Part 42 (1/2)
”You can go up to the house,” the first security guy said.
”Thank you.”
Josh got back in, waited for the barrier to sink into the ground, then drove to the ma.s.sive front door. A stern-faced woman opened it: Lexa, the driver. She waited until he was inside and the door was shut, then she grinned.
”You've stirred things up. Whatever the old man's up to, it's all your doing.”
”I have no idea what you're talking about.”
”Sure you don't. Anyway, I've got to go out for a drive and get some shopping.”
”Good.”
”Richard will be able to slip in while I'm waiting at the gate. They've arranged a little delay.” Lexa paused, then: ”He is all right, isn't he?”
”Sure he is. You'll see for yourself.”
”Good. Nice work, soldier.”
”Thank you, ma'am.”
”The boss is waiting for you. You remember the way?”
”Sure.”
He walked through to the same ma.s.sive office as last time. The house might be the same, but Philip Broomhall was transformed. His hair was greasy, and his jowls unshaven; but when he stood, his eyes were clear and his back was straight.
”I've got the b.a.s.t.a.r.ds on the run,” he said. ”They just don't know it yet.”
”Ah.” Josh found himself smiling. ”That's always the best way.”
”Africa's proving more of a problem, though. You don't have conclusive data yourself, I suppose?”
”I've deployed query agents in the Web,” said Josh, ”and combined with what you've got, we should build up a picture of how they work.”
”But it's not the killer blow, is it?” Philip was fleshy and unused to physicality; his notion of killer blows was the manipulation of stock interests. ”What we need is a picture of what Richard saw. Virapharm labs growing product inside children. b.l.o.o.d.y Billy Church and the Tyndalls looking on.”
”So far we've got facts and figures. Pictures of Church and the Tyndalls at premises which we can show are virapharm facilities.”
”It's not enough,” said Philip. ”They'll spindoctor us to oblivion. Bury the facts with fiction and false figures.”
”Suzanne d.u.c.h.esne has taught me something profound.”
Philip's eyes tightened. ”What is that?”
”It's not what you say, it's how you say it.” Josh grinned. ”Not to mention, where and when.”
”I so hope you're right. All right, let me show you what my people have ferreted out.” Data blossomed on half a dozen wallscreens. ”Here we have Tyndall Industries owning a hundred percent of this Nigerian facility, although you wouldn't know it from the stockholder list. It's all cutouts and proxies. You realise none of what they do breaks the local laws.”
”It'll still cause outrage here. All we have to do is get the data in front of people.”
”Well, that's the challenge, isn't it? Anyway, over here you can trace the interrelated”
A door clicked open, further down the hallway. Then the office door opened.
”F-father?”
”Richard!”
They stepped toward each other, then stopped, as though held back by a force field. Behind Richard, Lexa frowned. Philip seemed unable to move.
”Are you all right, son?”
”Yes, Father. I was... I was very lucky.”
Then something broke as Philip stumbled forward first, Richard falling against his chest; and they were hugging each other, crying and not caring. Seeing Philip's tears, Josh finally decided he could like the man.
Lexa led Josh into the hall, and closed the office door behind them.
”Looks like you did good,” said Lexa.
”I just found him,” said Josh. ”Suzanne fixed him.”
”Ah, that'll be Dr d.u.c.h.esne. You and her, you're together? It's the way you say her name.”
”Er, yeah.”
”Figures. All the good ones are taken.” She shrugged her muscled shoulders. ”Never mind.”
After a while, the office door opened. Philip came out, arm around Richard's shoulders.
”I'm going to do some work, otherwise I'd be letting Mr c.u.mberland down. And we can't have that, can we, Richard?”
”No.”
”You three go on, and I'll join you shortly.”
”OK. Father?”
”What is it?”
”My thing about blades...”