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Back Angels of Vengeance Save as PDF
Chapters (68)
  1. Blurb
  2. CONTENTS
  3. Dedication
  4. CHARACTER LIST
  5. 1
  6. 2
  7. 3
  8. 4
  9. 5
  10. 6
  11. 7
  12. 8
  13. 9
  14. 10
  15. 11
  16. 12
  17. 13
  18. 14
  19. 15
  20. 16
  21. 17
  22. 18
  23. 19
  24. 20
  25. 21
  26. 22
  27. 23
  28. 24
  29. 25
  30. 26
  31. 27
  32. 28
  33. 29
  34. 30
  35. 31
  36. 32
  37. 33
  38. 34
  39. 35
  40. 36
  41. 37
  42. 38
  43. 39
  44. 40
  45. 41
  46. 42
  47. 43
  48. 44
  49. 45
  50. 46
  51. 47
  52. 48
  53. 49
  54. 50
  55. 51
  56. 52
  57. 53
  58. 54
  59. TWO MONTHS LATER
  60. ONE YEAR LATER
  61. TWO YEARS LATER
  62. FOUR YEARS LATER
  63. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
  64. ABOUT THE AUTHOR
  65. Also by John Birmingham
  66. ALSO BY JOHN BIRMINGHAM
  67. Copyright
  68. Cover

Jules set her mind back to the task of working out what time it was over there. Early afternoon in Darwin now, so that would’ve made it . . . what, sometime late at night, yesterday evening, where he was? The phone had a web browser and she thought about doing a quick MSN search, but impatience forced her to just call the number anyway. Given her limited experience with mobile phones, and especially with the keypad-less variety like this Nokia, it took her a while to work out that she only had to touch the number Nick had entered in its long form.

An annoying ear worm of a jazz tune about Kansas City began to run on a loop in her mind. She frowned it away.

Jules heard a faint buzzing as the connection went through. A phone was ringing somewhere. She worried that she might be waking Miguel or the kids, but smiled at the prospect of Mariela waking up beside her husband and demanding to know the identity of this strange mujer he was talking to so late at night.

After standing there near naked under the air-conditioner for almost a minute, she began to suspect that no one was home. Jules was surprised at just how disappointed she felt. She had no good news for Miguel, just a warning. To watch out for Henry Cesky’s goons. But she’d been looking forward to the conversation. Now she was left hanging on the line in this shitty motel room, wondering whether maybe she’d ended up dialling the wrong number or something. When the call cut out, she tried again, without any great hope and, eventually, with the same non-result. She bit down on her frustration. Not even an answering machine.

‘Bugger.’

She accepted defeat, for now. Delving into the largest of the two carrier bags, Julianne pulled out the business suit and started getting dressed once more, hating the feel of the anonymous office clothes. There was nothing to be done about it, though. She wanted so much to see the Rhino, and if she wanted to see Rhino, she had to play along.

43

FORT HOOD, KILLEEN, TEXAS ADMINISTRATIVE DIVISION

Fingerprint lock.

McCutcheon’s office was protected by the same array of security measures as those guarding Blackstone’s, but with an additional tweak. Caitlin and Musso stood behind him as he laid his thumb on the glass plate of a Krupp Systems Dynalock TRS-5 fingerprint scanner. Reputed to be the best in the world. Released into the wild by Krupp only three months earlier. Beat that and you would gain access to the office within, where you could then trip the pressure pad just behind the door, the passive IR sensors mounted in the corner of the room, or the proximity alarm sitting atop his desk, next to a laptop that was disconnected from the building’s intranet.

‘If you wouldn’t mind averting your eyes for a second, folks.’