her from head of security to facilities manager and gave her a raise. She bought a red Porsche.
    When she mentioned one day that she had played squash for the national police team, Stanley challenged her to a game on the company court. She beat him, but only just, and they began to play every week. He was very fit, and had a longer reach, but she was twenty years younger, with hair-trigger reflexes. He took a game from her now and again, when her concentration slipped, but in the end she usually won.
    And she got to know him better. He played a shrewd game, taking risks that often paid off. He was competitive, but good-humored about losing. Her quick mind was a match for his brain, and she enjoyed the cut-and-thrust. The more she got to know him, the better she liked him. Until, one day, she realized that she did not just like him. It was more than that.
    Now she felt that the worst part of losing this job would be not seeing him any longer.
    She was about to head down to the Great Hall, to meet him on his way in, when her phone rang.
    A woman’s voice with a southern English accent said, “This is Odette.”
    â€œHi!” Toni was pleased. Odette Cressy was a detective with the Metropolitan Police in London. They had met on a course at Hendon five years ago. They were the same age. Odette was single and, since Toni had split up with Frank, they had been on holiday together twice. Had they not lived so far apart, they would have been best friends. As it was, they spoke on the phone every couple of weeks.
    Odette said, “It’s about your virus victim.”
    â€œWhy would you be interested?” Odette was on the antiterrorist team, Toni knew. “I suppose I shouldn’t ask.”
    â€œCorrect. I’ll just say that the name Madoba-2 rang an alarm bell here, and leave you to