BooksBarbecue
Back Outbreak
Chapters (124)
  1. Cover
  2. About the Author
  3. Acclaim for Frank Gardner’s Luke Carlton thrillers
  4. Also by Frank Gardner
  5. Dedication
  6. Epigraph
  7. 1
  8. 2
  9. 3
  10. 4
  11. 5
  12. 6
  13. 7
  14. 8
  15. 9
  16. 10
  17. 11
  18. 12
  19. 13
  20. 14
  21. 15
  22. 16
  23. 17
  24. 18
  25. 19
  26. 20
  27. 21
  28. 22
  29. 23
  30. 24
  31. 25
  32. 26
  33. 27
  34. 28
  35. 29
  36. 30
  37. 31
  38. 32
  39. 33
  40. 34
  41. 35
  42. 36
  43. 37
  44. 38
  45. 39
  46. 40
  47. 41
  48. 42
  49. 43
  50. 44
  51. 45
  52. 46
  53. 47
  54. 48
  55. 49
  56. 50
  57. 51
  58. 52
  59. 53
  60. 54
  61. 55
  62. 56
  63. 57
  64. 58
  65. 59
  66. 60
  67. 61
  68. 62
  69. 63
  70. 64
  71. 65
  72. 66
  73. 67
  74. 68
  75. 69
  76. 70
  77. 71
  78. 72
  79. 73
  80. 74
  81. 75
  82. 76
  83. 77
  84. 78
  85. 79
  86. 80
  87. 81
  88. 82
  89. 83
  90. 84
  91. 85
  92. 86
  93. 87
  94. 88
  95. 89
  96. 90
  97. 91
  98. 92
  99. 93
  100. 94
  101. 95
  102. 96
  103. 97
  104. 98
  105. 99
  106. 100
  107. 101
  108. 102
  109. 103
  110. 104
  111. 105
  112. 106
  113. 107
  114. 108
  115. 109
  116. 110
  117. 111
  118. 112
  119. 113
  120. 114
  121. 115
  122. Epilogue
  123. Acknowledgements
  124. THIS IS JUST THE BEGINNING

‘WELL, THAT WAS a complete bloody waste of time, wasn’t it?’ Luke pushed away the plate of half-eaten sausages and folded his arms, biting his bottom lip. ‘That man Kadunov was a total knob,’ he added. He glanced across the café table at Jenny Li for her reaction, but she was still eating, looking down as she chased a morsel around her plate, and, at first, she didn’t answer him. ‘“Explain this to your Chinese friend,”’ Luke mimicked the sales director sarcastically. ‘Jesus! I felt like putting him up against the wall and sorting him out.’

They had taken refuge in the first café down the street from the Matulis ChemExport factory. The Café Baltika was basic and functional, with all the frills and fancy trimmings you would expect from an unreconstructed Soviet establishment that had somehow staggered on into the era of Lithuania’s independence and membership of the EU. Jenny had ordered mushroom cookies and pickled cucumber; Luke had chosen sausages. Neither choice could be described as an unqualified success. Luke’s coiled sausages bore a disturbing similarity to something left on a pavement.

In a move that surprised him for its tenderness, he saw her reach out and squeeze his arm.

‘Luke,’ she told him, ‘your chivalry is much appreciated, really, but trust me, I’ve had to put up with a great deal worse. And yes, Mr Kadunov is, as you so delicately put it, “a total knob”.’ She smiled at him for a moment. ‘But given what Porton Down have come up with, this mission of ours – right here and now – it’s more important than ever. So the fact is, we still need to access those Scandinavian sales records or we’re not going to get to the bottom of the connection between Matulis ChemExport and what’s broken out on Svalbard.’

Luke considered this for a moment, nodding in agreement. ‘Leaving aside our personal distaste for the man,’ he said, ‘I got the definite sense that he had something to hide, didn’t you?’

‘Without question,’ she replied, spearing a pickled cucumber with her fork, examining it for a second and deciding to leave it on her plate.

‘So how should we take this forward?’ Luke asked, thinking out loud as he contemplated having a second stab at his sausages and likewise deciding against it. ‘Do we get GCHQ to simply hack into their archives? It could save us a lot of time.’